The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-30
By Martha Young.


 greatest joy in life. and few there be and have no one suspect it. MT. Church ills hero. Jeltro Bass. almost accom- plished this fact.
 In this day of puff and press agents 1t is hard to prevent our friends from knowing and our enemies from fearing our greatness.
 Every man, and every woman too. his or her, own press agent. is the motto of today.
 Many body's greatness today is made up wholly of selfpraise pushed into newspapers. The little mild gath ering we attended yesterday. becomes the oration on today's printed accounts These things were not in Jeltro's day. Besides Jeltro was man who wanted the real thing-Power, and not its shad- ed praise. The main interest of the lengthy work of five hundred and for ty-three pages Is Jeltro Bass. the polft- ical boss of a nameless state.
 Jeltro began his career by making himself a tanner at the bottom of the social ladder of Coniston, Chairman of the Board of Selectman. This topping over of ancient customs of the town, this putting of it's social institutions with new and rough hands it is broadly hinted cost the old minister, Father Ware, his life and sent Cynthia Ware, his daughter. to Boston to be teacher, sent her away from Jeltro and his crude love making. Jeltro Is one of those men who love love much, but power more. He cannot for Cynthia's love give over his just tried power over his fellow citizens That power increases until Jeltro, the village owner, makes and unmakes Senators, Governors. Rail- road Magnates and even lays his strong hand upon the appointments of the chief of the Nation. For himself, he never asks or accepts any office out that of Chairman of the Selectmen of Conerton. Power is all he craves, Pow CT he gets Mir Churchill tells us very plainly that he gets his power by brib- cry and his riches by taking bribes, but he never proves it. The old tanner, who never entirely quits his trade. has ever so many wise sayings, the wisest perhaps being: Don't write, send. To change /an old phrase. "A word from the wise Is sufficient" Suppose all of us were wise enough to keep our words off paper what good world this would be- Incidentally in his life he breaches a temperance sermon for he lives long and strenuously on diet of milk and crackers. Mir. Church. III does not seize the opportunity to give name to the brand. but no doupt that some enterprising biscuit firm Will get out "Jeltro Crackers" Lady Bal timore" has made in a moment the popularity of a certain sort or cake and thank heaven! Southern cake And all one garments are Buster Brown" and Peter Pan" commercialism and literature go hand in hand. It IS impossible to be deeply mortified at Jel- tro's doings, even when they are so blackly painted in his eneny's paper for our tanner Is always at work TOT others It is the man who lies for himself only, and bribes for his own ends and schemes for self aggrandlse- ment only who cannot hold sympathy It Is always the next man on who thinks Jeltro the social. the man we meet is always the one who has a beauty friendship, an initiative admo- hilton, or sneaking fancy for Jeltro' the biR hearted MT. Churchill never lets us meet the man his hero mas ma lisned or maltreated, we begin to be- lieve he is mythical
 The power that Jeltro could not or would not give over for Cynthia or ms youth he willingly gave over for Cyn- thia's daughter, his adopted chlio, Jet- tro at a very critical time in his state nolitics went into his hole" out Of the political world entirely An injury to young Cynthia walked the dragon as MT. Churchill has it and a whole states welfare and policy was charged once and again for a young girls sake Is that often true in our AmericaE
 This. however. is the handspring ln MT. ChurchilFs story. Jeltro and ms love for the two Cynthias. Jeltro anu his Bossissue a power he could not oivo m for the love of his youth, mower he gladly laid down for her child. the treasure of his old age. Thus in his hour of triumph and re venge Jcltro thinks of young Cynthla; | ..The triumph over his opponents and enemies fell away. and the pride or power Such had not been his achleVe- ments She had loved him, and no man | had reached higher plnnacle thaH that. Why he had forfeited that love | for yepqnance he could not tell" Then follows the story of how Jeltro gives over vengeance for love. By the way it is not only vengeance he slVes over, but all his friends He Is lost leader" to his cause. whatever IL took- | For a girls sake he has handed over his friends. comrades, causes pal ty' patience, all to the arch enemy Wash ] ington. It really seems the most agfeea- l bIe act of Jeltro's career. Is it honor l able to act dishonorably even for love S sake? However. again as always Jel- tro has the saving grace of not acting
 for himself, but for others.
 MT. Churchill gives his bests under standing of his hero when the old tan
 ner confesses to Cynthia in the old tannery shed. You was right when | vou said I'd tell you the truth. Tor | I will I guess them things which you speak about are true, the way l Get | where 1 am. and the way l made my llivin' They--they hain't put just as
 they'd ought to be, perhaps. but that's the way done it in the main.
 It was thus that Jeltro Bass met the
 supreme crisis of his life. And who
 shall say he did not meet it squarely and honestly Few men of finer fibre | and more delicate morals would have acquitted themselves as we'll That
 was a judgment day for Jeltro, and though he knew it not, he spoke through
 Cynthia to his Maker, confessing his | faults freely and humbly, and dwelling l on the justness of his punishment; put | ting not forward any good he may have | done, was thinking of 1t. nor seeking excuse because of the light that was
 in him"
 Jeltro was forgiven and shriven by
 his maker, MT. Churchill before eyer
 he was created. one plain read be-
 tween lines, May our Creator be as
 merciful to all of His creations.
 | The two Cynthias. though some | what shadowy-are fairly attractive | The older woman with her sudden, in-
 applicable. ineradicable love for the 1 rude man or far beneath her in the