davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

even sthe stars are not pure fin Gods sight. when the remark was made by BHdad the shuhite (see Job xxv. 8, and was one of the many mistakes of that in eonsiderate tall1er; for we learn (Gen. |. s1) that in Gods sight the heavens were 9'very good"
 The Bible, for wise reasons, records tlle unwise and sinful remarks of imper- feet men without becoming responsible for the truth or for the propriety of such re- marks; and so Shakespeare puts before us the opinions of various characters; and his only responsibility is found in the fact that he assumes that such charac- ters, under certain given circumstances, would naturally speak as represented.
 But, returning to Shakespeare. It may be worth our while to note very remarkable artile which appeared in one of our religious newspapers. The title of the article was evidently meant to be Greek, but as it was printed in English letters, I found 1t hard to de- cipher it's meanihg and so gave it up' that l did not know what the article was about. The title, however, is not tho most remarkable point about the article for the author has partie- ularly distinguished himself for the most extraordinary capacity for crowd
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

the one great faith. the liberty of their country.
 How was Jefferson elected to the presi- dency? He had won the popular election, so far as the intent of the voters was concerned. but was yet a long way from the office. He says in one of his letters that if the House of Representatives, upon whom the choice legally fell, had chosen Burr over him, his supporters had arranged to oust Burr by force of arms and put him in the place. Be that as it may, Burr was dropped when he seemed about to be declared President, by the House. and Jefferson was accorded the choice by reason of the interference of Alexander Hamilton.
 Hamilton founded the party which late ly defeated Bryan. His first step was to create a national debt which would be owned, of course, by the commercial class. Next he created a national bank as the instrument of that class. In 179S the Congress of his party enacted laws giving the President, then John Adams certain arbitrary powers; for instance, to arrest and expel any foreigner he might name, and to suppress freedom of speech and of the press. In opposition to these views Jefferson was elected by the peo- pie and, strange to say, it became, neces- sary to complete that election that Ham, ilton should finally espouse his cause.
 The democratic party was in practi- cal control of the government from 1901, when Jefferson became President, until Lincolns succession to the office in 1881. True General Harrison was elected President In 1S4O, but he only
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

mediate and unqualified restoration of the south to the Union.
 The practice of war waged by the Unit ed States against the Confederate states was omnibus of dire extremity of revenge whenever the tide of victory should come to the former. The Valley of Virginia. Atlanta, the march to the sea, Columbia, Andersonyille and Wirz all attested the terrors to come when the battles ceased. General Grant was the supreme com mander. He knew what Sheridan was doing; he knew what sherman boastfully did.
 President Lincoln went by water to City Point, Va, late in March, about three weeks antedating Appomattox. On a steamboat there he had more than one meeting with both Grant and Sher- man. (5ee Memoirs of General Sherman.) He instructed both generals on the terms of the impending surrender of the Con- federate armies General Grant says on the morning of April he called for pen and paper and wrote rapidly the terms for Lee. Certainly he wrote just as Lincoln had dictated. General Johnston says that when in the week following he met Sherman at a little farm house in North Carolina, Sherman wrote terms for him so rapidly that he must have arranged in his mind before he came. Johnston was then ignorant of the in- structions Lincoln had given and which Sherman was only putting on paper.
 President Lincoln paroled the Confed- crate soldiers to return to their states and live under the laws of those states He did not order a single soldier of the United States to escort them home or to
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

name. disappeared with the defeat of General Scott by General Pierce.
 The historians of Abraham Lincoln have persisted in ignoring the most in terestfng features of his statecraft and the most conclusive evidence of his sagacity and wisdom in political events.
 We shall refer to him here as q statesman, solely in connection with the propositions that, from time to time. the principles of Jefferson and Calhoun have been saved from im- pending disaster by the unexpected in tervention of some disciple of Hamil- ton. If there ever was an argument for the integrity of the political union of these states and the sections of this country. 1t is fortified in prospect irn- mensely by the fact so stated.
 We may believe or we may reject and deny the contention, that President Lincoln upon his accession to office in March, 1861, saw no hope of preserving what was left of the territory and government of the United States eX- cept in successful war against the Confederate states. Dispose of that contention as we may. it is unquestion- able that when, in 1865, Lincoln saw the Confederacy in the last throes of the struggle, he made for himself a policy in his victory. He deliberately resolved that the security of the United States government, in the midst of It's triumph over the Confederacy, de- depended on the restoration of the principles of Jefferson to their origl- nal place in the politics of the reunited country. To this end he favored an i'm
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

