1 HE
Omah-a
i
iJL-LUSTRATED
Bee
NUMBER 299.
Entered Second Class at Omaha - Postofflce Published WeiUjr by The Kee Publishing Co. Subscription, $2.50 Per Your.
MARCH 5, 1903.
I Father Schell Wins
Fame
As a Fighting Priest
Priest Who is nghtina lor. Indian Rights
5
HI Characteristic Trait.
BBS. ...A t l M
iw Bmf v vo iiiuDi iiiierenuntr nfturrv
Cj I recently projected on the Held of
uvsiv iivulv so s unroll jv lit; 11, IV
young Catholic priest. lie has
me to the front through his
earnest and persistent effort In running
''own and exposing fraud and corruption
In connection with government affairs,
especially those pertaining to the adminis
tration of the public landa and the In
dian. It la Just a little singular that
Father Schell should find his most deter
mined opposition at a point where lie
would have-the right to expect the most
assistance, yet In spite of the most dis
couraging of experiences, he has persisted
nd has won enough of victories to estab
lish hlra as priest of the church mili
tant. It was Father Schell who first brought
the attention of the government to the ex
tensive frauds being carried on In con
nection with the timber lands of Oregon.
As a result of his efforts there a scandal
has been developed that Involves a former
comnUssloner of the general land office,
at least one United States senator, a con
gressman, a Vnlted State district attor
ney, and other officials high in public
service. The charges made by this poor
priest have been crystallized Into a series
of Indictments and the guilty parties are
surely being 'Drought to book. Ills work
in Oregon Is being duplicated in a measure
In Nebraska.
Ills Wrlc-nNebruk.
Sent to develop a parish among the In
dians on the Winnebago reservation, he,
developed the fact that no teaching, re
ligious or otherwise, could prosper among
those degraded red men so long as they
were being supplied with wnlsky. Whisky
can only be secured for cash and the In
dian Is only able to get cash by bartering
away the lands saved for nim and his by
the government. White men In plenty are
found who will ply the Indian with lire
water If there Is any money In It. Father
Schell has set about to remedy this situa
tion. Incidentally he has uncovered a
most unsavory mess. He is not a pioneer;
In this work, but he has taken hold of, it
with a vigor that none of his predecessors '
have shown. To his efforts may be as
cribed the conviction of. two saloonmen
from Homer In the federal court at Omaha
recently, they being charged with consplr-,
acy to sell liquor to Indians. To the men
"higher up" may be ascribed the fact that';
Father Schell has been relieved of his
charge and discredited . aa a, missionary
to the Indiana. But be la aiming high In
hla fight, and those who ar higher up
than the saloonkeepers may well worry
over his .work. For many years the sa
loonmen have found safety behind the
"bootlegger," who transacted the actual
sale of liquor 'to the Indians, but the mv
Is noij "higher up." Father Schell Is de
termined that the Indian shall have a
chance under the law of the white man.
As an ynutanc of his persistent methods
' he has gone to the president of the United
States with his plea for light. Meeting
with rebuffs . from other .officials, ho cour
ageously went to the very head of the
American government- and told -him the
story of the wrongs that are prospering on
the Omaha and Winnebago'; reservation.
President Roosevelt received hlra kindly,
listened with Interest to his tale and prom
ised him support In his) efforts.
Some Orrgoa Experience.
Shortly after Father Schell had been
ordained h. asked for and obtained a
charge In Tillamook county, Oregon a
virgin Held with few families of any kind,
and no Cathollo families within ka bor
ders. It was the Intention of Father Schell
to develop a wilderness and with that
Mfeke Spring Suits Sing
3
kF COURSE w refer to men's
clothes, for everybody under
stands, and has always under
stood, that lovely woman's rai
ment is poetry, with music and
other luxuries included. - - '
That la an eld story one of those
stories which have never been challenged
' since romance first arose to bless the world.
I)ut the Saratorial Art Journal now awakes
to ecstasy Its living lyre and sings to us
in glowing .roundelay that men's clothes
also can be made tho vehicle of poetry.
