6 The Conservative *
nblo knowledge of economic tendencies ,
with the result of throwing a Hood of
light upon the onuses of thesocalled
"depression of trade" which has so long
perplexed men of business. He demon
strated that the enormous improvements
in production and in transportation had
necessarily displaced great amounts of
capital by rendering former appliances
obsolete , so that every new enterprise ,
it might almost bo said , was able to pro
duce its results more cheaply than those
previously in operation , the general re
sult being a rapidity of change in busi
ness conditions that disconcerted all the
calculations of the adherents of conservative
vative methods. Nor was the light that
it threw upon the past the only merit of
this book , for the bewildering possibili
ties of the future were considered with
a calm and rational forecast that fur
nished a substantial basis for the most
.sanguine expectations.
Mr. Wells married twice ; first in May ,
18GO , Mary Sanford Dwight , and in
June , 1S79 , Ellen Augusta Dwight , both
daughters of James S.Dwight of Spring
field , Mass. , and Elizabeth Lee , of Nor
wich , Conn. He had one son by his
first wife , David Dwight Wells , who
survives him.
Physically , Mr. Wells was of slight
build and medium height , and of highly
nervous temperament. During recent
years the precarious condition of his
health had caused him to live a retired
life , but scarcely checked his intellec
tual activity , which was facilitated by
the possession of one of the best eco
nomic libraries in the world.
Whatever the attainments of our sur
viving statisticians may be , they lack
the prestige which Mr. Wells derived
from his distinguished services at a criti
cal period in our history. There may
be men living who possess his f nmilinrity
with fiscal legislation and economic
theory , with the laws of trade and the
conditions of industry , but if so they are
not known to the public and their know
ledge is unavailable. In practical af
fairs , especially in the affairs of govern
ment , the great diillculty is not the lack
of capable men , but the fact that they
are unknown. Between proved and
unproved capacity the difference is in
finite.
It is impossible to avoid the painful
reflection that this man , perhaps the
best entitled of all Americans of his day
to bo called a statesman if wo define a
statesman as one who has an acquaint
ance with economic history and the logi
cal power of applying this knowledge to
the solution of the practical problems of
legislation that this man was excluded
from the office of legislator. If he had
been an Englishman , it would not have
been possible that ho should not have
been a member of parliament , and a
member of the cabinent if his party were
in power. As it was , his opportunities
for public service of an official character
came by appointment and not by elec
tion. Doubtless the peculiar environ
ment of his residence had something to
do with this , but it is to be apprehended
that his ostracism was mainly due to the
same cause as that of Aristides to his
glaring superiority , which the narrow
mind of ordinnry men meanly resented
as disagreeably emphasizing their own
inferiority. But it is probable that the
slavery of a party name , when he be
came a candidate for congress , influ
enced many to oppose him who would
have been glnd to bestow their suffrages
upon him had his ticket borne a differ
ent heading.
His influence , however , was not of a
kind to be dependent upon official posi
tion. He was an admirable example of
the best kind of self-made man the
man who has by his own exertions ac
cumulated not wealth , but knowledge.
His acquaintance with economics was
not derived from schools , but from
actual contact with affairs , and ho could
therefore appeal to men of affairs with
peculiar success. lie proved his capacity
to them upon their own ground , and
having thus overcome the stock objec
tion of business men to "mere theorists , "
he was able to secure attention to the
principles of economic science. While
much good is to be expected from
the study of these principles in our in
stitutions of learning , it is probable that
legislation in this country will be mainly
directed so far as it is directed wisely
by men possessing the combined know
ledge of theory and practice for which
Mr. Wells was distinguished , and on
this account the lesson of his life is of
peculiar value to young men whom the
spirit of patriotism does not permit to be
indifferent to the cause of good govern
ment. New York Evening Post.
The proposition
before us toda
. . . . , , '
whether in the
farther or the hither islands that are this
moment within our grasp , is substanti
ally this : Hero are certain subject
races. Come and rule them , enfranchise
them , ennoble them. What now are
the indications that wo have any single
qualification for such a task ? The ques
tion ought not to be difficult to answer ,
for in a comparatively short space of
time less than a century three subject
races , so to speak , have been dropped
into our lap , and the record of our deal
ings with them may be known and read
of all men. One of them is the Indian'
race , another the negro race , and an
other the Chinese. If any honest man ,
by any ingenuity and in spite of our
tardy efforts in connection with one of
them , the Indian , to redeem the dishonor
of our dealings with him can extract
any ground for any thing else than shame
and confusion of face in view of our
dealings with these races , I congratulate
him upon his ingenuity. The story in
every case , in greater or le.ss degree , has
been one long record of cruelty , rapine ,
lust and out rage. "The best Indian , "
an army officer has been quoted as say
ing , "is a dead Indian ; " and the best
negro or Chinaman , apparently , is one
who has been strung up a lamp post or
grilled alive on a village bonfire. And
this is the nation , with such a record to
demonstrate its capacity to deal with
subject races , which is to give a new and
more benign civilization to the Spanish
West Indies and the Philippine Islands.
Harper's Weekly.
rOKTUY ?
It is admitted that Mr. W. Whitman ,
who died not long ago in Camden , New
Jersey , was an American , and that ho
wrote things ; but some claim that those
things are poetry , while others hold that
they are not , and prove it as follows :
poetry is stuff that rhymes ; his stuff
does not rhyme ; therefore it is not
poetry. This is not only criticism , it is
logic.
Here are two short specimens of his
product , both probably written some
where between the days of gold-hunting
in California and the Civil War , in both
of which he took part.
"Others may praise what they like ;
But I , from the hanks of the running Mis
souri , praise nothing in art or aught
else ,
Till it has well inhaled the atmosphere of
this river , also the western prairie-
scent ,
And exudes it all again. "
This is a pat on the back to Nebraska
City , Atchison , Omaha and the other
river-towns where there are people try
ing to exude it the best they can. The
other touches a matter that a good
many people are thinking about.
"With nil thy gifts , America ,
Standing secure , rapidly tending , overlooking
ing the world ,
Power , wealth , extent , vouchsafed to theo
with these and like ot these vouchsafed
to theo ,
What if one gift thou luckest ? ( the ultimate
Imman problem never solving , )
The gift of perfect women fit for thcc what
if that gift of gifts thou lackest ?
The towering feminine of theo ? the beauty ,
health , completion , fit for thee ?
The mothers fit for thee ? "
Two Greeks , real
AIS IJJJ A
TT I 1 f
riioai GitucoE. Hellenes , from
Sparta , have come
to Nebraska City. Their eyes are full of
black fire , their hair as black as their
eyes , their hands not nearly so black.
They are not here to give readings from
Homer , nor instruction in athletic games ,
nor lectures on the correct shape of the
human body ; they are hero to open a
candy shop. In this branch of industry
the Greeks are rapidly supplanting the
Italians , who are moving up a notch in
all the cities , and applying the savings
of twenty years' thrifty tending of fruit-
stands to higher lines of trade. Whereas
a short time ago there was no Italian
but sold peanuts , you are now more
likely to find them barbel's or restaur
ant-keepers ; there are even Italian