Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-08-03
Corrects Mrs. FELTON,

Mr.. Editor: am a faithful reader OF every
thing that Mrs. FELTON, writes for the public
1 am thus a reader. not for the purpose Of
PLAYING the critic, but because her writings az
FORD me both pleasure and instruction. From
this fact however, / will, II she should lapse
into error not fail TO discover 1t, unless 1t Is
beyond my own comprehension. don't know
that / have discovered any now, but II seems
to me in recent letter TO your paper she Tell
into quite grave ano serious error Sne was
discussing Mr.. Taft and the possum and spoke
of this now historic animal as the "Ringtailcd
Postum" After a full conference with our ex-
pcrienced hunters and naturalists OF this sec
lion we think that this is improper and mac
curAte and that Mrs. FELTON, must have gotten
the 'possum mixed with the 'rinstailed rae
coon' This out Of consideration for Mrs. Fell
ton we did not mention until President Roose-
Welt was safely out of the country. But, Mr..
Editor joking aside, the finding OF this
slight error, II IT be one, In the writings OF
Mrs FELTON, led me to think how really accurate
they are and how full of Instruction ana enter
tainment to old and young And then / am
have adorned the literature OF the south. Some
time ago In our town OF Washington distin-
lecture on the subject OF education. In the
course of his remarks he illustrated the back
wardness OF the south by comparison or the
space she occupied in the encyclopedias with
that devoted to New England. He said that
over 5000 names from New England were 10
be found In the encyclopedias and not more
than that many hundreds from the broad 20
tomac TO the distant Rio Grande." l was sit
ting by Mrs. Sallie Hudson Reese. a lady or
the idea Of Aesop's fable about the lion ana
statuary this might result from the fact that
the New England people made the cyclopedas.
I would not be understood. however, Mr. Editor,
az disparaging the claims OF New England she
deserves even all she claims-which puts IL
broad enough. ! was reare~ In my earlier life
environed BY New England ingluence ana New
England neople, for whom / had great respect
and affection. / believed that one OF the most
glorious pictures in history was that OF Ethan
trembling in his night shirt, pointing his glesm-
ing sword toward the zenith in the flickeriny
light Of a tallow candle and demanding In the
name Of ''God Almighty and the Continental
Congress- the surrender Of Tfconderoga As
for the glorious and precipitate flight or ten
eral Putnam l ranked this, for daring ana de-
yotion with the act of Metrus Curtius. But,
while we are willing to give 10 our friends All
they claim, II would be strange thing II a.
people like these Of the south should not have
been equally distinguished. Our patriots, states
men. orators and soldiers have not been sur
passed in any age country and In spite CT
the want OF ''encycIopedic fame our men or
letters rank equally high Many writer's from
the south whose biographies, II they had been
born in some other country, would have covered
pages OF the cyclopedia, are totally unnotleed
or mentioned I'm the most meagre way. 1 oe-
lieve II 10 conceded that the celebrated poem
by Theodore O'Hara, The Bivouac or the
Dead" Is probably the finest piece OF martial
poetry in language and possibly In any
language 1t has been translated into many
languages. Its glorious lines ornament the Ar
lIngton cemetery and are inscribed IN many
military cemeteries north and south and IN
other countries. l have looked in vain for any
account OF Colonel O'Harn IN any encyclopedias
/ think and J speak 1t with all diffidence
Of my own poor powers as a critic, nut on
the opinion Of many competent and cultivated
people. that the best history ever written by
an American is Professor Coppee's History or
the Conquest Of Spain" Indeed there is no
history that surpasses II in elegance OF style,
I'm accuracy, in honesty and research. This
splendid book was first called TO my atten.
tion twenty years ago by Mrs. Julius Brown
and the lqmented Judge Falligant, Of Savannah.
both competent ard cultivated readers. They
pronounced Il the best history they had ever
read l have had many others, Of the same
Professor Coppees name does not appear In !