The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-14

T
 brought together, ordered and compact
 and ready for use, the helps which science
 and practical experience have recommend
 ed for inducing wholesome, natural and
 refreshing sleep without the use of any
 drugs.
 This reviewer cannot personally testify
 as to the practicability of the rules laid
 down by Dr. Powell. But all the rules
 seem reasonable to a fellow who has
 trouble these days keeping awake after a
 certain hour at night.
 Dr. Powell will show the reader the
 answer" His book is well worth read
 ing; of course no book yet written, out
 side of something like "The Rise and Fall
 of the Roman Empire'' or the Congress sional Record will put you to sleep right
 off the bat, but such a book as this one
 should help great deal.
 Abraham Lincoln, the Boy and the
 Man. by James Morgan. (The Macmil-
 Ian Co)
 One of the best books published last year was Theodore Roosevelt the Bay
 and the Man." written by Mir. James
 Morgan, the managing editor of the Bos- ton Herald. What MT. Morgan did foc
 Theodore Roosevelt he now does for Abra- ham Lincoln.
 MT. Lincoln was born February 12. 1909,
 100 years ago, and pretty nearly all the magazine editors of this country seem
 to have gotton on to that fact This re-
 viewer has seen over 125 magazines, week.
 ly and monthly of January-F ebruary de-
 voted to the centenary of Mr Lincoln It
 does seem as if it would have been much
 better if the editorial offices of the couple or hundred good magazines, weekly and monthly in this country, had gotten to-
 gether and somehow or other pooled this
 Lincoln discussion. You yet so tired read
 Ing about any one thing all tSe time. But MT. Morgan, in his book has
 done really charming piece of work.
 He has avoided those discussions which
 would bring on controversy. His treat ment of the Fortress Monroe conference
 between MT. Lincoln and Mir Stephens
 Is particularly fair, for MT. Morgan does
 not repeat that old fake that MT. Lin coin personally agreed to do anything
 for the south, at that time if he was
 permitted simply to write Union"
 thereafter That old false statement has gone down through so many of our books that even many people in
 the south believe it.
 Abraham Lincoln, The Boy and the
 Man" is not critical study but a simple story Its aim is to present
 in dramatic pictures the struggles and achievements of a common man in whom the race of common men is ex-
 alted; who solved great problems fby | the plain rules of common sense and wrought great deeds by the exercise
 of the common qualities of honesty and courage, patience, justice and kindness That is the Lincoln who, on the cen tenary of his birth stands forth as the true prophet of reunited people and
 the noblest product Of that democracy i which is slowly uniting all peoples in fraternal bonds"
 MT. Morgan of course traces the life ! of MT. Lincoln from his birth to his
 death.
 There is very interesting account given in this book of Mrs Lincoln. MT. Morgan seems to agree with all the writers on the subject that in Mrs. Lincoln, the great President had pret- | ty bad time of it.
 Lincoln always hated slavery. Yet
 he never was an abolitionist for the abolitfonists who were ridiculed as | long-haired men and short haired women, or cranks, hated the constitu- | tion and the Union as well as slavery. Despairing of the abolition of slavery within. the Union, they loudly advocated disunion and the separation of the north from the south" Did you eyer expect in all your born days to read that from the pen of 6 Boston man? Never in your life did you expect to read it. The world is growing, growing and in a million or so years everybody will agree as to the south's right to do what the north ad- vocated when it thought necessary, that | is, secede.
 'The abolitionists did not support him when he was candidate for l President, and after he became Presi- | dent their eloquent orator, Wendell | Phillips, described him as the slave | hound of Illinois,"
 Mr Morgan has added to his book 1 "A Course in Lincoln" from which sug- | gestions can be gathered as to books best suited for the study of Mr. Lin- coin.
 1 Abraham Lincoln, The Boy and The | Man" is a splendid book. It will be appreciated as well in the south as the ] north.
 ! Abraham Lincolns Religion" by Mad
 ison c. Peters (Rich G. Badger, The Gorha am Press). f-- l The Rev Madison c. Peters, in a l small volume, but interesting with all | that, has discussed Lincoln the Man;' Was Abraham Lincoln a Christian?" ! and why Did Lincoln Never Join the ! Church2' 2''
 | In the first section of the book, MT. | Peters gives true and pleasing pie ture of MT. Lincoln as the man. MT Lincolns father and mother were | Free-Will Baptists in Kentucky. In h. diana they became members of what was | then known as the Predestination church. not from any change of belief, MT. Peters | says, but because it was the only church | in the neighborhood. MT. Lincoln's father died in the faith of the "Campbellites l When a young man at Salem in 1884 | Mir Lincoln prepared a review of Thomas ! Paines "Age of Reason,' and Volney's ! Ruins of Empires From this review in which MT. Lincoln agreed with some of 1 the statements of those books and dis | agreed with others, MT. Lincoln became | known as something of an agaostic. In MT. Lincoln's first campaign for the presidency he found that 20 of the 23 min- ! sters of the different denominations and I the majority of the members of the prin- cipal churches in Springfield were ar | rayed against him because he was not believer. MT. Peters intimates that that was not the cause: that Lincoln was a Christian in the Jest sense of the word but evidently those 20 ministers of e gospel who knew Lincoln thought not | for they worked to beat him at the polls The facts are that MT Lincoln has ever been quoted historically as saying when asked why he didn't become a Christian: When any church will inscribe over it's l altar as its sole qualification for member l ship the Saviour's condensed statement of ! both law and gospel: Thou shalt love 1 the Lord thy God with all thy heart. with | all thy soul, with all thy mind and thy