davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-02-09

The proper way to elect a senator is by
direct vote OF the people. Popular opln-
ion demands II. Various states have de-
clared in favor OF such a method. and
Pennsylvania, through party platforms.
has indorsed and urged the scheme. A
constitutional amendment is required 10
bring IL about. t."-Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-02-09

'John HuU truCkIcs 70 nobody. Tie
may bc willing 60 strain n point or so OF
diplomatic punctiilo or even self-interest
TO keep our friendship: but were 70 not
fairly manifested that Canada is wrong I'm
this Alaskan boundry matter we may be
sure there would have been no agree
mcnt on England's part 20 treaty by
which Canada's claim Ia practically lost"
Milwaukee sentinel
The sun., 1903-11-13
Religious Education From an Agnostio
Point OF View.

To THE EDITOR OF THB suN-Sir: II
may be permit ed to speak for the asnostics
count us out OF the opposition to teaching
religions at school. and at the public expense.
The more Of it the better. Teach them all let
all children be compelled to attend religious
exercises every day in the week and all day
on Sunday. whip them II they do not learn
their catechisms by heart, and II they cannot
answer every conceivable question on the
lncarna ton. the doctrine OF the Real Pres
ence the orthodox view OF the nature OF the
Trinity. Let them write theses on the Arian
and Pelaean controversies and those Of the
Monothelltes and Monophysites, have them
Join in debates concerning the latest orthodox
View View of the nature Of, the second and Third
Persons OF the hypostatic Trinity; Then to
perfect their religious education let all the
conjoint vials OF ecclesiastical wrath be
poured cut on SpinoZa. 0ibbon, Hume,
SRaitesbury, ,voltaire, Thomas Paine, Darwin.
When, after all this. human curiosity IN
adult life shall have got in its perfect work
we shall see the results. The last state of
religious belief, Catholic, Protestant or jew
ish, will be worse than its first; and religion
will have been wounded In the houses Of those
who sincerely believe themselves its friends.
NEW YORK. Nov.8 g., A. A. l..
The sun., 1903-11-13
A Demand for Facts Instead OF Abstract
Theory.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: Nearly
everything that has been said on both sides
In your extensive correspondence on the
school question has been too contentious and
abstract to impress such a practical people
as we are. We want principles, it is true:
but we want principles reduced to methods
OF possible action. We want to see how
theories can be prontably operated.
Why therefore. do not the advocates Of
UNCONVENTIONAL education give lis working
methods practicable. well thought out,
studied in their relations and bearings, and
of unanimous agreement? We are fair
people, willing to hear SENSIBLE arguments,
but we desire authoritative arguments. and
cannot afford to act on the irresponsible
pleadngs of a few priests and few ministers.
Meanwhile Archbishors, Bishops and the
higher clergy are. to say the least, apparently
indifferent to the public expression OF their
united or individual views.
There is an antagOnsm between the public
and denominational schools. and II Is growing.
Can we hope for the blessings Of union and
peace. and allow it to continue? No; We must
apply the thought Of the best In the nation
to It, and find a remedy.
Therefore give us operative methods, you
who are representative Of your particular
denomination and want religious instruction
in the school: for, believe me. you will never
educate. the people on the subject by arguing
in the abstract. NEUTRAL.
The sun., 1903-11-13
Why Prisoners Profess Religious Belief.

To THE EDITOR OF THE sUN-Sir: The
high percenta ee Of piety In the jugs OF Canada
and the United States has been put forward
as an argument against religious educa-
ton. This piety Is all matter OF business,
When a prisoner reaches his ultimate bis
pedigree is taken; and among other strictly
personal questions his religious belief is kindly
inquired for. A man who has been through
the mill before will subscribe to the persua-
sion that will be OF most benefit to him In
prison and on discharge:
Religious services OF the established Church
are held daily in Canadian prisons. and " ia
apparent that the man Of no professed belief
wifi be denied the brief respite Afforded by
such diversions from the prison routine. This
Of itself is cons nsiderable item In a long term
OF Imprisonment, and another consideration
Is that the form Of service Of the Church Of
England affords old lass unusual facilities
for conversational the responses.
The prisoners Of Foreign religions: JeSs
ent making up only per ,.Sa Gent Of Ape1 FnG
beans. The high percentage Of alleged be-
levers among the prison pop'ulaati9n. az
SO forth, is an old gag among secnlarists; AZ but
there's nothing in 1t. GEORGE AoPFAT.
NEW YORK. Nov. 8.
The sun., 1903-11-13
Distressing Experience in a Clothing store

