“I hate Mr. Balfour’s pronouncement. … To my mind it’s a wholly artificial scheme divorced from all relation to facts, and I wish it the ill success that it deserves.” — Gertrude Bell One of the many entirely valid…
The ghost of Joshua haunts us all
Like most people, I was not aware of the graphic violence so vividly and proudly recorded in the Book of Joshua. I was even more surprised to learn the savage invasion of Canaan was sanctioned by the venerable Moses and…
William Jennings Bryan’s ‘other’ speech
Aside from the Scopes trial, three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan is best known for delivering his “Cross of Gold” speech at the 1896 Democratic Convention. Some say it was the greatest speech in American political history. In 1896, the nation…
The scope of William Jennings Bryan
The centennial of the Scopes trial has come and gone. For at least this calendar year, the print media gave substantial attention to what happened in and outside the Rhea County Courthouse in July 1925. Commentators focused on whatever they believed…