"The soul of the craftsman can express
Itself more fully And clearly in tailoring
than In any other trade. If the tailor's
thoughts aro poetlo he can Issue pastorals
in colors that are. charmingly suggestive
of hillside or raadow.' foliage or waving
grain; he can make his overcoats speak of
bleak December, his dress suits of frollo
and festivities, his frock ooata of dignity
and wealth, his cutaways of self-content
and his sacks of strenuousness, and he
can make his waist "coat jingle like llm
erlcka, his trousers sing of sunshine or
of rain and mud. bis spring suits chortle
of hope and Joy and his summer suits
prattle of flowers. If he Is an artist he can
make overcoat, undercoat, waistcoat or
troupers seem a sensuous hase, a reverie
tu color, a riot of action or a vigorous
portrayal of conflicting emotions In a deci
mated field of question, and if 'he Is a
musician he can' Impart to. his sartorial
creations an expression that suggests thu
bleating of a lamb, the clashing of cym
bals, tho rat-tat of a drum, the ragtlm
movement of a Cakewalk, the wall of de
spair, the shout of triumph, the roar of
a lion or the bray of an an."
We hadn't thought of It before, and yet
how true,, Now that the Sartorial ' Art
Journal reminds us wo have Indeed seen
coats that made us think of wealth and
luxury; vests that spoke of sunsets, con
strllatlons, orgies, riots, massacres; pants
that ranged. In suggestion, 'from the Im
perial splendor of Augustus to the dark
and desperate conspiracies of Titus Gates.
Wha( eloquence, for example. In the Prince
Albert, with only the bottom button used
and the flaps yawning to expose a protu
berant and lordiy midriff. Arrayed in such
a coat the talis parted behind, and collar
and elbow shining like the morn against
a mountain peak, the statesman folds his
arms, pulls down his shaggy brows, and
bids us gsse on majesty Itself. Do trousers
slugT Ourselves have heard them not only
sing, but groan and weep. They speak
to us of moonlit swords and dryads dancing
In the checkered shade, of flapping sails s
e.'V, of hope, remorse and biting poverty
We have known them to distill the nielo,
dies of Oounod and Rossini, and with
equal fore portray the storms and shrieks
of Wagner. .
It's all true, every word of Itand more,
Washington Star. ,
object In view he corresponded with peo
ple In various parts of the country, sea
ting forth tho advantages of a home in
Oregon and the opportunity to secure land
free under the United States land law
The result was that within a few years
he had a parish which' was as promising
ns any in tho west; many families, prin
cipally . of the Catholic faith, , had ac
cepted the promises of the priest and were
entering upon the ' virgin . land, clearing
timber and building homes. Later he
found that schools of the church were
needed and after some negotiations a num
ber .of sisters of cne of the. teaching or
ders came to' his parish' and schools were
opened.
It was while eng-.iged In 'this work that
Father Schell first attracted attention of
the public and Incurred the Ill-will of
powerful enemies, both in business and In
public life which later caused him to take
up the cause of the actual homeseekcr
against alleged land thieves, who have
since made politicians of the state ot Qro.
gon notorious.
HI First Trouble.
It was In 190ft that Father Schell dis
covered that his ' efforts to place settlers
upon some ot the most desirable land of
tho county was handicapped by the action
of people living In Tillamook county, and
he began an Investigation to ascertain how
It was that so many fair acres were being
entered at the land office without evi
dence of settlement upon them, and how
a few men were securing deeds to land
upon which there had been no settlement
whatever.
The resXilt of his Investigation led to a
communication to the general land office.
