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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1908)
Loup City Northwestern J. W. BURLEIGH, Publisher. LOUP CITY. • • NEBRASKA Women as Economists. The Idea generally prevails among men that women are densely and in curably ignorant about the value of money. “He knows no more of money than a woman.” is almost a proverb. The most absurd stories are perpetual ly told of woman's total incapacity to learn anything about money, and some' of them are doubtless believed. She is, notwithstanding contrary belief, an intelligent economist when she comes to learn what economy means. It is frequently said by the other sex that she can make a dollar go as far as they can make two. Nor is this by any means the language of compliment. Many a husband has discovered that "his wife can buy more with a small amount of cash than he can, and he is in the habit of giving it to her for that special purpose. The extravagance of woman has been a stock theme ever lastingly. We shall hear of her wild extravagance, of the waste of fortunes by her excess, of her uncontrolled and uncontrollable prodigality. This must be accepted with considerable allow ance for exaggeration. Man, not wom an, is the great spendthrift; he always has been; alwmys will be. Few men forced into economy by circumstances relish it, unless avaricious; and when their circumstances grow easy they cease generally to be economical. A woman who has once become economi cal will continue to be so, though there be no need of the habit, even if it be glaringly out of keeping with her condition. Woman’s love of small de tails inclines her to economy. She may not be a financier in any large sense—that may not be within her scope—but careful use of little amsunts of money certainly is, and she constantly demonstrates her profi ciency therein. There is much more reason for calling woman penurious than prodigal, declares the New York Weekly, and she is really called both, though the adjectives are absolutely incongruous. The plain truth is, if a woman has any common sense and is the least enlightened, she usually re strains her husband's tendency to lav ishness and employs all her influence in the direction of economy. "Phis ta an example given us by France as to the proper method In which to celebrate a national holiday. There the undertaker and the surgeon are not worked overtime, nor is a na tional fetish made of the god of gun powder. Instead, explains the Brock ton (Mass.) Times, the day Is made a holiday for all. The national colors are everywhere. The three great gov ernment theaters in Paris, with the greatest actors in the country, give three performances free to all the peo ple, and there are countless other at tractions provided by the government during the day, winding up with dis plays of fireworks throughout the country paid for by the government and of such magnificence that no pri vate exhibitions could vie with them. That is the way the various munici palities of America should face the problem of the Fourth of July. Prof. Walter A. WyckofT, who died recently, was the author of “The Workers,” a book on the laboring man which has remained vital through a decade of increasing literature on so cial conditions. The reason for the life of the book was that it recorded the author's actual experience for a year and a half as a working man. He lived by the labor of his hands In field, ditch and mining camp; he played the game fairly, and did not help himself out by “money from home” or checks from his publishers. He knew what it was to be out of a job and “on his up pers.” That is why his material was fresh and vivid when he returned to the professor's easy chair to write the story of his experience. Crude men of sincere faith are often more convincing preachers than high ly cultivated clergymen. The rough man is near the heart of the multi tude he would convert; he under stands their sins and temptations, and speaks the language of their life. But good taste is necessary to religious ex hortation as to every other dignified human occupation, and plainness and directness are not served by vulgarity and rowdyism. The religious spirit may be roused in some people by the vocabulary of a hoodlum, but religion is sure to suffer in the end if it is as sociated with an offensive style of speech. “Talk is cheap,” said the old prov erb. But that was before these enter prising times when people talk from one end of the country almost to the other, and when inventors and scien tists are speaking confidently of tele phoning across the ocean. The city of Vienna is now trying to get control of mines in Moravia. The reasons given for the purchase are the high price of coal and the difficulty .of securing a steady supply for the municipal