Newspaper Page Text
second section.
~] The' Atlanta Georgian and News
SECOND SECTION.
VOL. V. NO. 231.
ATLANTA, GA., SATURDAY, MARCH 30,1907.
PRTmn. ON Train* FIVE CkNT*.
JTXUUJJ. In Atlanta TWO CENTS.
A PASSOVER SERMON
By RABBI DAVID MARX
AT THE JEWISH TEMPLE
F EAR not, O, Israel, I have re
deemed thee. Thou art Mine.”
Mr, Benjamin Kidd In his
-.Htorlous, attractive yet delusive
on "Social Evolution" defends
,.h visor and enthusiasm the thesis
Si? human progress Is the result of
Illusion, or rather of feeling, "that
Sr* Is no rational sanction" for the
advancement made by man in the on-
Zr't march of the ages. A quarter of
rrantury ago the celebrated Buckle,
fn his “Introduction to the History of
civilisation," advanced the somewhat
.afferent opinion that human progress
u to be explained only on rational
Sounds: that religion haa hampered
fdvancement; that Intellect Is the fac-
mr in national development and human
it aTnment. Both the historian of the
nuarter century ago and the sociologist
Sf the present day voiced truth. Their
«nrks supplement each other. Each
Minted with lucid argument to causes
must be recognised In the study
If history. Each In his respective held
riuxht the perspective from different
derations. Each Is partially correct,
idealism of the first water Is a neces
sity for national life and the shaping of
the destiny of a people. The highest
form of the quest after permanent
truth gives tone and color to the dally
Ktlons of man. It finds expression In
his literature and art in his architec
tural designs and In his ethics. It
regulates his life and determines the
scope of his duties.
Swayed by Emotion.
Feeling bursts the bonds of reason
carried away by Impulse and sympa
thy, men face dangers unwisely.
Buoyed by patriotism and swayed by
enthusiasm, nations war, though rea
son counsels peace; men sacrifice home,
even life, and heedless of all but the
object of their aim carry with them,
either forward or backward the wel
fare and the hope of others. Peoples
thus motived pause not of their own
volition. Their course Is the right one!
Their emotions can not mislead. This
Impulse, religious, can not be wrong,
though It slaughter thousands and im
poverish tens of thousands. Whether
Jericho be the city of Its devotion or
wasted Europe the highway of Its cru
sade. whether Cuba be the object if
Its sympathy or the Philippines, a glo
rious opportunity for new converts,
Hoi!?. thousan ds starve at home—on-
ttf l ^,n"n rVeS . th l llne of march, and at
its van flaunts the banneret of abnor
mal emotion. Yet with It all there Is
emanation" pr0Krcs ? without rational
explanation, says Mr. Kidd •
reasoning*." " 0t ,he resu,t of deilb ®™'®
Claim of Intellect
Against the benefits that have sprung
from the emotional element is the
strong claim made by the intellect.
Man has tolled by the sweat of his
brow the harder and greater the obsta
cle to be overcome, the truer the civili
sation that has resulted from this con
flict. Where nature has been most un
kind, the more has his Ingenuity been
taxed until with reason he has carved
his way and lifted others up with him.
Human progress has not been through
the development of the emotion side A
character, but through reason.
by the narrow compass of
our individual experience, we can find
sufficient arguments to Justify which
ever side of the question we might
choose to father. Our prejudices will
not be long In discovering flaws In our
opponent's armor.
Measuring by truer standards—the
whole survey of history-remembering
that decades are but minutes In na
tional growth and that scores of years
are only seconds on civilization’s clock,
we overcome the predilection toward
either of the claims made and recog
nize that human progress Is the result
ant of brain activity and heart pulsa
tion. Read history closely. Measure
progress not only by the monuments
erected, but also by what has been de
stroyed. Ruin tells as mighty a tale
as structure newly formed. Destruc
tion stands not necessarily for retro
gression. It often posits tho truest
advancement. Trace the rise and fall
of empires, the long years of Injustice,
of lust, of crime, of outraged humanity,
of brutality In nations at their zenith
and brightest day. Let centuries p^ss
and time relentless bring to crop the
sowings; let ages, moments in the
swing of eternity’s pendulum, become
of the past, then as the days are count
ed a great invisible cause, long suffer
ing and patient crumbles the founda
tions and shatters the structure. The
omitted factor in the solutions offered
by Kidd and Buckle, the great God of
History appears rewarding righteous
ness nnd requiting at the bar of Justice
the evils of centuries.
