The September Cover (image) On Abortion: A Lincolnian Position The argument over abortion is uncannily parallel, philosophically and rhetorically, with the argument over slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War. And, the author contends, "we can find in Lincoln's anti-slavery rhetoric a coherent position that could serve as a model for pro-life politicians today"--one that combines strenuous efforts to contain abortion with an acknowledgement of a woman's constitutional right to choose. by George McKenna The Great Sorting In this second part of a two-part article the author describes how the Scholastic Aptitude Test--with a big assist during the Korean War from the U.S. military, which needed criteria for awarding draft deferments--emerged as a national standard for evaluating millions of people. by Nicholas Lemann [The first part of the article, "The Structure of Success in America" (from the August, 1995, issue of The Atlantic) describes the origins of the Educational Testing Service--an institution created by an energetic dreamer named Henry Chauncey.]

Reports Notes & Comment: Raiding Nation It is time to return to the template of prosperity that we abandoned eighty years ago. Language: "Ulysses" in Chinese Translating James Joyce's masterpiece is no picnic in French or Croatian, but Chinese presents special obstacles. Xiao Qian and Wen Jieruo were undaunted. by Cait Murphy Foreign Affairs: The Struggle to Govern Johannesburg Eliminating apartheid at the national level was one thing. But the racial, political, and economic divisions that exist locally are as durable as they are odious. by Lynda Schuster Fiction & Poetry The Lather A poem by David Barber Two Poems A poem by Richard Wilbur A Display of Mackerel A poem by Mark Doty Browse and search The Atlantic's online archive. The seahorse symbol indicates that an article is supplemented with additional Atlantic material, such as related articles, audio, or special online sidebars. Note: some material from the print magazine is not available online, at the request of the authors.		Arts & Leisure Travel: Green-Hearted Italy The best reason to visit Italy's Umbria region is the mystic landscape. by Corby Kummer Music: Unreconstructed Modernist Making sense of Pierre Boulez, one of the most puzzling figures in the music of our time. by David Schiff Books Slavery and the Jews The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, by The Historical Research Department, The Nation of Islam by Winthrop D. Jordan The Moral State of Marriage The Best Is Yet to Come, by Ivana Trump The Good Marriage, by Judith S. Wallerstein and Sandra Blakeslee by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead Brief Reviews by Phoebe-Lou Adams Other Departments 745 Boylston Street Contributors Letters (Send a letter to the editor.) The September Almanac Word Watch by Anne H. Soukhanov
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