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN--Sir: am man
who buys his clothes ready made: and would like
to ask question on a subject that interests me.
That question is. What right have women to come
into the mems clothing department and superln-
tend the buying Of clothes for their husbands or
grown sons' They may go into the boys depart
ment. for. of course, the boys need their mothers
advice clothes seeing that their fathers are only
interested in paying the bills. But why should they
Invade the mems department. Aren't the men
capable of buying their own clothes' arm espe
cially moved to this inquiry because, not long ago.
bought suit Of clothes and as is the rule, retired
into a small curtained box to Try on the trousers
Half clothed. and thinking was among creatures
Of my own kind. presently came forth from the box
and stood In the midst OF group OF women buying
mems clothing. the victims trying on coats waist
coats, DC. and submitting themselves to their fe-
male dlctators. I'm bachelor and I'm not used to
that sort OF thing. and don't like II. I'm modest
II the rest OF them are not. II the women must buy
clothes for their husbands and sons, why don't the
ready made clothing houses have Ladies' Day
and turn the mems clothing department over to
them, rcserving the other days to men who like q
little privacy, Or, II my kind are In the minority.
why not have Mems Day giving the bachelors and
other womenless men one day TO buy clothes In be-
coming privacy? CoELEBs.
HARLEM, Nov. II.
The sun., 1903-11-13
DEMOCRATS IN THE CIVIL WAR.
The Fight Was for the Union, Not for the
Abolition of Slavery.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-iSir: Your cor
respondent Of Nov. 2. DR.. Isidor Singer. said:
Hundreds Of thousands Of noble American
patriots, forty years ago, laid down heroically
their lives, in order to free the negroes from
the fetters OF slavery"
Not a life was so sacrificed or laid down."
except in the cases Of John Brown and the
Loyejoys and their followers before the war.
The platform upon which Lincoln was
elected in 1880 declared no intention Of freeing
the slaves: and Lincoln. probably. would not
have run on one that did. The party that
elected him only proposed to oonfine slavery
within the bounds where II existed. and not
to permit it's extension to any new State or
Territory. and 1t was upon these lines the war
was conducted until it became evident that the
entire white male population Of the seeding
States could take the field. so long as they had
someth!ng like four millo9 OF slaves 9 at at home ne
eH Children ID! p's Of the the f,shtns s men ~ Wv
We even returned escaping slaves to their
masters. and it was not unusual to see Iug-
tive repossessed by claimant nsht IN our
camps ,,..,
# was thls das cerse Ba1sr
ground that they were contraband OF war.
Just as powder. shot, provisions, medicines
or any other necessities would be.
The President did not sign the emancipa-
tion proclamation until land then reluctantly
it was apparent that We. could not conquer the
unless we converted their four millions OF
slaves into allies of our own: and 1t was
problem whether an announced intention to
free the niggers" wouldn't discourage en-
listments and stimulate desertions to such a
de gree as to Offset the advantage Of the pro-
posed step. .
The intimation OF DR.. Singer that It was the
Republicans. and not in any degree the Demo-
ridiculous to one oognizant Of all the facts at
the time. .,
Was the Tammany regment. organized
in the same building, where The Sun Is now
published, and which left SO large percentage
Of officers and men on the field, made up of
Republicans?
We're there any Abolitionists to be found in
the Excelsior, or sickles. brigade? Or. for in
stance In the first Ave regiments from Con-
nectieut, including General. then Lieutenant.
Hawleys?
The claim Of the Republicans to have been
Aholitionists came at a later date.
Their call upon the gratitude Of the negroes
and the ad miration of mankind for having put
an end to slavery in this country Is UNIV orthy
Of consideration They did. TO be sure. start
the movement which had that result ,ulti-
mately. but they foresaw that result as little
as did the cow that kicked over the lantern
and started the great fire OF Chicago:
New YORK, Nov. l2. w, j. l.. d.
The sun., 1903-11-13
Is Cuba Prosperous?

