Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Pacts and Fancies for the Fireside AN ANTE-BELLUM PICTURE OF THE SOUTH—WITH REFLEC TIONS. “Bethany, A Story of the Old South.” By Thomas E. Watson. Cloth, 383 pp. Price, $1.50. D. Appleton & Co. • This is a historical novel possess ing the unique characteristic of hav ing all the history in one part and all the novel in another —an arrangement that will be much appreciated by those readers of the book who prefer to take these two brands of literature “straight.” The author’s aims seems to have been to present a picture of the South before the war, together with some discussion of the causes and conse quences of the great struggle; and by the use of very simple literary meth ods —there is scarcely a trace of a plot in the book —he has been remarkably successful in accomplishing his pur pose. The indictment he draws against the fire-eating, blood-drinking secessionists and abolitionists of the South and North, and the politicians of the two sections, who so eagerly touched off a national conflagration that consumed a million lives, should do much to place the blame for that great holocaust where it belongs. In deed, it is not too much to say that our historical literature has been per manently enriched by his lucid ac count of the real attitudes and activi ties of that famous Georgia group of Southern leaders in those crucial se cession days. It was the fiery, half mad “Bob” Toombs, going about the South emitting lurid oratory and de claring that he would drink all the blood that should be spilled, who prob ably did more than any other man to spread the gospel of secession; and it was the wise and brave “Alec” Stephens who sought to counteract the evil influence of Toombs by coun seling moderation and delay. Then there was the magnetic William L. Yancey, adroit apologist for slavery and impassioned champion of South ern rights; and on the other side were Ben Hill and Herschel V. John son, who fought so heroically to hold Georgia in the Union when the action of “The Empire State of the South” might turn the tide of secession and avert the war. The book is frankly Southern, how ever, and strongly Democratic. New England’s various threats to leave the JOHN A. STEWART COKE S. DAVIS STEWART & DAVIS Life, Accident, Casualty and Surety Insurance 504 5 6 PRUDENTIAL BUILDING, .... ATLANTA, GEORGIA MANAGERS: THE MARYLAND LIFE INSURANCE CO., of Baltimore; THE GENERAL ACCIDENT, of Perth. Scotland; THE METROPOLITAN SURETY CO., of New York. Live Agents in Georgia cities and townscan increase their writing capacity and earnings by communicating with us. Special Inducements Offered First-Class Men WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN. Union are recalled to show that se cession was not always regarded by Northerners as synonymous with po litical turpitude; and the gloomy view is taken that the military victory of the Federal government ended forever the reign of Jeffersonian principles in the republic. Despondently, he asks: “Did Yancey see this? Did Lincoln see it? Did the Sewards and the Beechers, the Garrisons and the Ger rit Smiths, the Whittiers and the Sum ners, realize that in their blind meth ods of striking the shackles off the slave they would rivet the chains upon unborn millions of the white race, change the very nature of the repub lic, put the scepter into the hands of the militant, law-defying Hamiltonian ism, and hurl our government by re sistless evolution toward that old, old gulf which has swallowed up every re public known to history—centralism, with its class-law, its despotism of the few, its subordination of the vivil ian to the soldier?” The love story in the book has the merit of simplicity; and it is proper ly conceivable that it is all "just as it happened” in real life, as the au thor affirms in the preface. “Uncle Ralph” leaves the sowing of his wild oats to go to the defense of Southern rights; and Nellie Roberts withholds the confession of her love for him un til he shall prove himself worthy of her. Ruel Wade, a brilliant but indo lent young preacher—a character, by the way, that is remarkably well drawn —comes into the lovely girl’s life; and Misunderstanding, aided and abetted by Gossip and Slander, causes an estrangement between het and her absent lover. Then the youth, sick in body and soul, comes home to die, and to the surprise of the reader he is allowed by the author to do so; the maiden dies also —not of a broken heart, but from typhoid fever; and the romance ends. NOTES ON LIVING. No matter what troubles befall, The luck will improve before long, If you’ll only be ready and hopeful and steady. And go to your work with a song. Some millions are living like you And millions have lived in the past, But the same rule applies and the man who is w’ise Will hold up his head to the last! —Paul Cook. QUALITIES OF THE OYSTER. A San Franciscan has discovered a new method of cutting short recitals that promise to become too long winded, says The New York Times. An acquaintance of his, who has a local reputation as a bore, was one day holding forth at some length when the Californian interrupted him with: “By the way, did 1 ever tell you the story of the oyster?” On receiving a negative reply, he continued: “It seems that when oysters are taken from the sea they often open their shells so that the juice or liquid runs out. As this is undesirable, the experienced oyster gatherer has a tub of water close at hand into which the oyster is plunged a ssoon as it begins to open its shell.” “Well, and what then?” asked the other as the narrator paused. The San Franciscan paused. “Oh, after a while the oyster learns to keep its mouth shut,” he remarked quietly. A DISTINCTION WITHOUT A DIF FERENCE. In Mississippi there was a colored preacher noted in those parts for the extreme frankness and candor of his exhortations to his wicked brethren to reform, says Harper's Weekly. On one occasion, relates Representative John Sharp Williams, the divine "was holding forth on the sin of theft. Among other things, he said: "I see befo’ me ten chicken thieves, includin’ Dan Samson.” This bald statement of fact rather aroused the resentment of the afore said Samson, and he threatened the minister with personal violence. The latter’s friends persuaded the divine to withdraw the accusation if Samson would promise not to offer the minis ter any hurt. The question seemed about to be adjusted, it being settled that the clergyman should, on the fol lowing Sunday, publicly retract his statement as to the honesty of Mr. Samson. Therefore, rising in the pulpit, on the day appointed, the minister said: “It ’pears data remark of mine, in de sermon of last Sunday, has been de cause of offense, an’ I derefore amends it. What I should have said was dis: T see befo’ me ten chicken thieves, not includin’ Dan Samson.’ ” THE EDITOR AND THE ADVER TISER. Once on a time I knew a man Who said it didn’t pay To advertise the goods he had To sell or trade away. To prove that he was off his base And make him clearly see, I gave him half a page of space And let him have it free. It almost scared him into fits To see himself displayed As I displayed him, but he felt Its influence on his trade I kept it up, his business boomed, The customers swooped down Upon his store until he had The biggest rush in town. One day I went around to call And found him on the run. With people waiting for their turn When those ahead were done. "Well, well,” I cried in great delight To see things boom that way, “Don’t advertising pay, old man? What have you got to say?” I thought he’d like my work so much, And think my plan so nice. That he’d not only paise my wares. But pay me double price. And did he do it? Listen, please, I thought that I’d drop dead When angrily he turned on me And vigorously said: “Take out that advertisement, quick: Goldern yer pesky skin! I’ll never git a chance to rest Ez long ez it stays in.” —New York Sun VALUE OF IMMIGRATION LAWS (The Indianapolis News.) The breaking of the immigration record every month nowadays rather makes one -wonder what -would have been doing if congress had passed no restrictive laws. COX REDIVIVUS. (The Columbus Press-Post.) When George B. Cox “perished” in a political contest, the Democrats and other good citizens of Ohio neglected to use embalming fluid on the re mains. PAGE ELEVEN