Evening star., 1938-02-06
Bv NC. r.


IN THE February Atlantic Monthly,
under the pen Of Alexander Wooll-
colt, is to be found an excellent
L story about the late Justice Holmes.
Mr.. Holmes has figured in many anec-
dotes, and most of them have been
good ones. And in the present one,
as II his own great picturesqueness
were not enough, he is paired with
one Of the most storied figures of
American history, President Lincoln.
To tell the tale in MIR. Woolcootts
ever-charming words, the Justice was
in his Civil War service, stationed
at Fort Stevens when the Confederates
under Early were attacking Washing
ton and
Lincoln having come out from the
White House to inspect the defenses,
the task Of plotting him had fallen to
Holmes. Lincoln, too, wanted to know
just where the enemy were, and
Holmes pointed them out. The Presi-
dent stood up to look. Now, when
standing up and supplemented by his
high plug hat, Mr. Lincoln was q tar
get Of exceptional visibility. From the
rebel marksmen came a snarl OF mus
kerry fire. Grabbing the President by
the arm, the young officer dragged him
under cover. and afterward in wave
upon wave OF hot misgiving was un-
able to forget that in doing so he
had said. Get down, you fool'
Admittedly this was not the ap-
proved style for an ofncer to employ
in addressing the commander in chief
of the armed forces of his country.
The youthful aide was the more re-
lieved when. just as Lincoln was quit
ting the fort. he took the trouble to
walk back. 'Goodby, COL Holiness he
said. I'm glad to see you know how
to talk to civilian"
Mr. Woollcott tells us that he heard
this story from Prof. Harold Laski.
He was In great wonder. he says, as
to how 80 excellent . tale had gone
so long unknown. He investigated
the matter and came to the following
conclusion:
80 can only offer the perhaps
helpful reminder that the Justice.
memories of the Civil War have never
found their way into print, and that
when on great occasions he spoke ir
honor of the 10th Massa achusetts hi.
pride was not only in its valor and it.
wounds. but in its reticence. It il
my own surmise that in after years HI
heard OF 50 many high-ranking war.
riors having rescued Lincoln from
Early's snipers that it took him 6
long time to recover from his distaste
More than half q century had to pass
before he could bring himself to say
in effect-and then only in rare con.
fidences-'You know. it was to mt
that really happened. It was thi.
way"
And those who knew the Justice
will probably agree with Mr.. Wooll-
COTS explanation.
l0NE Of the most entertaining thing,
in the Atlantic, and q thing, too
which Is quite out Of the beaten track
Of magazine articles and 50 deserves
framing In gold, IS an article called
THE Story of Saudin." by Himself
1t is eminently we'll worth reading.
Saudin. 1t would appear. is a youth
from Borneo, a member Of the Murut
tribe Of hill people Of that little known
island, an aborigine. A few years age
he fell in with the Martin Johnsons
who were on one Of their expeditions
in his native land, and won so high
an opinion of them that, after employ
ing him as an animal boy for some
time, they brought him back with them
to New York. Now. in the Atlantic
Saudin writes Of his impressions of our
well-known civilized country.
There is too much that is delightful
in the piece for any possible quoting
of all of 1t. But the reviewer picks
out few bits here and there. Saudin
it should be said, does not speak Eng
lish and his piece has been translated
by Miss Agnes Keith.
OF his first impressions of New York
then, he writes: so we entered into
America and went into q very great
village with a thousand thousand
lights It was night when We arrived
but when I looked up at the sky above
this village it was very bright and red
and sparkling, and there was light
everywhere. And said, Is this morn
ing?' And they said, No, this is New
York;"
And further of these lights he says
Every night men had their names put
in the sky with the bright lights sc
that they would not be forgotten, be.
cause there are 80 many people In
New York that 1t would be easy to for
get some of them"
And of Manhattan's transportation
system: There were trains above me
on bridges, there were trains below me