Nebraska Newspapers

    THE OMAHA DAILY BfiEt * SUNDAY JULY 8. i 13
BLACK DEATH'S RAVAGES
Tbo Terrible Plajnio Baling in Canton and
Hong Koog.
;
, CANNOT PROVIDE COFFINS FAST ENOUGH
A I.oofa nt Clinton In I'laBiii' Tlmo '
of lh Kpltlnmlc-It HUM Jloth Hutu
Hint Men l.npors Milking Money
( lilt of Jl runciMl Ciulomn.
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( Copyright. is : . by Trank ( J. Carpenter. )
PEKING , June 15. ( Special Correspond
ence of The Doc. ) All China and the far
rant are much rx cited over the tcrrlblo
plnguu which has recently broken out In
the southern province * of this empire. U
came originally from the Interior , but It
has rrnched Cnnlor. nnd Honsr Kong , nnd the
people nre dylu at the rate of hundred *
per day. The big steamship lines which
IV nail from China to Europe arc now retiming
to stop nt Hnnis Konc or u take passengers
from South China , and tb papers of the
countries surrounding thli part of the world
nro full of rumors nnd fars that the plague
will bo carried to Japan nnd elsewhere.
So far the trinrp.iclflc steamers nro making
their regular voyages from San Francisco
nnd Vancouver to Honj ? Kong nnd return ,
but the greatest care Is being taken and
every preventive la used to keep this terrible
epidemic from bolnj ; carried to America.
The disease is practically an unknown one
to the physicians of today , but It Is said to
bo the name at that which devastated Em ope
during the middle ages nnd which was so
nwful In It * ravages that It got the title of
"the black dc-iln. " It ran over Europe agalu
nnd again from the sixth to the eighteenth
centuries nnd It IB said to have rained more
deaths than any oftho great epidemic. ? which
humnn flesh has been heir to. It la the
pest which Daniel Defoe describes In hl >
utory of the great plague of London of 1C65
and 1666 , and It has done terrible damage
In Arabia nnd Persia within the pnst genera
tion. It came a few years ago from China
to southern Itnsxla , nnd the czar stationed
troops about the Infected districts nnd In
this way kept It from the rest of Europe.
The plague that ravaged Europe In the four
teenth century carne from China and It has
been known to have existed for some years
ptiit In ono of the Chinese provinces above
the Burmese frontier.
The bl.ick death broke out In Canton dur
ing the last week In February and for a
time the average of those who died from It
was about 200 per day. This average
steadily .Increased until In March nnd April
It was 500 per day , nnd the mortality at the
present time Is very large. H h said that
the Pearl river , which flows past the city ,
and upon which hundreds of thousands of
people live , contains many floating corpses
and that the undertakers are unable to make
coffins enough to supply the demand. In
ordinary times the Chinese spend large
sums upon their funerals , and they are more
particular ns to the styles of their burial
caskets than they nrc us to those of their
wedding beds. Cofilns cost all the way
from a few dollars up to thousands of
dollars , nnd It Is not an uncommon thing
far a man to buy a coflln nnd keep It In his
house for years , so as to have a first class
article on hand when ho dies. Children
often make their parents presents of coffins ,
and they have their mutual coffin supply
association , somewhat like our building and
loan associations , or like our mutual life
Insurance societies. Every member of such
an association gets a coflln and burial clothes
when ho dies , and not having these Is con
sidered a greater calamity than death It
self. Today the dead In Canton am carted
out and disposed of In nil sorts of ways , and
the greatest trouble Is found In getlng rid
of them. Often the pall hearers who ar
paid to carry the cofilns to the grave nre
stricken with the dread disease on the way.
and of the four who start out with the
body only one or two return.
THE COFFIN SUPPLY EXHAUSTED.
There nrc not coffins enough for the grown
persons , and the chldrcn nre being buried
In baskets or wrapped up In pieces of mat
ting. In some places the babies are not
burled at all , and the baby towers are full.
These-baby towers you find all over China.
They are little buildings with windows high
up near the roof. The.'e babies are laid
on the wlnd.ws and are pushed inside to de
compose as they will. I saw , near Shang
hai , the bodies of babies thrown out upon
the roadside , and such corpses are often left
for the dogs to cat. Today many oi the
dead at Canton have not a burial plot , and
many of the coffins are left on the top of
the ground. Thlx , In the csso of such an
Infectious disease ns the black plague , can
not but be of great danger to the rest of
the people , and the plague Is said to be
steadily spreading over the surrounding coun
try. Some if the coffins are hermetically
sealed by varnishing them again and again
with a sort of lacquer varnlih , and as the
wood Is often four Inches thick. In ordinary
times they do not cause much trouble from
their offensive smell. Now , however , the
haato with which the dead are disposed of
does not admit of such treatment , and the
very air about Canton Is laden with the
pestilence. The richer Chinese of the city
have been doing what they could to re
lievo the distress , nnd there arc n number
of charitable associations which are aiding
In the disposal of the dead. At one dis
pensary alone 2,000 cofllns have been given
away , and It Is estimated that up to thli
time 60,000 coffins have been furnished by
eucli asioclatlons.
The sanitary board of Hong Kong visited
the plague-itrlcken parts of Canton some
weeks ago and made n report of the dis
ease and Its symptoms. It conies upon one
without warning In the shape cf a fever ,
which raises the temperature of a patient
In a short time to 103 degrees and upward.
There Is no chill and no other premonitory
symptoms. The patient has n severe head-
nclio and ho shows signs of stupor. After
twelve hours the glands of the neck , the
armpit or the groin begin to swell , and
they soon become as big as a hen's egg.