gas and electric plants. An expedition is being equipped un der the auspices of the Russian min istry of marine, with the object of discovering a northeast passage be tween the At'antic and Pacific oceans. According to Prof. Berthold of Vi enna a man’s inteiligence, honesty and good nature are in proportion to his portliness. The simplified spellers declare that their cause is gaining. Here is an other horror added to the hot weather. King of Political Pests Is the “Four-Flusher95 By E'RJVEST McGAFFEy As a Rule His Good Thing Turns Out to Be a Pair of Deuces. HE term “four-flushing,” al though of comparatively recent origin, merely means, in Us last analysis, a pretense. It is a poker term, meaning in that game the prac tice of pretending that you have five cards of one suit when you only have four of one suit and one of another, and of trying to win with that kind of a hand, in hopes that the other play ers will believe that you have a gen uine “flush,” five cards in one suit. It is a favorite pastime in the great American game to bet high on a "four flush” to intimidate or "timify” the fellow who would get you in a corner and reason with you, emphasiz ing his “points” earnestly, but in an undertone. "You know how that is, Mac,” he would go on. “The people out there feel that way, and that’s the way they feel all over the city. It’s strange to me that some one hasn't pointed it out to the mayor. If something isn't done we'll lose out election day. Such a comparatively small thing, too. It don't make any difference to me per sonally, for I don't care. But I don’t want to see our boys lose. Somebody ought to see his honor about it. I'm didate of "A’s” party stripe, and pay his expenses to cut into “A’s” vote. All this is "four-flushing” to make the voters believe there are four or five “Richmonds in the field” when, in fact, “A” and ‘ B” are the only real figures in the contest, and the extra candidates are “fakes.” And the beauty about it is that these “inde pendent" or other campaigns are often waged valiantly and a tremendous amount of dust and excitement kicked up about them. But the real independ ent, the independent who sometimes gets elected on a genuine and not a “faked” race, is usually some disgrun His Ways, His manner;, HH Methods, His Dress, and Fly-ty-Night Election Schemes—Dead Politically To-day, He Resurrects Himself To-morrow in a New Ward, with a New Plan and Perhaps Affiliates with the Other Party—How He Takes Up Reform as an Asset and i.leets Defeat, with Attendant Notoriety, Gracefully. HE WA3 ALWAYS | GOING TO DO GREAT TH//VGE> a 'he others at the card table and there by “rake down the pot.” But it does not always work. In politics I have seen enormous quantities of "four-flushing" indulged in; and in fact about two-fifths of all politics is “four-flushing." In the various angles of the political game there may be counter “four flushing,” or practicing the art on both sides, cy if there are four or five candidates in 'he field, there may be only one candidate who really Btands any show of election, and a quartette of “four-flushers” gaily bringing up the rear. The ‘ also rans" have entered the race for various reasons. Some of them get a little notoriety, some of them to try their political strength, and others for the purpose of leading a forlorn hope against the probable winner. There are "four-flushers” who ply their vocation deliberately, and those who do it by dint of long practice at dissimulation; and still others who have the practice forced on them by reason of circumstances. Some men are born to it; other men achieve “four-flushing,” and others still have it thrust upon them. There are the loud ; mouthed and noisy members of the I tribe, and also the quiet and persuas | ively earnest devotees of the cult. The blatant ones are the fellows who usu ally wear a large “headlight” diamond stud, and who bring down to the down town political headquarters astonish ing reports abcut what they are going to do in their particular wards. | I recollect particularly one of this kind. He was always going to do great things. And he would demon strate by verba; mathematics just how it was a “cinch’ that he had the ward tied up as tight as a snare drum. All suggestions that he might possibly be mistaken were either pooh-poohed i away, or you were given to under stand that you were “dead nutty.” This gentleman would keep on swell ing until the morning after election, and then he would disappear for a few days. When he reappeared, with his ward knocked “galley-west” in the election, and about 99 per cent, of his predictions gone wrong, he would still have that old “bluffy” walk on him. and would be gabbing triumphantly about some precinct that had gone his I way, and explaining how they would j have all