Thoughts in tho Past
Lives there such a Qod? My
thoughts this morning are with the
centuries past. I see a band of Semite
tribes fleeing from Egypt led by the
genius of Moses. Sinai flashes before
the mind. I hear the voice of law and
order where was chaos and lawless
ness. A nation springs from these
fierce tribes. Kings rule over It and
prophets admonish it and bring It hope.
Assyria devastates Its fields; Greece
rules with harlotries; Egypt takes cap
tive; Syria defiles Its altars; Rome
smoulders Its sanctuary, banishes its
sons, exiles its daughters. The world
becomes Its habitation. Every nation
smites and curses, plllioges and perse
cutes It, but It does not die.
prophets’ voice, sounding through time
and over the ruins of Its persecutors,
seems to whisper: "Fear not, O, Israel.
I have redeemed thee; thou art Mine.”
And as I think of the tombs of the
Pharaohs of the lands that have op
pressed, I feel that there is "a Just
God who presides over the destinies of
nations,” that Israel’s perpetuity Is a
verification of the divine hand in tho
working out of history. Israel Is the
leaven in civilization. Its position ts
unique: a nation in name only, a peo
ple whose home Is everyv/here—in
America, Americans; in Germany, Ger
mans; In Russia, despite oppression,
Russians. A people not shaped by des
tiny for a separate, isolated existence,
nor formed to bo a' political power
amidst the nations of the world. A
religious congregation whose survival
mystery; a martyr-people that
four thousand years after Its inception
but begins to have the recognition due
its genius and to receive tho homage
that Is Its own by virtue of the benefits
it has conferred upon men.
Intellectual Progress.
If the progress of the world be Intel
lectual, then great will grow this hon
or, for the scholar seeking knowledge
must, by sheer force of his truth-lov
ing soul, recognize the sourco whence
has come so much of permanent value
to humanity. If the progress of the
l«.......................I
tocsin of that world-pervading dream
and hope of freedom, the natal day of
that people who first wrote: "Proclaim
liberty, throughout the land to all the
Inhabitants thereof." and first Indited,
"There shall be one law to you and to
the stranger within thy gates." There
fore, Its observance Is Important and
he falls In his divinely appointed mis
sion.
Freedom and Manhood.
As there can be no freedom without
justice, so Is there none without man
hood. When Injustice was greatest the
heart of the Jew was strongest and his
its lessons far-reaching. It represents pride the noblest. Epictetus, the slave,
RABBI DAVID MARX.
world be rellgloue, not doctrinal, eth
ics must teach "render unto Caesar the
things that are Caesar's;” truth wilt
triumph over prejudice and men be
grateful to the mother from whose life
has sprung two world embracing
daughters.
This festival of the year—the Fourth
of July of Israel—occurring at a sea
son when nature speaks through Its
unfettered fields and unlocked streams.
Its budding plants and root-tnktng
seed, reminds of the long winters of
oppression and gives the promise of a
harvest ripened by the light of heaven
and matured by the forces of tho
earth. While nature pulsates with the
song of birds and the rustle of new
born leaves and the air Is fragrant with
the eweet odors of fresh-blown blos
soms, the heart feels tho Influence of
the world about, and the spring-tide
breath of freedom finds response with
in the breast of man.
This day Is tho Plymouth Rock of
Judaism, the belfry whence sounds the
an Ideal of Israel-freedom. That Ideal
has not been realized. Israel's mission
Is not ended. The vyorld has caught
the Inspiration. - It moves toward Its
fulfillment. When justice shall be done
and the light of a brighter day burn,
unflickered by the wind, when "char
ity" shall have been swept away by
righteousness and toleration have made
way for respect, and privilege has been
converted Into right, then will the sym
bolism of this day be meaningless. Un
til then Israel stands for Justice. For
our sake, for the right thinking and
right living of the world, this bo our
insistence and demand. For the gauge
of a nation's humanity Is Its treatment
of the minority and the standard of
a people's civilization Is Its justice to
ward those who differ.
