4
THE OMAIIA DAILY BEE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1907.
THE Omaha Daily Bee
FOUNDED BT EDWARD ROBBWATZR.
VICTOR ROBEWATIB, EDITOR. -
Filtered at Omaha Postofflc eond
elaa matter.
TERMS OP SUBSCRIPTION!
Dally Bee (without Sunday). on yar..4n0
Dally he and Bundy, on year J0
Sunday Bes i year.... f-J
Saturday He, one year 10
DEUVEMD BT CARRIER:
Pally Pee (Including Sunday), per week.l&e
Dally lies (without Sunday), per week..Wc
Kvenlng Be (without Sunday), per week M
Evening Iw (with Hunday). per week...1X
Address all complaint of Irregularities
In delivery tor City Circulation Department
OFFICES.
Omaha Th Bee Hollaing.
South Omaha City Hall Building.
Council muffs li gcott Street.
Chicago 1M t'mver.ity Building.
New fork 1606 , Home Ufa Inauranc
Building.
Washington 72f Fourteenth Street N. W.
CORRESJONDENCE.
Communication relating to newa and edl
torlal matter should be. addressed, Omaha
Bee, Editorial B-eparflment.
REMITTANCES. .
Remit by draft, express or postal order
payable to The Bee Publishing Company.
Only 2-cenl stamps received In payment of
tnall account. 1 ereodul check, except on
Omaha or eastern; exchange, not aocepted.
STATEMENT OP CIRCULATION.
Slat of Kebraska, Douglas County. . :
Charlea C. hottntlir, ganeral manager
of The Be Publishing Company, being
duly aworn, aays tnat the actual number
of full and complete copies of The Dally,
Morning, Evening and Sunday Be printed
during the month of November, 17, waa
as follow: .
1 87.000 1 37.430
87,820. JT 84B0
38,800 II 3MB0
aifiao it 07,430
a,8Q to 37090
..., s,seo 21 a970
7.......... 37.330 21 Z7.300
I 07,840 SI 37,380
37,890, J 4 30,100
10 3900 tl 37,680
11 87,630 ! 37,000
12 .,37,730 17, 37440
II 87,380 ' it..; 38,040
14 87,350 ID 38,880
li ,.. 87,800 10, 87,880
Total 1,133,430
Lest unsold and returned coplea. 10,168
Net Total. 1,113,25a
Dally average... . 37,108
CHARLES C. ROSE WATER,
General Manager.
Subscribed In my preaence and aworn to
before in thla 2d jay of December, 19U7.
ROBERT HUNTER,
Notary Publlo,
wuEir out or towr.
8abcrlbr Icmvlaar tke city taa
porarlly should hare The) Bee)
mailed to them. Addreaa will
changed aa of tern mm reo.aeatad.
Merry Xmaa to you.
Thank you. Bame to you.
It la bad form to look a Christmas
gift Jn the price tag.
The open season for plum pudding
will last several weeks yet.
The president admits that ho was
goldbrlcked by Ooldfleld, but will not
bite twlco. 1
"Beer Is going up," says the Mil
waukee Sentinel. That Is not the
usual course of 'beer In Milwaukee.
Historians will have to give Santa
Claus. the credit for curing people of
the hoarding habit In the near-panlo
of 1007. .
Booker Washington advises colored
men to give their wages to their wives.
White men are not debarred from ac
cepting the same advice.
Tom Lawson now asserts that he Is
m stock market wolf. Tom has been
trying for a long time to make some
statement that would go unchallenged.
An Oklahoma man was defeated for
speaker of the legislature because he
wore a tall linen collar. Wonder If
his successful rival wears a brass col
lar. .
"Japan Is not worrying over the
movements of the American fleet,"
says Baron Aoki. Naturally not.
Japan does not has to pay the coal
bins.
The fight between Congressmen Wil
liams and De Armond has served to
call attention to the fact that demo
crats have some places on the house
committees.
Several Juloy Christmas plums con
fldently expected in Nebraska from the
appointive powers at Washington,
seem, for unexplained reasons, to have
been delayed In the malls.
Dividend payments for January will
amount to about 1180,000,000, an In
crease of S0,000,000 over January of
last year. The recipient will have no
cause for worry or complaint.
Official reports show that Uncle Sam
has 2,600 Islands In the Philippines,
Instead of the 1,800 originally reported
la the deed from Spalu. Those Span
lards have always been tricky traders.
Two-thirds of the girls who go on
the stage should be In the kitchen
cooking," says the. Birmingham Age-
Herald. U would not. do. The coun
try Is already suffering enough from
bad cooking.
While Admiral Evens N t. im- - -
,ood share of; the time light, he Is
fortunate-la uot telug bu0,t,i .
the dttuocratio presidential nomination
or having a house given to him by ad
miring Americans.
The' British war minister asserts
tUat England must keep a navy equal
to the combined navy of Germany and
the United States. This naval busi
ness threatens to resolve Itself into a
matching of purses.
