The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, April 05, 1901, Page 8, Image 8

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Work for the Ministry.
Rov. Robert F. Coylo of Denver, pastor of
tho Central Presbyterian churoh, resigned recent
ly and, according to the News, startled his con
gregation "by a condemnation of the conduot of
Borao of its members. Ho said ho could no longer
remain silent and witness the indulgences and in
iquities of fashionable life. Tho News reports
that Dr. Ooylo was not willing "to bo housed in
an expensive parsonage, preach beautiful, poeti
cal sermons on Sunday, make fashionable calls
through tho week and overlook all this poverty
of service for tho benefit of mankind, just for the
sake of being paid a good salary." While this
is going on in tho west, several Episcopalian
ministers are ongaged in exposing gambling in
tho east tho following appeared in the New York
Telogram:
Rov. Dr. William R. Huntington has started a cru
sade against the vice in this city. He says it is use
less to try to reform the poor while vice is rampant
and unrebuked among the rich.
Rov. Dr. Morgan Dix, rector of Trinity church,
has joined Dr. Huntington. He said that gambling
in society had reached a point where it was scanda
lous and a disgrace. This makes lour rectors of
prominent churches who have enrolled themselves
under Dr. Huntington in his crusade against gamb
ling in fashionable society. They are Rev. Dr. Mor
gan Dix, of Trinity, Rev. Dr. Rainsfordof St. George's,
Rev. Dr. Houghton of tho Churoh of Transfiguration
and Rev. Dr. Qeorgo R. Vandewator of St. Andrew's,
Dr. Hamilton said today: ''I know of a woman
at Newport who had a cottage there and supported
herself by playing 'bridge' whist. She was a member
of the exclusive set and would invite a dozen young
fellows to play a little whist at which she was an
expert." 1 have seen one of the best known society
women at Newport drunk at tho Casino.
'There are seven families in society in tho sea
son at Newport that set a bad example and indulge
in gambling and drunkeness."
It is encouraging to note the growing dispo
sition upon the part of clergymen to attack the
evils whioh are threatening social life in the cit
ies, and yet these clergymen cannot go far in
their reforms without realizing that the publio at
large is suffering a great deal more from so-called
'respectable" speculators and monopolists, who
prey upon sooioty upon a large scale, than from the
vices which are periodically attacked. Not
that tho latter should be ignored, but tho
former deserves even more attention. The minis
ters occupy a position of responsibility and influ
ence and tho people who are resisting injustice
and striving to secure relief from oppressive
systems have a right to expect their co-operation.
An Unenviable Fame.
Tho present method of eleoting United States
senators has few newspaper champions. Even
those journals whioh are accustomed to endorse
without hesitation anything proposed by or bene
ficial to organized wealth are unable to formulate
a defense of a systom whioh interferes with the
legitimate work of tho state legislatures, invites
every variety of corruption and brings scandal
and disgrace upon the United States Senate.
But in its dire extremity, this old and tottering
system has found a willing supporter. Tho Chi
cago Inter-Ocean seems anxious to win for itself
an unenviable fame by making practically the only
protest against the direot election of senators.
Not only does it find fault with the proposed re-
The Commoner
form, but it uses epithets to conceal its lack of
logic Here an extract from one of its editorials:
Tho lower houso of tho Illinois legislature fool
ishly adopted on Wednesday the Curtis resolution for
tho election of Senators by popular vote. Such a res
olution is not likely to have any influence on Con
gress, but is one of those silly things that a republi
can legislature cannot afford to trifle with.
Tho framers tho constitution sought to escape
tho plain dangers and evils of government by one
legislative body. They therefore decreed that the
lower house of Congress should be chosen directly to
represent the people, and the upper houso should be
chosen indirectly, to represent tho states. Thus the
Senate was removed at the outset from tho immediate
influence of popular clamor. A century of experience
has showed tho wisdom of the plan. The
test is a fair one, and it has been made. Why, then
not abide by it? Why, then, pursue further a popu"
listic will-o'-the-wisp at tho instigation of tho hare,
brained agitators, and under the leadership of ephem
eral pinheads?
In three Congresses the first two democratic
and tho last one republican, the House of Repre
sentatives has with little opposition adopted a
resolution submitting the necessary amendment,,
and several state legislatures, some of them re
publican, have endorsed the proposed change.
And yet the members of Congress and legislators
who dissent from the antiquated views expressed
by tho Inter-Ocean are all to be condemned as
' 'hare-brained agitators" and "ephemeral pin
heads." The Inter-Ocean ought to have but lit
tle competition in its effort to secure the lowest
place in the journalistic column.
Cuban Teachers.
