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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1903)
'-'JR1 '!JpW " ' JF15"1 W WT' J1 V?" -v- ip5 f sj sptt7V :na,Kr7,p,' r . yirvfW'W' The Commoner. MAEOH 6, 1903. Bomo equally well-lmown person. Often the strug feler relapses Into barbarism under the mere -weight of this odious necessity. Still other young Indians are burdened with false and ignorant English translations of the names given them by their parents, like Dog-That-Jumps-Around or Hole-in-the-Day (this great Indian's name should really have been translated Eclipse), or Old-Man-Afraid-of-His-Horses, and so on. With one bother and another, tho young Indian's way in civiliza tion is likely to be seriously obstructed by rea ' son of his name. And even if he Is given a sim ple and reasonable English name it often hap pens that a different surname is given to each one of the children of the same parents a pro cess which results in confusion in matters of in heritance and paves the way for much litigation." THE POSTAL SERVICE OF SWITZERLAND possesses several unique features. A writer in tho Washington Times says that tho postoflico authorities act as 'bankers and express companies lor the people. For instance, if you live in Switzerland and a man owes you, say, two dol lars, all you have to do is to send him a bill for the amount in a sealed letter with a word or two to the postofilce on the outside of the envelope, and, in addition, a two-cent stamp. This stamp pays the postofilce for its trouble in collecting and delivering the money to you. The charge is about 1 per cent of the amount, and for this the money will be collected in any part of Switzer land. If payment is refused, howover, the authori ties will not enforce the collection. a? a? THE RAG PICKERS OF PARIS RECENTLY held a meeting to protest against the con templated action of the municipal council In pro viding for rubbish picking through an automobile system. It Is said that there are G0.000 rag pick ers in the city of Paris and referring to these people and their grievance, a writer in the New York Times says; "Some of the 'chlffonniers' in question, made famous In the novels of Eugene Sue, have even amassed large fortunes. M. Paul mier, who is known as the 'rol des chlffonniers,' has worked for nearly sixty years and is still halo and hearty. He has been tho father of a score of children, seven of whom are living and following the parental vocation. His integrity is proved by the fact that he once picked up 62,000 francs in bank notes and immediately handed them over to the police. He declares that rag pickers are healthier than any other workmen and ridicules tho prevailing microbomania. He considers that the introduction of the motor sys tem will not only increase pauporlsm, but that it is a cruel and undeserved affront from the city of Paris, which has so often benefited by tho services of humble citizens who have been re peatedly called upon to aid the authorities in times of epidemic and civil commotion." ST & THE PEOPLE OF MANCHESTER, N. H., ARE boasting that theirs is a city of homes. In other words, they assert that in Manchester an unusually large proportion of the people own their dwelling houses; and yet the Manchester Union, while pointing with pride to its city's claim on this point, admits that there are some towns that make a much better showing on this point According to census statistics, there are only twelve cities in the United States in which over 45 per cent of the families are owners of tho houses which they occupy as homes, and these cities are Akron, 111., Auburn, N. Y., Canton, O., Cedar Rapids, la., Jackson, Mich., La Crosse, Wis., Racine, 111., OshkoBh, Wis., Saginaw, Mich., South Bend, Ind., Springfield, 111 , and Youngs town, O. It is pointed out that nearly all of these cities are in what is known as the middle west, and are manufacturing towns. It is ex plained by the Union that Manchester is not in this list because of its largo floating population. A CONNECTICUT FARMER AND HIS TWO sonB were recently engaged in cleaning away the dense growth of underbrush and tangled vines that have taken possession of "Old Put's Hill." The Philadelphia North American says that dur ing this work these men discovered three crum bled steps. Their discovery has aroused the in terest of students of history everywhere, in New England, for the belief is that the steps were a part of the long stairway down which General Putnam made his famous ride in revolutionary times. Tradition says it was down this identical . hill that the indomitable warrier galloped and historians are quite ready to accept the discov ery of the farmer and his