went the same way if “Bill : Botsford” or “Joe Sammons” or “Pete Highball” had “stuck.” The only of fensive thing about this lobster's atti tude was that he assumed that some one was going to believe him. He was per se a “stiff,” as such cattle are , termed in politics, and a laughing j stock among seasoned politicians, but 1 he went about Imagining that he was a real factor in i>olitics, when he could scarcely control his own vote. As a rule, these “plugs” were fellows ■ who had accidentally gotten a little fleeting notoriety in the ward. They might by some strange accident have even been elected alderman for one term. Or they might have been can didates on one occasion for that of fice. But everybody was “on to” j them. The quiet, silky “four-flusher” was the one who tip-toed around with great schemes for carrying the elec tion by following his advice. He was WAS SELLOiV WOULD G£r\ EJN y\ VEM lOA/ , just telling you because you can see for yourself how it is. We need every vote we can rake and scrape. There's lots of ugly talk about this thing in my neighborhood, and it’s the same everywhere. Well, so long.” Now this ‘‘song and dance” might he reeled off by some fellow who had a 25-foot lot that was on a street that was about to be paved with a cheap paving, and his ‘‘advice” was a “four flush” to try to get a “reconsideration” by the hoard of local improvements of the order to pave. If he succeeded, he would save a few dollars in assess ments. He goes away thinking he has “started something doing” which may lead to a “reconsideration.” The facts are that his “spiel” has fallen on ab solutely barren ground. The question of politics “cuts no ice” whatever with the matter he is arguing, and a passing street band playing “Hiawa tha” would exert as much influence as he does in politics. Everyone except ing himself know that what he says, does, thinks and feels Is of no more importance than a rabbit. No one but a rank “four-flusher” makes these senseless “breaks," but the large cities simply swarm with rank “four-flushers.” A favorite scheme of the standard “four-flushers” in elections was to put up an “independent” “dummy” candi date. Somethimes two “dummy” can didates were put forward in the race. Suppose, for instance, that “A” and “B” are the regular candidates of the main parties. “B,” we will say, is the stronger of the two. “A” finances the nomination of an “independent” can didate, or a Prohibition, Labor-Social ist, or any old candidate whom he may think will weaken “B’s” chances. If “U” thinks the move will weaken him, he may up witn an “independent” can tied Republican or Democrat who, after election, elides gracefully back Into party traces, perfectly satisfied to have his “independence” elect him, but carrying the joke no further. Reform is a prolific source of politi cal “four-flushing.” Take some busi ness which offends certain of the more puritanically *nclined citizens. This business may be regularly licensed and declared legal, and there may be constitutional grounds which, until a change in the constitution, would ab solutely prevent interference in the business on the part of the authori ties. Does this daunt the “four-flush er” who wishes a little advertising? Not a bit of it. He gets together his cohorts and besieges the political au thorities demanding that they do those things which are under the law abso lutely forbidden. The authorities consult the law de partment, and the department gives an opinion, bated on the soundest au thority, that the proposition is unten able. Then the reforming “four flusher" holds a few public meetings and adds some more “four-flushers” to the list. Speeches are made and the authorities are denounced, also the lawyers who have given the dissent ing opinion to the views of the reform “four-flushers.” Then some scintillating genius among the brethren suggests that an injunction be obtained from some per fectly “unbiased" judge. A descent is made upon the courts, a perfectly “unbiased” and complaisant jurist is picked out, whc issues an injunction, and the “four-flushers” gather to offer up thanks. An appeal being taken from his ruling, the slate court, or the supreme court of the United States, hands down an opinion that the "un biased” judge is an “ass,” or words to hat effect, and the injunction is dis olved. Thereupon the “four-flushers” hold idditional mee.ings in which they de lounce the supreme courts, and, as soon as a new set of authorities come nto power, resume the old “bluff” of isking that the business which they lo not like be suppressed. One of the most unique of political “four-flushers” is the man who is bucking the game" solely on his nerve. I recollect one such indivld tal, and he was certainly a classic specimen, and a nervy proposition. A certain