These swelling ) are hard and exceedingly
tender , but they do not suppurate. In
some cases a vomiting of blood occurs , and
within' few hours the man dies. Soma
few recover after having been attacked ,
and If they can keep themselves alive for
more than fix days after their exposure
there Is a chance for them. The disease
seems to be very Infectious , and In those
quarters where It Is raging It has more
than decimated the population. In one
small street the sanitary board of Hong
Kong found thirty deaths , and In another
out of 170 people only forty have survived.
At one of the gates of Canton the other day
a man took n box and dropped a cash Into
It every time a coffin was carried out. At
4 o'clock In the afternoon ho counted the
cash and found ha had 170 In the box.
EVEN HATS DIE OF IT.
The dlsMs. ' Is very sudden In Its attack ? ,
and the only safety from It seems to bo to
got out of Its range. For weeks the pco-
plo have been flying from Canton , and a
letter which I saw the other day states
that every house seems to have Us dead.
A tew days ago a thief entered a house
In which the whole family had died from
the plague , expecting to have an easy haul.
Ho was str'cken while In the act of robolng
the dead , and n day or two later hla body ,
with the booty upon U , was found lying In
'the house. A curious thing about the
plague Is that It effects some kinds of ani
mals as well as men , and In Canton It at
tacked the rats of the city flrit. Dead
rats were found In the drains of the In
fected quarters , and the rats ran from ouh
places almost as fast as the human species.
In every house whore dead rats were found
It was seen that the people hid taken the
black plaRiie. and the tlgn of a dead rat
will now caufo a family to ily ,
The Hong Kong doctor * at Ant said that
the disease was not of a parasitic nature
and that It could not bo carried to any
great distance ; but this Is thought by many
to be a mistake , and It Is now said that Its
germs can be transported In clothing and
In other ways , and the Japin Mall Is ad
vising the most rigid sanitary precautions
against all of the Hong Kong steamers. In
ono editorial It asserts that oven a shotgun
quarantine would be justifiable against II ,
and when It U remembered that every ten
day * a bin steamship from Hong Kong lands
at San Francisco and Vancouver It wouU
Boem advisable that the greatest car bt
taken to keep It out of America. It Is
thought bora ( hat the dlieaso cannot got
firm hold of any quarter which has good
military arrangements , and to far , 1 believe ,
only AilJtle * have been afflicted with It.
It has attacked Hong Kong , and on the ICth
of May thirty-four doattiu were then re
ported. The Japanese papers had reports
that there wcro ono or two death * In differ
ent part * of Japan , lint thtso reports have
since been denied. The Japanese itro much
better prepared In nuppross such A idaKUa ,
itliould It break out , th.ui U China. They
urn the cleanliest pccpla In the world In re
gard to their persons , and their towns and
houses are models of neatness. China Is
the filthiest and nastiest country on the
fane of the globe , nnd ouiMde of the treaty
ports thcvc tire no means of enforcing sani
tary measures. At different points along
the most crowded of the streets you will
find cesspools lit which the vilest of slops
nre pourud nnd left to ferment , oven in the
hottest of weather.
There- arc drains In nome of the cities , but
those arc flushed only by the rains , and It
l 1-11 Id that one cause of the rapid spread
of the plague In Canton was ths prolonged
drouth which has allllctcd the cly this
spring.
GREAT IS CANTON.
The fact that the plague exists In Canton
makes Its danger greater tlun it would be
had It broken out In any other city of China.
Canton Is the Now York of the empire. It is
the biggest of the Chliesc business clllca
mid It contains somcth.'ng llko 3 itiW.nOJ of
pccple. Its boat popul.iilon Is K.I 1.1 to i.um-
ber more than 309,000 , unl IU muny people
us you will find In Wathlng'jn , CI < ! "Clalid.
DiirTiilo or Cincinnati nro horn , live and dlo
upon Its waters. Its people are the brlgMc't
In China , and they are .he besi traded ftnd
the best workers among thu celestials. They
will command higher wages than the Chinese
fioiii any other cltl"s , and you find Canton
111111 ctiKii'd ! { In business all over China.
I met ( hem In Hankow. I found them on
( .lit bu.ilont streets of Chlnklang and Nan
king , and here In Peking they own some of
the best property and aic engaged In all
norts of undertaking ! ) . A great part of our
Imports come from Canton , and the credit
of the big Cantonese merchants Is as goad
as that of the most solid Americans In the
banks of London. It Is a city of million
aires and paupers , and It contains the richest
and the poorest of the Chinese. When 1
visited It not long ago I was entertained by
the Jay Gould of China , a man named How
Qua , who Is said to bo worth his tons of
m'llloiid ' , and In riding up ( a Canton en the
l amer 1 ifaw a bungry-eyed boatman
greedily grab at a dead rat which was
thrown him from our ship , and which , I
doubt not , furnished the piece de resistance
for Ills family dinner. It Is from the Can-
tnncse province that the moat of the Chinese
In America com- ! , and Its people are noted
for their turbulence as well as for their
skillful hands and their sharp business
brains.