Have Robbed Israel,
Through Ignorance or Injustice, tho
past has failed to accord credit. It
lacked not In bestowing blows. The
centuries have robbed Israel. Its
thoughts have been set up as of ex
traneous origin, while the Jew learned
"how sublime a thing It Is to suffer and
be strong.” Nor has this spoliation of
his Intellectual treasure-trove and
his heart-creations ceased. Perverted
teachings. Ignorance of peoples, short
sighted views of emotionalism have
been much to blame. t But n truer spir
it begins to show Itself. The learned
world, puzzled by the refusal of the
Jew to perish, turns toward him for o
keener knowledge of his past. Never
was there greater demand for literature
bearing upon him and his religion. Pub
lishing houses and magazines concern
themselves widely with books and arti
cles on the connlo t '■■ - tie v %
broadening Influence Is visible. Pulpits
that ntty years u B o nouiu not „a.o
dared speak a Just word for Israel to
day tell of his virtues, point to the Jew
ish homo life as a model of family
strength and happiness, while the Jew
himself at times falls to realize that the
Justice he demands must be centered
In these very virtues of his household
and In the Integrity of his life. He still
must continue his ancient charge:
"Justice, Justice ahalt thou pursue," or
acerated and gyved, was freer than hie
maeters. Ills noble mind could de
spise their slavish natures. The man
who finds bla religion a burden Is In
turn a burden to It. He who despises
Us parents and their teachings for no
other reason than the smile of the
world and the social prestige of those
who repudiate him until he haa sacri
ficed principle, besmirches his man
hood and Is the veriest of slaves. For
him there Is no sunshine of liberty, no
freedom of thd highest nature. He lives
a delusion and dies a slave to self. In
days'of prosperity It Is well with hlmi
In hours of despair he Invokes God. In
time of dire distress ho blames Him
whom In material and social prosperity
he dented. For the protagonist of free
dom manhood must remain unlmpeach-
ed. He stands as foe to the cowardice
that would sacrifice altar for alllanoe,
shrine for shekel nnd sanctuary for so
cial grace. He compels the world to
rocognize him through no negatlvo
qualities, but because of the positive
stand he takes as one who dwells
among his brethren. The religious man
has a duty to let his voice bo hoard
and to be true to his faith as one whose
fathers have enriched tho world with
knowledge and sentiment; a duty to
be In the van of civilization In overy
cause that makes for human liberty.
With the persecutor ever lies the apolo
gy.
Liberty end Knowledge.
There con bo no liberty without
knowledge. The ancestor of tho Jaw
was tho priest and the prophet Their
province was to conservo wisdom that
their lips might speak truth. What
made our fathers wise was learning
plus world-experience. It made them
putlent, easily governed because they
had learned self-control. Knowledge
brought with It the fundamental prin
ciples of freedom, law, order, recogni
tion of the rights of others. Knowl
edge gave them priestly boaring. It In
creased their store of wisdom. They
knew the history of the past and felt
that God's hand was not withdrawn
from them. We need emulate their ex.
ample that placed the fear of God above
the fear of man. The world could not
understand their life. Their mind was
clear though their shoulders were bent;
their souls were free desplto tho mis- (
ahapen dwelling place.
"Our fathers were slaves, but we are ,
free men," phrases the thought In the!
prayers of our home clrclo at this sea- |
son. Who knows better than the Jewj
the riddle of tho past? Who has fath- I
omed deeper the lessons on wbloh rest ‘
the fate of mankind—tho eternal, souJ- j
stirring "rights of man"—tho realiza
tion of liberty In Its highest sense. I
Tho World Progresses.
Tho world progresses through feellnr i
and reason, for tho permanent things In
national and In Individual development}
are the heritage of an lmprosslblo peo- I
pie swayed by the beauty of hollneaat
wedded unto tho recognition of a]
Source, Immutable and just, and conse. I
crated unto duty. The moral force that!
slowly works for righteousness was,
cradled on the slopes of Judalo thought.
Tho foundation of governments, law
and order, the hopo of man for a "Justu
weight and a Just measure,” an equal]
law for the stranger and the native]
born,” applied ethics found expression!
in the decalogue. But crowning theses
Is the Injunction to remember that “yeI
wore formerly slaves In Egypt,” "Thoul
shalt not oppress the Egyptian for yoj
were slaves In his land." No freedonJ
without forbearance, no liberty wttM
prejudlco. Onward pushes humonltyJ
Weighed In the scales of almighty Jus-7
tics are nations. Hand In hand go]
feeling and reason, each rounding the]
other's rough edgea while guiding]
progress with Invisible reins Is the]
Master whose work Is seen after He
has passed.
Grateful are we on the day of Re
demption for tho morales shown in the
past. Hopeful aro we and ever active:
for tho day, when the little spark Of
civil liberty, kindled on tho shores of
tho Red Sea, blown Into a flamo of re
ligious liberty by the breath of Israel’s
groat prophets will beoomo an all con
suming fire In the breasts of nations
and In tho heart of humanity. Then
will this day bavo lost Its meaning, for
tho earth filled with tho knowledge of
God os the waters cover tho sea will!
live throughout all years, tho spirit of;
tho Passover In "righteousness and la
justloe, In loving kindness and In mor.!
cy.” Amen.
