THE BEE: OMAHA, SATURDAY, MARCH 23, .1918.
14
The .Omaha Bee
DAILY (MORNING) EVENING SUNDAY
FOUNDED BY EDWARD ROSEWATER
' VICTOR ROSE WATER. EDITOR
THE BEE fUBUSEOia COMPANY, KtOPRISTOR.
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'. " FEBRUARY CIRCULATION
62,544 Daily Sunday, 54,619
Iterate elrraletlen for the month, subecribed sd iworo to M Dttfbt
tVIHUm. Clrculttioa Menscer.
Snbacribere taa-lnf tha city ehe-ld have Tna Baa mailed
ta than. Addreee chanted aa aftaa aa requested. ,
Just 6ve years by the calendar since Omaha's
havoc-working tornado.1
Unless you voluntarily save food for our al
lies, you may be compelled later on to save it
for the kaiser. , ,.- 7 .
Do not send dainties to France is the request
from Washington. The cargo space is needed for
more important things. ' . '
The Bee is Jn favor" of the immediate and un
conditional repeal of the Mockett law. Where
does our hyphenated contemporary stand? "V
Anti-feryan democrats are very much miffed
at the attitude of the great commoner just now,
but some of us can recall when they were mighty
glad to have his help. 7. 0 1
Without any producing" mines, or oil wells,
Nebraska looks like vassal province on Dr. Gar
field's new fuel mapV 'Butithe fuel stWf all have
to come to Nebraska for their food. ,
An experienced French aviator says most of
the accidents of our, flying fields can be averted
y a little stricter discipline. If this is true, let
is have the remedy applied without delay. f
Well, well, well 1 Ir the disguised "Disgusted
Republican," who comes .to the defense of the
senator's record of pro-Germanism, just the edi
tor ot tne, senator s nypnenatea newspaper writ-
- . - - - - - , v
mployes? 7.'"'"'";"77''""'' ''' : "'"
, The political trenches for our spring city
campaign are being pretty well filled, but no very
spectacular sorties as yet Omaha voters are not
accustomed to such tame contests and. will hardly
be satisfied this time without some more exciting
persons.-. ' ' 7-'7"-
j, -. -, . . 4
Milwaukee's socialist jnaypr, candidate for re
election, is charged wi'th sedition because he
subscribes to the St Louis declaration of his
party, which opposes the wr. v It is high time
that all citizens are made to, understand that no
fovn of disloyalty is; -more virulent than the
passage of such resolutions as those adopted by
the socialist comrnlttee, ior the carrying out of
which their leadefs have been Indicted. If Vic
tor Berger, Adolph Germer and Mayor Hoan
ire right, all' the rest of 'us are wrong.
Renewed Battle of the Sottmsj.
What is considered the first blow(of the long
advertised German offensive, aimed against the
British oh the Cambral line, ' appears to have
failed. That the first day's struggle did not gain
tha objectives aimed at in the German plans is
announced from ' London. Further fighting is
looked for, and , the end of the affair, although
not in sight, may be viewed as a pdssible repeti
tion ot veraun. Similar tactics appear to have
been employed tfee heavy bombardment, followed
, by waves of infantry !r massed attack. These
were met, just as at Verdun, with stern resistance
and terrible losses to the attackers. It is doubt
ful if the German army organization is capable
of sustaining another such- terrific i drain ; as it
underwent during the' long months the battle of
Verdun continued practically without cessation,
but it is morally certain that, tuch an . attempt
will be accompanied by losses even heavier, than
those which fell on the army of the crown prince,
who is reported to have sacrificed, in killed alone,
half a million' tnep in his fruitless endeavor to
break through the preach line .to . reach Paris.
None doubt that the. British line. will hold as
firmly as did the French, that it will tflrn aside
the hordes of 'Teutonic strength, and that when
ever the breathing spell comes it will be found
that the kaiser's effort to discompose his deter
mined foes have but made the way to Berlin eas
ier. His experience along the 'Sdmme, already
costly, bids fair to be even 'more expensive.
" " WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE?"
Our amiable hyphenated contemporary, the
World-Herald, again prints and features an argu
ment against changing "in any way our policies
in regard to the teaching of the .German lan
guage in our schools," representing that this re
flects the attitude of the Wilson administration.
It had once before within the past fortnight
given editorial page space to the same identical
statement.