I have never seen anywhere such a bee
hive of humanity as the city of Canton , and
I can Imagine no place better for the dis
semination of a plague than this. The
ftrects are so narrow that the big hats that
th ? coolies wear almost graze the walls on
cither side , and you can stand In the middle
of some of the best business quarters and
touch the walls on both sides by stretching
out your hands. The mala streets fairly
swarm with Chinese men and women , and half
of these celestial humans arc loaded. They
p\ih \ nnd crowd against each other as they
work their sweaty way through the city ,
aniJ the disease germs if possessed by one
art easily communicated to many. They
pack themselves together In the houses and
the population of a small city is crowded Into
u single block. The poorest of them have
only a few cents a day for the support of
their families , and 10 of our cents Is a good
wage for a day's work. Agricultural la
borers do not receive more than 5 cents a
day , and women are paid still less. The
average worklngman who can save $3 a
year is doing very well , and the question
with the majority of the people Is one of ex-
istcnco.
THEY EAT RATS AND CATS.
Tim Mlct of the laboring classes consists of
salt Ilfih. vegetables and rice , and If they
can add to this meat three or four times
a year they deem themselves happy. It Is
not uncommon to find 100 people living In a
little- nest of a dozen one-story houses , and
rent * per family range from $2 a year and
uwnitrd. Canton Is the only city I have
visited where I have found cat and dog rea-
'ijiirants , and It la the only city where I
have seen ilr'tl ' rats exposed for sale In many-
quarters. I priced some of these rats and
was charged 5 tents for the ono I bought.
It could not have weighed more than eight
ounces and I suppose I paid double price for
it. At one of the dog restaurants I treated
a lot of coolies to n stew of black dog's
flesh , and the price for It was 10 cents a
plato. I could have gotten a stew of yel
low dog for less , but when one gives a treat ,
even In China , he ought to buy the best.
Dlack dog's meat Is worth twice the price
of that of the yellow canine. It Is cookiM
with a tuft of the hair left on the end of the
tall to show the color of the dog , and It
looks , when In the pot , much llko the flesh
of a sucking pig. The dog Is killed and the
.hair Is taken off as we take the bristles oft
of a pig. and when stewed It Is cut Into
small pieces. At the same place I saw cat
melt cooking , and there were cats In cages
awaiting the orders of customers. Cat meat
Is higher priced than dog or rat meat , and
the tabbies are killed only upon order. The
people whom I saw at such restaurants , however -
over , were those only of the poorer classes ,
an'd there are In Canton as costly restaurants
as you will find anywhere In the world. I
saw places where you have to pay $5 a plate
for your bird's nest soup , nnd where tea ls
served which you can't get for less than $10
a pound.
LEPROSY INCREASING.
The black plague , on account of the poor
diet of the people and their poverty , will
last longer In Canton than It would In an
American city. There are practically no
facilities for talcing care of the sick , and
Chinese medicine Is worse than no medi
cine. The missionary hospital will do much.
It Is one of the best hospitals In the east ,
and It docs a great deal of good. The chief
Chinese charitable Institutions of China are
a blind asylum , from which blind beggars
go out day after day over the city ; a found
ling asylum , supported out of the salt tax ,
and a leper asylum. This last Is In a ban
yan grove two miles from the gate of the
city. It contains _ nbout 500 Inmates , and
more horrible creatures do not exist on the
face of the earth. Many of them have
their fingers and toes eaten off by the dis
ease. Some have lost their noses and others
have skeleton-Ilka bodies , half of the flesh
of which has rotted away. Just now these
lepers are an Important element of the
black plague. They blackmail the funeral
processions and levy a tribute on the mourn
ers. It they are not paid they raise a hue
and cry and threaten to spilt open the cof
fins and exhume the dead. There Is not
much danger of their doing this as to the
black plague corpses , for to touch one Is
almost sure death , but the people fear them ,
all the same , and the leper fees are a legiti
mate part of the Chinese funeral expenses.
As It Is , leprosy seems to be on the Increase.
There are more lepers In Canton than can
bo accommodated In the asylum , and there
are leper boats tilled with these people , who
scull or row their boats among the other
craft on the river , begging.
DARKNESS OF SUPERSTITION.
There are no mere superstitious people
than the Chinese , and such an occasion as
this brings out all of the witches and sooth
sayers. I hear that the streets of Canton
are now filled with priests exorcising the
devils of the plague and that the people go
through the city In bunds beating gangs
and drums to drive the demons away. At
the hold of ono band was a boy who had
on n hideous dragon mask , and the dragon
boats- which are kept for the- annual dragon
boat festival have been brought out. All
sorts of praying goes on before the dlffi-r-
cait joascs and the ancestral tablets , and
every one connected with the burial of the
dead Is making money , A large class of
merchants sell nothing else but sliver and
gold paper , which Is bought by the families
o ! the dead and Is burned by them over
their craves , with the Idea that this will
supply them with funds for their travels
In the next world. Paper and wooden
cows and horaea are manufactured to be
burned In the same way. and the dealer *
In white goodi will be getting rich. White
Is the color of mournlne In China , and the
family when they repair to the cemetery
wear clothes of while tied on with coarse
rope. They leave food at the graves and
generally send an extra suit of paper
clothes along to keep the corpse warm when
It becomes a ghoul.
FOR EDUCATIONAL REFORM
U. 8 , Commissioner of Education Sola Forth
the Demands of the Hour.
WILL TRAINING AND FREE THOUGHT
Sires * on Ordnr nnd OUclnllno Character
Sluro Itfipnrtant Tlmn Knowledge The
Value of KlnderRitrtpiis Tlio New
iMlirittlnn v * . the Old.
( Copyrighted 1501. )
Careful students of the history of edu
cation have noticed the fact that Its re
form * swing from extreme to extreme. At
one tlmo It will become the fashion to lay
great stress on the training of the will.
