davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

A LEXANDRIA. Va, is about six
 "A miles from the national capital. ( It Is an old, colonial city, whose pride is it's historical associations. There are still standing many colonial resi- dences through whose doors Washing ton entered; the old church of which Washington was devout vestryman. and whose pew is still shown to visitors the antique hotel In whose parlors Wash ington led the graceful minuet; and the streets which Washington surveyed. broad and straight
 In this old city .'the Father of his country" announced his espousal of the cause of the colonies; hither he called the council of the governors in 17S5; here he cast his last vote. made his last re- view, and here his last will and testa- ment was recorded. Alexandria's citi- zens formed his funeral train, it's clergy men said the last words at the grave, and its buglers sounded taps as the great thr ons of mourners sadly moved away.
 At the grave the Masons celebrated the last rites of their ancient order. and cast into the grave the immaculate apron" the spotless glove the sym hoiic evergreen and. having pronounced the well-known benediction. they mourn fully filed back to their lodge room-the world had lost it's most iliustrious Mason.
 Washingtons old lodge. Alexandria No 22, A. F. SS A. NJ, is still working un- der the charter granted in 17SS, of which he was Charter master and in which he was elected to succeed himself. The charter which refers to Washington as the master of the lodge, was signed by Edmund Randolph governor of Virginia.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19
WINSTON CHURCHILL, NOVELIST-By George Eaves D. D.

halting footsteps, as he walks the care fully surveyed line of Mrs. Wards unor- thodoxy.
 To begin with neither the one nor the other of these stories can properly be but not artistic. They are alike construct ed on the vicious principle of the prob lem nover'--first, select your thesis, then collect your Illustrative characters, your mechanical, spring g-legged puppets, brush in your background, etch your love story work the pathetic note and the indigna- ton note on your steam pianola, and with tears and laughter wherein you per- suade yourselves and the public that you have proved something by stagey me- chanics.
 I find Mir Churchill manfully struggling to maintain naturalness and almost uni formly defeated in the effort. For if his characters must be shaped to fit a pre- destined scheme. if they must talk and act so as to dovetail into a foreordained angle of MT Churchill's philosophy im- pressing it on us under the guise of con versation, always with an eye on us, the ultimate audience, never content simply to be and to utter themselves, it follows that they will preach at one another in- stead of conversing, will use a megaphone instead of the natural voice, and even in their mutual differences will be fatally alike. Most of us have felt this in the greatest novelists. If it is true of Dick ems pathos and monologue, it Is more true of Mrs. Humphrey Wards conversa- tional work and time would fail me to speak of the Hall Gaines and the Marie Corellis. Is it not Mr.-I beg palpion-Sir James Barrie's almost unique-giory that he preserves the identity of each charac- ter without the aid of italics? MT. Chur- chill has only one object in this entire book and he sets half dozen people to expatiating thereon. This is unnatural,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19
WASHINGTONS MASONIC LODGE-By Dr. w. E. Evans

ing the war between the states, when Alexandria was occupied by the northern troops, there were Masons from the juris- dictions beyond the Mason and Dixon line who met regularly in the lodge room ot Alexandria Washington. I suppose that thus were preserved many of the precious relics belonging to tho lodge. Only once was there a dissertation of the lodge be- longings. drunken soldier was per mitted to cross the entrance, and not knowing what he did, he punctured an oil portrait with his bayonet. The dam age was inconsiderable, but the scar may be seen upon the pictured face today, although 1t was made 50 years ago A modern chair now occupies the honored place in the east where the Washington chair stood for so long.
 In glass case, standing between two of the lesser lights" I noticed a hand some old fashioned clock and was eager to know it's history l learned that If was the clock that General Washington kept in his bedchamber at Mount Yer non. One of Washington's physicians was the worshpful master of No. 22, and on the night of Washingtons death. this gentleman as soon as the great man breathed his last. stepped to the clock cut
 it's pendulum cord. and stopped it. The hands have never moved since. They point to 20 minutes after 10, for at that hour on the night of the 14th of Decem- Der. 1799, George Washington, one of the greatest characters of human ais tory. died As the visitor enters Gen eral Washington's bedchamber at Mount Vernon, he is informed that the room remains as it when Washington died. It is said that the only article Of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