What is the objective at which the World
Herald is driving? Governor Neville's proclama
tion calling the Nebraska legislature to meet in
extra session next Tuesday sets forth 10 sub
jects .for legislative action, -sixth in the order
named being "An act to repeal the Mockett law."
Ts the World-Herald, opposed to the repeal
of the Mockett law? Is it endeavoring, in char
acteristic fashion, to save this odious enactment
which was forced upon our statute books by its
co-partner, the German-American Alliance, as
a part of the active pro-German propaganda
previous to our entrance into the war? Does
the hyphenated World-Herald mean to tell us
that the Wilson administration favors the pur
pose of the Mockett law, which is notoriously to
use the public schools to instill German "kultur"
in the minds of grammar grade children before
even they have a firm grasp of the principles of
American democracy? We refuse to believe that
is the attitude of the Wilson administration, or
that the statement quoted refers to anything
more than continued optional teaching of the
Gertnan language to mature pupils in high schools
and colleges.
Denver's plan of city government calls for
only a mayor and four appointed department
managers, with an advisory city council of nine
elected members. The impression is that Omaha
could do as well as it now does, if not better,
with less governing machinery.
Do Your Share and Then Some.
"My view is," says Edgar Howard, "that the
cost of all war work should be paid for out of
tax money contributed by all the people, each
one paying his exact share." Everyone will ad
mit that would be the ideal way and the fair
way, but it is not the way that has been adopted
in any of the warring countries so far as, we
know. The plan pursued here contemplates pay
ing the cost of all the war work conducted di
rectly by the government by enforced contribu
tions in the form of taxes supplemented by bond
sales.'but to depend on volunteered contributions
for all the various war activities promoted by
private or sejnj-private agencies, ,even though
under government sanction. It is through self
assumed burdens -and self-imposed sacrifices that
the individual has the opportunity to demon
strate his patriotic zeal by doing more than he
would have to do if all the funds were raised out
of tax money and everyone required to do his
exact shareno more, no less. , -
'Mounted Skeletons of Moropus
Nebraska's Ancient Contribution to
The American Museum
W. D. Matthew in American Museum Journal.
Progress of the Terror, at Sea.
Figures hitherto kept secret by the British ad
miralty disclose Jhe extent of losses which the
world's shipping has ,stistained from the enemy
since the war began. Its appalling total is due
to the unrestricted activity of the U-boat within
the last year, during which time shipping to the
total of 6,625,623 tons were sunk. The outstand
ing fact is that for the period of the war shipping
has. been destroyed at a rate nearly double. the
production. Although.1 losses have been o,ffset
in some degree ty vessels seized from the enemy,
the final ner loss is almost two-fifths of the total
output of the shipyards of the world. It is no
longer possible to take over enemy shipping in
such quantity as has been done. '
In Great Britain, the admiralty statement says,
the estimated launchings for. the present year of
1,800,000, tons may be brought up to 3,000,000
eventually, but this requires a new and greater
supply of labor. In America the tremendous
energy that has been put into the effort to pro
duce tonnage will soon be felt on the. contrasting
curves between sinkings and buildings.
The. gravity of the situation is not minimized
by the figures givin, but that the case is not hope
less is shown by the fact that the ravages of the
submarine are decreasing, while the launchings
are increased. In 1914 the total tonnage added to
the merchant marine by all the shipyards of the
world was 1,012,920; in 1915, the total was 1,
202,000; in 1916, the figures went up to 1,688,000,
and for 1917 the total had been advanced to 2,
703,355. The aggregate tonnage of the world for
the four years is 6,606,275." Against this is offset
sinkings to the extent of 11,827,572; captured and
seized shipping reduce theinet total loss to 2,
632,897. In 1917 the1 total destruction by quarters
was: First, 1,619,373 tons; secorid, 2,236,934 tons;
third, 1.494,473 tons; fourth, 1,292,843 tons. The
last quarter's losses were 400,000 tons less than
those for the first quarter, and 1,000,000 tons less
than for the second quarter of the year.
. For the current year Great Britain's s'aipping
output is promised to be greater than that of the
world for 1916, while the United States will add
an amount exceeding the combined tonnage pro
duction of the world for 1917. In this regard
the builders are gaining on the destroyers, and
with the possibility of further success in offensive
.operations against the German navy, the turn of
the race may be said to be favorable to the cause
of humanity as represented by the allied democracies.