Among the assertions used as basis
for argument against reciprocity with
Cuba there stands that of Cuba's pros
perity. If Cuba is prosperous, the moral
obligation of the United States for the
economic we'll being of the island has
little place of force. The disappearance
of the ground of moral obligation leaves
the United States free to give first con-
sideration to the welfare Of it's own
industries, and justifies her in giving
to those industries primary attention.
So runs the argument
But this argument rests upon hypoth-
esis, an assumption Of Cuban prosperity
which, although asserted by some and
accepted by many, is not supported by
facts. Cuba is not to-day an object OF
charity, but she is not prosperous; and
American responsibility for her economic
welfare did not cease with the transfer
of government Cuba essayed revolu-
ton for the purpose of bettering her
condition, not merely of changing it,
For that betterment the United States
assumed responsibility by the very fact
of intervention. Financially and indus
trially, the island was vastly better off
before the war than it is to-day. A
general illustration of this appears in a
statement of the islands commerce.
For the years 1894 and 1895 that stood
as follows:
Total exports for the two years s2l5 lo7 742
Total Imports for the two years........ 44ss3
Balance In Cuba's sfavor..,........... 1852 $40
For the four years 1S99-l9O2, inclusive,
these items stand
Total exports for the four years.... $3.50 1902 osl
Total imports for the four years. 275,2si 1928
Balance against Cuba, a,............... s42,7o 242
Or, if we take the exports Of the last
two years, in comparison with the exports
of the years 1894 and 1895, there appears
shrinkage of nearly ss5, 100000.
1t thus appears that during the two
years preceding the war Cuba cold $50
600, 600 more than she bought. II Span
ish taxation bore heavily upon her peo-
pie, they at least had money with which
to pay. During the last four years, seven-
eighths of which period saw her affairs
under American control, her crops have
come 100000 short Of paying for her
necessary purchases. That she has not
bought extravagantly is indicated by the
fact that her imports for 1902 are only
two-thirds of what they were in 1894.
! The Cubans are not starving, land they
The sun., 1903-11-13
The Horse and the Railroad.
Prom 4 64scusston at ths Royal Geographical Soct
Of Lo0dOn

Prom 6tscusst0n At IN Royal Geographical Society
Of Lo0don.
Perhaps the most interesting and fascinating
regtons Of this earth arc the arid ones. and espe-
cisIy that great belt which extends from the At
Isntio Ocean through 70 tho Pacific. crossing the
Sahara, Arabia, Persia and Central Asia. until We
reach the great tableland Mongolia. Tho latter
Is about 5000 feet sbove the sea, l.70o miles In
length from east to west and I 900 miles In width
Part OF this area u occupied BY the great desert OF
Cobb, 200 miles long and about 800 mles wide,
This central Asian plateau has given tho world
a great deal Of history. The Mongoliah race
tough, hardy. brought up In climate where there
are extremes OF heat and cold raising their nocks
and herds. here to day there tomorrow. always
restless. always warilke, always predstory-they
have made their mark upon the history OF tho
world perhaps no Other people have over 90
long period.
What enabled these Mongollan and Central
Asian tribes to make their wars and keep all hu-
manlty In turmoil was the horse. Mongolia 10 his
native home and from time immemonal he has
been the link by which the tribes havo sustained
a ridmsntary form of society. So long as he
offered the fastest means Of locomotion. so long
as he enabled them 10 mobillse their forces and
pour their hordes upon the sedentary races, so
long they dominated the position: but when modern
invention created better means Of mobilization.
when the railway came. whom organized armies
were formed, when modern methods OF defence
became known and gunpovdcr began TO mako
ha voc. the day Of tho nomad was done.
The sun., 1903-11-13

