The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-15
The Lwverne PhiIosopher. Like silas wegs, Drops Into Peetry--And He Gives His PerscnaI Views On Politics, scheoI Books,
 LandsIides and Church
 CofIectfons.


 It ought to be some consolation to the poor in spirit''. that they have me left I feel sure they think hard of me for my painful silence during the recent period of upheavals. s'landslides" and cyclones It wasn't my fault that no. blast from my horn was heard in the great spectacular panorama.
 1t was about as much as I could do to dodge the landslides and avaianches.
 Of course, there's not much dignity about dodging. though we have script uraf authority that the prudent man, under certain circumstances, "hideth for disregarding the popular clamor for blast from my horn in the late convulsiong. b ssssSsSSes qsh f tss g fSS PopSe at s nss ner on the grounds" can only reach the people through the press. which for lss nsst 1o tha pnsT Va is saying a great deal for It.
 ohi The Pressl The Prsss!! The Pressiil And here the press the peoples rights Dispensing ignorance. as the clouds
 the rain"
 or something like that.
 I, of course, don't claim that Judge Story indited that last line. Perhaps 1t is better to credit 1t to an inspiration ,I,1sda ment upon threadbare hack.
 The truth of the matter is, that sol- smnly impressed with d%ty did make make the people. through the press, not- withstandinG the strenuous efforts of hopping. skipping and dodEtng those awful breaking, slipping ana sliding Of
 But the press Is almost entirely con- trolled, in Alabama. by the dominant were turned down" for fear that light
 l know of nothing more dangerous to a bad cause than light and surely Ican appreciate the efforts of the ad- vocates of bad cause to keep the W st. Paul. Pau with all his faults. was q polite man. but occasionally .tripped" by not calling a spade spade.
 If. like old man Acree. he, had. called ignorance. right out by its right name" as zeal without Knowledge 1t would have been Ian assurance most dear and Init the nail on the head.
 However, ignorance. with some peo- pie, is an heirloom and they know no virtue greater than-che cherishing it.
 The press and the pulpit are some
 The press was agaihst mel To the intelligent this will be ample sx cuse for hiding my light under busher was sliding and the cyclone roaring through the land.
 Really, at no time was afeard for snr snreading % himself self like a green bay trees and the "colored troops were fighting nobly."
 a free iEilt. and . fair count be as- sured, intelligence is proof against the cohorts Of ignorance.
 If any doubt eyer touched me t was suddenly removed when the apostles Q! tradition and anticipated political notions were turned as spetlblnoers on people who five in the present. II,
 When I was just Had of boy and, as you may say. sipPing my very Spring." recollect hearing. of . youth fiiI. hero If he had a surname 1t has escaped my memory, which IS gettins
 In those days-haicyon. reckon wa had no surveillance of School Book Commission and our reading books and history were selected afser p1pll6SihskIo t6ink nb by common consent. the fic- tfon of Dr. yveems about the cherry tree and the hatehet. was tolerated in many of stlEe~boolks outsof compliment to the high Christian character or tne doctors imagtnations
 Nobody objected to it, for 1t was thought, in those days, to be the proper thing to tax the credulity of honest bows with beautiful falsehooa and thus instiI into youthful minds me If is supposed that since the out lawrys of Noah Webster's Standard of other things IS taught that even an And if can change the whole course of virtuous intentions, for the purpose of history. only up to date heroes can be admitted into school readers for if inspiration has been slow and, the urInter kept waiting. no, harm is done. The Book Commission can't be blamed