Moropus is a big extinct animal that lived
in North America. It was one of the oddest
looking beasts of its time, a combination of
horse, rhinoceros, and camel or giraffe in its
general appearance, but with enormous claws
on the front feet and smaller claws on the
hind feet utterly unlike the hoofs of the ordi
nary ungulates or "hoofed mammals."
All of the large herbivorous animals to
day and nearly all of the extinct kinds have
hoofs on the feet. They have no need for
claws. The feet are used to carry them
about, but not for attacking other animals
or for tearing their prey or for digging, as
in the clawed animals. This is so general a
rule that it was long thought to be universal,
a law of nature, and it was, in fact, included
in the law of correlation expounded by the
famous naturalist, Cuvier, a century ago.
Horns and hoofs he declared were the ex
clusive prerogative of vegetarian animals. If
the horns were in pairs, so too were the
hoofs. Conversely, claws pertained to
carnivorous animals for the most part, while
no carnivorous animal had hoofs.
They tell a story about Cuvier to illustrate
his confidence in this "law of Correlation.'
It seems that one of his students, who de
sired to give the Maitre a care, disguised
himself as the devil, with the usual horns and
hoofs and barb-tipped tail. He penetrated
at midnight to Cuvier's room and, standing
by his bedside, roused him from sleep with
the announcement, "Cuvier, Cuvier, Wake up!
I am the devil and am come to eat you up."
The scientist gazed at him sleepily, looked
him over for a moment, and replied, "Hmm
horns hoofs you're graminivorous. You
can't do it." Whereupon he turned over and
went to sleep again and the student retired
discomfited. N
But for all Cuvier's faith m his law of
correlation, there are some exceptions, and
our mOropus is one of them. Many years
ago, when the first scattered bones of this
animal and its fossil relatives in Europe were
discovered, the teeth and skull parts were
described as related to the rhinoceroses and
the extinct palaeotheres and titanotheres, all
of them belonging to the Perissodactyl order
of ungulates which includes also the horse
'and the tapir. The claws and other foot-
bones were supposed to belong to an entirely
different animal related to the anteaters.
Cuvier himself described one of the great,
claws as a "pangolin gigantesque" a gi
gantic anteater. It was many years before it
was found that these skulls and these foot-
bones belonged to the same animal. No
complete skeletons have yet been found in
the old world.
In this country a few scattered bones of
moropus had been found 30 or 40 years ago,
but it was not until the discovery of the great
Agate Spring Fossil Quarry in western Ne
braska that much was known about the ani
mal. This quarry was first discovered by
Mr. James H. Cook of Agate, Neb., and was
opened up and worked on a large scale by
the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh between
1904 and 1908. The American museum has
had parties working in this quarry for sev
eral years past, and has been especially for
tunate in obtaining a whole series of more
or less, complete and finely preserved
skeletons of the moropus, besides quantities
of other material. There are no fewer than
17 skeletons, each being the bones of one in
dividual,' and the best of them are virtually
complete.
The "task of extracting and preparing
these thousands and delicate bones has been
a long and difficult one, and it is only now
that we have been : able to, place; the first
skeleton of moropus on exhibition. This is
mounted in a standing posiition, the pose
adopted representing the animal as looking
off into the distance (toward the visitor as
he enters the hall). Other skeletons, of both
male and female animals, will be added later
to form a group.
The moropus was a relative albeit a dis
tant one of the rhinoceroses, tapirs, and
horses, and belongs with them in the order
of Perissodactyls, hoofed animals with an
odd number of toes on the hind foot The
ruminants, crnels, pigs, and hippopotamuses
have an even number of toes either two or
four. Moropus has three, like a rhinoceros
or tapir. It is about the size of a rhinoce
ros, but very different in proportions. The
head and neck ,Jire proportioned more like
those in the horse, the rounded back sug
gests the tapir, and the legs, while massive,
are longer than in the rhino, especially the
fore limbs. The feet with their great claws
are entirely different, and more like those -of
anteaters and similar digging animals than
any of the hoofed animals to which moropus
really ,. belongs. The front teeth are like
those of ruminants, while the grinding teeth
are most like some of the extinct Peris
sodactyls the palaeothere of Europe and the
titanothere of North America.
