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About Will Maupin's weekly. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1911-1912 | View Entire Issue (March 24, 1911)
that Richard L. Metcalfe is amply able to hold his own in a conflict of opinion with all comers. This, is a safe conclusion: The ovation tendcte.l Bryan simply means that the peo ple are !?oing to get the reforms they have tough so lorg, and they are not caring whether i hey come through a Bryan or a LaFolletU-, as the result of democratic vic tory or republican renovation. The re form's the thing! Men are of little moment save as they give voice to the hopes and aspirations of the people. r i Dr. Nelson E. Metcalfe and daughter, Miss Nellie of St. Louis, are visiting with Dr. Metcalfe's brother, Richard L. Metcalfe. Dr. Metcalfe is one of the foremost physi cians of St. Louis who has found time dur ing a busy professional life to become one of the most widely read men of his day. A keen thinker and with a kindly heart. Dr. Metcalfe is quietly but effectually spreading the gospel of sunshine and good cheer wherever he goes, and he is helping men in far better ways than merely curing them of physical ills. It has been the pleasure of the editor of Will Maupin's Weekly to know Dr. Metcalfe through a correspondence that had its inception in some little verses written for The Com moner. Through that correspondence has grown a deep-rooted friendship that became all the stronger when we were privileged to clasp hands in the flesh a few days ago. To know this splendid, sympathetic, kind ly physician is in itself an inspiration, and to sit in the sunshine of his kindly smile a rare blessing. The silver is showing in Dr.. Metcalfe's hair, but age has made no mark upon his big heart, unless it is to make it beat more warmly for the oppressed and the unfortunate. When a mere ( boy Dr. Metcalfe accompanied his father, also a physician and surgeon of the Seventh Illi nois "Volunteer Infantry during the civil war. Several veterans of this regiment are living in Lincoln, and while here Dr. Met calfe, looked them up, and all of them re called the slender lad who spread so much good cheer in camp and field and hospital. He snatched a few days away from a busy life to visit in Lincoln, and when he returns home he will be followed by the hearty good will, the firm friendship and the es teem of scores of Lincoln people who have been attracted to him by his winning per sonality. The memory of the late Edward Rose water has been handsomely honored by naming the new school house at Fourteenth and Phelps streets, Omaha, "The Edward Rosewater School." A few years more and Nebraska as a whole will be better able to make a just estimate of this really great man. He lived during stirring political tirnes in Nebraska, and being by nature bold and fearless he made bitter enemies on every hand. He was among the last of that sadly depleted school of journalists who impressed their personality upon their newspaper pages, and he made the Omaha Bee a reflex of himself. But while engag ing in these bitter struggles he was build ing for Nebraska, and building upon lines that mean more to the commonwealth than a majority of today yet realiza. . But in the fullness of time Nebraska will realize what she owes to the splendid work of Edward Rosewater, and then, with animosities all buried, and remembering. T only what he builded for lasting good, Nebraska will pay him the tribute that his character and work deserve. The naming of an Omaha school in his honor is an indication that the time of.fc7?' rr$?f2j.ilon is close athnc!, ' Comparatively few Nebraskans seem to realize that right here in Nebraska is build ing an insurance company that is the ad miration of the huge insurance companies of the east. The plans and purposes and accomplishments of the Old Line Banker's Life is constantly being studied and com mented on in insurance circles, and its solid success excites the warmest praise from men who are acknowledged leaders in the insurance world. Measured by every standard, except the standard of inflated size, the Old Line Banker's Life stands at the forefront of successful and solid insur-. ance concerns. It is one of the best ad vertisements Nebraska has. The contract for the erection of the Com mercial club building at Eleventh and P streets has been let, the contract totaling about $80,000. There are two reasons for rejoicing over this one that the Commer cial club is going to have a commodious building, the other that a Lincoln contract or secured the contract. The Commercial club's activities are constantly enlarging, and always to the advantage of Lincoln. But for a year or more it has been ham pered by a lack of room, and many a project has suffered as a result. All this will soon be overcome and the Commercial- club will be in a position to work out its manifest destiny. This new building will not only be a decided improvement to the business section of the city, but it will mean a