furniture missing Is the old timepieoe. After Washington's funeral Mrs. Wash ington presented the clock to the physi- clan above mentioned. for the lodge.
 The old Bible which Washington used In the work of the lodge Is still preserved. It is plain looking old book, with type quite small, and it's pages faded and time stained. It opens readily at the place where for so long time the square ami compas3es lay, while the faint gleams of the presence of this sacred Book that Washington, the worshipful master, "ap- preaching from the east invoked the aid of the brothers Tin bringing" How strange it all seems. One feels as If he were living a hundred years ago.
 In 1925 General Lafayette himself a Mason, was entertained by this old lodge, When acknowledging his pleasure at be- ing among the members of the lodge. ne said, q receive with peculiar sensation this mark of kindness and attention and these expressions of esteem from my Masonic brethren, and it Is particularly gratifying to my feelings to visit the lodge over which our lamented illustrious Brother Washington presided. I shall ever cherish a high regard for Masonry, and pray you, worshipfu sir, and the rest of the brethren to accept my partic- ular acknowledgements.''
 On this occasion General Lafayette pre- scented the lodge with the front gate key of the bastle, This key. and a sash worn by Lafayette on this occasion are securely protected. The old black key to the bastile is of iron and weighs about five pounds. The gallant Frenehman' S portrait in Masonic regalia adorns the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

and grand master of Masons in Vir- einia', The venerable document hangs on the walls of the lodge room today. permission was given to change the name of the body from Alexandria, No. g." to .Alexandria- Washington. No. 22," without a change of the charter by the grand lodge.
 h the lodge rooms, protected by glass cases, are many memorials of the first master of Alexandria Washington lodge, No. B. testifying to the loving reverence in which the name and history of the first master of the lodge are held. 1 shall refer to few of them.
 In one case hangs Washingtons Ma sonic apron. No Mason can look upon it without sacred emotions. It is wrought of white satin and delicately embroidered in gold. In the center are the Amer ican and French flags, their staffs cross ing. This was the gift of certain French admirers among Masons It has various symbols upon it which all Masons under stand. the whole apron being heavily fringed with gold. This apron was worn by General Washington when he, as a Master Mason. laid the corner stone of tine capitol building at Washington. The apron has been worn few times since Washington's death. Once. in the lodge February 21, 1925. by General Lafayette; al the laying of the corner stone of the Washington monument, in 1S4S; at the laying of the corner stone of the York town monument, in 1881; when the de- gree of Master Mason was conferred upon Lawrence Washington, in 1910: and once by President Taft. in the lodge Above the apron there hangs the sash
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

in its possession a small silver trowei 1S40. There is another portrait of La fayette in the lodge, which was painted Engiishman- This painting shows the subject as a continental general. If tho reader Is not familiar with the adven- lures and perils of Lafayette as cncoun- tered in the interests of liberty, let him read Carlyle's history of the French rev olution, and Marshall's life of Wash ington."
 Among other treasures. the lodge has in Its possession a small silver tworel upon which I looked with peculiar in- terest. It is engraved thus: This trowel, the property of Alexandria Washington lodge No. 22, A. F. & A. M., was used by General George Washington Septem- Der 1S 1793, to lay the corner stone of the capitol of the United States of Amer ica. in Washington, D. C." The trowel was also used an implement of in struction in the lodge. Near this trowal in the case are Washington's wedding gloves black glove which he wore after the death of his mother. as a sign of mourning. Near by lies a small pocket knife which Washington's mother gave him when he was F years old; while not far away may be seen a pruning knife which Washington employed at Mount Vernon
 In this old lodge room may be seen the celebrated Williams portrait of Wash ington clothed a Master Mason. II is conceded to be worth more than it's weight in gold. Fifty thousand dollars has been offered for it, but three times that amount could not buy it. It was taken from life In 179i. and represents
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