The will Of GORDON MCKAY leaves a
great fortune to Harvard University and
provides for the establishment of
school of applied sciences. Mr.. MCKAY
used to live in Cambridge. In devising
plans for the bestowal Of most Of his
estate to educational purposes he must
have consulted the Harvard authorities.
We are inclined, however, toattribute to
his own sagacity part Of his will which
will endear him to the whole great tribe
Of college professors, whether they are
retired with or without some poor por-
ton Of their usually poor pay or have
their noses still to the grindstone and
the grind. This is the hunk Of wisdom
and foresight to which we refer:
II direct that the salaries attached to the pro.
fessorships maintained from the endowment be
kept liberal generation after generation, according
TO the standards Of each successive generation to
the end that these professorships may always be
attractive to able men and that their effect may DO
10 raise, in some judicous measure. the general
scale OF compensation for the teachers OF the uni
vcrsity.-
The college professors, as a class, will
never be envied for their wealth. The
majority work hard; and they don't find
the grass overfat when they are turned
out to it at 10 or 80. As the rate Of
interest falls, the amount needed for even
shabby endowment rises to big figures
1t is the habit Of too many benevolent
deoedents to believe that the greatest
need of a college is more stone or brick
The professor, modestly as he lives has
a pretty good stock Of wants in propor-
ton to his civilization and that Of the
age. He will be grateful to Mr.. MCKAY,
even if the general sliding-up scale Of pro-
fessors' wages be not adopted.
"The standards Of each successive gen.
Grafton will be higher than those Of its
predecessors. New necessities and new
luxuries will arise. The luxury Of to-day
may be the necessity Of tomorrow. The
scientific professor must be comfortable.
That is all that he expects. His position,
if he is a man of ability, may be compared
to that of Judge. He will not look for
as much money as he might make "out-
side" The dignity and distinction Of his
office are compensation. On the other
hand, he should have salary that will
not force him to scrimp or worry or
resign.
The readjustment Of professors sal
aries, not according to such possibly tenn
porary considerations as the cost of liv-
ing, but according to 'the standards OF
each successive generation" is a far
reaching measure. 1t means, in fact
unless the world Unexpectedly turns
crab steady increase from generation
to generation.
The sun., 1903-11-13
When Has the Danger From the Public
Gchcals Appeared?

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-!Hr: Accord
ing to advocates of religious instruction IN
the public schools, the country is going to the
devil through the ungodly training OF our
youth. People who remember New YORK
half century ago and compare its condition
then and now cannot fail to notice the tardy
approach of the doomed to their terrible end
Teach religon2 Which religion? Before
asking us to teach religion In the schools let
each sect send representatiye to conlerr
to all. and then submit 1t for popular adoption.
Would no one live to see them agree? Then.
in the meantime let us 60 along as at present.
giving secular instruction In the publ schools
and religious in the denominational SCHOOLS.
Let us have peace for century or 80. while
they are guessing. hlVERSlDF
RIVERSIDE, Conn. Nov. s.
The sun., 1903-11-13
The Clergy and wasner's Operas.

The reverend gentlemen who are
shocked by the references to the Deity
in "Parsifal" and the scenes Of tempta-
ton for the youthful hero Of WAGNER's
opera, must find that the accompaniment
of music imparts to such episodes an
element Of danger to public morals that
they do not possess in the spoken drama.
The suggestion of the divine presence
has been popular as stage expedient
during the past two seasons in plays
whose propriety was never criticised.
In one Of these, that draws its support
almost entirely from churchgoing per-
sons rarely found in theatre, the pres
ence of CHRIST is implied by shaft Of
white light that falls aslant the stage
whenever He is supposed to appear in
the action. In another Biblical play
He is supposed to be standing outside
an open door; and, when the Magdalen
is attacked by the people, the familiar
quotation is attributed by one of the
other actors to the Master, who has just
quieted the mob without.
Last season one of the most popular
plays represented marriage performed
bya bishop in full canonicals, and church
services on the stage are as old as scenic
detail. In many scenes the reverence
to the mythical altar is as strong sug-
gestion of the presence of CHRIST as the
red light that falls on the Holy Grail
could possibly be.
The temptation scenes Of "Parsifal'
are not Of kind to be compared to epi-
sodes of similar nature in another play
now on view in which the religious Incl
dents are in way nearly as much empha-
sized as those in "Parsifal" But without
the accompaniment Of music by one Of
the greatest composers in the world such
scenes are not obnoxious. The protest
against the suggestion Of the presence
of CHRIST in the Grail comes, strangely
enough, from Protestant who holds
toward the sacrament no such belief as
that which might make similar sight
seem sacrilegious to Roman Catholic.
II "Parsifal' is found objectionable.
what will become Of @Lohengrin'? The
Knight of the Swan is the son Of Pdrsifal,
as he himself confesses in the recital Of
his life Will he have to be banished from
every stage but that of the Festspielhaus
in Bayreuth? And if the clergy are to
censor the Wagner operas, what will
become Of the Venusberg scene in
"Tannhaeuser" and the second act Of
Tristan und Isolde? And what will
happen when the complicated domestic
ethics of the Nibelungen Ring come
under consideration
The sun., 1903-11-13