In which he stated that 100 valuable tim
ber claims had been fraudulently obtained
in ' Tillamook county. The reply of Sec
retary Hitchcock Was the. appointment of
a special Inspector to investigate, but tho
Investigation failed to reach the root of
the evil and the priest was driven to make
a deeper study of the conditions under
which Oregon land was finding Its way
from the general government Into private)
hands in largo tracts. This Investigation
was not made with the hearty co-operation
of the local federal officers, and charges
made by' Father Schell were passed back:
and forth between them until a number
of the perpetrators of the frauds were
permitted to escape punishment through,
' the statute of limitations, but this did .not
deter the priest and -he continued his In
vestigations. stopping; not because clews'
led In -the direction of men high in- politi
cal or even ecclesiastical circles, but carry
ing bis work step by stop until, outside of
tho special attorney how In charge of the
cases on the coast, probably no man knows
the ramifications of the Oregon land scan
Uul cottar than Father Schell. .
" ' - ' 1 - ''
f Comes-1 Nebraska..
. Zn 1903 Father Schell came to Nebraska,
and his. coming was probably caused In
directly by the scandal he had uncovered
In Oregon, although In the letters which
passed between him and the bishop of the
diocese of Omaha nothing is said on tho
subject and no reference Is made to It In
' th Warm letter of commendation which he
received from - Bishop O'Reilly of Baker
' City to Bishop Scannell.
" Arriving in the diocese ot Omaha he was
placed in charge of the parish at Con-(
stance, and while . there showed that, in
addition to the ability to create a parish,
which ho had shown In Oregon, he pos
sessed the ability to conserve one, s the
request of two members of the board of
trustees of the church at that placo shows.
This appeal to the bishop was made when
it was announced that Father Schell was to
leave, and In It they speak of his work as
pastor In the highest terms, especially the
Introduction of classes in Latin and the
revolution in the financial affairs 'of the
parish. i 1
Even hers Father Schell found that he
had to fight for the rights of his -people, as
reference to the appeal of the trustees
hows, that he sued and secured from the
priest of another pariih $300 which was due
the church and people under his care.
But the transfer was made and Father
Schell soon found himself appointed mis
sionary - to the Winnebago Indians, with
headquarters wherever he might chose on
the reservation.
Work on the Reservation.
The appointment to this work was made
,by the bishop under an understanding with
Mother Katharine Droxel, who had agreed
to pay a missionary a salary of $t00 per
year, and In making the appointment the
bishop wrote: "I have no priest who. In
my Judgment, is so well fitted for the work
as yourself."
In March, 1901. Father Schell. went to the
reservation and a few days thereafter wrote
to .the bishop telling him something of the
- state of affairs, saying In- the letter that
; - -r i-.r;, ".
" " W-v
' I ' '
V
Gossip and Stories
About
Prominent People
An International t hararter.
HE Iouisvllle Courier-Journal re
counts, the story of the remark
able career of Anthony Kelley.
who was accidentally killed In
Turin a few weeks uko. Mr.
there are about 1,500 Wnnebagoes; that ths .
young generation follows no. rcllglQJvat all;
that they refuse to give -up their dissolute
mode of living; that as long as they can"
sell heixahj-landa and, recelvo the cash
from rthe government they will refuse to (.
work. Iti the letter there la nothing, te In-
dlcate that the missionary, had to fight Tor
his existence on the' reservation, but that
he hadbegiln' to" discover somo of .the real
.condition, is shown by the paragraph in
which he says:-
Homer, a town of 300 people, sells mora
whisky than any town In the United States
with-a population of S.0OO inhabitants.
Missionary work on tho. primitive scale.
In a civilized country among corrupt In
dians Is an extremely difficult ' problem.
Father Schell soon ncgan to realize the
real conditions under which he labored
and In May of that year he wrote a letter
to the bishop setting forth the facts and
'telling him that he would be compelled to
take steps to Improve the temporal "condi
tion of the Indians before they ' would
trust him Bufficterftly to enable him to do
effective work as a missionary. In this
effort he would be ,opposed and horrassed
by a powerful combination of local bankers
and politicians, who ' had for years ex
ploited the Indians of ' both the Omaha
and Winnebago reservations. In this and
subsequent letters specific charges were
made against certain parties and the
priest told the bishop that an effort would
be made by these men and their friends
to have him removed, and he asked his su
perior to uphold his hands In the matter.
