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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
d.
Vol. 5. No. 30
Lincoln;. Nebraska, August 11, 1905
-AVJhole NunilSer 23&;'
CONTENTS
. AvaruES of Usefulness"'
Mending God's Law - -
rockefeller's government "o. k."
democratic territory
Republican Tariff Reformers
Electing Senators
The Vote Tells The Story
Feeding Toe Disease
Will Me. Roosevelt Stand Firm?
Black is Not White
Comment on Current Topics
The Primary Pledge
News of the Week
A GREATER THAN ROCKEFELLER
A New York boy by the name of Morris
Schateffer has refused an offer of $18,000 a year,
preferring to continue his schooling. Young
Schateffer is only fifteen, but he has won such
distinction as an inventor that the General Elec
tric company offered him an extraordinary salary.
A newspaper dispatch under date of New York,
July 26, tells the story in this way:
Eighteen thousand a year for a boy
fifteen! And he turned it down! It came to
Morris Schateffer, of 872 Gates Avenue, who
solved a problem for signaling for electric
roads. His system is in use on a part of the
Brooklyn rapid transit lines. According to
report, he has been offered $25,000 for his
invention, but he thinks it is worth twice as
much. He declined an offer oo go with the
General Electric company at $18,000 a year
because he wants to finish his course in the
, public schools.
In preferring an education to so promising,
a position, young Schateffer shows that ho views
life from a higher standpoint than those do who
sacrifice everything to the accumulation of wealth.
A well trained mind can furnish the body all it
need3, namely, food, clothing and shelter, but a
purse, however well filled, can not supply either
brain or conscience.
JJJ
DEMOCRATIC TERRITORY
The Sioux City (Iowa) Journal quotes Sena
tor Dolliver of Iowa as saying: "Two years ago,,
before a great audience in Des Moines, I de
nounced publicly the whole system of rebates,
secret agreements, and other discriminations
practiced by railroad companies, calling special
attention to the fact that such abuses had done
much to build up the trust system in the United
States, and that speech created no comment
whatever in any quarter, thougli several distin
guished gentlemen have acquired national reputa
tion by uttering similar sentiments shice that
time."
Senator Dolliver did very well indeed, but
he must not forget that nine years ago democrats
denounced these evils publicly and repeatedly.
During a presidential campaign in which the
trusts were supplying the republican party with
its campaign funds democrats directed attention
to the fact that "such abuses had. done much to
build up tho trust system in tho United States."
When Senator Dolliver favored these reforms
two years ago he stood upon democratic territory;
and Mr. Roosevelt stands upon democratic terri
tory in every popular reforiu 1" has so far advocated.
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But ARE the People Powerless?
AVENUES OF USEFULNESS
..F A R M I N G..
The Commoner will not live up to the pur
pose of its founder unless it makes itself in
dispensable to all the members of the family.
While its main aim is to assist others in the
intelligent and patriotic exercise of the suffrage
it strives also to commend itself to the house
wife and to the children. In fact, it can not
more surely win the confidence of the parents
than by stimulating the boys and girls to worthy
effort by presentation of high ideals of life.
There is but one measure of greatness namely,
service and service is the measure of happiness
also. Only those And life worth living who de
vote themselves conscientiously to some work
which satisfies the conscience and contributes to
human welfare. Money is useful as a servant,
when honestly acquired, but money does not
buy happiness. Social intercourse is necessary
for recreation and for the study of human nature
but nothing is more empty than a life wholly
devoted to society. Even public service returns
more sorrow than satisfaction if it is undertaken
from selfish motives. Each one needs a life
work which, while furnishing food and shelter
and clothing, will yield a surplus of advantage
to the public at large. The avenues of useful
ness are innumerable and one has no diffi
culty in selecting one so congenial that work
will become a pleasure. Some of these will be
suggested from time to time in these columns.
Let us take, first, work upon the farm, as
it demands a larger number than any other
branch of industry. Without attempting to dis
tinguish between agriculture uad horticulture,
consider the inviting field that opens before the
farmer. The study of the soil, to learn what
crops are most suitable; the examination of seeds,
to ascertain which are the ost potent; ex
perimentation with methods oculture, to deter
mine which gives the best results all these are
alluring departments of work. Then, the insects
whieh must be fought and the blights which
must.be avoided these open up Interesting lines
of study.
And the breeding of horses, cattle, hogs and
sheep what an opportunity they furnish for in
telligent selection and scientific care. Idleness
ought not to be described as luxurious or even
tolerable when farming is so much more fascinat
ing. The latter furnishes food and exercise for
the body, activity for the mind and occupation
for the beast, while the former rusts the physical
and mental faculties and corrupts the morals.
Besides the crops and herds the farmer has
the orchard, the berry patch, the vineyard, the
garden and the flower beds to develop hero
also is an opportunity to employ brain as well
as muscle and to enjoy the consciousness of con-
if..i