is that a compliment to harriet beecher stowe? like do you feel good if you're harriet beecher stowe? oh, thank you, yes, i did it, it's all my fault. i don't think the way the story is presented -- it's more ton like how influential harriet beecher stowe was. and whether or not lincoln actually said this i think there's a reason why lincoln might have said it. because bhut things like, this here's the lady who wrote the book that started this great war, it implied that the union cause had a standing and moral credibility. and it had that kind of standing and moral credibility because here was a woman like harriet beecher stowe who'd kind of put her stamp on it, who said this is what it's all about. and if we can refer back to this woman's concern then it gives our cause moral credibility. by 1863 lincoln of course was now pursuing a policy of emancipation to end slavery. he himself was trying to put the war on a higher moral foundation. and so i think it makes sense that he would in some way try to draw on the endorsement of someb

some southerners would think it was harriet beecher stowe and "uncle tom's cabin." he was one of the leaders in raising money and buying mount vernon for the public and preserving it. so hypnotists, dog shows, magic shows, all of these sorts of things came out of the so-called literary and scientific and professional societies. i find, as i mentioned in my talk, that queen victoria is seeing the same circus that place in antebellum montgomery, alabama. new yorkers and people in philadelphia come and i didn't mention it but in st. louis and new orleans and so forth are seeing the same actors, hearing the same operas that are here. they are all seeing barnum. barnum came here. they are all seeing the siamese twins. they came here. they are doing the same things. they are hearing some of the same lectures. so the are a lot of commonality in people, not just the commonality of human relations. of course, human relations are all over, but in their chosen activities that are the same. >> this weekend we are in montgomery, alabama, a couple of our local cable partner, char