The teeth show that the animal was her
bivorous, of browsing habits, and quite inof
fensive. What use he made of his big claws
is rather a puzzle. They could not have
been of much value for fighting, for the foot
and limb are too stiff afld clumsy to be used
except for ordinary locomotion. For the
same reason they could be of only limited
use in digging. The anteaters and armadillos
use their great claws in digging out ant
hills; the sloth uses his in hanging from
trees; the bear finds his claws useful both in
digging and fighting, while the cat family
reserve their sharp claws strictly for fight
ing. But bears and cats have much more
mobile limbs and feet, and it is certain that
the moropus did not live on ants or any
such food, and could not possibly climb a
tree, much less hang from one. The teeth
show clearly that his food was leaves and
herbage, and that he cropped it after the
fashion of a deer or cow. He was not even
omnivorous like the pig which does a con
siderable amount of digging after succulent
roots and tubers with his snout though not
with his feet. ;
The only plausible suggestion that has
been made is that the great claws were de
signed to1 aid the moropus in scrapirtg away
sand in dry riverbeds or other suitable places
to make a water hole where he might drink.
There- is good reason to believe that the
western country where he lived was even
then more or less arid, with a scanty water
Supply in the summer or seasons of drought?
In Central Africa today the animals congre
gate in great numbers around the scattered
water boles, and some of them may dig out
the holes more or less with their paws. Our
moropus could do that sort of thing to great
advantage, and the powerful claws often
might enable him to dig down in a sandy
riverbed to water that otherwise would be
beyond his reach.
The modern moose and caribou use their
long and rather narrow hoofs, not only to
support them on soft ground, but also to dig
down through the snow and uncover food
beneath it in the hungry winter season. But
it is not likely that the western plains was a
region of cold winters and deep , snows in
the time when the moropus lived there.
Rather was it like Central Africa today, at
least in the summer season .although not
having a tropical climate. the year. around.
SeriouWetline in Food Exports
)t Speeding Up System Falls
Short of promise ;
Wall Street Journal.
Foodstuff exports for the past seven
months might well give cause for congratu
lation were the miller able to grind up the
inflation in a bushel of wheat, or could the
consumer extract food calories from it in a
loaf of bread or an ounce of fats. It has been
welt said the consumer cannot consume in
flation; he cannot eat it, and this is so, en
tirely apart from the singular ability of in
flation to consume the consumer. x
Even from the standpoint of the inflation
ist, export statistics afford but little ground
for enthusiasm. For the seven months ended
with January our foodstuff exports increased
in value $22,000,000, in spite of the fact that
imports of foodstuffs in all similar forms
gained $70,000,000 in value.
When statisticians come right, down to
the hard bottom of the bread pan they will
be able to write even a worse story.
Exports of wheat and flour for the seven
months mentioned amounted to 70,189,000
bushels, against 121,491,000 bushels for the
corresponding period of 1917. .We have in
the later period shipped 18,000,000 bushels
less of corn out of our much-heralded but
purely official crop of 3,100,000,000 bushels.
Our best and essential customers are Eng
land, France and Italy,. all on the actual firing
line and all in greater need for the" active
employment of their producers in military
operations than at any time before.
Our shipments, chiefly to these our al
lies, show increase of 32,000,000 pounds of
fresh beef and of 300,000 pounds of canned
beef for the. seven mqnths. Hog products
made a sheer decline, however, of 127,000,
000 pounds of bacon: hams and shoulders, of
34,000.000 pounds; lard, of over 11,000,000
pounds, the last standing . for the seven
months at only 1,297,889 poundu, to be
minute.
- We received nearly as much for our wheat
in the later period as in the earlier one; $2,
000,000 more for 300,000 more pounds of
canned beef; $6,000,000 more for 127,000,000
pounds less of bacon; $4,000,000 more for
34,000,000 pounds less of hams and shoalders,
and so on down the list. Our export gains
for military and broad economic purposes
constitute a myth reminiscent of nothing so
much as the Aesop fable of the fool who
taught his horse to do without fodder.
There is a remedy for this condition
which lies in our own hands. We owe it to
the world in the highest moral trust and
most sacred duty to rectify these deficiencies.
1 r
Siberia and War Prisoners
What is Siberia? A territory more than
half again as large as continental United
States exclusive of Alaska. To be exact,
4,784,832 square miles as against our 3,026,
789 square miles. The normal population of
Siberia slightly exceeds 7,000,000, approxi
mately that of Pennsylvania. About one
fifth of the area and one-seventh of the pop
ulation of Siberia are found east of Lake
Baikal. That is the territory of immediate
interest to Japan and to China, because the
section of the trans-Siberian railway from
Lake Baikal to Vladivostok furnishes the
immediate problem.