The charges were filed or complaint
made; an Investigation was held, it ts suld.
At any rate. Father Schell was removed
as missionary to the Winnebago Indians
and at , the present time has no official '
connection with the diocese of Omaha. In
this Father Schell Is not satisfied and is
making an effort to have the bishop re
consider tho case In the light of later de
velopments, alleging that Justice has not
been 'done him In the matter and that
he is entitled .to an. opportunity to make
a showing of his position before being sum
marily removed from his charge.
Some Effort ot Grafters.
In the work in Oregon and Nebraska It
must not be supposed that the men who
FATHER JOSEPH SCHELIj.
were the object if the'priest's attacks did
not fight back. .Twice during his career'
he has been accused of illegal practices
and once arrested, although in neither case
did the men who "mad the charges permit
the case to come to trial. His first ex
perience in this connection was with John ''
1L Hall, once United States district at-'
torncy for Oregon, now under. arrest for"
conspiracy to defraud the government. "
Father Schell ' had brought the attention
of the department to the Tillamook county
land cases and Mr. ' Hall was forced to.
take some action. He called certain men
before the federal grand Jury with the
result that no .indictments were found.
Father Schell then wrote asking why he
had not been called. The answer of Mr.
Hall was an Intimation that the priest
was accused of an offense against the gov
ernment. Mr. Hall saying In his letter:
"You, In the town of Tillamook. Ore.,
knowingly passed a 100 counterfort bill (
on Miss Lulu Hunt,, the postmistress." And
that because of this offense he could not
conscientiously call Father Schell before
the grand Jury, as that action would be.
admitting that he (Hall) placed full con
fidence In the priest.
The more recent accusation was made In
Nebraska where a warrant was issued
charging tho pries? with forging the name
of an Indian woman to a draft. The com-?
plaint was filed In the county where It I
claimed the men opposd to Father Schell
have great political Influence. As soon as
he heard of the charge he offered himself
for arrest, gave bond and then made a
strenuous effort to have a preliminary hear
ing. 1 The county attorney promised him
that this would be done and then, on the
date of the hearing, over tho protest of
Father Schell, dismissed the proceedings,
although the complaining witness and the
men responsible for the arrest were in the
town where the case was pending but re
fused to go into court.
Joseph schell the Man.
It is a question which predominates in
Joseph Schell. the priest or the' man. He
certainly does not allow his sacerdotal
functions to obliterate his Interest In hu
manity's physical welfare; nor does he ap
parently ever lose sight of the greater end
of tho priesthood, that. of oarlnsx tor the
spiritual nature of man. He .has proved
himself an uncompromising fighter : ot
wrong1. Threots "of temporal and eccles
iastical authorities have not been potent to
swerve "him from his ' Seir-appoltited task.
The powerful politicians of ' Oregon .' suc
ceeded in securing his removal from .that
state, but' they are nbw facing prosecution
from which there-, is apparently no escape.
Powerful Influences in Nebraska and Iowa
have been turned against Mm, but he' has
stuck to bis task, until it has now all but
reached the stage when other and more
Influential hands than his will take up the
work . He has not been content under the
charges brought against him, but is now
appealing for a rehearing, in order that his
priestly record may bo clear of even an
Imputation ot guilt. He is tall, spare, and
slightly stooped, with a mild face and an
eye that rather .twinkles than flashes nf
fable, even attractive In his manner, yet
showing in his walk and bearing that par
ticular determination that hns made , him
the zealous warrior for right he has proved.
Ho talks of his work modestly, even at
times guardedly, and never In a boastful or
vindictive spirit. It Is for the right he is,
working, not for any personal advantage
Joseph Schell was born In France May 1,
1S6S. He studied ut Luhevllle,' Paris and
Nlmes; began the study of philosophy at
Chalons sur Marne and before completing
that course came to the United Btates, con
cluding hla studies at .Cincinnati. O.. after
study at Cleveland. He was ordained
priest by Archbishop W. Gross at Mount
Angel, Ore., May 6, 1M4, and about ten
ears later left the archdloceso of Portland
for the diocese of Omaha where ho has
since remained.
