davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

moner. shallower, more superficial place today but for the preaching of Dickens That great and lamentable phrase, reiterated in the closing chap ters of David Copperfeld, which stands now at the head of this essay, has ap- pealed to many a sufferer; My un- disciplined heartw Perhaps the enduring popularity of Dickens must be sought In this constancy of his to the moral feelings of English-speaking men.
 We are beyond all peoples serious. aware of moral distinctions, practical idealists, weeping over our sins more than over our disasters, believing in the destiny of moral perfection and eternal life, So deep has the sunlight of Hebrew religion struck down into our race-con- science! So absolute has the acknowl- edgement become in our thought that only right and truth and love can really avail! To Dickens truly as to Spur geon, man is pilgrim, a scholar under discipline, soldier learning courage, testing and proving his loyalty as well as practicing and drilling in the manual of arms. Ponder Is the pilgrims goal, the City Beautiful; wonder is the life for which this world Is the school of spirit ual preparation. The guerdon of pain and toll and love and all experience must be character, and character will prove the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

his pathos, worked 1t, as we say, for all 1t was worth He found that people loved to be made weep little more than they loved to be made laugh. These critics say again that there was a cer- tain theatrical pretentiousness about his get-up on these occasions, as though he were very conscious of the public eye and of himself as being In it. Caryle, on the other hand, a shrewd and humbug- hating Scot, confesses that in all his work Dickens was supremely the con- vincing actor, the intelligent, first class dramatist and life delineator, who, had he not written, must have been always on the stage, the equal of its greatest.
 Perhaps few of pay sufficient heed to the enormous physical vitality and abounding health of Dickens. I think that the critics who seem to discount his historical excellence must neverthe- less have been very conscious that the man behind the footlights was very much of a man. So again I find in his pages not at all a seeking after the nauseously pathetic, but determination to utter the tremendous echoes that all the worlds vast voices arouse in his great, strong. English heart.
 For him, as for the majority of men, life was too fierce and terrible to leave him merely an observer, thinked, a philosophical abstractionist Like the poet, he lets us see the pictures etched
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

work "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory"
 Hence there lies beneath the surface, implied in every line of Dickens. the gladness of living coupled with its ever attendant sadness. This goes to maNe him moral in the English sense, reverent towards the law, the institutions and orders that exist He has no interest in the revolutionist, except to exhibit him as man, achieving defeat or victory amid these elemental battle forces of life. He loves the man even in the bully, and makes you acknowledge that. though fin world of injustice, manhood pays. He cannot tell you when wisdom and love and truth will come to their seats of power in human societies. but he can tell you, for he knows, that the very gallows and the slum may alike con tribute to the evolution of soul. It is this moral conviction that saves Dickens from becoming monstrous exponent of the meretricious- pathetic, a superficial melodramatist He is not here In the money making business but he is an artist a delneator of the hidden forces of the world through the worlds infinite paradox.
 In word, there's a great deal of the preacher in Dickens. His text is the human heart, its discipline by sor- TOW, its defeat by lovelessness, it's triumph by obedient, patient, virtuous
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

which are of the most awful import; 1t Is the whole human family If there Is one thing more than another which anyone will admit who has the smallest knowl- edge of the world It is that we are all ways speaking gravely and earnestly and with the utmost possible care about the things that are not important, but always talking frivolously about the things that are. Men talk for hours with the faces of a college of cardinals about things like golf. or tobacco, waistcoats, or party politics. But far the most grave and dreadful things in the world are the oldest jokes in the word-being married; being hanged
 In "Heretics," his latest book from the John Lane press, we find the maturer towering of his philosophy. We find him among those "who think that the most important thing about a man is still his view of the universe. We think that for landlady considering lodger, 1t is inn portant to know his income, but still more important to know his philosophy. We think that for a general about to fight an enemy it is important to know the enc my's numbers, but still more important to know the enemys philosophy We think the question is not whether the theory of the cosmos affects matters, but whether,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

plaint against them stands, that they would make us simple in the unimportant things, but complex in ~ the important things. It does not so much matter whether a man eats grilled to- mato or plain tomato; it does very much matter whether he eats a plain tomato with a grilled mind. The only kind of simplicity worth preserving is the sim plicity of the heart, the simplicity which accepts and enjoys. There may be Q reasonable doubt as to what system pre- serves this; there surely be no doubt that a system of simplicity destroys it.. There is more simplicity in the man who eats eavier on impulse than the man who eats grape-nuts on principle. I will have nothing to do with the simplicity which lacks the fear, the astonishment and the joy alike. I will have nothing to do with the devilish vision of a child who Is too simple to like toys"
 Apropos of toys, I am reminded If a story told about a visit paid Chesterton by Winston Churchill, who loves the so- ciety of brilliant men. Chesterton in spite of his prominence, is contented to live in a small cottage in one of London's remote suburbs. Here the statesman found him out one day, and in his parlor passed 8
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