In the present emergency that raitway
is Siberia. Its control is vital to the cause
of the allies if Germany is not to get to the
Pacific. Nothing could contain greater dan
ber for the United States than for Germany
to become a Pacific power, '
For purposes of camparison reference has
been made to the normal population of Si
beria. The more important consideration at
this time is its abnormal population, this con
sisting of German and Austrian prisoners.
The estimates run as high as 1,000,000. Bol
shevikism has left them foot loose and fancy
free. With all Russian authority swept
away there might easily be made of these
prisoners a formidable fighting force for Ger
many. That certainly will come if Germany
or its Russian agents are able to obtain ac
cess to the war stores along the trans-Siberian.
New York Herald.
One l'er Ago Today in the VTar.
British and French ofjenslva threw
i German back on St Quentin.
. fifteen hundred Ruaolana reported
killed when Germans blew up muni
tions steamera at Archangel.
The Day We CVlebrnt.
Fhlllp 4 3. Runs, contractor ; and
builder, born 1865, .
f Valentin Everlt Maey. president of
th National Clvic Federation, born la
New Xorfc City 47 years ago.
Hatel Dawn, one of, tha moat popu
lar of the young American actresses,
born Jtt Ogden, I'tih. IT years ago.
Prof. Franks H. Giddinga of Colum
bus university noted aoctoloaiat and
author, born at Sherman, Conn., . i
years ago. v;" - '
Cardinal Bourne, archbishop ef
Westminster, born at Clapham, Eng
land, 67 year ago.
This Day to History. '
1T49 Pierre Simon Xplace, one of
tha greatest ot mathematicians and
physical astronomers, orn in xor-.
mandy. Died In Parts-March 6. 1837.
1115 United ' States Ioop-of-war i
Hornet captured the British, brlir-of- '
war rettguia , off tnsuapa oi wooo
Hope. - i!'--. . S -j"
1663 Federal armies of Sherman,
Terry and Schofleld effected a junc
tion at Goldiboro, N. C . j
1908 Federal supreme court de-)
dared the railroad rata hw of Mia
npsot and North) Carolina unconsU- i
tuiionaL . I
J ust 80 Years Ago Today
Several new grip cars arrived today
consigned to the Cable Tramway
company.
One thousand four hundred and
thlrty.nlne dog licenses have been is-
aued by City Clerk Southard up to
today.
Major "Wicker has severed his con
nection with the management of the
Cos-ens house and la future will de
vote his time to mercantile pursuits.
Edward B. Merrttt ot South Omaha,
who recently Invented a railroad frog
protector, sold halt interest to C.
Akofer for $800. v .
Edward Bothery will give a hand
aoma diamond scarf Din to the mem
ber of tha Omaha ball team having
tha best general average at the end
of the season,
Tha "Old Folk's Concerts was
given at the Plymouth Congregational
church proved to be a success. Miss
Phelps was highly entertaining in her
piano solos and the singing of Miss
Chamberlain and Miss Pay was ex
ceptionally fine
"Overfhere"
In some of the towns where Amer
ican soldiers are billeted, evidence of
French thrift is most impressive. In
some cases, where local supplies are
unequal to the demand, Paris mer
chants open branches and do the
profiteering act with artistto savior
falre or something like that
London papers announce an official
call for 14,000 women to constitute
the "land army of 1S18." The army
will comprise three working divisions
agriculture, umber cutting ana for-)
age. Recruits passing the govern-1
ment efficiency test may select either
occupation and will receive wage of1
1 a week and upward, free uniform;
and free transportation. ' I
On January 1 last the public debt j
of Bulgaria amounted to a fraction ;
overv $1,000,000,000. The minister of,
finance recently told the Sabranje that 1
I the minimum budget for 1919 and !
years beyond Will be $200,000,000, 1
which amounts to $50 per annum for
every man, woman and child of the 1
Bulgar population. Autocracy and
bankruptcy are quite chummy there.
I Crime waves beset Berlin and VI-1
1 enna. A band of former jailbirds are
reported terrorising the suburbs of
. the German capital. A representa
tive of a burglary Insurance company .
