davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02
CAN THERE BE No HONESTY IN
DEALING WITH TIE PEOPLEa

Judge Ballinger is an honest gentleman
of proper notions of integrity and truth and
of common honesty. The Judge asked the
Rutabagas and others who pandered to
their prejudices to deal honestly and fairly
with the people of Texas, and have the new
constitution voted on by itself, on fixed
day, when there could be no extraneous,
improper influences made operative upon
the people. But the fearful majority of the
terrible body of law givers spurned Judge
Ballinger's fair-dealing, and the blessed
people are to be drawn into the support of
the constitution by all the adventitious aids
which three or four thousand candidates,
and the whiskey they will supply, and the
kinsfolk they can furnish in:the promotion
of the adoption of the botched organic code.
Besides, the party is to make acceptance
OF the new constitution, new plank in the
platform of Democracy, and for this purpose,
1t is stated, the leaders are to meet in Gal
weston. The matter was talked over here,
in Austin, and the party may tamely sub
nit. Old Rutabaga will hold its nose while
our genial, good-tempered, modest friend
DeMorse will force it down into the unwil-
ling maw of the tumesent party. Sick and
disgusted it may be, but swallow it must.
The leaders withstand up in Galveston and
anathematize everybody who turns away
sickened from the absurdities and preiu-
dices and selfshness and ignorance and dem
agogism injected into the proposed new
government of Texas.
Ii the honesty of Judge Ballinger cannot
be approved, we may at least prevent the
outrage proposed to be done the party and
people at Galveston. If the people were
not suffered to vote fairly, and without the
foreign and corrupting influences of count
less office-seekers, who approve the law
that gives them the peoples gold, the peo-
pie should at least be suffered to vote in
such an election without subjection to in
fiuences of insane, unthinking partisanship.
Let us at least have fairness and honesty il
Illustrated by Democratic leaders in this mat
ter at Galveston, even if we could not have
it in the conduct of Rutabagaism in the Con-
stitutional Convention.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02
RATIFY! RATIFY! RAr1Fx,

We ought to ratify. Is it true that we have
ratifiedG The thing needs ratification and
sevaral of them. Tue little ''half ham,
mond" corner grocery popular declaimers
should come hopping to the front. Deli
cious speeches should be made and the
people should be forced to rend the very
heavens. If something of the sort be not
done, the voters of the State will go along
coolly and quietly and read the new consti-
tuition for themselves and discover what
boundlesss stupidIties were injected into it
by Rutabagaism and timid demagogism
Politicians have set out on the mad hunt for
office. The number of offices and sinecures
under the new will be greater than under
the old constitutions says an eminent
lawyer who has been making a tabulated
statement of the number and salaries of
this army of coming barnecles. Taxation
is limited, but FEES AND PERoUIsTTEs are un
limited, and thus tie people are to be
feeced and robbed by Texas as through the
tariff system which does indirectly what
the people would not endure a single hour
if done openly and honestly and directly.
Ratifyl ratlfy! ratifyl 1t good thing
to ratify great deal, and the flight of
speakers who were announced to do the
first little job of the sort at the capital,
that other towns might follow the noble ex-
ample, will have a very unfortunate effect
upon the fortunes of the excretion of Ruta-
baga prejudices left as organic law for the
approval of decent people. Oh, yes, by
all means let us ratifv.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02
Fashionable Churches.

