davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
VARIATIONS.
FROM ths FortaiOAtIv Rsvtsv.

FROM TIE FOTthOghty KeUtev.
What led TO the breakup Of Latin into
the varioas Romance languages OF The
Mediterranean basiRp Simply tho fact that
In centuries OF almost universal nllteracy
there was 10 check upon the phonetic vart-
alton which IL always going on in every
language, but which was In this case has,
tened. no doubt, by the frequent irruptions
into the Roman Empire Of barbarian in
vaders and settlers. Tho standard Ian
guage existed, indeed. but was inaccessible
either to the ear or to the eye Of the vast
majority Of men. Pronunciation, then,
shifted from decade to decade and took .
different trend In every geographical SOC
ton Of the Latin speaking world; sloyenli-
neeses n cnrruptions entirely s~upplanted
standard forms the very existence OF which
was forgotten, sand II was only when the
v~ernacular llteratures arose TO give relative
fixity to a certain number OF the innumer-
able dialects that tho process Of degrade
ton was checked. But TO give every mai
the Q and TO ooncede to him the right
OF spelling exactly a. he ~pronounces would
be to remove the checks on degradation a.
completely as II he neither wrote nor spelled
at all. Phonetio in~dividualism would pres
emily result In a state Of sheer linguistic
~deliquescence.
This, OF oourse, Is an absolutely unthlnk-
able ~eventuality. Even II a truly phonetic
system could be introduced 1t would be
impossible for every parish or every county
to have its own literature and its "
transcription Of the English classics. Lin
guistic capitalization would take place over
larger or smaller areas. We might have,
perhaps, five languages In Great Britain;
the languages OF Wessex, Of East Anglia, OF
Mercia, OF Northumbria and OF Caledonia.
But each of these languages would repre-
sent a compromise between various sub
dialects, and would be. In fact, ar only
quasi-phohetic standard language. And II
any one imagines that the Bible or Shake
speare spelled qussi-phonetioally for the
use Of the West Of England could be read
without difficulty and disgust by a York
shireman or a Scot mot 70 mention q Cali
fornisn or q Queenslander), all I can say Is
that he imagines a vain thing.
The other day In q Scotch railway train
I listened to a conversation between q
Cockney OF the shopman class and n Perth
shire grazier or g~amekeeper. They had
quite amazing difficulty in understanding
each other. Not a single vowel sound did
they produce alike, and it seemed evident
to me that the process by which they did
arrive at mutual comprehension was a
speculative mental translation, often very
slow, Of the spoken into the printed word.
Thus the visual word game formed a sort
Of bridge or halfway house between the
Cockney's "gyme" and the ~Sootohman's
~RAAme."
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
The Largest American Prison.

This city Of crime" Mr.. THOMAS
SPEED MosBY, pardon attorney to Gov
ernor FOLK, calls the Missouri State
prison, in an article in the North American
Reviev, which will confirm many theories
Of the cTiminologists, but must be read
in the light OF the fact that the statistics
exhibited we're gathered during a period
Of great industrial prosperity.
At no time during the last twelve
wears have there been less than 1000
~convicts in the Missouri State prison,
and from 800 to 1000 are received every
year. This great number Of prisoners,
which makes the penal institution at
jefferson City the largest Of its kind in
the United States, is explained by the fact
that, unlike most of the populous States,
Missouri has only one penitentiary. 1t
is a rich field for the study Of criminology,
but the influence OF heredity did not
enter into Mr.. MosBY's Investigations;
and his method is statistical rather than
scientific.
The theory so tenaciously held by
Prohibitionists that the traffic in rum is
responsible for a very large proportion
of crime is not borne out by the records
at the Missouri State prison. OF I,794
~convicts received during a recent two
year period, S52, or nearly one-half, had
led temperate lives. Religion, it seems,
was slightly more OF a deterrent than
education; for 7S.5 per cent. of these two
year convicts had received a fair degree
Of education and II per cent. of them
professed belief in religion and belonged
originally to nine denominations. OF
the 1 ,79I prisoners, 1859 were native born
Americans and lO6 were foreign born;
and of the Americans $40 were born in
Missouri. There were only eighty female
prisoners, and fifty-three Of them were
negroes. Nearly one-third Of the male
prisoners, or SIS, were negroes. The
percentage of illiteracy among the con-
victs was 26.5, which was four times as
great as the average percentage Of
illiteracy among the non-criminal popu-
lation Of Missouri.
II may be inferred from Mr.. MosBY's
figures that in Missouri at least the ma
tive born are more addicted to crime
than the immigrant population, the
percentages indicated being respectively
.OOSs and .OO40; but Of the hfty-eight
criminals in every 10000 Of the popula-
ton nearly one-third may be presumed
to be negroes. The age Of greatest
criminality Mr.. MosBY found to be
from twenty TO twenty-five, and sin
gularly enough 10 appears that the
crimes involving the sexual passions 9
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
Cured ~ Mental EnOrt.