Alexander Hamilton Stephens in the Management of Some of His Law Cases I
=BY DR. R. J. MASSEY=
When In his 22d year of age. Mr.
Stephens on May 17, 1834, made the
following note of himself:
My weight Is ninety-four pounds.
My height Is sixty-seven Inches,
(Five feet seven Inches).
My waist Is twenty-one Inches.
My whole appearance Is that of a
boy of seventeen.
Two years ago, when I left college,
I weighed seventy pounds.
If I continue In a proportionate In
crease, I shall reach one hundred
pounds In about ten years.
Tho records failed to show whether
Mr. Stephens kept his proportionate In-
The foil ' ‘
wciac. i m: .allowing note, however.
Is related of him as an Illustration of
the deceptiveness of appearances:
There was at that time a shoe fac
tory In Crawfordvllle, and as Mr.
Stephens passed there one morning
early, walking fast os his habit was,
one of the three negroes suspended his
cup In the act of dipping up water, and
asked:
“Who Is that little fellow that walks
by here so fast of mornings?"
The second replied:
“Why man, that’s a lawyerl"
The third negro exclaimed:
“A lawyer! A lawyer, you say! Ha!
ha! ha! that's too good!”
That conversation, thus overheard,
caused the young attorney much se
rious thought. He was not angry, but
took It as an occidental revelation of
Popular opinion of him. The prospect
«t the time and place was anyth! ng
but promising. There were less than
half a dozen cases returned to that
term of the court.
The amused negroes did not know
that the "lawyer" would be eo proml-
uent a defender of the wronged of
their race. Mr. Stephens- has defended
and saved the lives and persons of
more negroes, perhaps, than any man
In Georgia, The negro who made the
remark was free, but In less than six
months, that "little fellow" had saved
him from punishment under a serious
charge, by exposing a defect In the
"arrant.
Mr. Stephens' "shingle,” as the say
ing is, was put out. and the next week
be started on the circuit.
Aleck Stephens, as everybody called
mm, gained some brilliant success In
•he old Inferior court very early In his
career. I have heard old Jimmy Hig
gins often tell of one of them, not men
tioned by the biographers. Higgins
would always recite tho conclusion of
the speech, which It was his good for-
tune to hear. Stephens' client was a
Pale, wasted, stupid-looking follow,
"ho had been arrested for debt and
K 'Pt In Jail for several months. He
"us upplytng to be discharged from
imprisonment, under the honest
debtor's net. One Bradley Thompson.
11 1 remember the name right—a
creditor, opposed the plrsoner’s motion,
contending that there had not been a
tun surrender by the debtor. The sub
stance of the peroration, as I used to
near it repeated, was: "Gentlemen of
Jury, you all know Bradley Thomp-
mire He 'i’ 0 ’ 58 after his own Interest
county
'un cheat him out of a cent If this
poor fellow has Indeed got any unfair
advantage of him—which I utterly
, ny—I think you should be In haste
•o compliment him for such a hard and
rare exploit." The Jury turned the
debtor loose.
Now as to the first case of Stephens
m the superior court. As I have often
board Stephens tell It himself at Llb-
Hall. It was a suit by Stephens,
Kraonally. against a Worrenton tav-
rn-keeper, to recover the value of
Stephens' trunk and contents which
bad been rtolen while the owner was
, Kdcst. -On the trial the plaintiff ha/1
o prove that the tavern was what Is
“ostgnated In law os "a common Inn."
*° Prove this point, Stephens had sum
moned as witnesses certain lawyers m.,.
»bo for years had lodged at the tavern once took the place at
during court week. Judge Cone was
the first one of these that testified.
He showed long familiarity with the
tavern. When asked whether It was
common Inn” or not, he answered, "It
Is a common one." Stephens gained
his case, after making a taking little
speech; and he collected his Judgment.
When the tale was told In my bearing,
as It often was, two things would never
be left out. One was that at that time
Aleck Stephens was too poor to lose
the clothes he had In the trunk. The
other was that tho tavern-keeper was
so enraged against Cone that he tried
to cudgel him when court adjourned,
and that Cone leaped Into tho stage
and had the driver to turn his horses
loose.
Rather an Interesting anecdote Is told
of his first adventure in beginning the
profession.
Tho next court was at Washing
ton, Georgia, the placo of hts school
boy days. There were no railroads
ro public conveyances between the
places. Ho had no horse and was too
proud to ask the loan of one from
any of his acquaintances In the town.
