Birmingham state herald., 1895-12-29

world. And to the mountain tops such souls must go, for there scars the eagle, there grows the eidelweis, there sings the lark, far above the vapors of earth, and there stretch out before the longing soul, the kingdoms of the worldl But that cry, Why. to the summit, why not rest upon the plain?" sill continue until the end of time, but you and I, my friends as we stand with barred heads ready to bid the new year welcome, we, I say, must go towards the mountain top. We shall sleep in the valley, but we shall live. breathe, rejoice in the glory of the peaks!
 Tn writing a few days ago incidentally of animal magnetism, that rare gift to a small proportion of humanity, one Is re- minded of the two remarkable specimens of our race who are so endowed with this peculiar, mysterious power, that the metropolitan journals daily chronicle the wonderful impression they are making upon great audiences, independent of their rare artistic gifts. Of course refer ence is made to Paderewski, the marvel ous pianist, whose genius is ever new and strong; and Ivette Guilbert, the re- markable woman who, fresh from the music halls of Paris, Is astonishing New Workers with her strange talents. Pader- ewsH wields such a power that he is written about from a psychological standpoint, regardless of his art He sways thousands of otherwise sensible women according to his own fantastic genius, and they give vent to their ad- miration in signs, tears and extravagant speech, surprising to well regulated women who have never heard Paderews- Xxi play. Other pianists have equaled this artist in a musical way, but perhap ps no one has approached him in this mag netic quality, to which must be attribu- ted much of his peculiar influence
 Ivette Guilbert, in her way, which, sad to relate, is very much worse way, pos- sesses this same power. She controls her audiences with the strength of her sim gular personality, and she has achieved international fame because she has this magnetic, ,indescribable gift, this power to impress the people who see and hear her with her irresistible individuality and talents. That she is using this almost supernatural force to lower the moral
 tone of her audiences Is worse than wicked, it is nothing less than criminal; yet it sets us all to thinking afresh of this subject. Sara Bernhardt is anoth- CT notable instance of this supernatural endowment, and in private life we can all recall instances of this individual power in varying degrees. Every new demonstration of animal magnetism puzzles us. and yet leaves us with no ex- planation of its cause. What is 1t, after all? Is 1t mental? Not entirely, as 1t belongs to few who make little claim to intellectual attainments. Is 1t phys ical? Also not entirely, as it is general ly stronger In persons who are far from being classed as the handsome men and women of the world. Thus far this strange gift has not been defined, and perhaps never will be satisfactorily
 But it is, and ever shall be, one of the dominant forces of the universe. It Is that power which has made men sway
 vast crowds according to their wills not by the fiuency of their speech. It Is that force which has decided the Verdicts of many juries, and it has made most of the majorities of political history. It Is the cause of that wonderful fascina- tion of some women, who have the abil- ity to influence all who come within their reach. It brings to its possessor most of the successes Of life, and. perhaps many of 1t greatest dangers. United to genius and elevated moral character 1t is all most invncible. This much we know and acknowledge, yet who can explain it? Who can tell anything of its mar velous workings We see it's effect every day of our lives, but it shall always re- main one of the mysteries that cannot be fathomed.
 Miss Julia Hirsch of Vicksburg is visit ing Miss Cecil Wise on Seventeenth street Miss Hirsch has visited our city