The age-herald., 1900-08-05

AllDhfnl-and Is dolng great thfnSS LOT lh0
 South at large.
 As for the proposed gift to the Alabama,
 all those inhabitants of the State who have
 at heart the preservation of the States
 fame, it's good name, its history, feel grate-
 ful to generous Colonel Russell.
 
 In the course of some recent gossip re-
 garding the formation of the various eeun-
 ties of Alabama, it was half-jestingly and
 good humoredly stated that the former
 county of Jones, now Lamar, was named
 for the late Senator E. P. Jones of Fay cite in order to get his support for the bill creating that county. This pleasantly has given unexpected and sincerely regretted
 oftense to those who cherish Senator Jones' good name and the record of his honored career. It has been misunderstood and held to be a charge of grevous offense against the late Senator. That was not so intended, and those so offended are assured that no wrong, no harm, aspersion was meant. I Inc light gossip WAS lightly printed in the best of goodwill; but since 1t wounds, its
 publication is heartily regretted and would
 be recalled. In this column the constant effort is to please and entertain, and never
 to wound or wrong innocent individuals In this regard Mrs. Martha L. Spencer, president of the Alabama Womans Chris tan Temperance Union, felt called upon the other day to correct interview that ap- peared in this place relative to what was believed to be perfectly well known fact,
 that the fad for naming children for fam ous notorious persons had never att
 tached itself in this country to any woman The person who was
 interviewed stated this as a mat
 ter of fact that was of some interest. Hd
 had no thought of offending anybody; prob
 ably didn't way the other,
 since nobody could take personal offense-
 Mrs. Spencer wrote to this newspaper that
 ''It should be well known that hundreds
 and hundreds of children in this country,
 both boys and girls, have been named for that peerless woman, so long known as
 Americas uncrowned queen, the late Fran
 ces F. Willard"
 Mrs Spencer makes two assertions that
 are of wide public interest namely that
 hundreds and hundreds" had been named
 for Miss Willard, who was known as
 Americas unerowned Queen" Possibly.
 But Mrs Spencer might credit the inter-
 viewed person and the multitude of which he is perfectly well-meaning unit with
 being honestly ignorant Of what she states as facts. No honest person who ever knew of that noby good and saintly woman, Miss Willard, whose life seems to have been devoted to doing good for the love of good can deny her the tribute of deep reverence; but that has got nothing to do with the contention of the unsuspecting interviewed person that no one woman had
 in this country become a fad in the nam ing of innocent and defenseless infants. That noble heroine of higher morality and the nobler virtues, Miss Willard, who was more a Queen crowned un- crowned than any of thousands of blessed mothers and maidens of Birming- ham this morning, placed in a possi- ble false position at a public meeting in London one night in 1895. meeting was called to assemble in the Queens Hall, upper Regent street, and was largely ad- vertised, for the purpose influencing public opinion in favor of peace, then threatened by President C1evelands mad message about Venezuela The chief or ganizer and advertiser of that meeting was William T. Stead, notorious for many things, but chiefly because he was con- victed of foul wrong to innocent girl and sentenced to prison, where he served his time. The meeting was poorly attend ed but there were a number of rather prominent and well-meaning persons pres- ent, including a former radical cabinet Minister who had resigned because of his fndiscreet connection with a notorious public company; the radical Anglican Bishop of Rochester; Hall Caine, a novel, writer known in the United States; and Lady Henry Somerset, a woman who makes many public appearances in many worthy causes. She was fifth on the list of the speakers, arrived late and raised a row. She declared that unless she was aloud to speak right then and there she
 wouldn't speak at all; had another en-
 gagement The delectable MT. Stead sided
 with Lady Henry Somerset, and Lady Hen
 ry Somerset talked more nonsense in ten
 minutes than less brilliant person could
 talk in that many hours. War with
 America is impossible she shrieked
 'Fhose dear Americans will never fight England. have made five visits to that country" Singularly enough nobody laughed. Lady Henry Somerset raved for a time about ''the best-loved woman in America and concluded by reciting in a. quayering, mock-pathetic voice one of that womans poems.
 In the gallery there were two Ameri-
 can newspaper workers who had gone
 there in spirit of inquiry. They had been active newspaper workers from boyhood, both had been responsible editors of wide- 1y known daily newspapers, both were American born of American parents, both had lived all their lives in America, and both were we'll educated. They looked at each other and asked who was the best loved woman in America. Neither could answer They mentioned Mrs. Cleveland then as now, widely reverenced Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Susan B. Anthony; Clara Barton-all impossiblel As the two Amer jeans passed out they were given some Stead-selected literature" which they