. reports In the Berlin Tageblatt an '
average of . 300- claims a day for
1 burglary or housebreaking. These
j cover only the insured class. Robbery
especially for rood nas reacnea
enormous nronortions in Austria. ;
particularly on, the railways and
parcel post division" of the mail serv
ice. Iist year parcel post losses were
750 percent greater than iu 1913,
Peppery Points
Minneapolis Journal: Porto Rico
has gone bone dry, and Jamaica looks
at the rum exports and sighs.
Washington Post: Hertllng'a re
cent declaration that never in his life
has be broken his word adds one
mora whopper to the list.
Baltimore American: It is said that
Prussia is alarmed over the decrease
in the birth rate. The failure Of the
crop of cannon fodder would, indeed,
be a serious problem for militarism.
Minneapolis Tribune: Colonel Bry
an's explanation that he has been
wearing his hair long to hide his ears
shows that he has been fooling no one
but himself. They have been showing
all the time.
New York World: A German
aviator brought down near Parte, dy
ing, was reminded that he had killed
women and children. "1 obeyed or
ders," were his last words. Men who
give those orders are not brought
down, dying, in France!
Brooklyn Eagle: On the Pacific
coast tha launching of a ship of re
inforced concrete, of 7,900 tons, and
built in six weeks, commands atten
tion. Americans, as usual, are doing
new things that are worth while and
news suppression is all that gives a
handle to pessimism. f .
Louisville Courier-Journal : A boy
who is old enough to work during va
cations without injury, or with posi
tive beneflt to his physique, and who
lilies away war summers is a slacker.
President Wilson's call to boys 16
years old and older should be heeded
by the boys, and parents who do not
urge their boys to heed it will be
blameworthy.
Odd Bits of Life
Two silver foxes, the first to' be
seen in the vicinity for mora than
30 years, were killed near Pembroke,
Me. .
Michael Cuff of Carmel, Pa., who
in 26 years has mehded 107,103 pairs
of shoes with the same pegging ham
mer, recently broke the handle.
The late Horace A. Stone of Ban
gor, M., left in his will $5,000, the
income of which will be used to care
for his faithful old horte.
A .limousine which waa temporarily
disabled in one of the streets of Ran
dolph, Vt, recently, waa carrying a
half ton ot coal. Aa a precaution
against theft a dog waa perched on
the seat guarding It
Mrs. George W. Sperry, age 91, who
lives in Gold Hill, Ore., witnessed her
first motion picture show recently.
While watching the films with amase
rnent she asked her companion: "Why
don't those actors speak louder, so I
can hear them?".
Chasing a coyote carrying a pair of
fat hens in its mouth for a distance
of halt a mile in atero weather, clad
only in his nightgown and overshoes,
waa the stunt staged, by Ernest
Barnes, farmer near Smith Center,
Kan.
Colonel Thomas Hannon ' of Ben
nington, Vt, has shipped to his son,
Captain J. Benjamin Hannon. at
Cttmp Hancock, Oa.. the army blanket
which was issued to the former when
he was in Richmond In 1864. and
which has been preserved In the fam
ily ever since.
Monument for Corporal Hughe.
Omaha, Iarch 22. To the Editor
of The Bee: All Omaha mourns her
rirst son killed in action in this great
war for democracy. What more fitting
thing can she do at this time td com
memorate the memory of Russell G.
Hughes., than to erect a monument to
his memory on our beautiful court
house lawn. Hero thousan-ls would
read the story of this young life sac
rificed for his country, and would be
filled with a patriotic devotion to
carry on to a successful conclusion
the work he began.
I believe if the Omaha papers will
present this to its readers some action
will be taken at once to show to the
world we appreciate what he has done
and many others will de for our coun
try. II. A. S.
California Fruit Growers Compaign.
Santa Clara, Cal., March 18. To
the Editor of The Bee: Old Sol is
held in high regard in California.
Witness trade marks of certain Cali
fornia fruit: "Sun-kist Prunes," "Sun.
klst Apricots" and "Sun-kist Raisins."
Rain, also, has its place in the affec
tions of Californlans. Bret Harte
said that- a stranger in this country
who spoke disrespectfully of rain was
deemed an enemy of the state.
Last year a state organization of
prune and apricot growers was per
fected with headquarters in San
Jose, the county seat of Santa Clara
county, which claims to produce more
than half of the prunes grown in the
United States.' The capital stock Of
the association is $2,500,000, with over
a million, it is said, paid in. The or
chardists say they have not hereto
fore obtained adequate returns from
their business and that they now
propose to have something to do in
fixing prices. One of the declared or
Jects of the organization is to protect
the fruit "from purely speculative
manipulations between the grower and
the eater." Another is to standardize
prunes and apricots, and also to pack
in an attractive manner.