The whole distance was a little too
far for his strength, should he un
dertake it on foot. Ho walked to his
uncle's, which was about ten miles, or
half the distance and little out of the
way—carrying hts saddlebags, contain
ing a change of clothes, upon hts
shoulders. He chose the cool of night
Instead of the heat of a July day for
this undertaking, nnd resting frequent
ly on the stones of the roadside, sadly
meditated tn his darkened loneliness
upon the deeper darkness that envel
oped his future fate. A horse was bor
rowed from his uncle without scruple,
and the next day he proceeded on hts
way. The change of clothes, above
mentioned, consisted In part of a pair
of thin, whlto cotton pants of cheap
material, very suitable for the season,
and somewhat of the appearance of
linen. That he might enter the town
and the court room as d ® c ®" t ‘J 8 ,*" 8 "
Bible, he dismounted a short distance
from the suburbs and doffed the some-
what worn unmentionables \*ith which
he set out and donned the aforesaid
white ones In their stead. Also other-
wlse arranged his toilet “ *£; 8 * h b !
could for hts appearance as a member
of tho bar on tho circuit. T b« re
verse operation was gone through with
on his return. . , . _
Within ten days after his admission
to practice he was employed In
very Important case. A wealthy gen
tleman of high position ami p-eat In
fluence upon the death of his son, had
been appointed guardian of the person
and property of his granddaughter,
anu m „, hpr being mar-
In the
then an Infant, Its mother being mar-
rled to a second husband. In th«
course of time the mother palmed pos
session of the child, which claim was
resisted by the grandfather, whoclalm-
ed It aa legal guardian. The step
father wishing to please the mother,
Ms wife cam! to the young lawyer
and engaged him as counsel to set
aside e the guardianship, other lawyers
having failed, and Mr. Stephens hav
ing, upon being consulted given his
opinion that the letters of Kuardlnn-
elosely than any man In the ,1° revoked^and °the mother
y- There's not one of you who should^be_^ J care and educa-
U< The° f tr h iali w^bclore the five Judge,
of the inferior court, with no Jury, slt-
tini as a court of ordinary, upon mo-
# Jm fo set aside the letters of guard-
hmsMp So far as related to the person
if thechlld. Great Interest was man-
ma?e ‘and'vvhof 1 'notwithstanding hi.
iiftrement from the bar. had been pre-
TOe^resu’rwas^hat^VuardlanThip
?JSSW£ rthe^rmTfS
STS? *>
talned on ono side or other of every
Important case tried In his county.
In all probability ono of the most
noted and remarkable cases on the
criminal. side of the court, In which
Mr. Stephens was ever engaged, wac
that of the state vs. Benjamin Willett,
charged with murder, tried at the Sep
tember term of Green county court,
1853.
Benjamin Willett and Felix Janes,
both of middle Georgia prominent fam
ilies, at the tender age of sixteen were
students of Mercer university, Penfletd,
Georgia, during the year 1853. They
lived within one block of each other
and were bosom friends. They could
be eeen together dally going to and
from their collego duties, frequently
arm In arm. At a certain corner In
the town there was a vicious dog. This
dog worried the boys very much, at
tempting each dsy to bite them. He
had become so annoying to them that
they procured from a fellow student
an old pistol, single barrel and smooth
boro, for the purpose of protecting
themselves. One day Willett would
carry the pistol, probably the next day
James would have It.
Young Wlllet was the brother of
Professor Joseph E. Wlllet, who had
been recently elected to the chair of
natural science In Mercer, which he
subsequently held for nearly fifty
years, making for himself and family
a distinguished name. These brothers
were tho sons of Joseph Wlllet, of Bibb
county, who had come from Norwich,
Conn., to Georgia when Bibb was a new
county—was one of Its original settlers.
He prospered, grew up with the country
and soon, on account of his many
sterling qualities, became very much
beloved and highly respected, be
queathing to his family not only a com
petency. but a good name, a legacy far
more valuable than gold or silver.
Felix Janes was the youngest son of
the late Hon. Absolom Janes, who had
removed to Penfletd for the purposo of
educating his children. Before moving
to this point he had been. It Is said, at
Crawfordvllle, Go., tho best merchant
outside of Augusta or Bavannah, an
extensive planter and prominent politi
cian. He was candidate for congress,
opposed by Mr. Stephens, In 1843. Ste
phens was elected and Janes retired
to private life, devoting the balance of
hts days to his extensive planting In-
ALEXANDER HAMILTON STEPH
ENS.
tcrests and educating his children at
Penfield. •
One afternoon soon after college I
o'clock prayer services had ended, sev
oral sets of students began playing
marbles on the edge of Ihe collego
campus. Janes and Wlllet, arm In
arm, as usual, came up. Wlllet took
part with ono set, Janes with another,
contiguous to each other. Occasionally
the marbles of one set would be shot
over Into tho grounds of the other. It
happened that Wlllet’s marble had
twice gone over onto Janes' ground.