To THE EDITOR or THE ~sUN-SiriNI have
read the letter In your column to-ddy from
Herant Mesrob Kiretchjian with very great
interest, and a. I asked you a few days ago
10 publish the cure Of Mr.. Kern OF Flatbush.
i think it Ia but right that I should inform
you that about the very same time that /
met Mr.. Kern I also was brought in contact
with a gentleman who had experienced a
similar cure without the aid Of either Chris
tian Science OF the skill of the medical prac-
t~itioner. / did not mention his case in my
former letter because I was under a promise
to Mr.. Kern to state his experience without
any comment.
The case to which I'nOw refer is that Of a
gen who for q number OF years had
suffered from locomotor ataXia and had
been treated by several medical men Of emf
hence. Not getting better. he decided to
give up the use Of all medicines and to place
himself under the care OF a nurse. who gave
him baths and massaged his eXtremlties.
When / saw him he was nearly well, but not
as thoroughly cured as Mr.. Kern. From the
inquiries / made / am convinced that this
gen tleman cured himself by similar mental
efforts to those employed by Mr.. Kern, but
without the aid Of religion. Mr.. K~iretchJian
wants to know what it is that Mrs. Eddy dis
covered? Her followers will all tell him that
she never professed to discover Anything
more than this. that perfect faith in Christ
will cure all diseases. and even remove
mountains.r And as I remarked in my for
mer letter. in making this statement she is
merely reiterating the old. old story"
In the case to which I now refer there was
distinctly a mental effort on the part Of the
patient to save himself simply by becoming
his own doctor. and as far as l can see the
cure effected although up to the present
time 1t is not perfect cure) has been brought
about by q men tai effort without the aid OF
religion. In discussing this question we are
merely in search Of facts. and not Of opinions.
As il has been we'll said, errors belong to
libraries; truth to the human mind"
A DoCToR OF PHILOSOPHY.
BROOKLYN, October S.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
MFR. NIoody's Platform.

The Hon. WILLIAM HENRY MOODY is
said to be the author of the Massachu-
sets Republican platform. In his hot
foot pursuit of the trusts he must have
dropped most of his literary baggage
by the wayside. 1t is the duty of the
impartial critic to speak truth. This
platform is insufferably long, sapless,
full OF surplusage and clothed in the
professional jargon of platform makers.
It's futile incursiOn into negro suffrage
is only a frank bid for the colored vote.
Its assertion that "it is the duty of a
Republican Congress to examine with
care at all times the operations of the
tariff laws and to amend or improve them
whenever the public interest demands, "
will make JOE CANNON guffaw sympa-
thetically and give new protuberance to
the chest of Colonel ALBERT CLARKE.
The Massachusetts, Democrats have
only themselves to blame for this palter-
ing flubdub Of their opponents. If the
Democrats had put up a man, and not a
posture maker, the Republicans would
have had to be definite in their tariff
planks and TO concede something to the
devil of revision. As it is, the Repub-
lican candidate is a tariff reformer, and
the Democratic candidate is an eccentric
comedian.
The Democratic party continues to
have a rare genius for making an ass
of itself.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
Unpledged.

81 have no pledges. I am under no
obligations except to do my duty as l
see it,"
Plenty of candidates have said as much,
and lied when they said it.
1t is part Of the merit and the good
fortune of CHARLES Z. HUGHES that
when he says that he is under no pledges
he is believed. He has served no APP
premiership in the crooked ways OF
politics. He has not bought nomina-
ton by mean service to bosses. He has
not bonded himself to any masters.
He is recommended to Democratic
voters who have no use for his party
or their own at presently his straight
forward character, his honesty Of pur-
pose, his entire freedom from depend
ence upon or connection with the foul
and sinister system of political peonage
that has prevailed in both parties in
this State.
The Republicans had to have a stain
less and a strong candidate this year.
Not their virtue, but their necessity
ruled. They accepted him, after strong
pressure from a pressing source, and
Democrats are free to vote for him, not
as a Republican, but as an honorable and
an able man.
Besides, no Democrat is running for
Govarpor
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
NEW YoRK. October 9.
what q Christian Is.