Brief as ts the sketch of his priestly
career, and short as Is the time it covers,
there has probabty been crowded Into It
more experience than usually falls to the
lot of a man of his vocation In a life
time. That much of this experience has
been unpleasant he admits, but that he
would alter any of It by a change of policy
he denies for not at this time does Father
Schell maintain that the priest of the
church can be blind to evil although he
should be patient with evil-doers.
mraa linrn In New Jersey of Irish
parents 72 years ago. but was brought up In
Virginia, educated t Randolph Macon col
Jepe and became a ncwiaper editor and nn
active politician before the war. He was n
!V)Uglas dcmiH-rut and opposed secession,
but went with his adopted state nnd served
In the confederate army. After the war ho
returned to Journnllsm. but held several
offices. Including that of mayor of Rich
mond. Mr. Cleveland In his first term ap
pointed Kelley minister to Italy, but objec
tion wns made to him n account of ex
pressions of his with reference to the tem
poral power of the pope. This wo not con
sidered a good objection In tho United
State!", hut the rlRht of every government
to pronounce a minister persona non pruta
wns recognized, nnd Mr. Ki'lley was nntned
ns minister to Austria. But Mr. Kellcy's
' wife was n Jewess, and this led to objection
snd Ills resignation. There was n good
deal of feeling over tho matter at the time,
but Mr. Kelloy was named as Justice of the
International court of appeals at Cairo,
Egypt.' In this position he served for
fifteen years, acting as chief Justice. After
his retirement he mode his home in Ixmdou.
Kads of Men of Money.
Those strong men of money, says tho
Saturday Evening Pont, have their weak
sides; they have their fads and will spend
money like water on them. Mr. Keene's
weakness is the race horso: Mr.. Morgan's
is pictures; the late Mr. Whitney's was rugs
(ho la said to have paid $33,000 for one. and
tho transaction would have been all right
had he left the lost two ciphers off the
price); Mr. Brady's of the Tobacco truBt Is
black pearls; Mr. Addicks' of .Bay State
gas. Is emoralds, while Mr. Lawson will go
In pawn to buy a ruby.
Mr. Ijiwson traVels beyond -fads and owns
to superstitions. . He pins hJs faith to the
numeral 3 and Its mutrlp'. -s. His tele
phones are 3333 and 3339; his offices u re at
No. 33 State street; one of his' pet copper
mines is the Trinity," anhe begins his
great enterprises on tho 3d of the niontlu
His "big medicine," as the Indians would
call It, is a chain of 833 golden' beads, each
with a gypsy girl's face enameled thereon,
and thts .'fetish he consults and communes
with la ways known only to himself.
A', Great Walker.
Cardinal :,Oltbons of Baltimore Is a fer-'
vent advocate of pcdestrlanlsm as a means
of prolonging life and of adding to health
and vigor. -HI eminence has -passed the
allotted span of lire, yet he does a tenLmIo
tramp almost every day of his. life, only
denying himself when the weather Is most
severe. To Bultlmoreans he is a familiar
sight out for a Jaunt, but strangers gen
erally are astonished when tokl that the
diminutive, somewhat shabby looking man,
without one single exterior sign of his
dignity,' ls the Illustrious churchman and
scholar. He usually walks alone and It Is
a token of marked favor to be invited to
Join In his rambles.
Maryland's New Senator.