T F you have not met with Gilbert Ches-
 terton anywhere-if his frst-class wit A has not touched your llfe-I may here state that he is essentially newspaper man. The most of his matter gets printed at first hand by the Illustrated Lond on News. He is a Londoner, prolific nearly a G. B. Shaw, is a brilliant wit and satir- ist, and is a powerful factor in English literature today. And he is somewhat more than clown; for through his intel lectual cap-and- balls tinkling come the brave words of one of earth's true ser vants. For his tumblings, prouettiass. are serious gestures, as if some brilliant clerical had garbed his thoughts in fanci- full dress in order to awaken an audience half asleep England is half asleep; the world is half asleep. From the writings of this man I gather he Is trying to prod the social system into wakefulness. aware ness into some true sense of the visage of things. Tn our serious opinions of life this Englishman finds cause for laughter in our laughter he finds cause for thoughts solemn as the procession of suns Tt is not" he says; 'it is not even particular class of journalists or testers who make jokes about the matters
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

, by experience on the sensitive and deli cate surface of his soul. And it is all ways the lines of life that are graven deepest. Suffering in childhood had laroused a sense of the universal injustice at the root of things, and had made him keenly observant of it's instances. Day after day the streets of London gave him Pnew cause to weep with those who were almost beyond the power to weep ly I'themselves, grown too callous, too ac- customed to their wrongs to think of them otherwise than as the natural and inevitable thing.
 But Dickens was no radical socialist, intent on adjusting the world so that there should be no suffering. His bigness saved him from huma nitarian sloppiness It had enabled him to realize the poten- tlal value to all suffering souls of the weltering confusions and wringing sor- rows and rank injustices which abound
 Cursed as was the debtors prison, blighting and killing to the soul, even q Marshal-sea prison could hold Little Dorrit who still believed in whatsoever things are pure and of good report Dickens Is more concerned with the flower that bloomes on the dunghll than even with the necessity of clearing away that deadly heap. He knows that life is too complete to lose all its woes without loss of something more than woe. He has found that even the Marshal-sea can
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

ranked as honest who has never had the opportunity to be otherwise; there's many a man gone wrong because he had the chance to do so. As Shake speare says mixing John,
 deeds,
 Makes i'll deeds done."
 The cruelty of not giving a man chance who had once done wrong .he newspapers have recently emphasized Five years ago a man in a northern state stole B worth of meat. He was tried, convicted and sentenced He served his term In prison. and came forth to lib- erty reformed man. According to repu- table witnesses he thereafter lived . straightforward life, atoning,g so far as he could by life of integrity, for his hated past. He would get job. but in a little while he would be informed that as he was an ex-convict he had better move on. Situation after situation were gotten, but always the same pitiless dis missal followed because he had been d convict.
 Finally, the cause of his troubles be- came known. The man from whom the So worth of meat was stolen counted himself a paragon of perfection and a righteous protector of other peoples n- tereSt, tnerelOre, ne maQe IL ms DuSlneSS to keep tab on the ex-convct, and when ever he got a job this virtuous citizen, this miserable pharisee, this creeping IJriah Heep, would crawl around to the, ex-convicts employer and divulge his past, and the poor fellow was immediate ly fired" That man deserves no ,ner- cy, for he once stole $5 worth of meat from me: he deserves to die like dog in the gutter, because of his theft of th1 meat" And so. this pharisee houndeL' the poor fellow from place to place, until in his despair he appealed to the courts for protection from the christian man who had no compassion in his Christian ity. The court placed this righteous ras- cal under $100 bond to hold his vile tongue, and give the man chance. In the sight of God, which of these two men was the better citizen and which of them was nearer the New Testament notion of Christian? I'd rather take my chances with the fellow that stole tho "$5 worth of neat than with the heart less wretch whose professions of honesty covered up a soul that was hard as lava and so far as charity was concerned was dry as summers dust 'Tf you for, give not men their trespasses, neither wni forgive you your trespasses." Which, translated into our vernacuar means, Give the man chance"
 He who uttered that sentence about trespasses was dining at the home of a pl'arisee. There were many people there. To to the horror of the self righteous folk
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