Nearly every steamer from Europe
Ivlngs .ofer u. number of young women
who are io become the wives of Immi
grants who have" made a stake and m
btart is the, new: world. There Is no
iertl U immigration of that kind.
- CltltllTMjSi -'
Away, with the man whose Icono-
clasm leads him to dig into musty rec
ords in search of the origin of Christ
mas. Suppose the an clients did have a
holiday, a carnival, a saturnalia, along
about this time of the year?. It merely
supports other evidence that the an
cients were wise In their day. And
what if the twenty-fifth day of Decem
ber does not coincide exactly with the
time fixed by some of the students for
the historic assembly at Bethlehem?
Is It not enough that the Christ child
was born, and that with Ilia name the
world now associates the most joy
ous Of all festivals?
This Is a day of gladness and re
joicing, when for once the heart Is
open, and there Is more joy In giving
than In receiving. Has the day out
grown its original purpose? Hardly,
Time was, no doubt, when
' A Christmas gambol oft would cheer
.The poor man's heart through half the
year.
But mankind has progressed since
that day, and so has Christmas. The
gambol may be forgotten In the cares
that press the day following, but the
spirit of Christmas survives, and the
unquestioned influence of the day Is
likely to linger long Into the later com
ing months. If it softens any of life's
asperities, if It smooths a single fur
row from the brow pf care, it Is a good
hpllday.
But Christmas Is doing more' than
this. It Is the culmination, perhaps,.
of the year in respect for doing good
to others. The altruistic aspect of so-
ciety is more than ever a dominant
factor in the progress "of "'the race.
Mankind is dally seeking more' and
more to do good, merely for the sake
of doing good. Christmas is a day -on
which this Is more apparent,' but the
Christmas spirit Is gradually 'extend
ing over the world, so that all man
kind feels Its uplift daily. . . .
JAfiVjRT DtVWEXDl?.
Estimates by financial experts of
January dividend and interest pay
ments Indicate that, in spite of defer
ments and reductions due to the re
cent financial flurry, the total will be
something like $20,000,960 in excess
of those for January last year.
Analysis of the figures is particu
larly Interesting as showing that the
legitimate interests of the country
have been reasonably prosperous, how
ever unfortunate have been the results
of dealings in speculative seurltles.
Most of the copper company dividends
have been reduced and some of them
passed, but this is iue almost entirely
to stock manipulation, the conceal
ment of facts relating to overproduc
tion and the failure to maintain com
bine prices in face of a falling de
mand. Increased dividends have been
ordered in fifteen of the largest man
ufacturing corporations, chiefly those
making textile fabrics.!
' 'Notwithstanding "all complaints by
railway managers against the opera
tion of federal and state laws, the div
idend payments of railroad companies
will be largely in excess of thc-W of
January, 1906. which was one of the
boBt months In the history of Ameri
can transportation ' interests. The
Lake Shore, the Michigan Centra), the
Santa Fe, the ' Chicago' & Tiorthwest
ern, the Union Paciflcf. tW Pennsyl
vania, and the Atlantic Coast line
have increased their dividend rates
and the record fails to show 'any road
of importance that has failed to meet
all fixed dividend charges. '
The banking interests, so far as re
ported, have had a normally good
year and dividends will be as liberal
as usual. With an easier money 'mar
ket, a lower cost of raw materials and
a possible reduction in the cost of la
bor from the extreme high level makes
the outlook for the railroads and in
dustrial companies for 'the coming
year reasonably bright. 4
MR. TAFT ON THf FHILITPIUKB.
The one disturbing feature of Sec
letary Taft's verbal .report on the con
ditions n the Philippines is that the
society of busybodies down at Boston,
known as the anti-Imperialist league,
is still doing much harm s the islands
by its attempts to make- the Filipinos
believe that they are ready for self
government and that a Bryanlte vic
tory in the United States next year
would be followed by immediate inde
pendence. The secretary asserts that
agents of this . Boston society , have
gone to the extent of urging the Fili
pinos to open revolt agalust American
rule in the Islands and has 'assured
them that such action would meet
with the approval of the majority of
the- American people. '
Secretary Tatt is not given to mak
ing groundless charges -and Ms state
ments are doubtless .capable of being
supported by trustworthy evidence. In
that event, the Boston clique is en
gaged )u a high-handed justness that
should be properly labulled. Mr. Taft'a
report on couditlons In the islands
must be accepted by the- American
people as coming from the highest au
thority. He was the first governor
general of the archipelago and has
done more than any other mau to ad
vance the progress made by the Fili
pinos since their release from Spain.
On his recent visit, he saw the Fili
pinos assembled in a lawmaking body
of their own. He talked with leaders
and visited the Interior, where he ob
served the development of the agricul
tural and other resources of the Islands.