changes have come against which the ad- herents of tradition cry out in vain, These changes imply vast literature, not covered as Mir Churchill funnly inti- mates, by three books of German origin and one from the University of Paris Even with the added influence of the lady, the Rev. MT Holder was too easily dis lodged from life-long convictions by "an armful of books" which he covered be- tween whiles in hot summer already filled with studies in the slums.
 MT Churchill would meet the crisis by long sermons passionately humanizing all the usages of the church and all the doc trines of the creeds Such a sermon as MT. Hodder is reported to have preached after his enlightenment was a wonder to the throng that heard it, but of that throng 1t must be said. as the Michigan Woodsman is reported to have observed concerning the dromedary. after long in spection, "Ther aint no sich critter." Be- yond these heavy discourses MT. Churchill prescribes n whole hearted simplicity of life, a. widespread practice of those arts which mitigate the gulf between rich and poor. The remedy Is not socialism. but primitive Christianity. a course of action that anticipates socialism, a social unit expressed by service of the whole com munity, by rich and poor alike. At least he may mean this. and I hope he does. In such an atmosphere he expects to see the creed and the confession shrink to
 nsignificance. and much ancient dogma pass away unnoticed. We must grate- fully acknowledge that the author is on sure ground when he expects Christian life to be the chief 'apologia" of Chris tian faith. It always has been. and we may always be sure that the age that blots out Christian life will blot out all the churches.
 Before bidding farewell to Mir. Chur- chill there are some things that find it
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

which Washington wore as the worship ful master of his lodge.
 In the same glass ca-e that contains the apron and sash one sees the three lesser lights These are the original lights that were used in the lodge more than a hundred years ago. They were used also at the laying of the corner stone of the District of Columbia, in 1791 {: the national capitol, in 179S; and at ths laying of the corner stone of the Wash ington monument, in 1s4s They are rather shorter than the conventional lesser hghts'' as used today fin our lodges, and are severely plain.
 The hour glass is the one that Wash ington used as master, to impart the solemn lesson of the brevity of human life, and is in use now. when brothers, in darkness. seek for further light" | could fancy, amid these surroundings, that I could hear the voice of the wor- shipful master of a hundred years ago. speaking in grave, solemn tones to the brother travelling east of the falling of the sands of time. then bidding him in the ancient'words, Follow your guide and fear no dangerr
 The worshipful masters chair, which Washington occupied, is now securely kept within a glass case to itself. 1t was in regular use for IF years. and de- serves the place of honor which it now holds It is an old Gainsborough in style. it's concave back being heavily padded leather. with an oval top. The frame is mahogany, inlaid with white holly. The leather seat and back attest the irrever- ence of the relic hunter in times of peace, although the northern armies spared this ancient possession in time of war. Dur
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

might say, inhuman. Only in one ln-
 stance does he draw from life-I mean in
 the episode of the girl from the street.
 That Is powerful work.
 Hence we must adjust our demands to
 the limits of MT. Churchill's artifciality,
 recognize that the main thing is not the
 story, but the doctrine and ask ourselves
 what we ought to think about that.
 In a word, his purpose is to show that
 established lines of churchly life and
 teaching must be discarded. To prove this
 contention he discourses of the corrup-
 tion that appears in churches of all de-
 nominations. of eminent laymen in "big business,'s of ministers who countenance such "unprinciped laic rabble,'' to quote MT. Milton, by accepting office under It's patronage. Again he points to orthodox
 preaching. which includes scientific facts of the results of critical study and he intimates that this is as the inky fluid
 exuded by the cuttlefish. surrounding
 the church with confusion in the midst of which the sinner may escape unde- tected There is thus close relation be- tween the rigid orthodoxy of the pulpit and the financial interests of predatory laymen. secondary value of the un- scientific pulpit is that it leaves sociology alone. leaves undiscovered the relation between the wealth of the wealthy and the poverty of the poor; leaves undis- turbed the serenity alike of parishioners consciences and popular intellect
 MT. Churchilrs typical wealthy man is sketched as a composite study of Miss Tarbel's Rockefeller the newspaper
 mans MT J. P. Morgan. and the MT. An
 drew Carnegie of popular legend. fear some beast it is. The family of this fierce denizen of the city jungle are all either dead or estranged and his soul violently yearns for companionship cruelty denied him. Even the spider hath his mate, but not MT. Eldon Parr
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

