The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1903-06-20
ored strength of the Church in separate
tables, are followed by summary Of sta
tistics which shows that the total mem
bership in America is over 1880, 900, an

tistics which shows that the total mem
increase Of over $4,000 since last year.
THE TRUE ABRAHAM. LINCOLN.
The True Abraham Lincoln. BY Viii
liam Eleroy Curtis, author of The True
decorated; net, 81. Philadelphia: J. B:
LiR ppana &c comp2 any ,r.o+ors -
history, the record of whose lives grow in
interest with each succeeding generation,
and which CLEAN brighter as time passes,
of men and things, by which they were
envirOned.
These characters are unique and orig
inal and bear striking analogies to each
other-the most important of which is
their self dedication to truth.
They may be, called the guide posts of
civilization, and may be named as: Christ.
the latter that William Eeroy Curtis has
written under, the title, The True Abra-
ham Lincoln
The story of Lincoln is always absorb
ing and full of human interest. The vol
umes which have been written about him
would stock library of large dimensions
we have. however, read none Of them
detail Mr.. Curtis publication de NOR
tuis nil nisi bonun'' has exerted such
profound influence on. western thought,
that it's literature fails to throw much
of distinguished statesmen and soldiers.
Mr.. Curtis, however, writes in natural
manner about a natural man, ana does
not fail to remind us that Mr.. Lincoln
had faults, as youth, and as man.
These faults, however serve as a strik
ing contrast to the sublimity OF his char
acter, which had been attained before
his assassination.
The illustrations are profuse and some
of them appear for the first time in a
| published biography of the Great Emanci-
! pator's life.
Lincoln, the Leader Of the Springfield
Bar" is full Of interest, as the author thor
I that Of the average pioneer, upward and
! onward until he became pleader of such
striking power and force as to easily sur .
cases men who had been trained in in
| situations of higher education.S
1.-THE occasion upon which Lincoln dis
| played unusual power as an orator was
| the Bloomington Convention for the Or
| ganization of the Republican party early
in 1856. Never was an audience more
| completely electrified by human speech.
| The Convention, which was composed of
former members of all political parties;
taken extreme grounds against slavery,
and hao launched a new political organi-
zation; but it contained i, many + dls Ttrao
who had watched the proceedings were
anxious and apprehensive of dissention
and jealousy, and Lincoln, with his acute
political perceptions, realized the danger,
perhaps more keenly than any other man
| in the assembly. He saw before him a
group Of earnest, jealous sincere men;
willing to make tremendous, sacrifices
and undertake Titanic tasks, but at the
same time most of them chung to- their
own theories and advocated their 1ndl-
| yidual methods with a tenac1ty that
promised to defeat their common purpose.
| Therefore, when he arose in response to
| the unanimous demand for speech from
| the great orator of Springfield, his soul
was flooded with a desire and a. purpose n;
| to harmonic and amalgamate the patrl-
| otto emotions of his associates.
| Those who were present say that at
first he spoke slowly, cautiously, and In
in force and intensity until he swept the
discordant souls of the assembly together
| and his hearers "arOse from their chairs
with pale faces and auivering lips and an, d
| pressed unconsciously towards him. Ills
| influence was irresistible.
THE REAL. BENEDICT ARNOLD.
| The Real Benedict Arnold. BY Charles
Burr Todd, author Of "The True Aaron OF
Burr, limo Cloth, illustrated; net, $1.2O.
| New York: A. S. Barnes & Co.
The real" and true" people seem to
have the front Of the stage just now.
An unpleasant impression has prevalled
in many quarters that Benedict Arnold
has not been fairly treated, that his serv-
ices. to his country were ignored and his
! great fault was not over-emphaslzed per
cry to ones country far surpasses the
| other great treachery to- ones frlend ana
is not to be condoned In any wise. Ihere
may be- however, certain circumstances s!;a zee 3
| which explain the deed ana moouy the
| bitter, condemnation. .,ssaE 49,. ;a@s
While not condoning Arnold's treason,
Mr., Todd emphasizes his invaluable sery-
ices to America, and shows concluslvely
that he four times saved the cause OF me
Colonies first at the battle of Valcour,s
Island on Lake Champlaln (the first naval
battle, by the way, in which our arms
were engagedD, where, by his desperate C7t
valor, he gave the British such WnGle
| some resDect for American arms that
| they gave up their plan OF invasion from
the north that year; second, by raising
the siege of Fort StanwiX in the MohaWk
| Valley and putting to flight st. Leger's
| invading army marching to aid Burgoyne,
| and third and fourth by winning the two
battles of Saratoga, which, conJolned'
| Cressy included as one of the fifteen de-
! cisive battles of the world.
Mr.. Todd also shows that it was the
influence of Arnold's wife and his fear
| of losing her should her reasonable cor
| respondence with the British officers be
discovered, which induced Arnold to be-
Justice of Congress nor the calam1tles OF
paper generals-the motives generally
ascribed. The book is an original and
tory. The illustrations, are interesting
and Instructive; especially noteworthy is
| the reproduction OF an old PRINT repre-
senting the burning Of Arnold In efhgy.
AS death drew near, it is said his mind
wandered and he was again in America,
fighting his battles with Washington and
his old comrades in arms: In lucid in
terval he asked that his Continental uni
form Of IN a wdlcn b ne mao he
had ever cherished, might be brought and
put on him, with the epau!ets and sword
! knots which Washington had given him
as the bravest of the brave.
.sLet me die in my old American uni
form," he said "the uniform in which
I fought my battles. God forgive me"
he added, "for ever putting on any
other"
THE MYSTERY OF MURRAY DAvEN-
PORT. H.. 80
! The Mystery Of Murray Davenport, A
Story Of New York at the Present Day.
BY Robert Nelson Stephens. Illustrated
by H. G: Edwards Boston: L. c. Page
! The scene is New York: The hero
disappointed man. He has talent and in
| dustry, but fortune has froWned upon
him.. Mr. Stephens is particular to seek
/ familiar sneighborhoods. He aims to re.
produce the hustle: and excitement OF
| New York, its architecture, Its manners,
| it's customs. The well-appointed fiat, the
boarding house, the hotel the pseudo
Bohemian cafe the chophouse, the water
! side neighborhood are all recognizable
| The personages are generally common
place enough to seem perfectly natural.
The mystery seems to be something
new in mysteries: and if we are willing
! to accept it for what it is worth we GER
tainly will not quarrel with the manner
Of its presentment. Every thing is like
II enough except the explanation when