Janes picked up the marble and jok
ingly said to Wlllet, that If he did so
again he would whip him. After a
while tho marble went over onto
Janes’ ground agnln, Janes picking up
the marble, said jokingly again: "1 have
a great mind to whip you." Wlllet re
plied In same good humor, "If you do
I will shoot you,” at tho same tlmo
pulling out the old pistol. Here the
boys began a playful struggle, Janes
catching hold of the pistol, which was
soon discharged, the ball passing
through Janes' abdomen. From the
effects of this wound Jones died on the
third day. No on* ever believed that
young Wlllet ever Intended to shoot
young Janes. In fact, Janes himself
made a statement bofore hts death that
he had no Idea Wlllet meant to shoot
him; that the old pistol would not
stand cocked anyhow; that It went off
without Wlllet's Intention to shoot, and
that he wanted It distinctly understood
that ho and Ben Wlllet were friends till
death.
On the second day after the shoot
ing. when the physicians In charge de
cided that Janes would soon die, young
Wlllet, with his brother, Professor Wll
let, repaired to Greensboro and volun
tarily surrendered himself to the sher
iff of tho county. Professor Wlllet at
once consulted Captain Dickson H.
i Saunders, his brother-in-law, then Just
' commencing the practice of lavV at
Greensboro, who Is still living at that
place, and from whom I gather much
vuluablo Information In a recent con
versation. Captain Saunders went to
Madison on the very next train nnd
retained the services, as consulting
counsel, of Hon. Augustus Reese, a
prominent attorney, statesman and
learned Jurist. Fully realizing the
gravity of the situation, Captain Saun
ders, by the consent of Reese, went at
once to Crawfordvllle, where the su
perior court was In session, and em
ployed both Hons. William C. Dawsoi
and Mr. Stephens In the caso.
At the trial excitement ran high, not
only Greene county, but the surround
ing counties taking great Interest In the
case. None, however, showed more In
terest than did the entire student body
of Mercer University. Of relatives,
particular friends of each family wit
nesses, at least two-thirds of the col
lege students attended It, After all
evidence was In, Judge Reose made
one of his able, close, logical, argu
mentative speeches, showing plainly
that the defendant could not have been
guilty of murder. But when Cone and
Tootnbs followed for the state, they
seemed to have torn Into shreds all of
Reese's able speech. In this connection,
however, Cone seemed 111 at east, as
he always had done, since the unfor
tunate difficulty between himself and
Mr. Stephens, tn which he maimed the
latter for life. Toombs was partlcu-
THE
ENGLISH NO VEL
AND THE DECALOGUE
By REV. THOMA8 B. GREGORY
According to a recent charge of the bishop
of Norwich, the English hovel of todsy has
declared wnr on the Ten Commandments
snd the Sermon on tho Mount, and Is dolug
Its utmost to Introduce Into English homes
tho morality of tho slums snd tho Jungle.
Ills lordship. It appears, baa carefully ex
nmlned some eighty London stories, snd out
of this number "seventeen strive to show
that marrlago la an antiquated Institution
that Is no longer worth our serious etten-
tlon. eleven make Infidelity the Ideal end
most deal ruble thing, twenty-two bold that
married men onght to live a double life In
order to be happy, eaten scoff at wifely
faithfulness In the married etato, nnd
twenty-three ere to vulgar as to cause sur
prise that they should be placed on sale at
Kebtabopof Norwich telle the truth-
end certainly hie lordehlp would scorn to
tell anything elee-then tb«o Is no escaping
the conclusion thst preeent-dny English lit
erature ts tn n had way.
Not only eo. If the bishop sites tip tht sit
uation correctly, the English people sre In a
l ’ i N.i''p«>ple that mocks nml ridicules the
moral law run endure much beyond the
point where the mockery end ridicule fairly
begin.
they have been put to many severe tests,
oil of which they have etoo/1 bravely uud
well; but tt Is ns sure os anything rau bo
tn this world thut the day on which the
English people forget to venerate marriage
and home and tho sanctities that go idol
with them will be the day on which wl
set In their national decline.