Isidor Rayner; who succeeds Senator Mc
Comas of Maryland, , has 'been for thirty
years a leading lawyer and the foremost
democratic orator of. his state; says a writer
in Public Opinion. : He Is perhaps most
widely known as chief counsel for Rear Ad
miral Schley before the court fcf Inquiry a
few years ago; but he has also served us
attorney general of Maryland, and fur six
years beginning with lf7 was a member of
the house at Washington, where from the
first he took rank with Bourke Cockran,
William L. Wilson and other famous ora
tors of the period. Then, as now, he was a
master of Irony and satire, and more than
once gave, telling proof of his powers. One
day ho was on the floor of the house argu
ing an amendment to the McKlnley tariff
bill, and casually made the remark, "Every
thing Is a luxury or a necessity."
"May I interrupt the gentleman from
Maryland?" asked a southern member who
generally kept himself in a notoriously dis
heveled and unkempt condition.
- 'Certainly," said Mr. Rayner.
"Did I understand you to sny that every
thing Is either a luxury or a necessity?"
- "Yes, sir." said Mr. Rayner.
"Well. I have Just taken a bath; what
would you call that?"
"In your case." was the quick retort, "It
is both' a' necessity and a luxury; a neces
sity because you need it so 'badly, nnd a
luxury bees use you take It so rarely."
Kflpling' Estimate of Quay. '
During the memorial exercises In congress
on the life of the late Senator Quay, Con
gressman Sibley told of two days that Rui
yard Kipling rpent with Mr. Quay. Kipling
was commissioned to write Impressions
shout the chief political boss of tho United
States.
According to Mr. Sibley. Kipling went to
Beaver and called on the senator, whom he
found, as was usual, in his library. The
talk wns about books. In a fchort time, so
It seemed to the British writer. Mrs. Quny
enme In, ami. after Mr. Kipling had been
presented, she urged him to stay to tea.
Kipling stayed, nnd after lea ho and the
senator returned to the library, which was
such a one that he did not e.xpect to find In
nny home In America. More talk about
books followed, until, to Kipling's nmsxe
'ment, tho clock struck 11. Then, mindful
of his commission, ho made arrangements
to c;fll again the next day. Oolng to the
telegraph office, Kipling wired his publisher
something like this:
"Unable to find the boss politician. But it
yon want It. will write Impressions about
the best literary critic In America."
An F.xpert Corrected. r
Ernest Thompson Seton was addressing"
the Cosmos club of Washington on the
habits of animals. In tho astllence was a
deUgntlon of Pueblo Indians from New
Mexico. One of them, evidently an edu
cated man, asked permission to Interrupt.
This being granted, he subjected Mr. Se
ton to n cross-examination such as would
have, delighted a lawyer. The lecturer
finally acknowledged that he had no more
Information on the subject, whereupon the
redman took It up and gave the audience an
Intensely Interesting discourse on the habits
of bears, giving details of adventuros with
bruin such as Mr. Seton never conceived.
The latter was inclined to be huffy at
first, but at the conclusion of the Indian's
remarks Joined heartily in the applause.
The Poet Scoot.
Captain John Wallace Crawford, poet,
author, soldier, scout and. withal, oneof
the best known men In the west. Is the
recipient of new honors. A bust of Captain
"Jack" Crawford, cast from a model by
Zella, the well known New York sculp
tor, has been made and will bo placed In
the Smithsonian Institution at Washington.
The bust Is of bronze, mounted on a. ped
estal whoso relief work shows various
scenes from the subject's lit In the west
during the frontier days.
' Captain Crawford is a typical American
product. Ills father was. a coal miner In
' Pennsylvania. Born fifty-eight years ago
tho son worked. In the coal mines until-the
Civil war broke out, and then,
though still under age, ran away to Join
the army. At the third attempt he suc
ceeded In enlisting in the Forty-eighth
Pennsylvania and Served through the war.
At its close he came west and entered the
government's Indian service, first as mule
tracker, then scout and finally chief ot
scouts, serving In several Important Indian
campaigns.
Pnnlhlnar His IsT,
Mr. Campbell, the Irish solicitor general,
speaking the other day upon delusions,
told a-Btory of a north of Ireland Protestant
who was perfectly sane save on one point.