To rMB EDrron or THE SuN-Str: Bible Stu
dent" says, Many subscribe to The divine Lord
ship Of Jesus Christ, and 70 every word that He
uttered In consequence thereof. TO all things what
soever He tAught.'" This 10 the perfect definition
of a Christian. The old definition OF . Presby.
terrain was one who believed In predtstinAtion
that is. that certain members OF the human family
are born to be damned, Notwithstanding the death
OF Jesus, and irJ spective OF any good or evil which
they may do, or have q chance 10 do. To the credit
Of modern PresbyteriAns II must be said that they
eliminated this unorth0dox doctrine from their
creed In 1909 and thereby ceased 10 be Presby-
terians and became simply orthodox Christians.
iii dovbtfulif II. as . matter Of fact. the members OF
this sect ever believed this doctrine. know that
some Of them were In lGnonnos OF II. They In
dIgnAntly denied that It was 20. II certainly was
not their Individual creed. They recited and be
lIeved the Apostles Greed. Their belief and prac-
tIce were about the same 40 those OF non -Prrsbyte
rams. They called themselves Presbyterian and
thought that they were, simply because they had
been brought up to do so. and considered II I'M
worthy OF any one to forsAke the religion OF his
forefathera: but n our forefatheTs themselves had
been OF this opinion we would all stu be pagans.
or else Jews.
To not this matter OF divisions among Christians
largely q matter of mistaken ssntimentAlity1 IL
is a cass OF WHAT'S In a nameI- We should think
more OF the essence. less OF the name; but when
we use names. use them accu as definitions.
All Christians profess to believe exactly what
Bible student" bneny outlines as the all s~urncient
creed OF all PRE- shy ~tertans." II Is and also OF
ali Methodists, Episcopalians. Greeks and Catho-
ucs. Not one can admit that he does not believe
all things that the Lord taught"
ANOTHER BIBLE STUDENT.
NV YonK. October q.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07

The Handsome winnings Of an imported
stseplechAse horse since he was brought TO
this country . few months ago have tempted
the Treasury Department to reopen the
appraisement at the time Of importation and
collect, II possible, q higher duty. The an
noUnOement win amuse turfmen, because
they will recall many instances Of cheap
horses turning out to be record breakers
and fortune winners. Morello, who had a
Futurity 70 hAs credit, wa q Of them; and
the present season has produced In Salvi-
dere, which cost . moderate sum, q horse
that promises to be one Of the greatest Of
American thorou9hbreds and 10 now valued
at twenty times his purchase price. The
jumper which has excited tho suspicion Of
the turf expert Of the Treasury Department
may be q mysterious gtranger'; but more
likely he II an average English steeplechaser
and pounds better than our best.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
The Cuban Revolution.

The conditions which brought about
the Cuban revolution have been fire.
quently criticised in the columns of The
SUN in the last two years.
The faction which secured for itself
the political control Of the island grossly
abused the powers which it acquired.
Mr.. PALMA, the head of his party, al
though a man of high ideals and honest
purposes, lacked the moral courage and
The strength to stand unflinchingly
against measures and practices which
he knew to be wrong. His record is one
OF remarkable inconsistency in this re-
spect. He did confront and defeat his
party and his Congress many times, and
by so doing he prevented the passage Of
many laws which were clearly detri-
mentarto the welfare of the island. Yet
in a number OF instances involving legis-
lstion far more injurious TO Cuba than
any which he blocked by his opposition
he was swept of his feet by those who
were about him.
The matter Of the pay Of the army was
an outrage and a scandal in which both
parties, the Moderates and the Liberals.
were alike guilty. The record Of the
Liberals on many matters of Congress
action is no whit cleaner than that Of
the Mo1erates. Neither party has In
any way represented or battled for the
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
Automobile Racing.