A correspondent of the Buffalo CONNER
cidL Ad0ertiSer writes from New York: A
very distinguished European at present visit
ing this city was asked by a friend at the
Travellers Club on Sunday evening how he
had spent the day. He replied that in the
morning he had attended bazaar for the
exhibition of fine clothing, and the after
noon in writing home of what he had seen.
Importuned to be more lucid regarding the
morning, he named st. Jimcrack's Episco-
pal Church on Fifsh avenue as the bazaar,
and said he never before. had witnessed
worldliness and religion so closely associ-
ated. This satIrical rebuke is by no means
underserved, and should extend to other
denominations besides the one designa ed
by the European. of late years the worldly
element has Oeen asserting itself more and
more at so-called worship aC many of our
fashionable" churches, and not only at di-
vine service, but in the general management
of church affairs. IL is no rash assertion to
say that half of those Who attend and why,
in the name of all that is good and holy,
should they be called fashionable eYn-do
SO for the purpose of exhibiting their finery,
seeing and being seen. l doubt not-and
this IS not an individual opinion-that if it
was put to vote upon conscience and under
penalty of instant death this confession
would be drawn from half the congrega-
tions assembled on the LORDS day. Mag
nificent and brilliant chancel appointments
and fixtures, sadly Inappropriate secular and
operatic music, superf1uous professions of
choir boys, sensational sermons, and un-
called for services, may be assigned as the
roots of the evil which makes our fashion
able churches bazaars and places of rendez
vous for the giddY, worldly lhroDg. There's
too much ritualism to be piritually healthy,
and too many sensational and emotional
effects i'd ntitied with the plain, simple and
solemn service ordered by the prayer book.
High churchmen are responsible for much
of this-and, after all, who are high
churchmen but mentally deficient servants
of God who, forgetful of heavenly precepts,
think to make themselves and their church
more prominent by means of artificial reli-
gion and highly Illuminated solemDity.
Music, lights, professions, and other sacri-
lIgious claptrap will never make converts,
for its mere repetitions of what we see at
opera or theatre, and Its only effect in the
sanctuary-as introduced at fashionable
churches-is to make us forgetful of where
we are, and greater sinners than ever. How
many of us yearn for return OF the days of
primitive service-of real, true and penitent
worshipi
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02

THE Denton Monitor gives the country a
botanical and learned disquisitlon On the
origin and foI ce of the word ''Rutabaga, :"
as applied to partisan and political Gran
ger, distinguishing him from the original
man and farmer. But the Monitor forgot
to say that the Rutabaga is rather flat, that
its hide is rough and tough and rusty and
thick, that its top is exceedingly verdant,
and therefore that the parallelism between
the accident or turn-up, johnson of Collin,
and the turnip, Rutabaga, extends even on
to infnity. We are told that johnson is a
hairy vegetable and, curIously enough, is
forked. He is neither white nor black" In
truth, to the coalition effected by this ''turn-
up" of the convention with the Radicals,
the new constitution owes its most odious
features. Rutabagas are rough food for
cattle, and will hardly be swallowed with
any great degree of avldity by civilized
white people. In fact, Rutabagaism in the
Constitutional Convention was planted, cul-
tivated, watered and garnered by men en-
tirely outside of the Democratic party.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02
stonewam Jackson at West Point.

An old friend and comrade of Stonewal
jackson writes to the Richmond Wig: In
June, 1912, A. P. Hill, George E. Pickett,
B. d. Fry, and the writer, having passed
our first week at the military academy, were
standing together on the south side of the
south barracks at West Point, when Cadet
sergeant came by us conducting a newly
arrived cadet to his quarters. He was app
parently about twenty years of age, ETC.,
his figure was angular and clumsy; his gait
was awkward. He was clad in old-fashloned
Virginian homespun woolen cloth; he bore
across his shoulders a pair of weather
stained saddle-bags, and his hat was one of
those heavy, low-crowned, broad-brimmed
wool hats usually worn in those days by
overseers, county cOnstables, wagoners, etc.
He tramped alone by the side of the sergeant
with an air af resolution, and his solid look
added to the inhexible determination of his
whole aspect, so that one of us remarked:
ssThat fellow has come here to stay" His
name was Thomas J. Jackson.
He had a rough time in the academy at first,
for want of previous training placed him at
disadvantage, and it was all he could do to
pass his first examination. We were study
ing algebra, and maybe analytical geom etry.
that winter, and jackson was very low in
his class standing. All lights were put out
at s'taps," but just before the signal he
would pile up his CRATE with anthracite coal,
and, lying prone before it on the floor, would
work away at his lessons by the glare of the
fire, which scorched his very brain, till
late hour in the night. This evident deter
mination to succeed not only aided his own
efforts directly, but impressed his instruo-
tors IN his favor, and he rose steadily year
by year till we used to say, IF we had t.
stay here an other year 'old jack would be
at the head of the class"
By the fourth year he attained position
in the first section, but his lower standing
during the early years In the course, and in
drawing, French, and some other study of a
lighter and more ornamental character,
brought his average below the point to
which he had actually attained by the end
of our course.
In the riding-hall think his suffering
must have been great-he had a very rough
horse-and when the order came TO sscross
stirrups" and ''trot," ''old Jackn swayed
about and struggled hard TO keep his horse.
When he had advanced to riding at the
heads, leaping the bars, etc, his equestrianism
was truly fearful ;but he persevered through
the most perilous trials, and no man in the
riding house would take more risk than be,
and certainly no one had our wishes for sue
cess and safety more than he.
believe be went through the very trying
ordeal of the four years at West Point with
out ever having hard word or bard feel
ing for or hard feeling from any cadet or
professor. And while there were many who
seemed to surpass him in the graces Of in
tellect, in geniality and in good fellowship,
there was no one of our class who more alb
solutely possessed the respect and confidence
of all than he did.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02
An ll,-Omrned GEM.