SUU another purpose is to increase
the number of buyers. One means
adopted to this end has been the send
ing broadcast over the east and mid
dle west of four-pound packages
handsomely done up. Last fall about
15,000 such packages were sent by
California people as Christmas pres
ents to friends in other states. Jt had
been published that the prune and
apricot crop of California amounted
to 200,000,000 pounds last year. In
Tulare county there is one orchard
of 80 acres with a drying ground of 25
acres., On this there are eight miles
of steel track. The prune crop last
year was unusually large and it is said
that one grower near San Jose realized'
over $500 an acre from his trees.
The French prune is the chief crop
In California and all of the drying is
done by the sun. In Oregon, where
the prune industry is developing rap
idly, French prunes are not popfllar
and the few that are grown there are
called "Petltes." There are large or
chards of Italian prunes in the Wil
liamette valley. There the drying is
done In evaporators which adds some
thing to the expense- but less time
is required to handle the crop. The
Italians are, as a rule, larger than the
French prunes as grown in California,
but they are not so sweet.
Riding over Sinta Clara county,
one passes through miles and miles
of prune orchards as carefully culti
vated as a garden no weeds or grass
being permitted to grow between the
trees. I saw in a California paper
recently a suggestion made by the
Prune and Apricot association that
perhaps it would be a good thing if
attention should now be given to the
cultivation of farm crops generally
and that the putting: out of land in
prunes and apricot orchards be sus
pended for a time. It was stated that
the area of young trees soon to come
into bearing was equal' to that of the
orchards now producing.
Other organizations have recently
been made in California designed to
protect the producers. One of these
is of tomato growers. The crop for
this year it is estimated will" prob
ably amount to 80,000 tons. Growers
owning 6,000 acres devoted to toma
toes have "signed up." Last year they
vreceive4 from $8 to $10 a ton and
they say they must have $15 to make
the Business profitable. Then there
are the raisin men and the bean
growers. These represent important
Industries in this state and the men
interested have perfected organiza
tions for their own protectfon.
JOHN T. BELL.
Another "Near SldY Complaint.
Omaha, March 19. To the Editor
of The Bee: I noticed the other eve
ning you told Mr. Frank A. Agnew
that he was the only' one who made
objection to the near side stop. He
Is, in the newspaper, but you would
hear a, different story if you had to
travel on the cars night and morning
every day, and some use the street
cars at noon, too. And PI! say this,
too. I'll bet if seven-eighths of those
people above referred to were asked
if they liked this near side stop they
would all say "no." As Mr. Agnew
says, it sure seems a crazy way to stop
the cars in the middle of the block, in
stead of at the end, where it is the
proper place. There is more delay In
this way waiting for people to walk so
far down to meet the car, And I
Imply can't see there would be feweV
accidents by this law. The people
have to run In front of cars and autffs
worse than ever, to transfer to Other
cars. Most of these people come home
at night too tired to even think of
writing to the paper about these
funny lawa That is one reason why
I waited so long. And the public, any
way, is so used to being abused and
robbed and tormented in every way
by three or four so-called high fel
lows who want this new law and that,
that It is their own fault if they don't
try to remedy these thing But
maybe It wouldn't help if they tried.
Will someone please tell me the ad
vantage of th near side stop, which
can't to my knowledge "benefit the
public in any way?
gEMINiyE STRAPHANGER.
LINES TO A LAUGH.
"What do you think of a man who will,
constantly daceiv hi Wife?" '
"I think !' a wonder:" Caiaall'i
Saturday Journal.
"I sea the Tala and Prlnteton clubs have
consolidated.'.1
"Not a bad Idea to mlttcate Prineeton'e
religious notloni by Tale's iportlnc in
atlncta.' Life.
"Where are you coins, mamma?''
"To a surprise party, dear."
"Can't I to. too. and Archie and Edna?"
"No, dear, you weren't Invited." J
"Well, don't yea think they'd be loll
mora a'prlaed if you took us all?" Boston
Transcript.
"Hurrah!" cried tha ybmg doctor, "I
have my first patient a case ot mumps.''
"QooA."
"I hope I distinguish myself."
"Well." said his wife, "you have, as they
say la the vernacular, a swell chance,"-
Louisville Courier-Journal.