PchooU will acordlngly become places where
children nro submitted to seml-mcchanlcal
processes of discipline to the neglect of In
dividual Insight and ability to think. Grad
ually the pendulum will swing to the ether
extreme , nnd discipline will be neglected
for the Intellectual self-activity of the
pupils.
At flrst view It Is astonishing to
see this Incompatibility between will
training and Intellectual development.
Any ono would suppose that the
better the tchool as regards obedi
ence to rule , the formation of
correct habits and the subordination of sel
fish Inclinations to the good of the insti
tution , the better would be the Intellectual
progress. "Intellectual development must
be based on moral character. " It does not
seem possible that there can be such a mis
take as over-education In the direction of
morality and good behavior.
And yet , It has always happened that
schools managed by pronounced disciplin
arians become more or less mechanical In
their methods of Instruction and arc prone
to encourage verbal memorizing rather than
original thought. This , too , U a matter
of race.
STRESS ON ORDER AND DISCIPLINE
The Anglo-Saxon everywhere permits
greater freedom In action to the Individual
citizen tlun Is found compatible with pub-
llo safety among the nations of other race
descent. Perhaps this Is the reason why
the elementary schools in English speaking
countries lay so much stress on order and
discipline. There must be regularity , punc
tuality and silence prompt and willing
obedience to command. This Is carried to
such an extent that the pupil Is constrained
to sit In a certain position , to rise and pass
In military order to his recitation. Even
hi ; physical exercises are conducted like
military drill. In concert , with careful at
tention to words of command.
Tha Anglo-Saxon prepares In school for a
life of self-government by habituating him
self to conform to strict rules of school eti
quette. Ho Is safe If left without police
restraint when he- grows up. His second
nature Is to combine with his fellow men
and keep step with the re t. If he finds
himself shipwrecked on a desert Island with
a few companions , or goes to a borderland
to dig gold , he proceeds at once to organize
a civil community. Where three or more
arc gathered together a local self-govern
ment Is formed In their midst.
Local self-government seems to rest on
mutual toleration of differences. And yet
the typical school of the Anglo-Saxon Is
strict even to the verge of tyranny. Is It
necessary that he youth destined for a self-
governing community shall prepare for It
by forming habits of strict obedience to I
authority ?
A CHRONIC FAILING.
Whatever answer we give to this ques
tion we cannot escape the admission that
the Anglo-Saxon school I ; possessed of a
chronic failng. It always needs reform In
Us methods of Instruction. For If the
teacher Is bending his exertion to secure
this mechanical conformity to prescribed
rules of conduct he Is more than likely to
repress the tendency of the pupil to indi
vidual freedom of thinking. And thlnk-
Ine cannot grow except In freedom. The
teacher will frown upon pert and capri
cious expressions of opinion that vary from
the text book. Differences of opinion from
himself will bo treated as rebellion against
the constituted authority. Those pupils
who reproduce with little variations the
statements of the text book those pupils
who parrot like reproduce the expressed
Ideas of their teacher , will be awarded the
highest "marlu. "
The same training that suffices for the will
when adopted as method of discipline pro
duces second rate Intellects when adopted
as thci method of Instruction. It forms a
habit of Intellect that seeks and ftnda au
thority nnd rests contented. The nature of
the Intellect , however , Is to question au
thority , nnd go behind it to find more ulti
mate grounds. It questions facts and dead
results and goes beyond them for causes. It
is the nature of Intellect to ascend from
things to their causes and to/ rest only when
It reaches an adequate self-cause.
SCIENTIFIC METHODS DESIRED.
This Is an age of science and of the con
quest of nature for the service of man. Sci
entific method Is rapidly coming into repute.
It Is hostile to the method of authority. It
follows that the reaction against old meth
ods of instruction In the school Is more pro
nounced than ever before. It takes the
form of opposition to the- use of text books ;
It prefers the oraf method ; It demands a
substitution of natural science for language
studies ; It uses the development method In
place of memorizing the dead results of
human learning ; talks much about studying
things rather than words. It pushes for
ward the kindergarten and commends the
method of Froebel , which relics wholly on
the self-activity of the child. In the Inter
est of childish needs ami wants It recom
mends plays and games and occupations at
building or construction. It adopts as lit
motto the adage of Comontus : "Learn to
do by doing. " It goes so far as to decry
the mechanical methods of school discipline
In the Interest of arousing the intellect to
original efforts. It sacrifices everything to
make class exercises Interesting to the pupil
and the school a place of delightful self-
activity and entertainment.
The Intellect grows by mastering for It
self the thoughts of others and by Investi
gating causes and principles. Dut the will
grows through self-sacrifice for the sake of
wider and wider Interests. It Is possible ,
therefore , to have two lines of educational
reform antagonistic , each to the other ,
TUB NEW AGAINST THE OLD.
The protest of the new education against
the old education strengthens Its cause by
an appeal to the Importance of comprehen
sion and Insight over mere verbal memory
nnd parrot repetition. Dut It gets so far In
some of Us applications that It develops
weak traits of Us own. It leaves the chil
dren so much to their caprice that they fall
to develop what Is called character or moral
tone. They are self-indulgent and have to
be amused or else do not choose to give
their attention. They are great at play but
good for nothing at real work. They do
not respect the organization of the bchool
In which they are , enrolled and they will not
respect the social whole In which they grow
up. They will pass through life stumbling
over themselves not able to discriminate
their Idiosyncrasies from their rational alms
and purposes or from their moral duties.