To sav nothing of the Bible, the English
people have tint to turn to their great
Bhakespeiire to learn how absolute the
moral law Is, how independent of all hu-
mail convention anil ruling, snd how It
keeps right on about Ita business utterly
regardless of man’s folly or contempt.
Tho good bishop deplores, among other
things, tho "Infidelity ' of the novels tn
question, and as n churchman the bishop
could not very welt do anything else than
to lament the aforesaid lack of faith; hut
It were well to hear In mind the fact that
far worse than any Infidelity of the letter of
the Bible Is the Infidelity which makes
one scoff at the highest and holiest senti
ments of the soul Itself—the decencies nnd
purities by tho strength of which society
It may Im an unfortunate thing to be
skeptical al/ont Jonah, nml Moses, nml Paul
ami the events that are In sacred writ an-
sis'Iated with their names; hot It Is still , .
more unfortunate not to In-lteve la the sane- Taxes are lowest In China and high-
tity of marrlago snd the home, snd In the cat In l ranee.
pnrtty of the tics thst bind together father,
mother and child. Away go nil things so
soon as this latter sort of Infidelity once
geta u grim on human thonght.
The most deplorable feature of the bish
op's find Is the fact that most of the dis
reputable novels In question are written by
women.
ho long an n nntlon’e womanhood la
strong In the good nnd homely virtues nil to
well, hut when woman becomes corrupt,
when woman gets to the point where she
ran see nothing holy In the world, then the
very foundation snakes and the end Is not
far off.
Let ns hope that, despite tho wsll from
the bishop of Norwich, the rank snd file
of the British people aro still heart of oak,
nml that tho filthy stuff of which be com
plains Is rend montly by tho degenernten of
London town.
In cayenne pepper we have a pure,
energetic, permanent ntlmulant. Why
not use It Instead of whisky and bran
dy, which are not more energetic and
are not permanent In Ihelr action?—
Therapeutics and Dietetics.
larly forceful In portraying the chivalry
of tho Southern gentleman, tn which
he mads Janes the hero and martyr,
urging the Jury to visit vengeance upon
young Wlllet.
Judgo Dawson, In his usual happy
and graceful manner, made a most fa
vorable Impression In his efforts to
show the whole affair was but the un
fortunate result of a boyish wrangle,
that might happen any day among a
set of boys.
Stephens hod the conclusion. His
speech was made at night after sup-
per. Hundreds were present (Among
them almost every student of Mercer
hod come over,) Notwithstanding the
grand efforts of both Cone and Toombs,
It was seen that Mr, Stephens had
everybody with him. Many people who
had never heard Mr. Stephens before
said It was the grandest effort they
ever witnessed. He made a practical
demonstration by displaying the pis
tol, showing to the jury that the old
pistol could not be dopended upon,
that the old thing would go off half
cocked and that tt went off In Ben
Wlllet's hands when he did not In
tend It, also dwelling with great force
on Jones' last statement. The night
wns cloudy and very dark. In the
height of one of his grandest efforts
there came a rift In the clouds and
the moon shown forth. Mr. Stephens,
taking advantage of the occasion,
walked to the window, called atten
tion of the Jurymen, that even heaven
itself was smiling upon their efforts
in nobly protecting young Wlllet from
the vengeance of tho prosecution. Ho
closed his speech by appealing to the
twelove Jurors as “the twelve cities of
refuge,’’ to whom young Wlllet hod
flown for protection, most fitly, com
paring them to the twelve cities of
refuge In which the Jews found pro
tection If so fortunate as to reach one
of them before overtaken by the pur
suer. During his speech at least one-
half of the audience was filled with
tears, and It Is but Just to say that
almost every lady was weeping.
In a few mlnutee the Jury returned
with tho verdict, "We, the Jury, find
the defendant, Benjamin Wlllet, not
guilty."
In a long-checkered life, I must say
that I never witnessed such a scene
as I witnessed that night, when Wlllet
was found "not guilty,” Men, women
nil hastened to congratulate young
Wlllet upon his happy deliverance.
This tragedy occurred just across the
street from the ofllce of Drs. Melere
and Massey, of which firm I was junior
member and within two hundred feeL
Janes was brought Into our office from
which he was carried to his home,
and either Dr. Melere or myself was
at hlB bedside till death. Janes made
a dying statement In which he posl-
,'oly disclaimed any belief that Ben
'Met Intended to shoot him; that he
wanted It distinctly understood that
they were friends till death. This evi
dence was produced tn court, Mr. Ste
phens using It In such way as to satisfy
the jurors that the explosion of the
pistol was accidental.