hotelkeeper had been se 'ected as a candidate for aldermanic honors. At party headquarters, after his name had been offered and deter mined upon, a committee of "promi nent citizens” was picked out to noti fy the gentleman of the honor which had been accorded him. Among others, this “hot sport" was chosen, as he was a very neat talker, and the chairmanship of the notifying commit tee was reserved to him, as the man who was best qualified to break the news to the hotelkeeper of his selec tion as the aldermanic standard bearer. At that time of the year, early spring, a number of these "prominent citizens” were wearing light over coats, and our hero was nattily attired in one which buttoned high to his throat, with an immaculate silk muf ,fler folded neatly above it. As the committee entered the rotun da of the hotel it met the then city clerk, who, on invitation, accompanied them on their trip. The Boniface was sent for, a pri vate room opened and the gentleman with the dove-colored spring overcoat and silk muffler stepped from the group of "prominent citizens” and urged the acceptance by the tentative candidate of the honor vouchsafed him. It was a neat speech. and told of the "representative citizens” who were present, anxious to lend their prestige and solid business standing to his campaign, all “prominent busi ness men.” and all desirous of having the ward taken care of in the council by a man of their own stamp. The hotelkeeper was very much gratified, accepted the honor in a few words and invited the committee to take dinner with him. It being just , about six In the evening. All but the city clerk and the orator of the even ing accepted tne Invitation with alac- , rity. The orator, however pleaded an , Imperative engagement, and the city I clerk had to catch a train. But as I these two cam.' out of the hotel the city clerk, who knew his companion as a sort of "fly-by night” ward politi cian. said, “Why didn't you stay and take dinner with the committee, Dick? The old man will give the boys a fine feed in there.” To which the politician, with a per fectly nonchalant air, replied: “I'd have liked to, first rate; but 1 haven’t got any shirt on,” at the same time opening his spring overcoat and dis closing underneath his stylish muf fler the unmistakable presence of a neat but not gaudy undershirt next to his manly chest The city clerk reached Into his vest pocket and dislodged a two-dollar bill. This he handed to his friend. “You’re a dandy representative citizen all right, Dick,” he remarked, “and a first class business man. Go and get you a shirt with that and then buy some thing to eat.” ERNEST M'GAFFEY. (Copyright. 19C8, by Joseph B. Bowles.) I Few men succeed in living up to their opinions of themselves. i PRETTY BLOUSES The first illustration shows a bodice of a lawn dress, It is made on a lining to which the vest of tucked muslin and insertion is stitched. The lawn fronts are tucked on the shoulders, and are edged with two rows of embroidery. The under-sleeve is turned up below the elbow with a cuff edged with embroiderj The over sleeve is trimmed with insertion, and is stitched on after the actual sleeve has been sewn on. The second is in pale blue zephyr, tucked on the shoulders, and trimmed each side the center box-pleat with open work embroidery insertion. The cuffs are finished with insertion, edged with pleated lace. The third garment is composed of flouncing embroidery, the plain part of the center pieces being tucked, the edge of the side embroidery being laid over the plain. The sleeves are arranged in the same way. The deep pointed col lar is of plain muslin, edged with a frill of lace. MAKES USEFUL LITTLE WRAP. Bolero in New Style Easily Made Up in Crochet Work. This useful little wrap is quite easy to make. Any kind of wool and a suit able hook (tricoter) may be used. Work a chain of 15 inches; on this chain work plain tricot for seven inches. Work off each stitch separately like double crochet for eight inches, and the remainder of the row in tricot as before. Work two more short rows of tricot like the last; on completing the last row make as many chain-stitches as will bring the work to its original length. Continue working long rows as at first for 22 inches, or more if for a stcut person. Work off the same number of stitches for the armholes a8 before, repeat the short rows and work a sec ond front to match the first, each stitch of the last row to be worked off separately like double crochet; fasten off. Fold the fronts over, and sew or crochet the shoulder pieces together. Work a row of double crochet round the armholes, taking up the back top thread and the thread which lies im mediately below it. Last row: Work a double crochet in the first of last row, pass one, a treble in next, *, five