The third automobile race for the Van
derbilt cup over the Long Island course
proved, il nothing else, that the sport has
a delirious fascination as a spectacle Tor
the crowd. The Futurity, with all its
glamour and advertising, brings not moro
than 10000 people together, and a cham
pionship football game perhaps $4,000.
Baseball is a poor third TO these contests
between horses and between men. The
automobile a to develop the highest
speed that human mechanism is capa-
BILE of attra It's 10000 people, who are
willing to put up with any discomfort,
and even endure h~ardships, to see on
some part of a POT mile course a high
powered, low framed, torpedo-like devil
wagon, breathing flame and smoke and
roaring like an exhaust pipe, loom into
view in q tempest Of dust and whiri by
at the speed Of the Empire State Express
on a level stretch Of track.
1t is true that the sight does not neces-
sarily cost anything, but the joy OF seeing
men risking death to attain fabulous
speed cannot be gagged in dollars. II
the course could be enclosed and an adj
mission fee were to be charged there
would be a crush to see the exhibition
at any price. Eight thousand people
were banked about the hairpin curve. a
dangerous turn in the course, at Old
Westbury yesterday, not only to see the
monsters fame by, but to gloat over the
chance of a tragedy. The affair may DO
in large part a commercial speculation,
and it is true that the cars are built ex-
pressly, like an iceboat,o or a racing yacht,
only for such contests Of superlative
speed. but nc n stops to why
the rush, the risk, the reckless courage
to take the risk and the glory of the
high priced gladiators are the thing.
Who can resist its fascination?
Three years Of trial and experiment
have not increased the capacity Of the
racing automobile. 1t may be nearer
mechanical excellence. but it does not go
any faster. About a mile a minute over
a course of almost 800 miles seems to be
the real limit. Truly n wonderful per-
Torrance over ordinary metal roads with
turns and the dip of death In time
the wealth represented by thousands
Of enthusiasts who own automobiles will
demand a special course for racing. The
sport is as yet young and crude.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
The Season or Music.

HERBERT WITHERsPooN, a popular
concert singer, in a recently published
interview called attention to the growth
Of taste for good music in the Middle
West. He asserted that people in that
part Of the country had more time than
New Workers to think things over care
fully, because they we're not so hurried.
The best was demanded everywhere.
Mr.. WITHERsPooN did not intimate that
it was not required in this city, which in
quantity leads the country.
This has been the use in the past, and
in the season of 19O8-O7, which will begin
with the Leoncavallo concert tomorrow
night, it will be 30 in an increased degree.
Twice as much opera is promised to New
Workers as they have enjoyed since the
late JAMES HENRY MAPLEsoN ceased his
futile effort to stem the tide Of popularity
on which the Metropolitan Opera House
fioated into worldwide celebrity.
But opera will not be all. There will
be about 300 orchestra concerts, given by
four local orchestras and visiting organ
izations from Boston, Philadelphia and
Pittsburg. PADEREwsKI and RosENTHAL
will lead a small army Of pianists; while
CESAR THOMSON and PETsCHNIKoFF will
be in the van of a battalion Of violin
v%irtuosi. Half a dozen quartets and sev-
eral trios will furnish chamber music, the
Oratorio and Musical Art societies will
provide choral works, and scores of song
singers will interpret the music Of the
lyric masters.
The season will last till May, and there
will be about thirty-hve important enter
tainments each week in the Borough Of
Manhattan alone. Most OF these will
have substantial patronage. New York
has acquired a ~voracious appetite for
good music, and il it does not always
practise the incest discrimination it
maintains IT'S demand for the best that
enterprising and experienced managers
can find in Europe.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
what Grocer Means.


FTOW Wt LVV0OW NVTUVItIC.
Not the least surprising discovery an English
man OF the Plantagenet period would make, II he
could visit the 0rocert Exhibition at the Agricul-
Sural Hall, would be that their Is such a pei son as
A"retaIl Krocer.f A retail grocer is as impossible,
according TO strict etymology, 40 a weekly Jour
nal" since . grocer" or "grosssr" as II used to be
spelled. Is really q trader in gross that Is 10 say.
In large quantities, Wholesale. Our ancestors
spoke OF -grosssrs OF nsh" and "~Erossers OF wine"
and an act Of Edward III. expressly mentions that
"ErosssTs' dealt in all manner OF goods. In thoss
days "spicer' was the word for grocer In the
modern s.nss. But It happened that the GroceFs'
Company. founded in the fourteenth century,
specialized In sploey. and so grocer" gradually
took the place OF ~"spicer."
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
Tras BIss CaIvsnIsm In the soath.

