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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1901)
-ir,TT T- ,,, v . ,1' y M I' .0 7TJ Ptyy.wi fr mM,yw o 4 F the-speeches of otliers. It is well for the stu dent to remember that integrity is even more important than genius, and infinitely more so than a reputation for genius huilt upon the ability of others. The possibilities of our lan guage arc such that it is not necessary for one person to express himself in the words used by another, and every mind is so different from every other that a man is hampered rather than aided by trying to say something just as some one else has said it. The object of edu cation is to draw out and develop the mind, and the student will find that it is not only the part of honor, but the part of wisdom as well, to bo himself and no one else, in all that ho says and docs. A speech to be successful must be appropriate to the occasion of its delivery and while the principles set forth may bo ap plicable to other times and other places, the speech itself will not fit into any other occa sion. The young man will find it to his ad vantage to read and digest what others have written, but .that which bears his own name should bo as distinct from that which ho has read as the flesh is distinct from the food out of which it is created. W Importing Imperial Etiquette. Frank X Finncgan in the Saturday Even ing Post discusses in a humorous vein the pro priety of sending a commission to Europe to ' secure information in regard to court etiquette. He says: t . "If, as some well-intentioned gentlemen as sert, we are to have an emperor on the throne at Washington within the next twenty-five years, it is high time the dignitaries and func tionaries at the capital began casting an eye across the water toward the court of Edward YII, to learn the latcBt frills in royal dress, de corum and procedure. That being the case, it is perhaps just as well that 'the new king has manifested such a strong liking for all the pomp and circumstance, the forms and ceremo nies, which distinguish a king from a nine-spot. . Were it not for this predilection on his part for reviving all the royal prerogatives, the first court of the American emperor would prob ably be in a bad way for lack of precedent in many things. As a matter of fact the king business has been falling into a deolino in Europe for some time, with King Leopold mak ing eyes at Parisian music-hall singers, Emperor William dodging an occasional brick-bat, King Alfonso of Spain, receiving the royal displeas ure of his Queen-mother through the medium of her slipper, and other royalties in various lands behaving quite like common clay. "In this extremity comes to the front Edward, , King, after a long wait, of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India,, who' insists upon running his court with all the f onus which Henry V, George II, and other departed sovereigns held to be their divine rights. Be sides riding about in the lumbering old state carriage which has not been used since 1840, having heralds sound a fanfare every time His Majesty sneezes, and wearing his crown in bed, King Ecjward has ordered that no more depu tations be given royal audience uiiIcbs the mom- The Commoner. bers thereof either appear in uniform or in court dress. Frock coats and trousers are barred. 'This,' said Edward, Rex, 'is no re public'." "The same remark having lately been directed toward the Government of these United States, it might be fitting that certain steps be taken to add dignity to the public functions at the Capital in keeping with modern styles in. royalty. That important personage, the Serjeant-at-Arms of the "United States Senate, who is now the chief factotum at Inaugurations, the proroguing of Congress and similar Govern mental functions should give way to the Lord High Chamberlain under the new order of things, and that dignity would have charge of the coronation of the Emperor. In the coro nation parade the Invincible Marching Club would naturally be superceded by the Emperor's Life Guards, and like other emperors, he would probably need them. All members of the sen ate who are over eighty years old could be in vested with the Order of the Bald Eagle, as a special mark of the favor of the Emperor; and with the insignia of the order glittering on their red velvet uniforms the senators could totter along behind the Emperor in the parade. "Perhaps the best way to determine just what steps would be necessary to convert this country into a first-class up-to-date empire would be to appoint a commission to visit En gland and sound King Edward on the subject. The present Administration is very strong on commissions when it is in need of information, and as it has been broadly hinted that it is also strong on -empires, the suggestion in the pres ent instance might be warmly received." Love is Better Than Force. In a recent public address Emperor Wil liam said: A hand from out of the people was recently raised against me to my intense sorrow. Evident ly serious times are coming, which will try our mettle. I know that the army is true to its tradi tions and to the solemn oath it has taken. I know it will remain steadfast and faithful to me. It is quite likely the German army will be "true to its traditions" and will remain "stead fast and faithful ' to the Emperor. This mon arch anticipates 'serious times." Would it not be the part of wisdom if, instead of depending entirely upon the force and fidelity of the army, the Emperor exerted his abilities towards so improving conditions for his sub jects that he might depend upon the loyalty of the humblest person within his domain? . If "serious times" are coming there .must be some good reason for it. Are the German people becoming weary of a monarch? Are they becoming restless for that larger liberty which exists .with the citizens of a republic? If this is true, all the armies of a Kaiser would not be forceful enough to destroy or hold in check this ambition. Butif tlicro be discontent among the Kaiser's subjects, would it not bo the safer course for the Gorman statesmen to devise and adopt methods to root out the cause of that discon tent? However loyal an army may bo, the monarch whose sole depencenco is upon tha loyalty and the power of an army, has built hia. house upon the sands. w ' The Cause of Nationalities. - There is ''treason" in Great Britain as well as "treason" in America. There are British, "traitors" as well as American "traitors." There are "copperheads" in Great Britain as well as "copperheads" in the United States,; and strange to say, these "traitors" and these "copperheads," whether in Great Britain or in. America, base their protests on a principle that has been regarded by all the civilized world as eminently sound. The London Spec tator recently had this editorial: The Boers, who are sustaining the cause of nationalities all the world over and not merely the cause of their own freedom, have decided that not all the sufferings of their women and children, the devastation of their country and the hardships of a protracted campaign are comparable with the cal amity of a surrender that involves the loss of their liberties. The last tattered shred of independence is a grim price to pay for peace. Nothing in all the tragedy of the war is quite so bitter as the thought that an English government could offer such an alternative to a white people, and the decision of our enemy, however terrible its conse quences, is one which Englishmen, whatever their views on the war, must respect. Arbor Day is being more and more ob served throughout the land, and it is well that it should be. Aside from their practical value, trees often become objects of tender interest.' Morris poem illustrating this sentiment is fa miliar to every school boy. Woodman, Spare That Tree! BY GEORGB P. MORRIS. ', '. Woodman, spare that tree! , " Touch not a single bough I In youth it sheltered me, " ' And I'll protect it now. s ,; 'Twas my forefather's hand That placed it near his cot; ? There, woodman, let it stand, '. ' Thy axe shall harm it not! ' ; That old familiar tree; Whose glory and renoun Are spread o'er land and sea And wouldst thou hew it down? Woodman, forbear thy stroke I Cut not its earth-bound ties; Oh, spare that aged oak, Now towering to the skies! When but an idle boy, I sought its grateful shade; In all their gushing- joy , Here, too, my sisters played. My mother kissed mo here; My father pressed my hand Forgive this foolish tear, But let that old oak stand! My heart-strings round thee cling, Close as thy bark, old friend! Here shall the wild bird sing, And still thy branches bend. Old tree! the storm still brave! And, woodman, leave the spot: While I've a hand to save, Thy axe shall harm it not! . n