The wife of Capt. Burton, the renowned
African traveller, has just published book
in which she fortells n uch peril to England,
especially to Queen Victoria, if that SOW
ereign persists in retaining in her possession
the celebrated Kohlnor diamond. That
stone has always had bad reputation. 1t
is said, though without sufficient reason, to
have been discovered in the mines of Col
conda, and that in consequences of some ter
rible deed of cruelty perpetrated on its
finder, his dying curses snll cling to it.
Mrs. Burton traces the history of the
gem through many possessors, all of whom
suffered some terrible disaster or came
to a violent death. The first lost his
kingdom, the second died in exile, 9TH
ers were strangled or assassinated in
different ways. The fall of the great EN-.
pire of Aurunzebe she attributes to the
Mountain of Light. When Nadir Shah
captured Delhi he took away with him to
Persia treasures and jewels of incalculable
value, among them the Kohinor. From the
moment he reached Persia everything went
wrong" The Emperor was soon after as
sassinated and his jewels stolen. It's next
possessor was poisoned; the two next had
their eyes put out; and so on, disaster fol-
lowing the stone till it came into the pos
session of Runjeet Sing, the lion of the
PuDjaub. He died soon after; then his
son was poisoned, and at brief intervals his
grandson and great grandson were also as
sasslnated. Anarchy followed; then came
the conquest OF Punjaub, and so the dia-
mond fell to its present destination. This
is all matter of history, and has been re-
counted by previous writers. But Mrs.
Burton does not pretend to go only over
the old ground again. She declares she did
not know the history of the gem until she
had a dream, wherein it was made known
to her. She then looked into the ques
tion, though it must be allowed that she
is not quite accurate in her account of the
fortunes of the former proprietors. Many
of them who she does not mention were
prosperous and powerful rulers; some died
peaceable deaths, and one-the monarch of
the Sikes--so far from regarding the dia-
mond as ill-omened, valued it as holy
relic and bequeated it to Juggernaut. But
Mrs. Burton is a firm believer in omens, and
entreats the queen to discard the stone,
which she sometimes wears. She notes
that Lord Dalhousie, who sent it to the
queen, died soon afterward; that the Duke
of Wellington, who gave the first stroke to
the new cutting, lived but thee months,
and that Prince Albert fell victim to the
ancient curae. Now, it is not difficult to
how belief in the ill-omen of
this diamond should have prevailed in the
East. Apart from the facts connected with
its history, its extreme vslue-since it is
by far the prettiest diamond in existence
would have induced some to malIgn it in
order to possess it. But it is not so easy to
account for the creduiity or superstition,
call it what we may, which we find dis
played in woman of such high culture,
talent and practical knowledge of the world
as Mrs. Burton.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02
Old Times An Texas.

