The Washington herald., 1907-02-08
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

The oldest man in public life in the
United States is Senator Edmund Win
ston Pettus, OF Alabama, who will soon
be eighty-six years of age. He is also
assured Of a longer term Of office than
any other Senator, having been reelected
for a term of six years, beginning in
March. 1909 If he lives to serve out his
term he viii be nearly ninety-five years
old. Senator Pettus was born two months
after the death Of Napoleon during the
ERA of good feeling" while James Mon
roe was President Of the United States.
This was before the admission of Mis-
souri, 10 the Union. and only two years
after his own State of Alabama was Gre
ated He was five years old when Thorn
as jefferson and John Adams died. He
has watched the quadrennial battles Of
Presidential elections sixteen times since
he reached his majority. and he has seen
the Union double in size from twenty
three states to forty-six.
Senator Pettus was a lieutenant in the
Mexican war; he rode horseback TO Cal
ifornia with the forty miners" and was
advanced nom the rank of major to that
of brigadier general in the Confederate
army He was admitted to the bar at
GAINESVILLE Ala, when he became twenty
one years of age. At ;his time Texas was
an independent republic, California was
a part Of Mexico. and Great Britain was
disputing the American claim 10 the Ore
gOn country. Andrew Jackson was then
supreme in politics. and was yet 10 sue
coed in making Polk President OF the
United States.
The last time Senator Pettus was re-
elected to the Senate the Alabama leg
islature unanimously set aside law as
old as the STATE. which requires that d
Senator shall appear before the legisla-
ture in person 20 accept election. The
legislators were not inclined to require
their aged Senator to make the trip in
the dead Of winter Alabama loves him
as it would q father. and his affection for
his State is pateTnal and unbounded. His
wife died last year after happy mar
ried life Of sixty-tiye years.
Miss Mary n AIurfree, the brilliant
novelist. who is known as Charles Egbert
Craddock. has had some amusing expert
ences with the Unlettered mountain peo-
pie of the South. Some of these noun
taineers are Unbelievably ignorant Of
either sacred or profane history. On one
occasion when Miss MurfTee stopped at
wayside house for glass of water
she found a party of old women stolidly
engaged IN patching clothes. With char
acteristic hospitality they asked her 10
be seated and rest herself before contin-
uing on her journey. A few questions
made il plain 10 Miss Murfree that the old
women were hopelessly ignorant, so she
told them the story Of the Crucifixion AS
she surmised, there was not a gIeam Of
recognition as she told the simple tale,
but its pathos almost moved one of her
listeners to tears You say they done
him like that fur nothin' more'u Jest
tryin to save emf" she asked, anxious
Iy. YES" said Miss Murfree Then the
old woman leaned over. stroked the nov
elist's knee. and said: wei stranger. let
Us hope that hit amt So"
Alexander Graham Bell the inventor Of
the telephone is a familiar figure as he
walks about Washington for his recrea-
ton. He has white hair white whiskers,
and glowing pink checks. 1t would be
hard to ind a more perfect picture Of
health. To a newspaper man who re-
marked that he approached great in
ventor with some trepidatiOn. Mr.. Bell re-
piled: My hat is OFF to newspaper men
as the greatest inventors of the age"
He then told a story to illustrate the
necessity OF keeping new idea a pro-
found secret. Some years ago Mr.. Bel
placed sealed package in the Smith
sOnian Institution containing d mechar.-
zeal COntTivanCe the nature of which he
was not ready to make public. The great
est curiosity prevailed as TO the charac-
ter OF the new invention.
Finally a newspaper man wrote an arti-
Gle. saying that the mysterious package
contained an attachment for the telephone
which would enable its users 10 see each
other at any distance The news Of the
marvel flew all over the world Imme-
diately thereafter two celebrated English
scientists came out in Indignant inter
views. declaring that Mr. Bell had stolen
their idea Then an American scientific
journal gravely announced that a young
inventor Of New York had filed the spe-
cifcations for such d contrivance in their
Office long before the sealed package had
been placed in the Smithsonian Institu-
tiOn When ne had time 10 get his breath
and make a reply 20 the numerous
charges, Mr.. Bell explained that his pack
age at the Institution did not contain a
lohg-distance seeing apparatus, and, fur
thermore, that he had never thought of
such thing. Although many years have
passed. none Of the outraged English and
American inventors have ever come for
ward with the invention which they
claimed had been stolen from them.
The late DR.. Harriet S. French, Of Phil
adelphia, was one Of the vanguard Of
woman physicians in this country. She
was the lifelong friend Of Frances VIII
lard, and it was to her that Miss Willard
went for advice when she was stiI penni-
less and unknown. Dr. French often de-
scribed her first glimpse Of the slim.
quietly froeked girl, who told her that
she had decided 10 cOnseCrate her life 10
the temperance cause. and would like to
have guidance for her first steps DR..
French was a homeopathic physician and