As the result of these observations and
conferences, the secretary declares
that the Filipinos, while making rapid
progress in all lines, will not be ready
for self-government . for . years and
mu6t, in the meantime, have the sup
port, protection and encouragement of
the American government. "-He urges
that congress should legislate for the
Filipinos in a spirit of liberality and
helpfulness and thus disarm the agi
tators who are spending time and
money to thwart the American policy.
The great majority of our people
will accept Secretary Taft'a report of
Philippine conditions without question.
While the problem Is most trouble
some,. It will have to be solved In an
enlightened manner and willful inac
tion on our part can not fall to hinder
rather than help attaining the ulti
mate result
(TAXIED-CHRISTIAN BABITT.
in every civilized land throughout
the world the Christmas tide Is a sea
son for manifesting the spirit of true
Christian' charity. The Christmas fes
tival Is supposed to emphasise the
teachings or Christ calling for for
giveness and help to unfortunate hu
manity. But the Christmas celebra
tion, In this year of our Lord 1907,
comes upon Cmaha In the wake of an
exhibition of almost Incredible cruelty
wantonly perpetrated by professed
Christians. that would do vio
lence to the darkest era of
the middle ages. A crusade
instituted uuder the false banner of
relorm has set out upon the street in
midwinter, without a moment's warn
ing notice, three-score and more social
outcasts who, yet after all, are women
formed in the image of their Creator,
apparently for no other reason than
that they had become tenants of a
landlord who had fallen into disfavor.
The social evil is a subject which It
is difficult to discuss In the hearing of
indiscriminate ears, but the social evil
Is an institution which we have always
had with us and which in all proba
bility will persist until the mlllenlum.
People may disagree as to what treat
ment should be accorded the unfor
tunates of the half word, but there
can be no disagreement that they are
entitled to be treated with considera
tions of humanity and that any ef
forts In their behalf should be directed
not to their effacement, but to their re
demption and to the alleviation of the
bitterness of their sad lots.
As in some of our larger cities, the
long established practice in Omaha has
been to segregate these people in a
proscribed district where they may ob
trude least upon the public and carry
on their existence subject to police
surveillance, with the smallest harm
to the community. In Omaha the pol
icy has always been to leave it to these
poor women to determine for them
selves how they should live whether
as independent occupants of their hab
itations or as members of a house of
bondage. If this policy is wrong it
should be changed, but it should be
changed deliberately and with due re
gard for the rights of tboBe affected.
It should not be changed over night
by the summary arrest and penalising
of the "wretched tenants of a particular
landlord and arbitrary edict against
return to their poor apology for a
home, which yet to them Is the only
home they have.
In the discussion of the social evil
and more especially in relation to the
recent outbreak of fanaticism and
malice here in Omaha, well-meaning
but misled reformers who are .willing
to see the other side can have their
eyes opened by reading what that
great moral philosopher William Ed
ward Hartpole Lecky, has to say in
his "History of European Morals,"
from which the following brief extract
Is, taken:
"Under these circumstances there
"has arisen in society a figure which
"is certainly the most mournful, and
"In some respects, the most awful
"upon which the eye of the moralist
"can dwell. That unhappy being
"whose very name is as shame to
"speak, who counterfeits with a cold
"heart the transports of affection, and
"submits herself as the passive instru
ment of lust, who is scorned and In
"suited as the very vilest of her sex,
"and doomed, for the most part, to
"disease and abject wretchedness and
"an early death, appears in every age
"as the perpetual symbol of the deg
radation and sinfulness of man. Her
"self the supreme type of vice, she is
"ultimately the most efficient guard
ian of virtue. But for her, the un
challenged purity of countless happy
"homes would be polluted, and not a
"few who. In the pride of their un
"tempted chastity, think of her with
"an indignant shudder, would have
"known the agony of remorse and de
"spair. On that one degraded and lg
"noble form are concentrated passions
"that might have filled the world with
"shame. She remains while creeds
"and civilizations rise and fall, the
"eternal priestess of humanity,
"blasted for the stns of the people."
Congress will try hard to adjourn
before the middle of June in- order
that members may get away to attend
the big nominating conventions. That
means that the regular legislation will
have to be crowded along and take the
right-of-way to the exclusion of all
new measures except those of the
utmost Importance. The last congress
was known for Its record of great
achievements, but the present con
gress Is more apt to distinguish itself
by doing little or nothjng.
Those high priced water board at
torneys took care to draw their Christ
mas presents in advance. The aggre
gate payments to John L. Webster out
of the water fund to date foot up
(21,000 in round figures and those of
C. C. Wright foot up $14,000. with
more to come.
Representative Burgess of Texas
wants a currency commission ap
pointed to report to the next session
of congress. Members are beginning
to admit that currency legislation at
thla session Is by no means assured.
A Gvewlaaj Feeling.
Indianapolis Newa.
Judging from the evidence before the
interstate commerce commissioner, the
Shippers have come to feel that the rail
roads are overdoing It with their all-the-trafflc-wllt-bear
policy.
Deferred VaadeTllle.
