The Tupelo journal., 1910-03-25
Snap Shots
BY COL. W. [. CLAYTON.
Author of Pen Pictures Of the
0lden Time.

=
by example, but philosophical
history is history mixed with
philosophy. 1t is a very difficult
matter to find pure history, where
the facts only are given and OBJ
servations of the writer not mix
ed Herewith. You may pick up
any history you may be able to
lay your hands on and you will
never be able to read far in it
without coming in contact with
the opinion of the writer, let him
be whom he may. For instance
take up any history of the Civil
War, and what one will you find
which can and does give the his
tory of the first battle of Manas
sa without then and there indulg-
ing in speculations as to what
would have happened if the
Southern army had pressed on
after the routed Northern hosts.
They say, we would have captur-
ed Washington. We ought by
all merns to have pursued in hot
haste; it was a want of general
ship not to do it. The Potomac
could have been easily crossed
and our army could have entered
the capital of the United States
in triumph.
Take the battle of Shiloh, what
history of it have you ever read
which did not speculate as to
what would have been the result
if Albert Sydney Johnston had
not fallen? | give you these in.
stances simply as examples. You
will find the same to be true as
to all human composition. But
there is one book giving facts,
furnishing history that is differ
ent, and that book is the Bible,
the book of God. There you find
facts, pure history, unmixed with
speculation. The most startling
facts even are given as matter OF
course events and not one obser-
walton made in relation thereto.
Take the fact of David's conduct
with the wife Of Uriah, a most
shameful act, and the fact is CIV
en- as history and no comment
made. This is one of the peculiar
ties, one of the wonders of this
wonderful book. | am forced to
the conclusion that the charm of
history is its simplicity, its nat:
uralness. Suppose you are writ
ing the biography Of a man,
what are the most interesting
things you can write? Are they
not the things he said and where
he said them, and under what
circumstances he said them?
Listen! And seeing the null
titudes, he went up into a noun
tain; and when He was set, His
disciples came unto Him; and He
opened his mouth and taught
them, saying: Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom Of heaven On,
how often have | said in my
heart as | have contemplated
this scene. If | could only had a
pen picture of the blessed Savior
as He sat there on the mountain
speaking these wonderful words
But it is not Gods plan. One of
the strongest evidences We have
ef the Divine authenticity Of the
scriptures, to my mind, is dis
similarity to all human produc-
tons. Take this instance of the
Sermon on the Mount. and if you
or | had been writing of it, the
hero, tn e wonderful speaker
would have been much in our
minds, and we could not, and
would not have refrained from
telling how the speaker appeared,
how he looked and in what man.
ner he spoke, as well as to have
given his words; and we are more
than likely to have thought SC
much about giving a readable &C
count of the appearance of tbs
man that we would not have Civ
en- the pure simple WORDS h
spoke. But Gods thought wa'
the words and not the word-paint
err; the things said and not how
they were said nor how he looked
who said them.
There is another thing | wan
TO call your attention to in tn,