sponsible for the meanness of Uriah Heep the hypocrisy of Pecksniff the vil- lainy of Squeers, and the brutality of sikes, any more than the author of the book of Job is to be held responsible for that foul slander upon humanity: Skin for skin; all that a man hath will he give for his life?
 lk is not a merely verbal error which is Here exposed, for passages from the Bible are often quoted to establish some moral or some religious doctrine; and such passages are often misapplied under the erroneous notion already discussed
 The fact that certain words can be quoted from Shakespeare, or from the Bible, in support of a certain position, does not give to that position the weight of Shakespearean or Biblical authority. We must know not only what is said but who said it; when. where, how, to whom, and in what connection it was said, before We can form an intelligent opinion as to it's authority for us.
 Sermons are preached from texts in the book of Job, which texts were the utter ances Of misguided men, presumptuously talking about matters which no man can understand. Many of these texts make statements that are not true; many more are half-trnths: while some are semi heathenish in tone wrong-headed in sen-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

tional edict, called a platform" which every party advocate, every party can didate and party voter must adopt as his own. MT. Bryan, at the outset, prepared tariff speech, next a trust speech, then deposit guaranty speech, then speech for general election of senator's and final ly publicity -before-election speech. Busy voters in their daily walks had not leisure or inclination to digest the budgets. The candidate was interesting but could the President be trusted to do so much? Mir Taft on the other hand. openly repudiated as much of his party platform as he would and set about the simple task of proclaiming that MT. Bryan would not be able to live up to his magnificent promises if elected: We have a demo- cratic example: President Cleveland wished to be reelected in 1888 and &C., cordingly he sent message to Congress of much elaboration and exclusively de- voted to discussion of the tariff He was defeated. In 1892, again the nomi- nee, he deliberately ignored the main plank of his party platform-the coinage plank-and pitched the campaign on the minor tariff plank The election was won for him.
 There are some interesting apparent paradoxes in the relations which have existed from the first between the two great parties of the United States. Time | and again the principles of the Jeffer- sonian party have been saved from pend- ing disaster by the intervention of the Hamiltonians. If this allegation be sus- ceptible of historical proof, then 1t must appear that the people of the Unitel States are at unity among themselves in
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

N the practices of England, the mother
 country eof modern constitutional
 government, party names are taken up and dropped with facility that in this country would be suspected as forebod- ing revolution or at least a perilous ir- reverence. Whig and Tory are perma- nent and real divisions of English political sentiment, but within the bounds of Whig and Tory faith practical questions are permitted to arise and these subdivisions are given emphasis in the campaign by names appropriate to them. For example, if Whig or Tory government loses it's contention in the House of Commons, the King at once dissolves Parliament and orders an election of members The cam paign of candidates is designated by the affirmative and opposition name of the lost measure. In a word the English, having no race question in their politics, and no sectional facts to qualify in their government, have instinctively discovered but one great affirmative party and one great opposition party are insufficient agencies in the use of which public intel ligence may dispose of public questions at the polls. Smaller factions thus readily form and these contribute to wider view of the issues of the times The main parties seek alliance with the sub-diyis- ions and the result of the election be- comes more conclusive of tho public veal and more satisfactory to the vlctors and also to the defeated.
 The English custom If allowed in the late national campaign in the United Ste tes would not have grouped a variety of important questions under conven-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

opinion of Cassius, who was amazed that a man of Caesars feeble temper should so get the start of the world; and who asked in the names of all the gods at once upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed that he is grown so great? 1t is precisely this error (of making Shakespeare responsible for the opinions expressed by his charaeters) which has saddled this author with the responsible lty of the stupid popular maxim, There Is nothing in nafne. Shakespeare does not say, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet It was the remark of Juliet, a lovesiek miss of some IA years of age, desperately in love with a hered- itary enemy; and there is as much sense in it as we have any right to expect under such circumstances. Shakespeare is responsible for making the loyesick girl talk nonsense; and in this he is true to nature, as well as to the somewhat paradoxical principle that nonsense is sometimes the very best kind of sense."
 How can we charge Shakespeare with the villainnus maxims of Iago, and the low vulgarity of Falstaff; and then credit him with the sweet sentiments of Des- demone, and, the noble bravery of Hot spur?. Is Dickens to be held morally re-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

