The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-08-04
Some Vig4us ~ -
~ - and Revie4us.

1T is an extraordinary thing In Aper,.a,
iife," says the saturday EVENING Post
that man With wealth and opportupi.
ties should be content TO 20 down INTO hlss
tory as corrupter OF tile state and N
a holder Of an office which he could OBJ
tain only by the use Of money!
The fact that the Post characteri1es this
as feature Of American life would ndi.
cate that our politicians and our political
system are especially open TO the charge
OF corrupt and evil practices That this
view Is generally held by many hougatful
and obscrrant students Of national politics
at home and abroad. there Is no doubt.
some ten years ago the Harpcrs sent Mr..
Richard Harding Davis TO England 10 make
a personal investigation Of the subject aud
later he published the results under the
title OF "a General Election In England
Mr.. Davis insists that bribery and cor.
rupt'on are comparatively unknown III
English politics; not only is the law re.
garding these practices stringent, but IL IA
honestly enforced. What he writes Is not
pleasant reading for an American who loves
his country and would faln be proud OF
It's institutions, but It is none the less
salutary,
wv
Unfortunately Mr.. Davis does not touch
| upon the other phase OF the subject. lie
tolls us nothing Of the personal requisites
OF "A candidate from the English point OF
view. Whether dishonesty and immortality
dlsqualfy him for office holding or debar
him from success and this is the vital
question after ALL For so long as we elect
men to office who are unworthy, whose
nanea are synonyms FOR public corruption
and private dlshonor, thus long will our
political methods continue to be a National
disgrace.
This Is a matter which every patriotic
American man and woman should take to
heart with sense OF personal RESPONSE.
billty The domination Of party which
Influences voter 20 support IN unworthy
candidate is to be deplored and should be
Ignored. There IN a higher law than that
which governs and stamps IA man political
y the law OF dignity and morality. dis.
regard OF IL has made us a reproach to our
better selves as individuals and derogatory
and Improbable as national exempar.
~
"'Tls wrong" said Mr.. Hcnnessy,
Were an honest people"
I'VE are said Mfr. Dooley 1--WE are.
hut we don't know It."
~
In response to request for Informal
tlon regarding the marriage Of George
Eliot the following facts are given: Lewes'
first wife deserted him for another man
Afterwards she returned to him. express
Ing deep contrtion for her sin, and he for.
gave her, restoring to her the protection
Of his name ana home, only 20 be a sec.
ond time deceived and betrayed
The English marriage laws are peculiar
and sometimes inexplicahe. The fact that
l.ewes had taken his wife back and CON
doned her first offense, barred him ALSO
utely from obtaining legal divorce for
any subsequent transgression. When,
therefore, nc met Mary Ann Evans and
they became mutually interested. a mar.
| riage between them under the English law,
| was as impossible as II she had been hla
| deceased wlfe's sister. They finally cut
the Gordlan knot by going abroad and
there executing an individual contract.
What was It's exact nature, whether 1t was
written or verbal, made alone, or In the
presence OF witnesses. has never trapspired.
1t was unreservedly condemned In England.
and both parties 10 1t paid a penalty OF
much social ostracism and private. as well
MS public, dlsapproval. The queen ex-
pressed her most unqualified condemnation
OF the offenders and could never he in.
| duced to change her attitude towards them
| That George Eliot was herself keenly alive
| TO the embarrassments of the situation,
| was generally conceded when, shortly after
! Mr.. Lewes' death. she married Mr.. Cross.
| There were many who regarded this as
| q virtual acknowledgement Of her own real
| lzation Of the inadequacy of her first con-
| jugal contract and OF her desire to have
recognized position In the eyes Of the
law.
1t was Mr.. Cross who conveyed TO yic-
toria his wifo's INST earnest wish that
her body might r,st IN Westminster Abbey.
TO this request, the queen returned brief
but emphatic no. and the great writer
Of English fiction sleeps in Kensai Green
cemetery.
Much interest has been expressed In the
Young Boer prisoner, Du Plooy, who has
escaped from the British prison in the
3ermudas and reached this country as a
stownway. The fact that his name, Ike
many others Of his countrymen Is French,
has been remarked upon so often, that
It would seem that the very natural reason
therefor Is not generally known. Upon the
revocation Of the edct of Nantes, the
Ffencn huguenotS mHue their way, slnSiy
or In groups. to the nearest and most avail
able places OF refuge. Many went to llol-
land, which might well be called the bull
wark of religious freedom, Thence with
their Dutch associates. the French Protest
ants colonized South Africa Some Of the
highest and most distinguished names IN
France are TO be found among these people
today, who have been denominated as saw
ages" by their English oppressors, and by
some Americans as wen, who should know
better.
~
These who are woat to believe that
learning Is atmospheric, and that In ne
dissemination environment has potent In
nuence, would do well TO study the ciyli
service reports regarding the recent ez-
nmlnatlons OF candidates for the census
work. They will learn with painful sur
prise that the applicants from Boston s'ooo'
with one exception, lowest on the hst.
| Only 40 per cent Of those from the center
of culture passing against 70 per cent from
| Topeka, Kan. This is terrible. but lrrei-
| e.IIn IN x