Wife That cook of ours seems to faver
the kaiser.
Hub Well, what would you expect?
Those autocrats all stick up for each other.
Boston Transcript.
' "Flubdub spends every cent he earns."
"And what has he got to. show tor hi
money?"
"Got a mighty stunning wife." Louisville
Courier-Journal.
Teacher Henry, if you had three apples
and someone gava you five more, what
Henry I guess I'd have a pain In my
stomach. Chicago News.
"It's a mystery."
"What la?"
"Where all the money food conservatloi
Is supposed to have saved us has gone to.'
Detroit Free Press.
OUR - SOLDIERS IN FRANCE.
Mlnpa Irving In Leslie's.
Since brother put tha khaki on
And sailed away to tight.
The smile has fled from, mother's Hps
And left her sad and' white.
But of her troubles not a word
Creeps in by any chance
When mother writes m letter ta
Our soldier boy in France.
She goea about the livelong day
As quiet aa a ghost;
But nights when he cams home from wor
Kite misses him the most;
Though you would think that life for her
Waa just a sons and dance,
If you could read her letters ta
Our soldier boy in France.
He has enough ot hardships now
Beyond the wide gray sea.
Where everything la death and pain
And mud and rnteery.
He must not know wa acid the cow
to oury sister Nance,
Or how we have to acrlmp without
Our soldier boy in France.
She tells him Johnny learns so fast
Next year he'll graduate,
And how the hens are laying fine,
And Jimmy fixed tha gate.
And Mamie at tha factory
Has had a alight advance.
And how the town will honor him
When be comes home from France.
Oh, while our army over there
Is facing gas and steel,
Where red the rivers run beneath
The kaiser's Iron heel,
The mothers here in freedom's cause
Can also break a lance
Xiv r!H r. tlAArflll lt,AT TA
.Their soldier boys In France.'
It's your wish that
J they both live hap
pily ever afterward
Then why not start them
right by giving them a
Piano or Player a bright,
cheery corner in their
home?-
There's money to be saved
by buying at our Piano
Sale.
k. H0SPE CO.
1513 DOUGLAS STREET
Tha Third Liberty Lean Drive Satur
day, April 9. Are you ready?
QUICKREUEF
MCOniN
Get Dri Edwards' Olive tablets
That is the joyful cry of thousands
since Dr. Edwards produced Olive Tablets,
the substitute for calomel.
Dr. Edwards, a practicing physician foi
17 years and calomel's old-time enemy,
discovered the formula for Olive Tablet!
while treating patients for chronic con
stipation and torpid livers.
Dr. Edwards' Olive Tablets do nol
contain calomel, bat a healing, soothing
vegetable laxative.
No griping is tha "keynote" of these
little sugar-coated, olive-colored tablets, I
They cause the Dowels and liver to act
normally. They never force them to
unnatural action.
If you have a "dark brown mouth" now
and then a bad breath a dull, tired
feeling ick headache torpid liver and
are constipated, you'll find quick, sure and
only pleasant results from one or two lit
tle Dr. Edwards' Olive Tablets at bedtime.
1 Thousands take one or two every night
lust to keep right Try them. 10c and
$5c per box All druggists.
Let Cuticura Care
for Baby's Skin
' It's really wonderful how quickly a hot
bath with Cuticura Soap followed by a
gentle anointing with Cuticura Oint
ment relieves skin irritations which
keep baby wakeful and restless, per
mits sleep'for infant and rest for mother,
and points to bealment in most cases
when it teems nothing would help.
Sample Each Free by Mail. Addreas post
card: "Cuticura, Dept. 7A, Boaton." Sold
everywhere. Soap 25c. Ointment 25 and 50c.
THE SCHOOL FOR OMAHA GIRLS
The National School of Domestic Art and Science
Washington, D. C.
Departments of Domestic Art, Science and Home Economics.
Preparatory Department a substitute for High School.
Service Courses, including work in Telegraphy, Wireless, First Aid,
Red Cross and Secretarial studies.
Strong Musical Faculty. Outdoor Athletics on 11-acre campus.
Brownell Hall Credits Accepted.
Total expenses, One Thousand Dollars any department
Eight model fireproof buildings, a few vacancies for 1918-19.
Interesting Year -look Upon Request "
Addrass REGISTRAR, 2650 Wisconsin Ara. N. W., Wash, D. C.
j