| eternal reality. Every victory Is sort | of harvest; all conduct Is seed cast upon the waters. Already we begin to reap the fruits of past sowing, but it will
 be beyond the River far out on the wide sea, whither Paul Dombey and Peggoty,
 Little Nell and Charles Dickens himself
 drifted, that they and we shall find the Islands of Harvest. For 1t is a man 5 discovery of his ultimate self that ia the justification of his career. Impulse. | blind and wilful, is followed by surej smiting of the scourge, until the soufi learns reverence in the discovery that it 1 Is not here simply to be happy and suo- l cessful. And so the generations pass always yielding some graduates. shall wei not dare to say, leaning hardly any but l graduates in the disciplinary. curriculumr | For though vulgar and superficial peo- pie abound, he who can read the soul behind the eyes knows that there is a l 'deep that coucheth beneath" The most | snug and vain and self contended, have they not been also stung by the flaming sword, and startled to discover how hard l Is the road to the heart of Paradise7 Anal in the discovery is there not most of the training that life can give?
 Great indeed is the preacher thereforet who can lead the multitudes to that great confession; Alas. my undisciplined
 ta aiaitA3a
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

minister to the court of Russia. After spending two years In this honorable capacity King returned to North Car olina and subsequently, removed to Alabama.
 Buying plantation near Cahaba, in 1919, he had scarcely located when he was chosen a representative to the first constitutional convention of the state. Together with Hons. Henry Hitchcock of Washington county, and John M. Taylor of Madison, MT. King drafted the first constitution of this state. His clearness of perception, soundness of judgment and ability In adjustment of matters of great moment arrested the attention of the leaders of the coming state during the sessfon of the first constitutional convention. and he was marked as one of the men of the hour in laying the foundatiQS stones of a great commonwealth. In recognition of his ability, MT. King was chosen one of the first national senators from Ala bama when the first legislature met m 1919. Of this prospective distinction he must have been unaware, for at the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

restless 45 minutes waiting for the essay ist to get finished a toy railroad that he building for the children of his ave nue. q couldn't get to you, old man. for you know how the brats have mastered me!'' was the explanation. One day, for some unexplained cause, his regular letter failed to appear at the London News of flee. It was to have been a criticism of Mir, Wells 'The New Machlavelli." How ever, the criticism was received the fol- lowing day with an appended explanation that the lads gave party night before last. and they planned for me to be the Clown; pardon delinquency; will include you next party. G. K. c"
 In the writings of this intellectual clown -or philosopher (clowns and philosophers being indeed fashioned of the same soul stuff), l find that finest intellectual service that wise man can render one less wise a thunderous reiteration of Know thy self"'-aJld insistence that men stand aside and watch themselves go by
 "A man can understand astronomy only by being an astronomer; he can under stand entomology only by being an ento- mologist Cor perhaps an insecD: but he can understand a great deal of anthropo,-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

was in congress we could make Ser anow Payne's hare curl, if we got on his trale; we beleeve that we could make the republican party squirm ovver it's varius and stindry iniquities, and weep ovver the day that we weer cent there. We beleeve that we could be the meens of securing for our con stitunts the menny blessing that they air entitled to frum a generus guvyer- mint, such as Verbeena seeds and the most syentiffic way to plant Rutta- beggur turnips. We would evver be reddy to investigate a trust. and fling the sharp shafts of our sarcasm and bittur infective into the robber tariff system or enny uther system adves- cated by the villanus republican party.
 We would not exchange our brllien& career for a mess of pottage," not on your life, if enny boddy wanted our in fewance to furthur leggislasion, hey would have to cum across with moor fhan enny mess of pottage besides that we newer eat pottage enny way, 1t don t agree with us. We would ware the sam, kind of human cloths up in Washington that we do down here, and if one of cur constiuints called on us we would tako him up and introduses him to the Presi- dint and show him all the sites in Wash ingtun, and borrow mummy rum him. We would newer feel above our constituintsr we air not naturelly houghty and proud. We would favur and use our inflewancy with the Guvvernmint in having new member of the Cabinet appointed as Seo- rytery of Fashions. and have a lady given the job, and an appropryasion maid to this department so it could keep up with all the latest fashions. and send out free lit- terature to our lady constituints. show ing the latest thing in Hats. guvs, hob bles, and the like Good cloths air as important as pure food, And besides tha, the wimmin mite vote sum day. and we mite as we'll be in ons the ground floor
 We air meerly giving a few thinge we would do and would favur If we went to congress to prove that our feiler citi- zcns who have picked us out as the rite
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

NIcKENs strangely gripped the love of his country men, even the 0 love of all his contemporaries. The story of his public readings which tells of vast throngs awaiting him at al- most every city, far beyond the capacity of available halls or theatre to seat. in- dicates the pride that the heart of Eng land had in her wonderful son. If they could not all hear him, at least they could, and did greet him, shout for him, their tears mingling with their laughter as they escorted him to hotel or auditor ium, sometimes taking the horses out of his carriage and themselves triumphantly running with him and yelling their wor- ship as they went. And what crowds greeted him in this land too! Those who heard one reading wanted to hear all.
 Why? Was Dickens the supreme emo- tonialist of the 18th century? Do those huge throngs illustrate once more the love of crude melodrama in the Anglo Saxon? Is it only the desire of being made to weep and laugh that at tracts them to Dickens? Does he know this, and so set himself to play upon these hungry emotions in such wise as to keep attention and to profit by Englands S crude and ignorant cordiality, her gush- ing simplicity?
 Critics who report their impressions of the readings say that Dickens overdid
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