great deal ofwprk for the building tradesmen of the citf'. Those legislators who look upon the non partisan judiciary as a joke have a queer idea of humor. That is one of the reforms demanded by the people, and just now the people are in the habit of securing the re forms they demand, even if they have to apply the steam roller -to the eminent gen tlemen who imagine themselves superior to. the people. The Real Job A few months ago" the Social Democrat of Milwaukee had the writer "on the shelf" and it seemed to be mighty glad of that fact. Evidently, however, the judgment of this Milwaukee paper was premature. Something must have happened since. that time to change the editor's mind, for, in a recent issue, he has an editorial which seems to indicate that the writer is still on the job. To be sure the job doesn't suit the editor. And hisr criticisms is summed up in the following, words : "In a feature interview in the Cincinnati Inquirer, Mr. Stelzle un burdened himself of his heartfelt hope. And his heartfelt hope what is it ? Is it to shorten the hours of labor? Is it to abolish child labor? Is it to stop white slavery ? Is it to end the profit system ? Is it even to curb corporations?. No. His ' express aim is to build a $200,000 church on a $200,000 lot in New York. 'And the Son of Man had not where to lay his head.'" Now, under ordinary circumstances, no attention would be paid to such a slam, for they have come at the rate of at least one a -week and sometimes half a dozen in a Remember i April 21st OPENING BaseBall Season week from all classes ; but the statement permits the writer to say just a word about the Labor Temple to which reference was made in the labor press about a jear ago when the enterprise was started in lower New York in the most congested district of the world. Here an opportunity was of fered to set up an enterprise which should minister to all the needs of the people in the community physical, social, mental, moral and religious and the writer was challenged to make good on this proposition the understanding being that if the plan worked out within two years, the property would' be purchased for $200,000 and a $200,000 building would be erected. This enterprise is distinctively for the benefit of working people and their families, and here Jew, Catholic, Protestant and Ag nostic come together for the discussion of the most vital problems of the day. Every problem which the editorial in the Social Democrat hints at has been discussed many times at the meetings in the Labor Temple. This has been one of the most important parts of the job and out of it has grown a brotherhood whose chief business it is to take up legislative matters having to do with the conditions of the workers. Half of those who attend the Temple meetings are Jews, for our building is situated near the great Ghetto district of New York, and probably 50 percent are socialists. The lat-. ter have found that here they will get a square deal in an open forum discussion on any theme which seems worth while taking about. The big auditorium is open every night in the week. There are over thirty meetings from Sunday to Sunday, and fully 5,000. persons attend them. There is a big chorus of 100 voices. There are health talks ; both vocal and instrumental music and some of the best concerts given in the city. There are fully a dozen clubs for men and-women, boys and girls, with cooking classes and a penny savings bank. On every Saturday night there is a people's popular program with music and motion pictures. Indeed, there is no phase of life untouched in this people's palace. No ad mission charge is made for any of these features because we do not wish to keep out any workingman who cannot afford to take his family to a good evening's enter tainment. The religious discussions are particularly attractive for the reason that every meeting the audience is permitted to ask questions of the speaker, no matter what the topic discussed. This work has had the closest supervision of the writer for nearly a year. Not only is it true that a cent of extra salary has been received by him for this work but he has sacrificed engagements which might have brought him a large revenue, for the reason that he wished to demonstrate to the church what were the possibilities in such a -locality. The plan has succeeded. Undoubted ly the property will be purchased and a Labor Temple which will be really worth while for the people in lower New York will be erected in the near future. It is not a church and probably -never will be. Now this is the whole story of the Social Democrat editorial. The job has been no cinch. Any other man who can make good here is welcome to it. And after the dem onstration has been completed and the building set up, we will tackle another proposition just as big Rev. Charles Stelzle. I ain't sprouted no whiskers yet, but I've lived long enuf-t' be able t' tell by de ack shuns o' some young girls wot mudders is goin' t' do a lot, worTiri' jj.efQ're ery.