In this attempt there are three blun- ders: The word destiny" makes Ham, let heather instead of a Christian. and the word "course" makes him talk in bad grammar. However common 1t may bs for persons in high places in this country to speak and write bad grammar. we can hardly imagine that the Prince of Den- mark
 "The eourtier's, soldiers. scholars eye,
 tongue. sword,
 The expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion and the mold of
 form,
 The observed of all observers7- would make the plural pronoun "thems refer to the singular noun "course."
 .In 10 that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller returns.' is not so bad. though bad enough Into is an Interpolation, and that" should be the.
 After all, my conscience is a little un- easy about crtieising this writer; for how could a man who was occupied in devis- ing for his article such a title as "Tas Prosiptousas Tuchas Gennaios Phere" bs expected to have any time or any atten- ton to bestow upon matters so insignih- cant as English quotations and English grammar? J. c. HIDDEN.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

the world?" he persisted with tragic note in his voice.
 ''Yes, dear.' I said, truthfully, and I meant no disloyalty to her, for at that moment, with his eager fingers clutching mine, I did love him better than any thing in the world.
 You didn't quite b'lieve me when said I was slck.' he said presently, a shamed red burning into his little face. Maybe wasn't just 'zactly sick, but 1t was a queer feelin' here''-he put his hand on his chest-"lke somethin' was swelled up inside of me an hurtin my breath"
 I knew the forlorn, homesick ache that was troubling him, and clasped his hands the tighter. And not until the eyelids closed and the eager face settled into a contented repose did I stir. Then I gently loosed the clinging fingers. kissed the sleeping lips and cheek and brow, and, though the hour was late, went away to her-a tardy messenger with the boys re- grets for not accepting her invitation.
 Motherhood is one of the least under standable of Gods mysteries. That it lies dormant in every woman is proved by the way it quickens to every childish need, even though she has never had child. told her about the boy and. relieved, placed the problem of him into the slim white hands reached out SO generously to help me- I knew she was answering the mother call and that the mother instinct would mi lat her
 She did not tell me how she would go about winning him. I think she hardly ! knew herself, but with woman's blind belief in Chance, left it to that ficlxle god dess. That Chance. in the shape of the Boy himself. played into her hands most ' cunningly, I learned three days later when I returned from business trip to another town.
 The Boys joy at seeing me was pa- thetic. He seemed to have felt the sepa- ration keener than ever before. There was room for naught else but his gladness un- , til we sat together in the violet-colored, sweet-scented twilight. The katydds were rasping their vespers, and somewhere
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

timent, and dishonorng to God in their tendency.
 But" says some Christian reader. "are they not scripture? And if not then why are they in the Bible?"
 My reply is that the statement that certain men, under certain circumstances. did utter these foolish words Is scripture. It pleased God to tell us in His word what there wrong-headed men did say. The lesson to us is-or ought to be-obvi- ous: We are net to darken counsel by words without knowledge.
 That some such view as this must be taken of much that is said by certain characters of sthe book of Job, no care ful and intelligent student of the book will be lkiely to deny, even though he should doubt the historical accuracy, or even the reality, of some of the eonver- sations recorded, and should be disposed to regard the book as an inspired drama a view which we are not prepared to defend. And yet we often see proof texts taken from the discourses of Zophar the Naamanite as if his author ity settled any religious question; and we sometimes hear sermons from texts supposed to be scripture but really fur nlshed by Eliphaz the Temanite. We are told that the scriptures teach that
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22
ON SOME LITERARY HERESIES-By j. C. tden, D. D.

ing an astonishing number 9f misauo tations of Shakespeare into a marvel ously small space. The whole article occupied about third of a column. I recognize in this space three attempts at Shakespearean quotations-al from Hamlet-two from the princes famous soliloquy on immortality. and all wrong. They average three errors to each quotation, and they run thus:
 In the first quotatlon-a sort of head piece to the article. maybe by way of helping out the Greek title-the writer has it.
 Better bear the ills we have
 Than fly to those we know not of,
 (If we have to bear such murder as this, we doubt it.)
 Shakespeare thus: And makes us rather bear those i'll we
 have,
 Than fly to others that we know not of
 Tn the two lines there are four mis- takes. Again our writer quotes:
 A destiny that shapes our course
 Rough-hew them as we will.
 Shakespeare thus:
 There's divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

lived month and exercised no posi- tive influence favorable to his party, the whigs, or Hamiltonians. His term was served out by Vice President Tyler. a states right democrat Tyter vetoed a bill to recharter the bank of the United States. appointed William R. King, the leading democrat of Ala bama, minister to France, appointed Calhoun Secretary of State and pre- pared the way for the great demo- cratic measure of the day, the annexa- tion of Texas. What the whigs gained by the election of Harrison was the protective tariff law of 1S42 and this was lost to them in 1S46.
 Gen. Zachary Taylor, who had no matured party views, was chosen by the whigs and some democrats Presi- dent in fS4S. He died the year after he assumed the office. Vice President Fillmore filled out the term. Fillmore was a disciple of Hamilton and an abo- litionist of decided views. Nevertheless. hei signed Clay's compromise bill of 1850, and thus turned the country over to the democrats. Every member of Congress from Alabama, including King and the other senator, Fitzpat- rick. voted for Clay's compromise. In 1852 the compromise was the national democratic shiboleth and Pierce, democrat. was elected President by an overwh elming majority.
 Thus Clay, the successor to the lead ership of Hamilton's party, and Fill more a disciple of Clay, contributed to the signal victory of the democracy of 1852. The whig party, under that
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