Buren might be construed as a motive looking to future emolument-the pay ment of a political debt Men of that type were not so rare at that time 2s they now are.
 When complications with. certain for eign powers became imminent in con- sequence of the proposed annexation of Texas as an American state there was the demand for the most scrupulous di- plomacy and tact and for the ripest statesmanship on the part of those who should be sent abroad to represent the United States at the courts of England and of France. A single misstep at this juncture would mean limitless trouble. One especially qualified by social prestige as well as sage statesmanship was need ed to be sent to the court of France, It was just such an emergency like this that called for the exercise of pow CTS such as MT. King possessed, and he was accordingly appointed to this posi- ton and served in this capacity for a period of two years. when he resigned and returned to Alabama. The seat left vacant by Mir. King in the federal sen-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17
OF G. K CHESTERTON-Bv A. B Beale

in the long run, anything else affects them. In the fifteenth century men cross-examined and tormented a man because he preached some immoral atti- tude; in the nineteenth century we feted and fiattered Oscar Wilde because he preached such an attitude, and then broke his heart in penal servitude because he carried 1t out. It may be a question which of the two methods was the most cruel there can be no kind of question which was the more ludicrous. The age of the 1nquisltion has not at least the dis grace of having produced a society which made an idol of the very same man for preaching the very same things which it made him a convict for practicing.'
 I reprint these excerpts so that you who have not found Chesterton on the library shelves may in sense understand what his cap-and-bells signify. Reading aft ar him, I conclude that he, more nearly than any man living today-except perhaps G. B. Shaw-has won his "second wind''-that condition reached by the mastery writer, as described by Professor James, when all strained situations, awkward sentences are overpassed, and In lieu of these ap- pears a powerful, simple style, free and easy spontaneous speech. He Is one of the few living English writers who have
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

ate had meanwhile been filled by Dixon H. Lewis, who was a popular idol, but of type entirely different from that of Mir. King. Both were models of honor. each equally worthy of public esteem; but Lewis, ponderous as he was in size, was 9 popular speaker and more of the bonhommie type than was King At this time, these were recognized as the two most distinguished men In the state.
 On his return home Kings friends wanted him to resume his place in the United States senate while the friends of Lewis were equally determined that he should remain in a position which he had adorned for full two years Politi- cal manuyering between the friends of the two distinguished statesmen began, but negotiations seemed of no avail It was inevitable that each must test his strength before the people. King and Lewis were personal friends, they were from adjacent counties, and both were democrats. So conspicuous had MT. King become now as a national figure that many predicted that Lewis would not
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17

to my fellow men and to God: for in prison l was led to Christianity One day, on the street, man looked into my face and said. Hello, Got a job? Yes, and am working regularly Well you must come down with V every month. Why must I?' .Why, my boy, I'm a detective. and all the Sing Sing boys pay us every month to keep mum; if you don't fall into line you'il lose your job in short order I told him that I was a free man and would not pay him for his silence.
 "Tknew that the boys generally did 1t, but l was determined not to be a party to any such thing. In a few days l was called into the office of my employer He asked me if I had been a prisoner in Sing Sing. I told him I had. He then said he could not keep me. l went out. 1 got three or four jobs. but the result was the same in every case. I was dismissed because I had been in prison. l left New York, and found work in another city. My name and a description of my person the detective in New Yorl. had sent to that city, One day the foreman called me to him. He want ed to know if l had ever been in prison l told him 1 had. He replied that could not stay in his employment was out again, and driven hither and thither l was out of work and nc chance was afforded me to get it, or to keep 1t if I should happen to find t.
 On one occasion, when I was hun gry and weary, I was tempted to steal a loaf of bread. l was in desperate necessity. Could anybody object to my taking bread even if 1t was not mine when I was perishing? l felt my hand extending toward the loaf when I sud denly checked 1t. l said to myself, If God. the God to whom I gave myself for the right, I will die hungry on the streets rather than steal Finally enough food as given me to sustain life"
 But when I last saw this man he was stll fighting for a chance. l in- terested myself in his behalf and by the aid of friends got him work in the country beyond the reach of the New York detectives.
 Is it any wonder that men go back to prison? Many of them go back there because the nice clean, religious peo- pie drive them back
 There are some honorable exceptions to this treatment of men who have ''done mes behind prison walls 1 knew boy. I suppose he was about 21 or 22, who had been convict of a crime. When I thought the t. @ ripe, I went 10 the governor of the state. the judge who tried the case. ahd to the commonwealth's attorney In his behalf These gentlemen were all friends of mine I pleaded for the boys pardon. The judge, and the attorney