sons as confirmatory of the tradition. It was at once suggested that more Bteps be cut in the rocky hillside so that visitors to tho place might climb them to tho Putnam monument from tho road, fifty feet bqlow. This "suggestion was speedily put into execution and already five steps havo been completed. DURING THE YEAR 1902 GIFTS AND BE quests for charity and educational purposes in tho United States amounted to $08,346,789. Ac cording to Appleton's Annual, five-sixths of tho contribution for educational purposes were mado by persons yet living while six-sevenths of tho amount given for foreign missionary work camo through bequests. These gifts and bequests were divided as follows: Educational institutions, $20, 127,525; church and Y. M. C. A. work, $7,588,220; foreign missionary work, $263,500; benevolent so cieties, $4,364,724; hospitals and asylums, $26, 480,958; museums and art institutes, $0,372,422; libraries, $2,157,000; Cooper Union, $942,440; New York historical society, $50,000. aft A RESIDENT OF BALTIMORE CLAIMS TO have in his possession the original military death warrant of Charles the First of England. Referring to this document, tho Baltimore Sun says: "The warrant is written on thin parchment, upon which a muslin back has been pasted. It bears the marks of extreme age, and the chir ography and somo of tho spelling are of tho pe culiar old English stylo. From papers found with tho document, it is believed that the parchment was stolen by an officer and found its way event ually into the possession of tho Chadwick family of England. Later it became tho property of tho Butler family, but was returned to tho Chad wicks. It came into tho possession of tho present owner with a number of family papers that have been handed down through generations." ac a? IT IS ADMITTED THAT SOME INACCURACIES of date appear in tho document referred to. For instance, it bears tho date of January 24, 1648, and refers to sentence having already been passed, whereas Charles I. was not sen tenced until January 27, 1649. He was beheaded January 30, 1649. The document is as follows: "At tho high court of justice for tho trying and intytinge of Charles Steuart, Kinge of England, January 24, Anno Dom. 1648. Whereas Charles Steuart, Klngo of England, Is and standeth con victed, attaynted and condemned of high treason and other high crimes and sentence uppon Satur day last was pronounced against him by this x o Ex. X. be put to death by tho severance of his head from his body, of which sentence execu tion yet remaineth to be done. These are, there fore, to will and require you to see that sentence be executed in the open streets before Whitehall upon the morrowe, being the thirtieth this in stant month off January between the hours of tenn in the morning and five in tho afternoon of the same day full effect and for eoo doing this shall be yr sufficient warrant. And these are to require all officers and soldiers other tho good people of this nation of England to be assisting unto you in this service. Given under hands and seals." At the bottom tho warrant is directed to three officers, "or either of them," whose names are indistinct Fifty-nine signatures follow, being the names of tho members of the court The first signature is that of Bradshaw, president of tho court That of Cromwell Is third, followed by those of Gill, Ireton, Goff, Whalley and others. IT HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED that the sultan of Achin has yielded to Dutch sovereignty and that after a thirty years' war between the Dutch and Achines, peace reigns in Sumatra. Tho interesting history that makes this announcement of somo importance is related by the New York Tribune in this way: "Years and years ago it was already an old story. Other wars began and ended, but Achin went right on. The Russo-Turkish war, the wars in Egypt and tho Soudan, tho Russian conquest of Central Asia, the war between China and Japan, the Cuban revolution and the 'Yanko-Spanko' war, the ted ious Boer war, our troubles In the Philippines, and Central and South American revolutions without number, rose, ran their courses and passed away into the Ewlgkeit, while the Achin war, which began before them all, survived them all in per ennial belligerence. Most of all. however, there will bo heaity satisfaction at the removal of this long defunct fly from the pot of otherwise frag rant ointment of Dutch colonial government. Hol land has long maintained one of tho largest col onial empires In the world, and has done so very successfully. She has, of course, paid little heed to tho theory of the 'consent of the governed In her view of tho case, East Indians like Kaf firs in the