There are living today, who were
students at Mercer at that time, Ex-
Governor Northun, A. T. Spalding, D.
D„ Colonel John H. Seals, founder and
for thirty years proprietor of The
Sunny South; Judgo George Hlllyer, of
Atlanta: Dr. I. D. Moore, Rev. J. H.
Kilpatrick. D. D.. of White Plains; Rev.
Edgar -Jewell, of Austell, and several
others, most of whom remember the
circumstances as above related—each
one asserting that Aleck Stephens, at
that time, mode the best speech they
ever heard.
There Is still living a well-preserved
matron of about seventy years, who, as
a girl, was present at tho trlaL For
many years she could repeat almost
verbatim Mr. Stephens' speech. She
remembers very distinctly that Mr.
Stephens called upon the twelve jurors
as twelve cities of refuge Into which
his client was fleeing for protection.
Among Wlllet's friends and acquaint
ances there hod never been such a
doubt but that ho would ultimately,
acquitted. Ho had always boon a mod
est, retiring, moral boy—more like a
girl than a boy In manner nnd dispo
sition, and had tho almost entire un
divided sympathy of tho pooplo. espe
cially tho studeht body whoro ho had
always been a favorlto.
Although young Sanders did not
appear In tho caso before tho Jury, his
efforts wore certainly appreciated by
the counsol for the defonso. When
they met to dlvldo tho liberal fees
which had boon paid by the MMM
they admitted that Young Wlllet's ac
quittal wns duo os fully to tho efforts
of young Sanders ns any other mem
ber of ths bar, and acknowledged tho
same by giving him a liberal portion
of the samo.
As soon as young Willot wont to
jail, Sanders at onoo sent his own fur
niture to the room to mako him com
fortable. Being of high social position*
hs enlisted tho sympathies of nl-,
most every lady in Greensboro nnd
Greene county. This was done with
a view to reach tho men, which proved
to be a decided success, for almost ev-‘
cry man In tho county felt assured that
Wlllet was not at heart guilty of mur-.
der, and tho vordtet of the Jury met
an entire response of approval from
tho whole country. After his acquittal!
Wlllet went West nnd became highly!
respected. At the beginning of tho'
war ho promptly enllstod In behalf
of his beloved South, and fighting for
his principles, fell at the memorable
siege of Vicksburg.
To tho Hon. John C. Held, of Atlanta,
the leading counsel la what has been
handed down as tho celebrated "Du
pree will case," Involving an amount
approximating 32,000,000, wo aro In
debted for an account of Mr. Stephens
last appearanco as a lawyer before a
Jury In Lexington, Oglethorpe county.
His brother, Linton, with tho full
consent of People* and Stewart nnd my
self associate counsel, had led tn the
conduct of the case. Linton died after
we got the new trial. A. H. Stephens
conferred with mo, showing great con
cern for Linton's 35,000 fee, which
might bo lost It the caso was lost. I
advised him to take hts brother's place,
promising to give him all necessary In
formation. On this condition ho con
sented. He came to Lexington, at the
April term, 1878, when the cose was
tried the second time. I went over tho
facts and points carefully with him, as
I had promised. I was struck with Ids
diligent attention and quick and accur
ate apprehension. Standing on his
crutches, he made the concluding argu
ment to the Jury. I con never forget
the admiring audience that he had both
from spectators and the Jury. His
speech was throughout a verdict-win
ner. While he was pressing a conflict
In the testimony of the other side, on
a most material point, Toombs Inter
rupted with an attempted corrrectlon.
Stephens vindicated his challenged
statement by reading pertinent parts
of answers to.
When he had done this thoroughly,
glancing at Toombs, ho quoted;
"The flesh will quiver where the pinchers
tesr;
Ths blood will follow where the knife Is
driven.”
I never saw Toombs’ grand face ex
hibit more vexation, and It was a face
that often showed a thunderstorm near.
The most effective part of Stephens'
speech was what he said of the testa
tor's wisdom in fencing about the prop
erty he gave his only children, all
' era, with trust provisions that
prelect them against the for
tune-hunter, coupled with what he also
said of tho stepmother, now allying
herself with sons-ln-Iaw In effort to
overturn the beneficent trust provision.
He got the verdict. It wus the great
er gratification to him, because Hen
Hill had made a powerful speech on
tho other side. Stephens seemed to feel
that he hod at last got satisfaction for
the terrible discomfiture received In
stump debate with Hill, In this very
Lexington, nearly seventeen years bo
fore.