chain, back into first, another treble in same place as last, repeat from * twice more, pass one, double crochet in next, and re peat all round. Work this last row all round the bolero, using the double crochet row for the fronts if required. TO CLEAN WHITE WINGS. Two Preparations That Will Do the Work Effectively. Wings arc much more difficult to clean than are the softer feathers, . such as ostrich and marabou. You might cover them with a cream made from naphtha and French chalk, allowing it to dry on for a day, and then brush off. A slight improvement from an application of common starch can be made with cold water and laid on very thick. The paste should be allowed to be come quite dry, and perhaps this proc ess might answer for your wings if they are not too much soiled. In regard to the parasol, you might get rid of the grease spot by laying on hot French chalk. This will dissolve and absorb the grease. Repeat the process if necessary. Next, the para sol should be opened and then thor oughly washed with gasoline and white soap all over its surface, more particularly on the soiled places. Afterward sponge off with clear gasoline. By going over every part of the parasol there will be no danger of spots or streaks, and gasoline will not harm It. Keep away from fire or arti ficial heat during this process. What Is to Be in Fashion. It is quite in keeping with other ten dencies that sleeves should cease to give breadth to the shoulders as fig ures must not be made to look top heavy. Whatever fullness some of them retain is restricted to that part of the arm that comes immediately be low them. Milliners are even brought to book with respect to the exceeding size of their hats which, it is urged, do not suit the new mode in dresses, but as yet I see no signs of their be ing moved by any such arguments. Waists continue to be made more or less short, but there is no particular care taken to make them look small as with the hips. On the other hand, throats must be made to appear long and slender. Not only are collars made as close-fitting and high as pos sible, but they are invariably finished by a ruehing of lace or net—a fashion which in the long run comes expensive as they have to be continually re newed.—The Dry Goods Guide. New Curtain Material. A new drapery material that is quite inexpensive—19 cents a yard—is extremely pretty and cool looking. It is not unlije a fine scrim or a cotton voile as to background, and is printed in all the prettiest colorings, floral, conventional and stripes. It is called Arabian cloth, and will be charming fashioned into window curtains and other draperies required for summer use. In this material a dull ecru ground in a design of tulips is beautiful, and not less so, though more 6ubdued, are the conventional effects in pastel tones. IN LINEN AND PIQUE. Latter Material the Best for Summer Costumes. Linen jumper frocks and linen coat and skirt suits are popular this season and every woman wants them in her wardrobe, but there are other things more practical when one is cutting down the list as, much as possible. The linen coal will get out of shape in laundering and the linen costume of any description looks deliciously fresh and cool for about an hour if the wear er has luck, then begins to look more or less if its wearer had slept in it. Of course, it can be pressed out when one reaches home, but in the meantime It Is not beautiful and the pressing is not easy. Certain linens crush less readily than others and they are all pretty as they are fashionable, but they are unquestion ably annoying, especially if one passes the summer out of touch with an ex pert laundress. Vlque is popular again and musses less easily than linen, but is not of fered in the beau'iful colorings found among the linens. For plain white coats and gkirts or separate white skirts it is perhaps preferable to the linen. Tight-Fitting Petticoats. New petticoats are sold for the latest sheath dresses and they are made on the circular plan, so that there will be no fullness either at hips or knees Of course, those who wear the sheath dress most correctly wear no petti coats whatsoever, but with thin dresses such as women of America wear, at least one petticoat is a neces sity, and when it is made in the tight fitting style it does not much inter fere with the set of the graceful gown. The Use of Braid. There are white broadcloth costumes braided in black, but these are rather too conspicuous to be favorites with women who have but few gowns. It is thought more desirable to braid a dark costume with a light colored braid in order that the braid may be removed at some future time and the gown worn with a contrasting coat. Pompadour ribbon applied as skirt borders and waist decorations make a delightful trimming for a dress.