In the end even their mastery of scientific
method will not avail to save them from becoming -
coming sour nnd misanthropic. For they will
not be able to combine with their fellowmen
they will have no directive power.
THE REFORMS NEEDED.
I do not know of any educational reform
so much needed as a theory nnd practice of
education which unites and adjusts these two
tendencies that of the old education toward
will-training , and that of the new education
toward Intellectual Insight and power of In
dependent thought.
CHARACTER MORE IMPORTANT THAN
KNOWLEDGE.
For It Is the unconscious conviction of
the advocates of the old education that
character 1s more Important than knowl
edge. This conviction 8eela ( them against
the adoption of the good that the new edu
cation offers. They see something amiss In
the theory of the new education , Dut they
do not realise how fully they could unite
what U good lu both lyntems b/ rigidly con
fining their mechanical methods to disci *
pline or will-training'trtid ' adopting the meth
od * of the new cduraUon for Instruction or
Intellectual education , y This Insight would
also cure th besetting evil of the new edu
cation. The disciplinary side would retain Ita
military exactncsi > wtthout Its harshness ,
for the pupil would bt permitted to under
stand and appreciate. Its motives. On the
other hand , In hla Intellectual work the
teacher would constantly press him toward
original Investigation- which Is the highest
of scholastic methods. ) ,
This reform of reforms H urgently needed
now because of the increasing Influence of
the method of natural tclenco and the consequent
quent tendency to break completely with
tradition. Inasmuch an the Interest of the
pupil Is an essential Horn In effective educa
tion , It Is held by some- that there should be
fren election of studies even In the primary
school. "The pupil thould study only what
Interests him. " "One study Is as good as
another , provided the pupil pursues It with
equal zeal. "
Here we are on the point of losing sight
of the most valuable heritage of the old
education , namely , the Ideal of a liberal or
rounded education which contains within It
the means of opening all the five windows
of the soul. For mathematics and natural
science open only two of these windows ,
while literature opens another nnd history
still n fourth. The fifth window Is opened
by such studies as grammatical syntax , Ionic ,
psychology and philosophical studies. The
course of study adopted Is as a whole some
thing psychologically complete.
The reform of education that I recommend
will discriminate between the Individual nnd
social dements in education nnd provide
amply for the retention of both so ns to
save the moral education of the old and add
to .It the Individuality and self-activity of
the new education.
WILLIAM T. HARRIS.
Washington , D. C.
ix < ir.u > ii.v TJIK man SCHOOL ,
OMAHA , July 5. To the Editor of The
Dee : Is It expected that English In the
Omaha High school will be more than a way
for the different classes to spend pleasantly
a period of every day ? Is It possible to make
English , as n disciplinary study , yield large
results ? What Is the position of English to
be , when compared with that of Greek or
Latin , or even with the modern languages ?
( And let It be understood , once for all ,
that no construction derogatory to the classi
cal course Is to be placed on these lines. It
Is neb less Greek and Latin , but more Eng
lish ! ) Need we hope for a generous enthusi
asm regarding English ? Is It out of the
question to fire the minds of these youths
and maidens with an ambition to be able
to wrlto good English , and to read under
standing and appreciatively the befct thought
expounded In our language ? Is It desirable
to have the sentiment go abroad that Eng
lish Is of Importance , that to know the
thought In our own language Is worth while ?
Whether we answer these questions affirma
tively or negatively will depend , first , upon
the Ideals which the Omaha Illgh school
has set for Itself to realize ; and , secondly ,
upon the demands , or at least the cooperation
tion of the patrons of the school. Is the
school alive to the importance of stimulating
mental activity regarding thought subjects
which our literature presents and defends ?
And does this community , whose Intellectual
center and Impetus , the High school is , urge ,
with sufficient eagerness that the school
shall put forth Its' best' ' effort to stimulate
thought ?
The mere fact that a community organizes
and supoprts , at an enormous expense , a
school llko the High school ought to guaran
tee that the character "of'the education given
to the youth be genuine.- Nothing but thor
ough , appreciative , pmbltous ) work will yield
results In proportion to s"o great a yearly In
vestment. So , also- the mere fact that the
school board employes ! a number of teachers
of English ought to guarantee enlmcntly sat
isfactory results. But the school money ex
pended on- the one- hand , and the teachers
employed on the other , do not necessarily
mean English well taught.
The patron of the pchool must recognize
the necessity of his child's getting In touch
with thought and of _ his understanding the
best products of tlfe literary mind. The
teacher nutst be ablet'to show the pupil that
his Intellectual life will largely depend upon
his intimate and appreciative understanding
of hla own language , for it so happens that
the best thought of the race Is to be found
In our practical English language ; the deep
est , purest thought that has yet been evolved
Is found here. The study of English means
no superficial pastime , no mere pleasure , no
Idle recreation for the sake of culture , so-
called. The systematic study of English
means mental , moral and spiritual aspiration ,
and above all It means that the youth must
read to understand problems which find full
and elaborate statement In our best litera
ture. The restless spirit of the century , the
complex aspects of society , the undercurrent
of thought which evidently marks the char
acter of this present period as transitional
these are set forth and Illuminated In every
good book of the century-
Are teachers and pupils to take hold of
these problems with courage and vigor , and
with manly eagerness endeavor to under
stand them , so that they may later help to
solve them ?