The San Marcos Free Press, an excellent
newspaper, is publishing extracts from the
Naturalists, Andubon's diary, written In
Texas in 1897.
May Is. We landed at Houston, the
capital of Texas, drenched to the skin, and
were kindly received on board the steamer
yellow Stone, Capt. West, who gave us his
state room 70 change our clothes, and fur
nished US refreshments and dinner.
The Buffalo Bayou had risen about six
feet, and the Reighboring prairies were part
ly covered with water there was q wild and
desolate look cast ON the surrounding see
merry We had already passed two little
girls encsmPed on the bank of the bayou,
under the cover Of 3 few clap-boards, cook
ing scanty meal; shanties, cargoes Of hogs
heads barrels, etc, were spread about the
iandingi and indians drunk and hallooiDg
were stumbling about in the mud in every
direction. These poor beings had come
here 70 enteE into treaty proposed BY the
whites; manT Of them were young aud we'll
looking, and far less decorations than have
seen before en- such occasions. The chief
OF the tTiDe 5 An old and corpulezt man.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02
wits and EEadness--The Re1atlOnship Re-
tween Genius and 1nsaoity.

Robert Lawson, n. b., pathologist to the
West Riding Lunatic Asylum, contributes
to the Lancet paper on brains and intellect
which, in addition 70 the many interesting
facts presented, contains an ingenious de-
Tense of the universal insanity theory. We
condense from the Communication as fol-
lows: 'Asopposed TO the popular idea that
the weight OF the brain bears direct rela-
tion to the intellectual capacity Of the in
dividuaI, we learn that, though Cusier,
Abercrombie, simpson and others, were
found to have possessed cerebral centres Of
considerably more than the average weight,
vet even these did not attain TO the known
maximum. The sixty-four-ounce brain Of
Cuvier is, in come respects, balanced by the
sixty fige-ounce brain observed by Tiede-
mann and the sixty-one and nxty-two-ounce
brains commented on by DIR. Peacock, the
living representatives of which did not seem
TO possess n corresponding superiority over
their smaller brAined Contemporaries. It
furthermore appears that. il all the elements
Of the case were considered, the heaviest
brain on record would be found TO be tha
Of . senile dement, who died at the West
Riding Asylum st the age Of seventy, and
which then weighed sixfy-o ounces. Ad-
ditional evidence IN support Of these views
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02
Dickens and Lemon.

1t is enormously supposed that the late
Charles Dickens wrote regularly for Punch.
There is among Mark Lemons papers an
article signed Charles Dickens, on the out
side of which is written. ''My sole oontri-
button to Punch" The idea that Charles
Dickens was on the staff Of Punch originated,
no doubt, through the intimacy which SO
long existed between the two men. Scarce
ly day passed at one period OF their lives
without they met each other at their own
houses. They frequently spent evenings at
home together or at some place OF public
amusement. They generally devoted one
or two evenings in the week TO what Mark
called London ramble, which was fre-
quently an excursion 10 the East End, pick
ing up character" at miner theatres cir
cuses and other places Of resort in the wild
est districts OF the widest parts Of the me-
tropolis. Charles Dickens, Clarkson Stang
field, the painter, and Mark Lemon often
made excursions OF this kind in company,
conversing with any person whom they
might care TO know, and thus gaining u
fund of information which was afterw ards
profitably employed. Many passages in
Dickens works, considered far-fctched and
overdrawn, may be traced to scenes in real
life witnessed during these London ram
bles. 1t was Lemon who planned the ex-
cursions, as is shown by Dickens's letters.
When Dickens lived at Tavistock House
Lemon lived close by in Gordon square, and
notes, letters and reminders Of appointments
were continually passing between them.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02