impossible to forgive. The book displays no more feeling for punctuatlon that Is disclosed in a penny dreadful,' or tho Adventures of Diamond Dick" Mir. Churohills grammar is often as far from accepted standards as his portentious sol- emnity Is from a becoming sense of hu- nor. For instance, does he never dis tinguish between the concessive the con- ditionaI and the indicative uses of the word ''were2" Seemingly not.
 l deeply resent also his queer habit of decorating the ends of paragraphs and sentences with A series of four dots. thus: by which he apparently means that he could have said so much more but refrained. leaving something to our imagination. Humbly I suggest that instead of the dots he should put Into brackets the plain words Pause here, gentle reader and consider"
 Finally, so to speak, 1 would ask the famous author whether he thinks that hope may be properly lxened to & ''recurrent geyser" whether there are some geyser that do not recur; whether 1t is the recurrence. the steam, or the heat or the noise of the geyser that most truly symbolizes hope, and whether hs had not better eliminate that scalding metaphor from page. 105
 On all accounts 1t must be considered hardly doubtful whether Mr. Churchill mas added tustre to his literary reputation or force to American letters by The Inside of the Cup" He assures us that it Is not the product Of haste. and yet the marks of haste are not expunged. think 1t Is more likely to damage literary ideals than theological orthodoxy, and yet there are redeeming features alike to manner and matter After BIS pages we all agree that religion must be both pure and prna. tical, supreme thing.
 Is this trite? Is 1t not evsxi tremendous! But oh! for q grain of Attic Salt!
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

Many of the poor of the city trace their poverty to MT. Paris financial operations with traction company, but the clergy man-hero has been two years In the par ish before he finds out how dreadfully the name of his weathiest communicant and vestryman stinks in the nostrils of the poor. Then at last he asks, to what pur- pose are the ministries of a church, though she essays to carry forward insti- tutional service of poor neighborhoods when she must use the money of such men, at once g. benefaction and handi- cap? A financier like Parr at the head of St. Johns church makes that church the chief hindrance of Christianity in that city. The rector is berated by one whose losses have made him insane he is laughed at by prostitute because it seems unspeakably funny to her that the minister of so "swell' a church should take notice of such women as she His assistant explains the Sunday absence of working lads and girls who attend the institute classes. by asking what they could do among the well dressed morning congregations.
 It will be seen that these various charges may be fairly classified thus:
 l. Highly educated ministers are nev- ertheless grossly stupid and slow to un- derstand the business crookedness of leading laymen.
 put Wo Snotuu cApttt to hIu chiutHt laymen in all denominations practicing the black arts of high finance, even to the extent of robbing the credulous and weak
 3. The more eminent layman the more likely he is to have made his money by corrupt and cruel dealings.
 4. Chief among hindrances to the King dom of God is the church. and the wealth. fer the church the greater is it's hindering power
 5. Find a church strong in orthodoxy, and almost certainly you find one weak in ethics and full of harmful influences.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

