fame are but sounding brass and tinkling
cymbal, while their unheard of fellows
are true metal giving off the ring of the
real article when sounded. Anna Wilson
was a "madam," and her resort was as
well known as any public building in
Omaha. It is not for us to speak of the
orgies that have been carried on in the
house that this woman now seeks to dedi
cate to sick and suffering humanity. But
just as there is something of good in
every human breast, so there must be
some palliation, some forgiveness, for
women like Anna Wilson who honestly
and sincerely seek to atone in some meas
ure for their past lives. Let the old-time
newspaper men of Omaha be put upon
the stand in this controversy. Let them
tell of the hundreds of kindly deeds of
charity that they have known this
"madam" to perform. Time and again
has she anonymously sent hundreds of
dollars to help some public charity. Many
a poor unfortunate girl has found the
woman superior to the "madam," and
been set back upon the road to honor and
happiness instead of being allowed to
sink deeper into the depths. She never
failed to respond when a helping hand
was asked. True many a "fallen woman"
has been sheltered in her resort, but it
is equally true that this woman has
stopped many a girl from repeating her
first error, and given her back to society ;
making it possible for the girl to become
a good wife and a true mother. There is
niaiiv a black mark against Anna Wil
son's name upon the record book, but not
all the marks are black there are count
less scores of white ones. Arid knowing
what she has done for the poor and the
unfortunate, and knowing what some of
her detractors have done, and failed to
do, we unhesitatingly declare that we
would rather stand by her side on the
final judgment day than to take chances
with many of those who are now throw
ing rocks in her direction.
Much may be forgiven in women like
Anna Wilson, for they have suffered
much. If out of their bitter experiences
there shall came in time a chastened
spirit and a desire to make such amends
as within them lies for past offences
against society, who are we to deny them
the opportunity? Are we better than the
Man of Galilee? Is there one among us
who, being without sin, can throw the
stones of condemnation with a clear con
science? Scarlet women there are, in plenty. .
Iut while the pharisees and hypocrites
berate them and crucify them, scarlet
men walk the streets with proud heads
erect and society receives them with open
arms. The woman who falls is cast into .
the. outer darkness; the man who causes
her fall goes back to the white lights, the
crowded drawing rooms and smiles of the
fallen Svoman's sisters sisters who
should be the first to help the woman
and condemn the man, but who are as
merciless toward the woman as a Sioux
Jmlftn t9 the oiblej of the
man. It may not be always so. Some
of these days, in God's good time, there
may be no sex in sin, no different moral
standards for men and women, no dif
ferentiation between the scarlet woman
and the scarlet man.
Surely there can be no valid reason for
refusing the good offer that Anna Wil
son has made to the city of Omaha. Sure
ly any community that can solicit from a
Carnegie or a Rockefeller the contribu
tions of money stained by the blood and
tears of helpless men and hopeless wives
and mothers, may not in good conscience .
refuse the tender of a hospital from a
Magdalen who seeks to make atonement
for past sins. And if a Magdalen seeks
to set her feet once again in the paths
of righteousness, what right has any man
or woman claiming to be a follower of
the Man of Nazareth to shove her aside
and say that such as she has no part in
the Kingdom.
WHERE WORDS FAIL.
Words are wholly inadequate to ex
press what the heart feels when a friend
is called upon to lay away in the last rest
ing place the form of a beloved son. Thus
it is that we are utterly unable to convey
to Mr. and Mrs. Harry T. Dobbins more
than a faint impression of the sympathy
we feel for them in the loss of their stal
wart young son, cut down just as lie was
merging into manhood. An only child,
the affection of his parents were centered
upon him, and just as they sawT the prom
ise of boyhood coming into the fruition of
manhood, death intervenes and- once
more parents? are fronted with the mys
tery of all ages.
Why these things so happen we do not
know. We only know, through experi
ence, that without a faith upon which to
lean in a time like this, the future is in
deed dark; that without the warm hand
clasp of friends, which conveys more
than spoken words, the present would be
doubly hard to bear. And so, remem
bering the times when our own afflic
tions were shared by friends about us;
we reach out the hand of friendship to
these stricken parents, asking that we
may be permitted to share in some meas
ure the burden laid upon them. Yet,
even in the darkness that lays so heavily
about the tomb there is one ray of light.
Although we have lost the loved one, yet
we have as a solace through all the com
ing years the sweet recollections of the
happy days that loved one was with us,
and this memory will often make the
heavy burden lighter and the weary road
seem shorter.
PERHAPS THIS WILL CLEAR IT.
In acknowledging the receipt of a
copy of Will Maupin's Weekly, the same
being the recent "Booster Number," a
railroad official in our neighboring city
says :
"There is no doubt of the sentiment be-
jng beneficial, ancj fhe writings put forth
many strong arguments in favor of Ne
braska, but as to just what use this
would be to a railroad in its advertising,
I am not clear."
This, mind you, from the official of a
railway having the second longest mile
age in Nebraska, and with its chief line
traversing the least developed portions
of the state! This particular railroad
taps a territory that offers good and
comparatively cheap lands sufficient to
afford homes to not less than half a mil
lion new people than are now in that ter
ritory. The bringing of these people into
Nebraska and locating them upon lands
in this railroad's territory would mean
added millions of revenue to that road
every year. These people would raise
cattle and grain and hogs to ship to mar
ket on the one hand, while bringing back
on the return haul the manufactured
goods they must have. It would mean
new towns, new enterprises, new sources
of revenue.
Yet, when the possibilities of this al
most vacant territory are made known,
and the advantages offered to the intend
ing hoineseeker are made plain, a head
official of a railroad most interested
frankly declares he can not see just what
use a railroad can make thereof. And
desiring to be equally frank we admit
that under all the circumstances we too
are unable to see just how that particu
lar road may expect to receive any bene
fit. It might be otherwise if the road's
officials properly realized what might be
done hy making the possibilities of the
road's territory known to the world.
Some of these days will arrive a few
railway officials in Nebraska who will
realize that one settler on Nebraska land
now vacant is worth more to the railroads
than a dozen sales of emigrant tickets to
the Canadian northwest.
LET IT GO. -
We are not sorry to note that "Buffalo
Bill" has decided to retire. What little
sorrow we may feci would be assuaged by
the news that the "wild west" show stunt
is also to be retired. That sort of show
is just as interesting to us westerners
as it is to the easterners, but the fact of
matter is that the east imagines, when it
sees a "wild west" show, that it is see
ing the west as it is today. Colonel Cody's
enterprise has been profitable to himself,
but it has been poor advertising for the
west. As for the colonel himself, he is a
good fellow in many ways, but fortunate
in that he has been surrounded by a halo
of romance that somewhat disguises the
real facts. Ye haven't forgotten yet his
treatment of the wife who shared his
hard luck times with him, only to be neg
lected and forgotten when the good days
came.
New York suffragists are fasting this
week. This gives us an idea. Suppose
they refuse to cook any more meals un-.
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