Minneapolis Journal.
Mer. Flah and Harahan having ad
pourned their vaudeville stunt to March
t, many people wonder whether this Inter
eating pair of peraona ever expect to get
beyond the typewriter stage of combat.
A SoperOona (aaeatloa.
New Vorlt Post
The queatlon whether a corporation can
advertise to practice medicine has been
brought before the courts. If there la one
thing which a corporation cannot do In
this country we alkali bo glad to hear of It.
Marvelona ratleace.
Chicago Record-Horald.
The treasurer of a Canadian railroad has
confessed that' he haa been stealing from
the company for eighteen years, having in
that time taken UHO.WO. It will be difficult
for some of our American grafters to
understand how any one could possibly ex
ercise such patience.
(beer I n.
New YorK Herald.
The panic Is behind us; Its WT?ckage Is
being rapidly cleared away and there are
bright skies and good times ahead of us.
Those who have been "hit" should cheer
up, and those who are unhurt should loosen
their purse strings, and all of us should
present cheerful faces to our neighbors
and a cheerful word and gift to the un
fortunate and make It for ourselves and
others "A Merry Christmas."
Ilnalneas Hlahtlag Itself.
Philadelphia Record.
-Trad la not booming as It did before
the panic. This Can be seen with ialf
an eye. It would be folly to deny It. On
the other hand. It would be quite as fool
ish to Insist that the setback has stopped
the wheels. There Is no longer a roaring,
heedless, onward rush; but there Is a
steady volume of wholesale and retail
transactions that will compare favorably
with the business of soberer years when
the tide of prosperity was not In so large
part made up of speculative foam. There
has been a slowdown; but no stoppage.
The business of the country Is righting
Itself as fast as could be expected and
facing the new situation with courage
and confidence.
SIGNIFICANCE OK THE! DAY.
Th Christmas Menace of "Universal
Brotherhood.
Cardinal Gibbons In New York World.
The nativity of Christ the Lord ushers
into the world the Christian religion, which
proclaims among many other things the
law of universal brotherhood. Unlike th
sanguinary faith of Mohammed, which sub
sists only under despotic rule, and which
demands the surrender. .of one's faith as
the highwayman demands the traveler's
purse, at the point of the sword, the
Christian religion flourishes under every
system of government, from an absolute
monarchy to the freest republic. Unlike
the school of the pagan philosophers, which
was restricted to a narrow circle of dis
ciples, the Gospel of Christ is proclaimed
to Jew and Gentile, Greek and barbarian,
to bond and free. Like the air of heaven,
which ascends the highest mountain and
descends Into the deepest valley, vivifying
the face of nature. has .the Christian
religion permeated every statum of Society,
purifying and Invigorating the moral world.
It haa a message for the capitalist and
the laborer, for the master and the ser
vant, for the rich and for the poor. In the
words of St. James, It warns the capitalist
against the sin of labor oppression r "Be
hold the hire of your laborers who have
reaped down your fields, which by fraud
has. been kept back by you, crleth: and
the cry of them hath entered Into the ears
of the Lord of Babaoth" (St. James, v., 4).
It admonishes the laborer to perform his
work with fidelity, "not serving to the eye,
as It were pleasing men, but doing the will
of God from the heart." The most enlight
ened political enonomlst never formulated
a sentence so simple, so. comprehensive, so
effectual, as Is contained In these words:
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
This principle. If properly applied, wquld
solve every labor problem that perplexes
the minds of statesmen.
"NO SANTA CLAlISt"
"Thank God I He Live and Will I.lve
Forever "for Children."
New York Bun.
Dear Editor: I am I years old. Some of
my little friends say there Is no Santa
Claua. '
Papa says, "If you see It In the Bun,
It's so."
Please tell me the truth. Is there a Banta
ClausT VIRGINIA HANLON.
115 West Fifty-fifth street.
Virginia your little friends are wrong.
They have been affected by the skepticism
of a skeptical age. They do not believe,
except they see. They think that nothing
can be which Is not comprehensible by
their little minds. All minds, Virginia,
whether they be men's or children's are
little. In this great universe of ours man
la a mere Insect, an ant. In his Intellect,
a compared with, the boundless world
about him, as measured by the Intelligence
capable of grasping the whole of truth
and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there IS a Banta Claus. Ho
exists as certainly as love and generosity
and devotion exist, and you know that they
abound and give to your life Its highest
beauty and Joy. Alas! how dreary would
be the world If there were no Banta Claus!
It would be as dreary as if there were no
Virginias. There would be no childlike faith
then, no poetry, no romance to make tol
erable this existence. We should have no
enjoyment, except In sense and sight. The
eternal light with which childhood fills the
world would be extinguished.
