The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-01-12

1t Is called the Hall of Statuary, because
in it are marble images of many great
ones of our people who have ceased to
make laws and to execute them-many a
still strong man in a blatant land though
all be as dead as the leaves of a thou
sand winters ago. They speak in books,
and in the carved stone above which
speed the whispers of passing genera
tions of lovers. Great lovers themselves
some of them were in their day, and
history has told their love stories many
time. One wonders as he looks upon that
scene of glory If the spirits of the great
do not come now and then and hover over
the marble images and listen to the
whisperings of the multitude of lovers
who talk dear nonsense to the polished
pillars. which bear 1t to the lofty ceiling,
across which 1t is borne to other polished
pillars, and so down to the marble floor
again.
The stately Washington wooing his
widowed sweetheart the solemn Madison
winning his Dolly against family pro-
tests; the sensual Jefferson forgetting
platitudes in his ardor; the loverless
Buchanan signing for he knew not what;
the courtly Van Buren, on his knees at
many fair feet; the masterful Jackson
Staying man for his sweetheart, so
strangely wooed; the gaunt Lincoln am
bling to the rustic gossip of his gal-one
catches some whisperings of all this in
the splendid hall of the statues where
lovers of all degrees congregate in these
days of gladness.
The decay of uncounted years had eaten
through the old roof above the nations
hall of statues, and little while ago it
was removed to make way for roof that
is to last for centuries, some heavy cloth
being placed temporarily there. One re-
cent night, during the time the holiday
lovers were thronging in greatest num-
bers to this place of whispers. the heav-
ems opened and a flood descended, beating
through the woven roof and pouring upon
the marble images and the floor.
The cry went out and filled all the land
that the whisper-secret of the old hall
was forever lost, and multitudes of the
aged and yet greater multitudes of the
young were saddened because of the cry
that the food had destroyed the senti-
mental quality of the most romantic
place between the sounding seas
But sigh no more, ladies' sigh no more:
be glad. lovers be glad. The old hall,
now splendidly restored. still retaines its
whisper secret. The generations of lovers
to be may journey thither to whisper
their dear nonsense to the answering pill
lars and the magic ceiling. He who
would whisper his love for mankind as
best he could did but yesterday demon
strate that the power of transmission
of whispering Is still there, though the
person who received across the wide
space his message was but manservant
of the capitol, and there was in the act
nothing but the. practical instinct of one
brought into the world to gather news
for others.
True. the whispering cannot be SO dis
tinctly heard as before the flood came.
but that is due to dampness which will
pass before this is message for any lover
with hopes Of testing the quality of trans
mission that was feared to be lost
This whispering Gallery Of our world,
be 1t known to my younger friends, all of
whom, pray, will be privileged. by the
years to ;ournAS hitasr. VIM their Lowers