This stanch Protestant harbored the delu
sion that one of his legs belonged to a
Roman Catholic, and therefore when he
went to bed every night he used to leave
the Cathollo leg outside the blanket by
way of . punishment.
Origin of "Ben Hur'
Complete Membership of the Omaha - High School Glee Club
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"First Tenor Otto Nillson. Jo Dorword. Harold Thorn,' James Mrfullocti. Raymond O. Steele, Walfred WyrVmsn,-Arthur TvMs. H. Rurk. P. Anderson, Alfred Clark. Scond TenorHomer Conant, Curtis
IJiirtsay, lvmn Hryson. Herbert I.lndiiuUt. Bret McCullough, Robert Fisher, A. lvidon, Iwi Moll, Earl Bmket Knger MrKmiile, R liaynes. l-'ir-t Has Raymond irayward, filll-rrt Harn, Walter
' Hoffman, iWirg M Wallace. U Borne kcKltrli-k, Fred W. Hofmann. Jo Wolf. Jerom Hayn. Herbert French. 8. Hlaughtcr, Willlmn -Wilbur, BscouU iJttJU-AddlauU Mould,' J'jlm Ulney, Alvwrtitt llo)U,
rauk Laadstrum, Utor, Lung, Ucorg Wsldeafcld, Homer Bearl. U Fowel Charles yras, Uuy Arcs, CUarlM Lang.
I I recalls the circumstances of his
the manuscript of "Bcn-Hur"
under his arm. He was person
ally unknown to the Harpers at that time,
and after introducing himself he explained
to Mr. J. Henry Harper that he had writ
ten a book, which dealt with the life of
Christ. Mr. Harper asked him if Christ
actually appeared In the story, end Gen
eral Wallace replied that He did. Mr.
Harper - then . remarked that his subject
was a delicate one to treat la a novel,
and General Wallace answered that If
there were anything in the story which
could offend a. fellow Christian, he would
rather cut off his right hand than publish
It. Ho then explained to Mr. Harper that
the book had resulted from a spirited con
troversy he' had held with Robort O. In
gersoll on the subject of religion, in which
Ingersoll had defeated him In argument.
General Wallace went away from the dis
cussion with a troubled mind. " For some
time he contemplated writing a theological
work which would strengthen religious
faith at the point of Ingersoll's brilliant. '
attack. But ho decided that theologians
could do that work much better than he,
and, besides, his desire was to reach and
help the masses. He lay awake by night
pondering the question which bad taken
possession of his mind, and eventually
decided to write a religious novel in which
he could embody his understanding of re
ligious truth. "Ben Hur" was the result.
When General Wallace had told these
Interesting facts to Mr, Harper he loft
the manuscript, expressing the hope that
his own estimate of the work would be In
dorsed by the house. The manuscript
was read in the usual way by the readers
of tho firm, and was promptly accepted.
Ocneral Wallace told Mr. Harper later on
that he had written the book In all sorts
of out-of-the-way places on boats, rail
roads, in carriages, wherever he had an
opportunity, afterward correcting and re
vising with the utmost patience and care.
It seeniN HHtonishlng that lie had never
been In the Holy Land when he wrote
"Ben Hur," but worked out the minute
topography of the country, as it is pre
sented In the story, entirely from maps
and reading. Ho once s.iid to Mr. Harper
that when eventually ho did visit Palestine
lie was himself surprised at the absolute
accuracy of his descriptions, which tallied
exactly with the facts; and ho was fond
of telling how ho found the very stone
which hu had Imagined a resting place for
Ben Hiir at a certain point of the story.
Th-.' hook was published on November 12,
RV, ami for the first year the sales liunff
Are; It shiiwel in Blgns of general popu
larity. Then It begun to grow, year by
year. Translations were inado In languag
after lunguuge. Tim sulrs si 111 Increased,
and everybody read it. It has now sold
well mi to a million copies, and, what Is
more striking, fhows no sign of abatement.
Jts yearly hjIch are greater now, twenty
four years after lis first appearance, than
they have ever buu.
J
f-