happy TO say that In the Southern Presbyterian
Church W have . great loyal Ermy OF dyed In
the wool. true blue CalvinIstic Presbyterians who
believe IN predestinA ton. foreordinaton. election.
free will. the Shorter catechism. the larger cate
chIsm. the Confession OF Faith AndShe King James
version OF the Bible.
such q man was Thomas jonathan Jackson.
commonly known 80 StonSwall Jackson. the
~Ereatest General the South had during Nhe late
family night.
Believing all Of these things. We invite 10 the
table OF our Lord all men and women who believe
In the Lord Jesus Christ and are members In good
etandlnE In some church.
PREDEsTnATKD PRksBTTKRIAN.
ROCKVILLE czNTHK, October6
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07

In speaking OF BUNYAN a few weeks ago we ven
tured the opinion that the writings Of the great
aIlegorist are less read than they we're a generation
ago. partly because the old dlstinctlon between
Sunday" reading and that which 10 appropriate
for week days is disappearing. pilgrim Prog
ress " ussd to be the nearest approach 10 q story
OF adventure that well brought up children were
allowed TO look a. on sunday MISUNDERSTANDING
Post.
Do the grown up people readthe Pilgrims
Progress" as much a. the generation that
preceded them did? New times, new man
nerr; and why should anybody read q great
English classic" IL it bores him? As for
children, give one Of them Pilgrims Prog
ress" and the Jungle Books" and see II
he doesn't choose the latter in mighty quick
time.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07

Frem the DsnSsr ReDubtIean.
AmonG. t4e things I've never sen
a Josie DL skam type OF kIu-
The kind use any mAgnzlnet
Thai talks 80 live one never dia.
But then I'd dee. I'm frank Ia .s~in~
IL such q one toward me cams EtnsNfns
never heard q psraoa taIk
TIE way n. JAmts can make th.m .,,...
Think no Dalne Mature cen m IA 49,"
nv w nenry do2s palmed OF grsal.
But U thls type lived IN the naGlon ~@'
who'd stop TO grAsJ lie conyers 'tio,,
I've never s,en Jack London kiDa
VINO nghfs three bstu, eVery dav
ana nee u In q peaceful mind
unltss mlked up In . melee.
In act. ia think II strictly pron.r
10 hand such 10 the nearest copper.
There y No Rafnes In uisfs told
Neone - clever. o. 20 hoid
lell AaNld fnotafnoi ever rnam.a
49, Y yeu wana ftes n08~ aieeien-
pr@t nuns nor y N ms4sIn hssios.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07

To the EDITOR OF TEE SUN-Sir A mans
daily habits may reveal his IArcenous tendency,
and a clue to spot policemen zrafters may be the
nippAnt familiarity with which they help them
selves on vendors carts. ! have seen q policeman
take a handful OF ohestnuts without paying for
them. Il is q 100 to I shot that that cop has
taken moro vsi=sbis stIh with his hand behind
him.
Report such GrAfters. Let their names be put
on q suspect list. Only . born CRATER would take
a vendors chestnuts. O. L. r.
Nnw YoRK, October 5.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
RocRvnLE cENTnx, october6
Comfort for IN. pp.ssyters.a without Faitl

To THE EDITOR OF TEE SUN-Sb: To inquirer
OF syracuse I would say. Don't worry about Church
doctrines, The great and oaly Head OF the Church
summed up the Christians duty as loving God and
loving his fellow man, and specified the latter as the
external and visible evidence Of that love. Church
doctrines arc man made and change with the grow
ing comprehension OF the scope OF Christianity.
No one will question your doctrnal correctness
II your life Re q witness 10 Christ and you have tho
right 10 choose those associations which are con-
genial and helpful.
very FEW Presbyterian. ministers or laymen.
really believe In tho doctrines which you quote.
APREsBTTKN IAN DEACON.
NEW YoRK, October Q.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
A ne snemsnt Of Jersey ProauncIatIou.

To IME EDITOR OF THE SUN Str: Il Is ofteu
SAID thnt New Yorks "A and Jersextcs have few
rs" Ia New Jersey we have them TO burn. 70,
Instances all passenger brakemen on the Jersey
Central Rail road shout. when q train is nearing thls
city. ~ ME -er- BERTH" Distinctly and with extreme
s1noTity PRINcEroN.
RaHEARnrU Octnhe,
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07

Has the Nahant air lost its old bracing
quality The Hon. HENRY CABOT LODos
seems to be neurotic. He told the Massa-
chusetts RepublicAns--and nobody haw-
hawed-that the coming elections in New
YORK and Massachusetts, will decide
Whistler the governments Of these two States
for the next year shall Do American or
Coaaack.' In borrowing epigrams Mr..
LODosis ma happy Even In the improb~