Not believe In Santa Claus! You might
as well not believe In fairies! You mlxht
get your papa to hire men to watrh in all
the chimneys on Christinas eve to catch
Baijta Claus, but even If they did not see
Banta Claus coming down, what would
that prove? Nobody sees Banta Claus, but
that is no sign that there Is no Bantu
Claus. Th most real things In the world
are those that neither children nnr mn
can aee. Did you ever see fairies dancing
on the lawn? Of Bourse not. but that's
no proof that they are not there. N-ibody
can conceive or Imagine all the wondeis
there are unseen and unseeable In the
world. k
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see
what makes the noise inside, hut there la
a veil covering the unseen world which
not the strongest man, nor even the united
strength of all the strongest men that ever
lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy
poetry, love, romance, can puh aside that
curtain and view and picture the supernal
beauty and glory beyond. Is It all real?
Ah. Virginia. In all this world there Is
nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Clausl Thank Ood! he lives,
aiij he Uvea forever. A thousand year
from now, Virginia; nay, ten times ten
thousand years from now, he will continue
to mak glad th beart of childhood.
roKTIC SRNTIMKNT OF Till DAY
That Sweet Story et Old.
I've read the deareat story.
Of a baby In the hay.
Who looked at all th bossy cows
Thst stood not far away.
They put Him In the manger
And covered Him with straw;
11 was the dearest baby.
Mamma, you ever aawl
I wonder If He liked It.
To see the stars so brlaht.
And did He cry. I wonder.
When they peeped In at night.
His name was meant to please ua
Such a beautiful, sweet word.
His name, mamma, Is Jesus,
The sweetest ever heard.
In my book I resd the story,
This very afternoon.
And It Jold me of His glory;
Please try to read It, soon.
Chicago. M. ELIZABETH PARSON.
The Christmas Feeling;.
It always comes at Christmas time, the
tugging at the heart.
The memories that run to rhyme without
the rhymester's art,
A little song that feels Its way along the
path of sound.
Now low and sad, now swift and gay, un
til the chord Is found.
And all the winds are singing It and all
the bells are ringing It
Wherever we may wander and wherever
we may roam
Its measures come enthrallng us. Its lilt
ing cadence calling us
With never any other than the simple word
of "Home."
It always comes when days draw near
when hearts are young again,
When each Is wafting words of cheer to
ward his fellow men,
The humble song that claims no grace of
form, or thought, or style,
But In whose rhythm we may trace the
sunshine and the smile
The heart is ever beating It, the lips, too,
are repeating It;
It finds its way to all of us across th
sands and foam.
And back along the olden ways, the un
forgutten golden ways, i
We haste In memory, led by the simple
word of "Home."
The holly berries gleaming red, the swept
and garnished floor.
The children romping overhead, the
stranger at the door,
The welcome In the clasping hand, the
lovellght In the eyes
It came to us In every land as dreams
unbidden rise,
Its murmered strains must capture us, so
dulcet they and rapturous;
Such words as are not written In the most
Impressive tomi
The simple words, the clinging ones, the
soothing and the singing ones
Are all blent In the heartbeats to the cheery
word of "Home."
It always comes at Christmas time and
finds us where we are,
Though we have sought an alien clime be-
neath an alien star.
Though we have wandered far and wide,
sought much and found it not.
It comes across the wind and tide, this
cadence unforgot, ... ,,
And all the bells are ringing it and all
the breeses flinging It ...
Wherever we may wander and whatever
ways we roam
It comes all surely seeking us, with mem
ories bespeaking us,
With never any Bweeter than the slmpl
word of "Home."
Chicago Post.
Story of the Holly Sprig.
"I'd be the shiniest green,"
Wished once a sprig of holly
"That e'er at Yule waa seen.
And deck some banquet Jolly I
"I'd be the cheeriest red."
Wished once the holly berry,
"That e'er at board rich spread
Helped make the feasters merry!
The life within them heard
Down dark and silent courses.
For each wish Is a word
To those far-hidden sources.
All summer In the wood.
While they were riper growing,
The deep roots understood.
And helped without their knowing.
In a little market stall
. At Yule the sprig lay waiting,
' For fine folk on and all
Passed by that open grating.
The eve of Christmas day
It had been passed by many.
When one turned not away
And bought It for a penny.
Hers was a home of care
Which not a wreath made Jolly;
The only Christmas there
Waa that sweet sprig of holly,
"Oh, this is better far
That banquet!" thought the berryi .
The leaves glowed like a star
And made that cottage merry!
Arthur Upson In St. Nicholas.
At the Manger.
When first, her Christmas watch to keep.
Came down the silent Angel, Sleep,
With snowy sandals shod.
Beholding what his mother's hands
Had wrouaht, with softer swaddling bands
Bhe swathed the Son of God.
Then, skilled In mysteries of Night,
With tender visions of delight
Bhe wreathed his resting place,
Till, wakened by a warmer glow
Than heaven Itself had yet to show.
He saw his mother's face.
John B. Tadd In the Atlantic
The Poor Millionaire.
In these, your days of Christmas cheer.
When all your world Is bright and fair,
Find time, good folks, to drop a tear
Of pity for the millionaire.