woman who should have been more watchful of him left the rest of that gold en afternoon to them-Just they two alone together in a world of fine fabling, where an errant father was forgotten. When the sun went down and the time came for the fables to end she put her soft cheek and tempting lips near. en- ticing him to kiss her of his own voli- ton. She would neither ask for nor take what she felt would mean so much given to her of his own free will. On the threshold, as he was leaving, he paused with a quaint little air of grown-upness.
 "Pve had an awfully good tlme," he said and then bravely gulping down some thing in his throat he touched the magic question for the first time during his visit q don't really want a mother" he said. but if I've got to have one I'm glad it's going to be you and not Katie"
 1 confess my masculine mind could not grasp the promising subtleties she seemed to find in his preference for her above the Irish woman who cared for his physical needs. But, after all, it was the embryo man in the Boy himself that brought about his complete surrender.
 You talk to him too much," she had counseled me, with wisdom that sat oddly on her pretty youngness. You have never let him be just a child. You have made too much of a comrade of him, and taken him too far into your world of fancy And he, being in reality child, cannot discriminate between the dream things you show him and the real things of life. Give him back his own--the right to be a child. Let him have the whole some companionship of other little chill dren Send him to school.'
 And l. lowing to her superior wisdom, gave up the dear task of teaching him. and when the time came for him to start to school I turned with a strangely for lorn and aching heart into the world Of fancy where I dwelt
 His glowing eyes and eager, flushed little face when he came home in the aft ernoon was like stab In my heart It hurt to know 1 was no longer the only hu- man that peopled his world. He babbled
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

that" he said, but could say, 'Maidie, love you, an when we both get growed up an make ever an ever so many millions, I'm going to marry you Don't you think that will do?"
 That Is just what I meant, Boy, only I said 1t with so many foolish words. Maidie will understand. The woman always does if you are sincere, and the manner of saying it doesn't matter if she loves you"
 He sighed contentedly and turned rest fully on the pillow. I studied the small, peaceful face above the little white nightie and marveled how soon the man in him had responded to the woman call. How precious he wasl I thought him asleep but he reused presently to say:
 Father, I'm glad you love her. felt awful at first cause I thought if you loved her you couldn't love me so well. But now I know better, for I love Maidie, an loving her only makes me love you more, an 'cause love you both l love her. want her to be my mother
 So at last he had learned the sweet old truth that love multiplies in the giving. With a sudden impulse of thankfulness [ bent over and laid my head, faintly streaked with gray. on the pillow beside his yellow fluff. Once more we were in perfect harmony with each other. (out- side although it was dark, Israfil burst into d glory of song-or was it some wan dering night brother with a voice won- derfully like his?) The boy stirred, and putting out a drowsy, groping hand rested 1t on my cheek. My hand closed over 1t quickly and held it there.
 "I-love--everybody," he murmured, sieepily, and I knew then it was a com- plete surrender.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22
THE DISINTEGRATON PARTES-By WtFspoon DuBose
DuBOSe

garrison a single post in all the south. The Confederate soldiers were paroled to pass back to their lines, which were then Lincoln had lived Governor Watts and the legislature and the courts of Ala bama elected by the people in a status of secession would have remained the lawful authority in Alabama the same as if there had been on war. Csee Lin- coln's interview with w. Crawford BibbD A republican Senator from Kansas cast the vote which defeated the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. Thus the south wes rescued from a condition oe degradation which no pen may portray.
 Hayes, pratical usurper of the presI- dency withdrew the garrisons from our capitals and thus made reconstruction
 impossible.
 The south remains solid. The status is normal and profitable The north is solid, except here and there the republi- can party comedies to the evolution of democratic principles and Governor John- son and Governor Harmon come to the surface If the solidlty of the south be allowed to our greatest good it will act to keep us out of national party con- ventions until the republican party shall generate another Greedy and a campaign of 1872 Such an outbreak is inevitable and wlil be only delayed by southern indiscrotion in using an opportunity. The majority section must prepare itself for such an Influence as the minority section can afford to bring into the slt- uation. MT. Roosevelt has taken up ths work of that kind of preparation of his section and has done his part we'll Atr. Taft promises to follow in his tracks.