Transvaalwere made to be governed. my-nllly, and Dutchmon wero made to gov ern them according to their own eweot will. That principle curiously compounded of despotism and bonevolenco, has on tho whole worked woll, save in that ono sneeze-named region of Sumatra. It has boon a sourco of considerable Netherlandish mortification that no Dutchman could over point tho contumelious flngor at Britain In South Afri ca, or at America in tho Philippines, or at any other good power struggliug with aJvarIty, with out suffering the retort, 'Remoraber Achin!' Now that reproach Is removed." A MAN WHO IN HIS IMMEDIATE NEIGH borhood cam 3 lo bo known as a Jingo of jingoes died recently at New Haven, Conn. Tho name of this man was William H. Fowler. Ho was a bachelor arid left an estate estimated to bo worth $250,000. Ho was always regarded as a rather conservative mon and it Ib said that ho was never known to show any particular en thusiasm concerning anything until the war with Spain. It seems that Fowler had for years en tertained a hatred for Spain and Spaniards and he went to considerable trouble and expense to havo all the trees on his spacious lawn painted red, white and blue. 4 THE MANY ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF THE use of gasolino for kerosene has prompted tho Minnesota legislators to undertake to deviso means for preventing such mistakes. Ono meas ure Introduced in tho Minnesota legislature pro vides that kerosene intended for sale in Minnesota must be colored a deep red by tho use of alkamet or similar dye stuff. Another bill provides that gasolino must bo kopt in red painted cans. A CURIOUS CUSTOM WHICH HAS BEEN IN existence for nearly two hundred and fifty, years was observed recently In tho council cham ber of tho town hall at Guildford, England. Tho New York Tribune describes this incident In this way: "In tho prcsenco of the municipal chari ties trustees two domestic servants threw dlco for what is known as tho 'maid's money.' Tho fund was endowed by John How, mayor of Guild ford In tho reign of Charles II. His will pro vided that a sum of 12 12s should bo annually presented to a servant maid who had lived for two years and upward in ono employment in tho town, and who throw tho highest number with two dice. This year tho two applicants were Florence Ansell, who has beon nine years in her present place and was successful last year, and Isabella Law, who has nearly eight years' service to her credit Ansell throw four and La'w ton, and tho money was accordingly haiJed to tho latter. An sell, however, had tho consolation of receiving 13 7s lOd 'apprentice' money, owing to the fact that there was not a youth forthcoming who could declare that, after serving seven years with a freeman, and having taken Up his freedom, he was not worth, directly or indirectly, 20." IT WAS INTENDED THAT THE FRESCOING at tho base of tho dorao of thoNnational capltol should represent the chief historical events of America and more particularly those of tho United States. This frescoing now extends near ly around this great circle beginning with a plctur0 representing tho discovery of America by Co lumbus and ending with the 'discovery of gold In California. Referring to this work the Washing ton Post says: "A good deal of history Is depicted, but there yet remains considerable space. The blank is very unsightly, and nearly every ono says it ought to be filled. But how? That is tho question. If you care to listen to tho guides who may bo showing visitors about tho capltol you will learn that difficulties have arisen In depict ing the next great event in the history of tho country. Naturally tho civil war and the end at Appomattox would bo the next plcturo, but tho guide explains that there Is little disposition to place upon tho wall anything tending to offend ono section of tho country as an Appomattox pic ture might, and great difficulty has been found in picturing an event which should be historically accurate and alike creditable to both sides in tho great struggle. It has been suggested that the war might be passed over, and at ono time it was seriously proposed to fill tho gap with something representing the Centennial and the World's fair commemorating the discovery by ColumbuB. It went so far as to show President Grant opening the Contennial and President Cleveland the Chi cago exposition. But tho suggestion of Cleveland raised a storm. There was too much 111 feeling manifested toward him to make the suggestion feasible, and so the blank space remains, because no ono can hit upon a design which shall not cause serious objection." u 4. "4 iMHayjtijii frfrii lArinnmiifYm faiiittnrt'iABiiiMtBwifllrt'iift iitiWflfiiftt'