He doesn't know the simple Joys
Of ante-Chrletmas shopping time,
Of picking over gifts and toys
To find a bargain for a dime;
Of making out the list at night
To see what money's left -in spend,
Perhaps to ponder If you might
Be safe to cut a certain friend
Who hadn't sent you anything
Last time, though yoc remembered him
Ah! then the Joy of rummaging
In closets for old toys to trim
The tree this year. That Christmas treat
Poor millionaire! he doesn't know
The ecstacy of you and me
Who drag U homeward through th snow.
He doesn't know the Joy that lies
In saving, planning weeks ahead
For turkev and for m'nee-meat pies
With which your table's to be spread.
In these, your days of Christmas cheer,
When all your world is bright and fair.
Give thank, good folks and drop a teaf
Of pity for the millionaire.
T. A. DALY.
Thla Is th Day.
Oh, say!
Th' Is Christmas day!.
And no matter
tf you feel flatter
Tban a flounder,
Cheer up and you'll feel rounder.
L'sten! Uaten! Hear the kids!
All of them have got their lids
Ripped e'eon off; and oh! dnnt they
Keep wide open Christmas day?
Miirhty little makes a child
1 augh and clan Us hands like wild.
Give that little; go bojit
Hunting all the youngsters out.
F.very k'd Is full of tuff
That will answer quick enough;
! has gi-t the laugha if you
Will touch them off by what you d
See?
A ml there are others grown-ups
Whose cups
Are bitter; say.
rirup In some sweet today.
rarn vour gloomy skin,
Butt In!
And even If you do think
Ctirlnrnns Is on the blink.
Don't show It
And nobody will know !t.
Cheer un If you can't cher yourself
Cheer somebody else; come off the shelf
And mlnule awhile
And somebody will hsnd you a pleasant
smile.
If yrni can't use It yourself
1'as.t It along:
It on't go wrong.
something fur somebody;
Darn you. do
You think everything
MuFt come to you?
! something lor somabody,
O women and men,
Clirlslmaat isn't Christmas
Kur th alts It bring to you;
It I fhrlatmaa, real Christmas,
Ry the good that you ran do.
It la g1vln not receiving;
It la cheering by the deeds
That go out In kindly spirit.
Making one of all th creed.
Now, will you b merry?
-W. J. LAMPTON.
ARMY OOftSJF IN WASHINGTON
Car re sit Events Gleaned Front th
Araay mmm Navy Register.
The army signal office has completed the
specifications for th dirigible balloon, upon
which bids will be Invited. Borne thirty
requests have been received for copies of
the specltleatlona, but aome of these repre
sent the desire of scientific people and pub
lications to obtain the document. Within
a few days the chief signal officer will
have ready for distribution the new speci
fications for the heavler-than-alr Tying ma
chine. These specification had to bo
drawh In mot general terms, owing to
th fact that ther is Very little upon
whtt-h to base the requirements. Oeneral
Allen will specify that the new machine
shall bo capable of carrying two men, with
requirements of endurance, which will be
later Imposed. Much will depend and must
necessarily devolve upon the biddors who
are requested to submit their own designs.
General Allen Is In receipt of l.umerous
letters on the subject, and some Idea of the
development of the art f mechanical flight
may be obtained from the fact that two
patents a week are being Issued to Invent
ors. This la the opportunity at last for
theorists who possess what they bellev to
be valuable information concerning aerial
navigation to obtain iifTlclal recognition.
Muoh interest attaches to th results of th
opening of bids for both th dirigible bal
loon and the heavler-than-alr mechanism.
In some respects the most Important ques
tion which will be taken up by the secre
tary of war on his arrival In Washington
will be the reports of the retiring boards
before which were ordered those army of
ficers who failed to take, or who failed in
taking, the horsemanship test. The War
Department Is In receipt of documentary
representations that executive disapproval
should be applied to the recommendations
for retirement In some of the cases, notably
In that of Colonel W. L. Marshall, the en
gineer officer in charge of Important river
and harbor work In New York. It is prob
able that the question will reach the White
House for a final determination of depart
mental policy In matters of this kind. Those
who are familiar with Mr. Roosevelt's ideas
on the subject entertain no doubt that he
will favor the transfer from the active list
of all officers who fall to meet the pre
scribed requirements of skill and endurance
on horseback. In the meantime a bill has
been Introduced In anticipation of the need
of "protecting" certain officers from re
tirement. The War department has returned to the
project of an aeroplane flying machine,
and upon the recommendation of the board
of ordnance and fortification the chief sig
nal officer of th army Is preparing specifi
cations and will Invite bids for furnishing
such a device. Already the Wright
Brothers, who have been prominent In work
of thla kind, have signified their Intention
of submitting a bid. This Is, however, un
intentionally, a tribute to the late Prof.
Langley, whose request for an additional
allotment of $6,000 was refused In 1903. Had
this money been allotted, undoubtedly Prof.
