So dawned the time of Sturm und Drang: storm and stress to-day rocks our little boat on the mad waters of the world-sea; there is within and without the sound of conflict, the burning of body and rending of soul; inspiration strives with doubt, and faith with vain questionings.
This passage uses the metaphor of 'storm and stress' to describe a period of intense internal and external conflict, marked by doubt and questioning.
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So the Cotton Kingdom still lives; the world still bows beneath her sceptre.
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