nominational schools the percentage OF
church members is only SO. Except by
President ScHURMAN, the question is not
answered in any case, however, with
sufficient explicitness to make the re-
plies valuable otherwise than as mere
opinions, and his statistics cannot be re-
garded as decisive, for he groups to-
gcther private and denominational
schools, though in the former the edu-
cational influences may not have been
religious. The fact that in Cornell "prac-
tically two-thirds of our freshmen who
come from the public schools are church
members" is SO significant that Presi-
dent ScHuRMAN refers to it as "a con-
elusive refutation of the allegation that
the public schools are breeding an ire
ligious immoral and anarchical class OF
citizens"
The sun., 1903-11-13

What man eats, that he is-a rule that
applies to woman just as much or little
Mrs. SARAH RoRER, philosopher and artist
of the palate, has given new explanation
OF the frequency OF divorce. III fewer
women ate eggs for breakfast" says this
lady, "thsre would be fewer cases Of di
vorce," Eggs make their eaters lazy. The
feminine egg-eaters neglect their work.
Their husbands are dissatisfied. Quarres
and divorces start from the egg. To the
woman who doesn't have to do housework. Z.
eggs are just as pernicious. sThe social
leader who overindulges" In eggs "loses
her brightness Of eye, her piquancy and
charm" Her husband 1loses interest.
Then come lawyers" Hens as factor OF
divorce: there's problem for the debating
societies and the women's clubs.
The sun., 1903-11-13
VIII Tammany Give Us Good Gov
ernment?

We observe that Democratic news
papers all over the country concur IN
expressing fervent hope that a state
ment attributed to Mr.. CHARLES f..
MURPHY was actually uttered. We re-
fer to the declaration said to have been
made by the leader of Tanmany Hall
that, with possibly two exceptions, none
of the district leaders Of that organiza-
ton would be appointed to high offlce
under Mayor MCCLELLAN.
In other words, we are not to witness
during the next two years repetition
of the Van Wyck administration. Demo-
Gratis of ability and character, not identi-
fed in the public mind with Tammany
Hall, including some who hitherto have
opposed that organization, will be in
vited to head the various municipal
departments.
If this is Mr.. MURPHY's deliberate
purpose, and if he lives up to it, he will
have rendered a memorable service,
not only to this municipality, but to all
American citizens, without distinction
of party He will have wiped out blot
on the good name of the Republic. He
will have refuted the change that our
free institutions are not workable with
the composite populations Of vast urban
centres He will offer an illustrious ex-
ample of wise and right use Of power,
which public opinion will compel other
municipal governments to follow. There
is, in truth no end to the good that MIR.
MURPHY will accomplish If he dem
onstrates that Tammany is capable of
self-reform.
From the lower viewpoint Of party
and personal advantage, it is certain
that adherance to such programme
would bring an exceeding great reward.
In the State Of New York and In the
nation the candidates and policies OF
the Demo cracy have been discredited
by the odium attaching to Tammany
Hall. II drastic and edifying change
shall be wrought by Mr.. MURPHY in the
aims and methods Of that organization,
there is scarcely any limit to the stimulus
which, in ever widening circles, will be
applied to the Democratic party. Thence
forward the Democrats Of New York
city will be justified in challenging a
place of primacy in the State conven-
tions of their party, and the representa-
tives Of the Empire Commonwealth will
exercise deserved ascendancy in Demo-
cratic national conventions.
Mr.. MURPHY can give the city of New
York good government if he chooses.
Tammany Hall has never had a leader
who was more absolutely master Of the
organization. In Mayor-elect McCLEI~
Ian, in Comptroller CIRCUIT and in Presi-
dent FoRNEs of the Board Of Aldermen
he has equipped himself with coadjutors
who will be only too glad to carry out
the wise design ascribed to him. Yet,
in the eyes of his fellow citizens, the
major part Of the responsibility, and
also Of the resultant honor, will belong
to Mr.. MURPHY himself il the next
municipal administration shall be clean,
honest, thrifty and efficient.