Langley would have solved the problem.
He suffered ridicule and rebuke from the
newspapers and from congress and was
deserted by the War department at a crit
ical moment, mainly for the reason that he
was fifty years In advance of bis govern
ment. 1
In an account of dinner given In New
York a few days ago, General Grenville
Mt Dodge was spoken of as "one of the
five surviving major generals of the civil
war." An Inquiry directed to the War de
partment brings the response that the
records on file at Washington do not give
the names of th living officers who held
the rank of major general during the great
strlf of 1S61-66. However, an officer on
duty In the War department says that "it
Is understood from unofficial sources that
of the union officers who held the rank of
major general, Grenville M. Dodge, Ben
jamin H. Grterson, Oliver O. Howard,
Wesley Merrltt, Nelson A. Miles. Peter J.
Osterhaus, Daniel B. Sickles, Julius
Stahel and James H. Wilson are living. The
confederates of the same rank, now living,
are Simon B. Buckner, Samuel G. French,
Alexander P. Stewart, Stephen D. Lee, Will
T. Martin, Robert F. Hoke, Camillus J.
Pollgnac, Matthew t. Butler, G. W. Cur
tis Lee, L. L. Lomax and Thomas L.
Rosser."
Very little attention will hereafter be paid
to the subject of visual signaling in the
army. It is realized that the wireless tel
egraph and wireless telephone have sup
planted the old methods of communication.
The picturesque employment of the flag is
a thing of the past and the night signals
are destined In the next war to be used
rarely, If at all. This Is all In the direction
of reducing to the minimum the work
which Is visible to the enemy. Probably
th last of the acetylene lanterns, which
have been used with much effect In the
past, are now purchased under the contract
which has Just been placed.
It Is possible that the chief signal officer
of the army will be added to th personnel
of th Army Board of Ordnance and Forti
fication. A reason for this la found In the
fact that the board has to consider con
stantly Increasing subjects which come
under th chief signal officer. These relate
to the methods of communication at mili
tary posts, coast defense stations and In the
field, and the problem of aerial navigation,
of which the War department has lately
shown considerable favor.
PERSONAL NOTES.
The New York speculator who found his
margins had been wiped out, and Immedi
ately wiped out the broker and himself,
was a bad loser.
Prof. Albert Ross Hill of Cornell, form
erly dean of the teachers, la soon to suc
ceed Dr. Richard H. Jesse as president of
the University of Missouri.
At Atlanta university on December 31
Edward Twlchell Ware, son of the first
president and founder of the Institution,
will succeed as the third president of the
university to his father's great work.
Richard T. Crane, the millionaire philan
thropist, haa presented property valued at
160.000 to the Hull house, Chicago, as a
tribute to his first wife, the mother of his
seven children. It will be known as the
"Mary Crane Memorial Day Nursery."
Senator ' Moses E. Clapp of Minnesota,
the Junior senator from that state, besrs a
ramarkable likeness to former Senator
John A. Logan. Ills coal-black hair, eyes,
mustache and masaive figure make him a
striking figure on the floor of the senate.
George N. Wade, sculptor to King Ed
ward, has arrived In New York to study
our men and . women. He will remain In
New York a short time and then go west.
There is only one piece of the sculptor's
work In this country. That Is a drinking
fountain ordered by Francis Wlllard and
set up In Chicago.
Keep on Gmiling! You're all Right If You Use
fill
Cheapest, Cleanest and Best Wyoming, Hot too, $7.50
VICTOR WHITE COAL CO., 1214 Famim. TeL Ciuf, Zl
NRRRASKA PRESS COMMENT
Tectimseh Journal : "Well, let her panic.
remarked a contented Johnson county
farmer the other day. "Cellar full of pota
toes, bins full of wheat, cribs full of corn,
plenty of fat hogs and good cattl. Wood
Tile high as the house and money In the
bank. Ouess those Wall street fellows who
have been poking fun at ua farmers will
sit lip and take notice of our food Supply
before the winter Is over."
Bridgeport Blade: Good news travels
slowly, and here la a statement that proves
the proverb to be a true ones We have
known for some time that Cheyenn county
Is a great oat producing one, but little did
wo think It stood first In Nebraska. The
crop for this year averaged thirty-eight
bushels per acre and 16,M acres were
harvested, making a total of 1K,S8 bushels,
with a cash value of I7J.15. Moral, plant
oats.
Beatrice F.xpress: The Nebraska primary
law makes specific provision for state con
vent ions to select delegates for national
conventions, and Chairman Hay ward of the
republican state central committee favors
the old plan on account of the assurance
of less expense and more enthusiasm.
Regardless of opinions for or against a
primary, the law on the point raised Is so
plain that it would seem to leave no doubt
as to what the state committee would hav
to do.