Washington in full Masonic regalia aA known in the blue lodge" The lodge re- duested Washington. who was then Pres picture. and upon its completion 1t was submitted to Washinston's old friends who had known him in every walk of life, In peace and in war, in public life and in private intercourse These friends saw perfect likeness. as far as art could reproduce the original of flesh and blood. The idealzations of Washington represent his face az perfect aa that of Adonis. but this portrait represents him as Cron- well wanted his own portrait painted. faults and all" The left side of Wash ington's face was marred by a scar. which Is family disclosed in this portrait. It is well known that Washngtons face was marked by a few -mallpox pits. Even these tiny defects are brought out in the Williams painting. I suppose it
 Is as perfect a picture as a conscientious artist could make. Of this portrait tho little pamphlet which the courteous tiler gave me, and from which I have freely drawn in this sketch. says. 'However ur- gent our wants or hattering the induce ments, 1t will be kept in remembrance of that association, for generations of Masons vet to come.'
 Ii has been proposed that a splendid memorial temple to Washington the Ma son be erected in Alexandria, and to this end permanent association has been raised. Masons all over the world will be called upon to assist in this worthy enterprise. and one may easily predict that 1t will be, In stateliness and in arch itectural beauty. worthy of the great name with which 1t will be associated-- Washington. the Mason.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

1T is a little late in the day to be re-
 viewing MT. Churchill. He is sup - posed to have a sure and established reputation in American letters. By this time everybody who is anybody has read and nearly forgotten his latest literary confection, which he calls "The Inside of the Cup Only we who are melodies may, with bated breath, now come along and borrow the leftover copies, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest' them, so far as they are digestible. our excuse being that we have been too busy with things to spare time for theory. Now, after preachers have preached on it and reviewers have reviewed it. there is still some justification for us to compare our impressions, to lodge our protests, or to trumpet forth our adulations, though we are neither omnscient. as good reviewers must be, nor brilliant, all preachers ought to be.
 "The Inside of the Cup" appears to have been first exposed to public gaze i'll Hearst's Magazine in the year 1912. There after it was the talk of the year 1913, in wider circles. being published by McMil- Ian in May of that year. It has been re- issued several times since then in answer to popular demand. and now. in 1914, it is, we may say being subjected to a final rinsing before being laid away upon the curio shelf.
 Quite inevitably this book recalls Mrs. Humphrey Wards first famous novel, Robert Elsmere,' of nearly a genera tion ago. Indeed that comparison is still challenged by anyone who would employ fiction to attack the theology or the con duct of the church. But we know now that Mrs Ward was never so little con vincing as in that story which so greatly stirred the surfaces of the later 'S0s". MT. Churchill must not be surprised to find measure of suspicion attending his
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

To these we may add one final charge;
 G. No existing church creed will stand the test of scientific enquiry. Hence the birth of thought among it's young people leads straight to self-indulgence and hyp- ocrisy, with a deep-seated contempt for church authority.
 do not know that MT Churchill would, in cold blood, make these overt and bald charges. but they certainly underlie his romance Are they mere romance, or are they undisputably true? Angrily to deny them is rot enough.
 We must confess that the present time is full of difficulty. On the one hand many have quite abandoned the riligious opinions they lately thought fundamental. many spend the hour of worship at golf or fishing. wealth has loosened the Chris tian loyalty of many, and the poor have suffered. the vicious have been preyed upon, by many who bore the official badge of religion.
 So far MT. Churchill Is following well surveyed lines. No criticism can success fully challenge these terrifying facts. Where he errs Is in assuming that they are typical Insofar as they are true. heads will nod approval again and again over MT. Churchills pages. Some sense of the dreadful tragedy will stab the reader. even while he suspects the exag- geration. Will 1t not be increasingly diff ficult for the church to hold it's own in coming years while the fountains of the great deep are being broken up beneath our whole social, industrial. economic world? These be more than intellectual problems. An instinct of self-p -preserva- ton impels the Catholic church to oppose socialism. But Protestanfsm is already honeycombed with socialistic tendencies and theories, which appear side by side with the swollen fortunes whose inso-
 
 class hatred and communistic passion.
 On the doctrinal, or theological side,