The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-27
Livingstone's Handwriting 70 the
Herald-The DOubters' Brlgade-A
Proposition.

| EEVPODhthOms
The fogs of doubt which becloud ant
bemuddle the minds of certain careful indi
viduals whose mental grasp is moderate will
regard to whether Stanley ever met Living
stone, whether such being as Stanley ever
existed, whether Livingstone is not myth
and Africa mere moonland, are doomed to q
premature dissolution. In another page Of
the HERALD will be found fac-simile of DIR.
Livingstone's first letter to this journal, which
will be seen and scrutinized by million read
ers to-day. To the doubling Thomases OF
every grade we dedicate it in all the kindness
which feeling of pity for limited human intel
lgence can inspire But not only to these;
for the millions all over the world who accept
an honest story in good faith will look on the
page which contains the fac-simile with eyes of
reverence for the noble man who penned the
original
We have had from time to time occasion to
smile editorially at the weak, shifting ways Of
the incredulous in this matter, and from their
own mouths judged them. 1t would be q
superhuman work to take every single doubter
up, for such is the perversity of man of this
class who finds himself in the wrong that he
would doubt his own existence sooner than
the fact of his staring you in the face should
be proved to him. Like the village school
master Of Goldsmith,
Even when beaten he could argue still,
While words OF learned length and laundering
sound
Amazed the gaping rustcs ranged round.
Prominent among the latest editions of
Thomas is Long Island philosopher named
Noe, who knew ION the authority of the local
postmaster) all about Stanley some six years
ago, and hence knows all about him up to the
present moment This knowledge of Mr.. Stan
ley extended to the assurance that he could not
possibly meet Livingstone at Ujiji, because
Stanley and Noe, as the latter alleges, got into
some odd difficulties with a party of Moslems
in Asia Minor in the year 1866. From the
manner in which, according to Noe, the
trouble was brought about and the way Stan
ley got the party out of it he finds irrefraga-
BILE proof that in November, 1872, Livingstone
was not to be found anywhere, and, therefore,
Stanley did not find him. On all this stupid
course of reasoning, which is put forward by
Mr.. Noe inferentially we submit that it is
one-sided story at the best and personal in all
its details to the accuser and the accused. The
candid admissions of Mr.. Noe about desert
ing the navy, perjuring himself, attempting
murder at the word Of command and submit
ting to outrages at the hands of the Turks
are not very edifying; for although they may
hin, ir,b1x IN kho &c ,,,1,~
wish to look on him as converted traveller
in Asia Minor they bear decided trace of
being disingenuous in relation and in
motive. The refreshing, primeval innocence
which Mr.. Noe puts forward to &C
count for his bad actions is hardly fair
to the navy from which he deserted, and his
allowing over five years to elapse before publish
ing his story shows just at the present moment
a strong current in himself of that refinement
of cruelty which he so literally charges to
MIR. Stanley We say thus much for the sim
pie sake of fair play between man and man.
MIR. Stanley was employed by the HERALD
to report the AbyssiniaA war for this
journal, and the vigor, capability and faith
fulness of the man were shown in his furnish
ing us with the news of the fall of Magdala
and death of King Theodorus before anybody
else and in time for us to communicate to the
English government the success of it's own ex-
petition in that distant region. This was Mr.
SANKEY'S certificate of character as Jour-
nalist to the world. For what hap
pened in his life before that we are
not accountable, and certainly do not feel such
unlimited confidence in Mr.. Noe OF his narra-
tive of peculiar catastrophes as to make our
selves judges on the alleged 'facts" in the case.
From the date of the Abyssinian triumph
forward Mr.. Stanley further proved himself
Enthusiastically in various expeditions for this
journal, every one of which he has conducted
in thoroughly honorable and satisfactory
manner. He has truthfully related the man
ner in which he received his instructions to
''find Livingstone and the fac-simile of
Livingstone's handwriting on another page
will tell how he obeyed them. This, we
imagine should be answer sufficient to the
Thomases but murmurs of q forgery commit
ted in some end or other Of the world, which
was being palmed off as the handiwork of
Doctor Livingstone, have been so rife in vari-
GUS grudging and ungenerously envious quar-
tiers, that we presume they will shift their
ground again as they did before, and remain
loudly unconvinced.
Objections have been taken by some calow
critics to DR.. Livingstone expressions Us 'sa-,
voring too much Of Americanism," &c. Now
the explanation appears to us as very simple.
Such words as "twaddle,'' currency" are
pointed to, and the everlasting 'bulbous-be-
low-the-ribs' controversy is possibly going on
still. The words and phrases ticketed Gamer
icanisms" we're by no means invented since
DR.. Livingstone's departure from among us,
and were by no means uncurrent in England
when he left it; yet, for the sake of argument,
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