Think you that the High school pupil is
too young , too "inexperienced for such sub
jects ? The large majority of High school/
graduates will never know what these subJects /
Jects mean. If they do not begin their study
while in school. Those who go to colleges
or universities learn the full purport of such
problems. But what of the largo majority
who remain at home ? Are they to go
through life blindly , tossed by every breath
of opinion , without even surmising the sig
nificance of the serious Inquiry of all thought
ful people ? A high-minded and ambitious
human being can no more avoid the earnest
consideration of such questions than he can
avoid human association. In fact , this gen
eration and the next are to solve the problems
which now agitate society , church and state.
A solution of these problems which will
meet the demands of the highest needs of
this complex and troublous time , a solution
which will assure future well-being to so
ciety , must be the result of careful con
sideration and wise interpretation of the con
ditions In the midst of which we find our
selves. How can the great mass of men ,
Ignorant of the Importance and significance
of these problems , help to solve them ?
Where will the youth of the land learn of
these problems It not In the High school ?
History points to the fact that the Anglo-
Saxons have developed along well defined
lines of thought and action , and that the
laws which have governed their development
may be formulated. Their laws are found
written not only In statute books , but In the
institution of organized society , In the state ,
In religion , In art , In philosophy. By the
study of these subjects In their various
phases wise men are made to see tendencies
and are thus able to move along with the
progressive currenti IntulllBcntly. May not
the vigorous , ambltlpuscapable youth of the
Omaha High school , with great benefit to
themselves , and with" large results to the
thinking community , taliei hold of these sub
jects In a modest , ye.t , dftormlned way ? And
why not make the "well of Engllah umle-
flled" the means by Which Inquiry Is en
couraged , ambition 'arony'ed , thought stimu
lated , aspirations exalted so that the Omaha
High school. In spirit a fl In truth , may be
the source of Omaha's moral and Intellectual
and spiritual life ? ' * " _ ' " l > - C. M'GEE.
Edgemont , S. D. baa mne\v ad today.
Ill llrullh thu CIIIIHU lf n Dog's Sulcldo ,
A dog belonging to Jinnes Nuthall , the
engineer of No. 8 enKtac company , deliber
ately committed sulrijjei yesterday afternoon ,
suys the Loulsvlllu CQIirler-Journal. The
dog was a fine setter * and was highly prized
by his owner , The animal had been sick
for several days and acted qucerly , A vacant
lot adjoins the engine house and about 4
o'clock yesterday afternoon , ns Officer Col
lins was pausing the lot , he noticed the dog
running at the fence with great force. The
dog would butt the fence with hln head a
great deal after the fashion of a gaat. A
crowd collected and watched the queer an
tics of the dog for some time. In a short
time the dog's head was all bloody and
bruised. Several men started toward the
animal to take him away from the fence.
The dog ran past the crowd and Into the
street. A cart heavily loaded with brick
was passing at the time. The cart belonged
to Scott Newman. The dog started to run
under the cart , but the colored driver lashed
It with his whip. The dog refused to move ,
though be was whipped severely and the
her Qi knocked htm down and trampled on
him and a wheel of the cirt ran over hU
head. He died In about ten minutes.
RETIRING RETIRING
FROM FROM
BUSINESS BUSINESS
Beautiful
We do not Carpets Good Ihc opportu
want profit , but nity will never
anxious to come again.
close out stock Carpets Cheap Cost cuts no *
at . .
once. figure.
BUY NOW. We Are Closing Out BUY NOW.
Chinaware
at less OUR
than cost net I K
\J \ Vy L
Capes & Suits
less " ' . - . " "
at - i - - = Silks
than cost at less
OIL CLOTHS than cost
MATTINGS. ,
Ribbons at less CARPETS , LINOLEUMS , Dress Goods
than cost - at less
RUGS , MATS , than cost
H andkerchiefs
at 12 ; > Hosiery
than cost AT COST AND at less
than cost
BUSINESS'I
Toilet Articles
at than less , LESS than COST. Laces'
cost at less
than cost
Moquette- WE CAN SAVE YOU
Carpet , Notions
750 yard. 25 t 40 Perent. at than less cost
RETIRING MUST SELL ALL SOON. RETIRING
FROM MAKE YOUR SELECTIONS NOW. FROM
BUSINESS BUSINESS'
FOUNDED m CHRISTIAN LOVE
Something About tha Summer School Ee-
caatly Held at Qrinnoll , la.
i
I
CHARACTERISTICS OF DOCTOR HERRON
An Omiiha Clergyman Attends anil Writes
of the Now 1'olltlcnl Economy Society
Synopsis of the Subjects Dls-
cussccl by the Lecturers.
The summer school of one week which
closed at Grinncll , la. , on Wednesday last ,
vrag the first of Its kind In this country. It
was under the auspices of the American In
stitute of Christian Sociology. Prof. Ely of
the Wisconsin University was Its president
andyProf. J. II. Commons of the University of
Indiana , secretary.
attended by college
/the school was largely
lege presidents and professors , ministers ,
/teachers , specialists In political and munici 1
pal reform work from widely separated parts
of the country. All of the lecturers belong
to the new school of political economy. The
old doctrine of justified selfishness , nnd let
ting everything drift along In a fatalistic
optimism on the lalssey falrc principle ( fa
and the Christian
both altka rejected by thorn
tian principal of love Is made the basis of a
new political economy.
A remarkable coincidence of thought and
plan were noticeable In the lectures , though
most of the men met each other for the first
time on this platform.
The lion of this tribe was Dr. Herron ,
whose commencement oration caused such a
stirring of thought In Lincoln and through
out thu country. >
Dr. Herron is a very mild-mannered , gen
tle spirited man to be suspected of anarch
istic notions. The people of Grlnnell , among
whom he has lived and taught for a year ,
do not regard htm as In the least dangerous.