Kearney Hub: After less than a year of
experience with the new railroad law In
this state Burlington officials announce
that they will make every effort to con
form thereto during the year 1908. Passes
will bo Issued only within the strict Inter,
pretatlon of the anti-pass law, and doctors
and lawyers not regularly employed and
who do not devote a majority of their time
to the work of the company will be cut
off, as the law directs. All rebates and
discriminations will be cut out, complaints
against the road for service or otherwise
will be taken up promptly at headquarters
and speedy adjustments will be made. This
Is Important, If true. Let us hope that It
Is true. Next!
Callaway Courier-Tribune: Today the
difference between live hogs and dressed
pork Is so much that It Is a wonder that
our farmers will continue to sell their stock
at from 8 to 4 cents a pound and buy th
finished product at from 18 to 35 cents a
pound. There are many things that we
have to buy In the finished product, but
there is no farmer who cannot make a
smokehouse : to smoke his meat or furnish
a barrel to cure his pork. As it Is, we ship
our hogs to Omaha, pay the freight there
and the commission, then pay all the ex
penses for shipping the article back and
the profits for the several different men
that handle It. All of which comes out of
the consumer. It would seem like a very
profitable business for the farmers to get
more pork barrels and smokehouses and
attend to this matter themselves. It would
certainly Induce the pork packers of the
nation to give the farmers a little more for
the raw material.
Aurora Republican: Carl J. Ernst, who
formally retired from the Board of Reg
ents last week, leaves behind him a record
of service never excelled by any other state
official in Nebraska and a record which
entitles his name to a high place In the
roll of honor of Nebraska cltlsenshln. Th
service rendered by the regents of the uni
versity Is of such nature that It falls but
little under the public eye and the people
generally know little about th work per
formed by the six men who serve the
state's greatest education il Institution with
out pay. Therefore It is only the associ
ates of Mr. Ernst on the Board of Regents
and the administrative officers of the uni
versity who have known the great valu
i.t. aervlce and who realise fully the
loss which his retirement brings to the
university. While not himself a Cbllege
man, his years of training as treasurer of
the Burlington railroad, supplemented by
ji bigness of heart ana mina, a genum
.nih...iim for hlaher education, and a
real genius for doing things, gave him the
very highest qualifications ror service a
a member of the executive board of the
..it., m, Rrnst's nersonallty was a-
real Inspiration to his associates. And his
self-sacrificing service to me miumu
. v,..ir,.ri to direct sets an example
for public service which will be of Valu
In future years. .
FESTIVAL FUN.
The man who mutilates Christmas lnt
Xmaa should be crossed out. - Cleveland
Plain Dealer.
.... i .i-, n,Vitr vour nros-
Mave yuu 'iu'lr1J ........... -
pective son-in-law's title genuine?
"No." answered Mr. Cumrox. "He has
very sraclousiy rerraineo. irom vm-j...
curiosity as to whether my money is
tainted." Washington Star.
"Do you see that man across the street?"
"Yes; wh is he?" ..,,
"The greatest fellow for giving you hot
air yeu ever came across."
"Oh, a bluffer." , ; . . ,
"Not at all. He Is at the head of a big
heating company." Baltlmor American.
Fashionable Mother Will my daughter
be a success as a singer. Professor?
Professor (with unrecognisable sarcasm)
Ach, yes, dear madame. Bhe sing so loud
de beoples what come to hear her can't
hear what dey Is saying to on anouera.
Baltlmor American.
"It was Shakespeare, wasn't It, who said,
'Throw physic to the dogs?"
"I believe so, but you must remember
that they had highly educated and valuable
dogs in vaudeville when he said It.
Chicago Rocord-Herald.
This notice was posted in a pleasure boat
belonging to a certain steamship compahy
"The chairs in the cabin are for the
ladles. Gentlemen are requested not t
make use of them till the ladles ar
seated." Harper s Weekly.
"Of course, the earrings are quit pretty,"
pouted the spoiled wife," but th stones
are very kmall."
"But, my dear," replied the foxy hus
band, "if I'd got larger one they would
have been out of all proportion to tU sis
of your ears." Philadelphia Press.
"I went to the theater last night"
"What did you see?"
"A play called Hamlet.'
"How was it?" ,
"Fair, only fair. A good lively fextet
would do It a world of good. Louisville
Courier-Journal.
"Funny thing about a man's tongue,
said Joakley. , ,
(Jo ahead," said Markley, "let's hav
''"When It's thick the excuses he makes
to his wife are too thin." Catholic Stand
ard and Times.
"Joslah. this paper says a lot of peopl
ore petitioning to hav their name
changed. I uea Is cost anything to hav
that done?"
"Ves; It cost me, as nearly as I can re
member now. $12. including fee for license,
to have your name chanited from Bllder
Lack to Cliugater."-rChlcago Trlbun.
I am the Christmas pocketbook,
As flat aa flat tan be;
There la no way, by hook or crook.
To find a thing In me.
I'm down and out; I'm frayed and worn,
Hut Klad I've played my part
In biiving little raya of morn
To light aome loving heart! '
Baltimore Sun.
01
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