AHAMALs THAT Know SUNDAY.-A friend
OF mine has a dog which always runs with
the wagon. On week days the wagon turns
10 the right from the gate and goes down 70
the factory. On Sunday il turns to the left
and goes 10 church. The dog runs ahead
On Sunday the dog tures to the left, and no
intimatIon is given. Six days the sagacious
animal runs on in advance toward the fac
tory. Even the horse understands the day
as well as the way to church.
No one that has passed a week day in We
nice will have failed TO have seen the pig
ions feed at the hour Of noon. Far more
than one hundred Of these little animals
have come at noon for their food. They
never mistake the no IT. They never come
at ten or eleven. When the bell OF St.
Mark 8 begins 10 claBg out the hour Of noon,
not bird could be seen; before the bell
ceases the air will be black, and doves by
the hundred fly to the windows. On Sun
day no grain is given. fhe old bell Jars
out IL O'Clock, but no birds appear. 1ney
can count: they know when Sunday comes.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02

The little tea party which concocted the
frantic ratification meeting at the Capitol
for last Thursday night, whence Flournoy
fled and Hancock disappeared and Cover
nor Coke wasn't there, also had it tele-
graphed to Galveston and Houston that he
was doing a big thing on ice. But there
was no meeting, no speech. The Governor
went to his Sabine farm, Flournoy fiourished
in sleeping cosch, Hancock said grace
over the intellectual feast that was relished
by nobody and went to Washington, and it
was all ''goster and CANNON, ~ born of the
infinite juiciness and brass of ''Oily Gam
mon
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02
A GOOD THING ALL AROUND THE
BOARD.

There is more coffee and tea in the United
States. in the hands of the trade and specu-
lators, than ever before in the country's
history. These. coffee holders constitute a
ring. Its existence was begun and orgaEi-
zation effected when it was proposed that
Grant should buy San Domingo. The crops
cf. coffee for three years has been enormous
and it is becoming impossible to keep up
the price, maintained in Austin till last
week, by the presence of the coffee drinkers
of the Constitutional Convention. But the
bottom is falling out and the coffee fellows
are going to Washington to have the traffic
on coffee doubled. The sixty thousand tons
inside the United States will thus be doubled
in value and the people VINO drink coffee
must foot the bin. Such is the pretty game
proposed to be practiced upon the people
Of Texas by the new constitution 1t limits
taxation to fifty cents on the 800, but il
piles on the perquisites and multiplies the
pIacehclders, and the fellows inside the
ring are blissful, and ii is only the poor
people who are dnped and robbed. 1t is
good thing to belong 10 powerful ring.
whether Of holders Of coffee or Of Offices.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02
NO. II

''No, taint; SOS it's church readin' it
don't bother you, sir; so dry upm
well, mebbe that's so; and what / read
don't bother you, too. All night, mister,
jist hand me out half a dozen lustrated pa
pers, full of pictures of legs with striped
stoekins and fifty dollar garIers an
The old lady chucked the Christian at
Work under the table. grabbed the old mau
by the ear, and if he had worn striped
stockings eleven inches of them would have
been seen between the tops of his shoes and
the bottom of his pants legs as she made
him walk Spanish out to the wagon. III
LaRtd Constellation.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02

Ton scoTT will only ask aid for his road,
at the hands of Congress, from Sherman
and Fort Worth to San Diego. st. Louis,
Memphis, New Orleans and Galveston must
take care of themselves. Scott will ask
Congress to provide for branches to these
several cities, but he will only undertake
to secure appropriations for the grand trunk
line from the one hundred and fourth de-
gree of longitude to San Diego. Tom
Scott proposes to build the trunk line, and
Congress must provide that it discriminates
in nothing against any city or any branch
railway line. All of which seems very SEN
sible.
The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-12-02

is cited from the official record of this saus
institution. 1t appears that a Computation
of the brain weights of eos patients
who died at this asylum shows that the aver
age weight of brains the insane WAS lutte
ii any, below the commonly-accepted aver
age of foriy-nine ounces in sane males, and
fOTty-four ounces in adult females. There
are numerous instances IN the records of the
West Riding aud other lunstic asylums, in
which brains are noted as weighing from
dfty-eight to sixty-one ounces, aud those of
females from dfty 10 fiftysix ounces In
further illustration and enforcement of has
claim, the writer gives the following table,
in which the brain weights OF six men, who
have earned fame in science, philosophy or
politics, are directly compared and con-
trasted with those of men whose lives have
been mute and inglorinns.