Ho Is noted mainly for keeping them thinking
the fundamentals of religion and so
ing on
little. He
ciety. I looked up his history a
la 32 years old , was a newsboy In his early
, and being of nervous , delicate mold ,
years Insudlclently nourished , and had a hard
time was of It. He afterwards became a printer
and started In for a course of training In
Illpon college , Wisconsin. His health failed
In his senior year , and he was not permitted
under Dr. Newman
to finish. Ho read theology
man , then a pastor In Hlpon , and now of
In northern -
Washington , and began preaching
orn Ohio. Afterwards he was pastor of a
church In Lake City , WIs. , and It was while
notoriety through
hero ho came first Into
"The Message of
his address In Chicago on
Jesus to Men of Wealth. " This was about
four years ago. His took. "Tho Larger
Christ , " brought him more fully Into view ,
and since then his pen has been untiring ,
and several noteworthy and widely read
books and addresses have come from his
hotly passioned soul. Ho Is an omnivorous
reader.
He gave addresses on "The Justice of
Love , " "Tho Social Order of the Communion
" and "Thy Kingdom
of the Holy Ghost ,
Come , " In the school. In these ho empha
sized the Immanence of God , that Ho Is In all
llfo , what wo are used to call secular as
well as sacred , and all life should bo lifted
that the commonest
to such a high plane
acts will become religious , and through them
have communion with God , He urged
we
that family , social , municipal , state and na
tional affairs should be adjusted on the
principal of love , and this he calls the jus
tice , or adjustment of love.
He teaches that men should be conscious
of their fellow men , their needs , their sins ,
shortcomings , shame , wrongs , entering so
fully Into the sin of society and feeling so
keenly for It that the sin of society Is made
to be their own ,
This entering Into social life ho calls the
social consciousness.
In emphasizing the necessity and obliga
tions of justice , U U not so much what
others owe us , but what we owe them. So-
clal wrongs can only be righted when men
approach each other In this spirit , not seek
ing to have righted the wrongs he thinks
he Is suffering , but the wrongs he Inflicts on
others. This Is the only possible cure for
Cio conflict between labor and capital , the
adjuslmriit of love. i
In M * treatment of the prayer , "Thy
Kingdom Como , " he placed great emphasis
upon a profound conviction of sin , personal
sin , and the aln and particular ilns of so-
duty , the needs of God's kingdom , faith In
the practicability of It , and that It we are
In earnest In the prayer , we should offer our
selves to bring In the kingdom. I have rend
the address delivered In Lincoln , have talked
personally with Dr. Herron and with Presi
dent Gates of the college where he teaches ,
I fall utterly to find anything which has
any more rescm-blanca to anarchy than the
teachings of Jesus.
It la true that very strong and radical ut-
terance has been given to his fervent con- ,
vlctlons as to the social selfishness and po
litical corruption of our day.
Sometimes the church has been arraigned
with even greater severity.
Between the lines I read and back of all I
see that this nineteenth century prophet
loves God and has a consuming passion for
men and has only one purpose. the
hastening of that golden day of perfect In
dividual and social life of which his optimis
tic soul has had a vision. The strain upon
his health during the past few months , giv
ing lectures , getting books ready for the
press and meeting the wear of conflicting
thought line almost broken his health. He
Is now on the vray to Germany for a few
weeks of rest.
Dr. Thomas C. Hall , the son of the great
Dr. John Hall of New York and at one time
on Omaha pastor , now of the Fourth Presby
terian church , Chicago , gave very Interesting
lectures on "Tho Four Laws of the King
dom. " These were the laws of love , labor ,
service , sacrifice. Dr. Hall Is a fervent ,
impetuous , eager speaker of thrilling power.
The most startling allusion was to the
pardon of the anarchists by Governor Alt-
geld , In which ha justified him and ex
pressed the belief that such an exhibition of
mercy If given even as soon as they were
convicted , not an an expression of weakness
or fear on the part of the courts , but as
an act of forbearance , warning and mercy
would have gene further toward repressing
anarchy than the severe measures of the
death penalty.
Dr. Hall touched upon almost every phase
of modern social , ecclesiastical , industrial
and political life for Illustrations In the ap
plications of these laws of the kingdom.
Dr. John P. Coyle of North Adams , Mass. ,
gave seven lectures on "The Hebrew Spirit , "
In which he treated the development of the
Hebrew people , the person of Jesus and the
growth of Christianity from the standpoint
of the scientific evolutionist. For forceful ,
vigorous , wide-reaching thought these were
the highest , deepest , broadest of all.
Archdeacon Cliarlej J. Woods of Penn
sylvania treated In a very Interesting way the
sociological aspect of theology , taking up
the great dogmas of the trinity , the Incarna
tion and the communion. On Sunday mornIng -
Ing he preached the sermon before the school
on "The Message of the Spirit to the
Churches. "
Prof. John R , Commons of the chair of
political economy In the Indiana university
has been called by some the Adam Smith of
American economic thought.
Prof. Commons Is a young man , but he
has won his spurs In two -books of great
value on "The Distribution of Wealth" and
"Social Problems and the Church. "
His course Included a treatment of the
distribution of wealth , the margin of cultiva
tion , personal rights , taxation and money.
Ho says the newer political economy must
not become a mere matter of enthusiasm ,
nor can It discard the older tschool of thought ,
but rather treat the whole subject from the
social rather than the ImllvlclnntlRtlc stand
point. Prof. Commons believes In the study
of economics , "for , " said he , "when I studied
theology I became an atheist and when I
studied political economy I became a Chris
tian. "
President G. A. Gates lectured on capital
punishment , In which he took strong ground
against It , reviewing Its history from the
earliest times.
