The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-16
Samuel Buffers Illusion

Of "The Way of All Flesh, the re-
 gently re-published novel by samuel
 Butler which Bernard Shaw credits for
 his philosophy, critic says in the New
 Republic
 This story is told and commented
 upon by an active-minded somebody
 who is Butler himself. who has But
 ler's humor and wit. his power Of
 shrewd contentious observation, his
 surprising first-hand connmon sense.
 This narrator is the partisan Of one
 point of view. Samuel Buffers own. To
 his habit of observing With his own
 eyes he owes his discovery that life
 is absolutely unlike what the TO-
 manticists and sentimentalists have
 told him about it. and his attention be-
 comes the slave of this discovery. He
 literally cannot pay attention to any
 motive or any act or any feeling which
 might weaken his faith. For the TO-
 mantle and the sentimental illusion he
 has substituted a hard-headed Illusion
 of his own. He has the keenest nose
 for evidence that strengthens his case,
 and in the presence of any other kind
 of evidence that strengthens his case,
 and in the presence of any other kind of evidence he loses his sense of smell.
 No other novelist with a mind has such an unpliable mind. Life can no longer either astonish or puzzle him. It never contradicts itself. It is
 always the good dependable raw mate rial for comment delivered in a voice quietly and uniformly nipping.
 ~>-~-->~~~-~~-~~~~~ of $100,0OO to be added to the endowment fund. This makes more than $50O, GOO he gave to the college since it was estab- hshed, and places it above want for all time to come.
 The supreme court has overruled the suggestions of error filed in the cases n- volving the right of the state board of health to dismiss employees without any but political cause, and that means that the old men will resume their places David McDowell, state factory inspector, was fired bodily to make room for one in thorough sympathy with the present powers that be, and Dr. Poole was dis
 missed as county health officer of Hinds county, while another Jackson physician was put in his place. The courts decided that the board of health had no right to discharge these officials on the ground that they were appointed for a certain
 numbers of years. and that their time had
 not near expired. No -harge had been made against the officials and they had
 no day in court. However, Captain Mo- Dowell has not received any pay for five
 months and the machinery of his office has been stopped. The governor refused
 to sign his pay check until the courts were through with the cases.
 Justice J. B. Holden of the supreme court had thought until last Monday that he , was to be elected to the fulLterm without opposition. but W. H. Hughes. circuit judge of the Fourteenth district. fooled him by announcing at the last moment. and he is now compelled to make very 1 costly canvass Thus all of the four can didates for supreme court justice have
 active opposition, and the chances are
 that some of them are not going to come back for another term. The supreme court has taken recess until October and all those who have to be elected this year ar eout of the musings This is the first time the judges of tho courts of Missis- sippi have had to hustle for votes since the war having heretofore been ap-
 pointed by the governor.