Mr. Neelcy , a lawyer of Burlington , la. ,
discussed the profession of law hi the light
of the teachings of Jesus and made out a
pretty strong plea for the legal profession.
Prof. Macey of Iowa college addressed
the school on "The lllnlory of Democracy , "
In answer to a question at the close of
the lecture he expressed hli convictions that
the next thlni ? tr > bo done IH for the govern
ment to get Into Its nojgcslan the great na
tional natural monopolies , such as railroads
and telegraph lines , nnd for monopolists to
abiorb the local monopolies. He urged that
experiments In this line In European and
other countries entirely justify this plan.
Most of the lecturers have agreed to re
turn next year In the summer school to be
held again In Grlnnell at that time. The
American Institute held Its annual meeting
and elected Ilev. Joalah Strong of New York
as president and Dr. William H. Tolman of
New York secretary.
The ctmlr of Applied Christianity , occupied
by Prof. Herron In Iowa college , was some
what endangered by the severe criticism
which hla utterances provoked throughout the
I country. The trustees of the college went
over the whole matter with great care and
voted to sustain the professorship , though
they took exceptions to some of the radical
expressions which emanate therefrom. Dr.
Herron has only nominal connection as one
of the counsel with the American Institute of
Sociology and exercises no directing or
controlling Influence upon Its work. So
that those who are Interested In the society
who take any exception to his teaching will
bo In no way embarrassed thereby.
GUEGOIIY J. POWELL.
CO.V.Y UJir.ir.lTlKD.
In Kansas they say a young fellow Is sweet
on a girl when he helps her to pen the pigs.
In lower Canada the ardent habitant begs
a wooden shoo from his sweetheart to keep
his tobacco In.
In Texas that absent-mindedness which de
notes love Is attributed to a young man who
forgets his revolver when he goes to a dance.
"How about your cousin Fred ? " "Oh , wo
are as good as engaged. Yesterday ho told
mamma ho was tired of eating In restau
rants. "
He I hope you do not doubt the warmth
of my affection for you ? She If you have
any affection at all. It must be warm tfils
sort of weather.
If a Kentucky maiden steals the little silk
bow from the lining of a young man's hat.
and wears 1C In her shoe she expects him to
propose within a month.
Minnie Hero Is a story about a. girl who
refused to marry a man because his com
plexion didn't match her hair. Mamie
Goodness. The silly thing must hove thought
that married people had to be together most
of the time.
A New York engagement of widespread In
terest was that of Miss Florence Bayard
Lockwood , daughter of Mr. Ilenonl Lockwood ,
to Mr. C. Grant La Fargo , a son of John La
Farge , the painter , and ono of the architects
of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Mrs. Dr. Spencer of Indiana holds the mar
rying record , having had eleven husbands.
U Is said that she knows more good excuses
for coming home late at night than any
other woman In the world.
"All weddings seem Just alike , " exclaimed
one girl. "They are frightfully common
place. " "Yes. When Herbert and I are
married wo are resolved on a startling de
parture. " "What Is that ? " "Wo will have
a wedding which won't bo described In the
society columns as 'quiet. ' "
Thu marriage of Miss Mary Donnelly to
Mr. Charles Astor Brlsted , great grandson of
the original John Jacob Astor , was the Juno
event In New York swell circles. The brldo
received many gorgeous jewels among her
wedding gifts , Including a tiara , which can
bo detached Into small ornaments for the
corsage. Its design la of the acorn and oak
leaves , the acorns being huge pearls and the
foliage of diamonds. Although this ornament
IH said to have once belonged to the Borghoso
family , the acorn has Its significance In the
Astor family.
lrlttliitt | < is of Cnul
How many years must elapse before we
are compelled to use briquettes of coal dust
and pitch'as fuel it Is Impossible to pre
dict , says the Globe-Democrat , but It Is
highly probable that In the east , at least ,
this practice will come Into vogue before
long. Over In England such briquettes are
already In common use , and one enterprising
manufacturer of machinery has recently
brought out an apparatus by which the retail
coal dealers may make up the dust of their
yards Into these cakes ut the rate of half a
ton an hour. The machine does not occupy
much room , requires little power and U
largely automatic. The coal dust
and binding material , usually pitch ,
are fed Into a mixing and measur
ing machine , which mixes them together
In the proper proportion. Then the mass
falls Into a disintegrator , where It In ground
up and mixed some more. From thin dis
integrator a belt conveyor lifts the panto
Into a vertical heater whore steam Is nioj
to raise the temperature of the mass until
It Is sticky. Then It U ted along to still
another pulverizing and grinding appar
atus , which finally discharges It Into molds.
Here It Is Bubjectcd to a pressure of about
two tons to the iquaro Inch , which U mi 111-
clent to turn out a square cjko of fuel
weighing anywhere from three-quarters of
a pound to three pounds , a * may bo de
sired. The briquettes are usually ioli ] to
small consumers by number rnthor than
weight , and on this account the builder of
the machine has token particular care to -it
produce an apparatus which , though gmall , l
will turn out a uniform product.
Pllli that cure sick Deaflacus ! Do'WItl'j
Little Early lUaen. _ ;
The Jersey City Board of Education got
tired of waiting for a olgarette-nmaklnK
school principal to dV > a natural death n4
unceremoniously discharged hint.