Last summer 2,000 Cuban teachers were in Cam
bridge., It was a common remark that they seemed
to be inferior in size and stature to American teach
ers and students. During the first week of August
978 of tho Cuban teachers were weighed at the gym
nasium at Harvard university. Of these 497 were
men and 494 women, and the reports as to height,
weight, and general physical status are submitted in
a report by Dr. Dudley Allen Sargent, published in
Popular Science Monthly for March.
Among the American male students measured,
for comparison with Cuban teachers, the shortest was
G4.7 inches and the tallest 75.6 inches. Among the
Cuban male teachers the shortest was 55.9 inches and
the tallest 75.6 inches. So far as extremes are con
cerned, it will be seen that there is little difference
in the two nationalities, but the medium height of
the American male student is 67.7 inches, while only
10 per cent of the Cuban male teachers attained this
stature. The medium height of the Cuban male
teachers was 64.3 inches, but this height was sur
passed by over 90 per cent of the American male stu
dents. The height of the tallest American female stu
dent was 71.3 inches, and of the shortest 53.2, while
tho tallest Cuban female teacher was 68.9 and the
shortest 54.7 .inches. Tho medium height of the
American female student is 62.6 inches, and the me
dium height of the Cuban teacher 60.3. Over 80 per
cent of the American female students surpassed the
stature attained by 50 per cent of the Cuban female
teachers.
The medium Cuban man, it was found, is twelve
pounds heavier than tho medium Cuban woman, while
the American woman is 19.0 pounds lighter than the
medium American man. As our American women
have better opportunities for growth and develop-'
ment than tho Cuban women, Dr. Sargent asks why
they do not compare more favorable with tho Ameri
can men in weight and height than the Cuban women
do with tho Cuban men, and adds: "Is it due to tho
inferiority of tho American women or the superiority
of tho American men? Have tho admirable oppor
tunities for physical training and athletics afforded
our male students begun to show the expected results
by a general increase of weight and statu that has1
not yot been attained by our college women? Can it
be true that our American women are beginning to
show tho material cost of attempting to build a
highly organized brain . and maintain their special
physiological functions at tho samo time?" -Chicago
Inter-Ocean
A Story About Wu.
Cosmopolitan as Minister Wu of China is by edu
cation and experience in diplomatic station, he still
continues to bo amazed over the novelty of woman
away from homo and doing things allee same as Meli
can man. When confronted by tho young women
students of the Chicago university, who gave the hall
salutation in his honor, Wu thought it a savage yell.
When he discovered that the shout was from feminine
throats he asked a tutor if there was not danger that
the girls would become masculine. This query was
followed up with questions to each individual about
why she was away from her parents and when she
would return to them.
This warrants publication for tho first time of a
true and suggestive Chicago story about Wu when
several women of this city were holding official posi
tion in connection with the Columbian exhibition.
This dialogue literally occurred between one of
these and Wu: "How old are you?" An evasive
smile on tho fair but silent lips. "Married?" "Yes."
"Plenty money?" "Yes." "Good husband?" "Yes."
"Fine homo?" Yes." "Why don't you stay there?"
There was no reply to tho final query. But many
American women, as woman goes farther away from
home and into public life, must suspect that there
was a subtle and not malign philosophy concealed in
the implication of the oriental's question. Chicago
Chronicle.
Lent.
To starve tho body is a very poor way to keep
Lent. Many people, instead of being made humble
by starvation, are made cross and morose; and this
state of mind is harder on the person and the house
hold at large than the most ravenous appetite which
exercise entails. To keep Lent properly is to use
such deprivation as will result in spiritual good to
give up some bad habit, to fight against bad temper
and sharp words, to be charitable in judgements and
conclusions as well as visible aims, to put away some
hurtful indulgence and darling sin these are the
true deprivations that purify tho spirit and make the
heart an abiding place for tho love of the Master.
Lent teaches us self-denial, self-sacrifice, and the sac
rifice that accomplishes tho most good reaches out
beyond the dainties of the table to the purifying in
fluences of life.
"To starve thy sin,
not bin
That is to keep thy Lent."
Memphis Commercial Appeal.
SutlBtled.
Love wore a threadbare dress of gray,
And toiled upon the road all day.
Love wielded pick and carried pack,
And bent to heavy loads tho back.
Though meager-fed and sorely tasked, -One
only wage Love ever asked
A child's white face to kiss at night,
A woman's smile by candle-light.
Margaret E. Sangster, in Lippincott's Magazine.
If there be some weak one,
Give me strength to help him on;
If a blinder soul there be,
Let me guide him nearer Thee. '
Make my mortal dreams come true, J .
With the work I fain would do;
Clothe with life tho weak intent,
uou " wo mo cuing jl meant;
Let me find in Thy employ
Peace that dearer is than 1ov;
wuw ui toii io love oe lea
And to Heaven acclimated,
Until all things sweet and good
Seem my natural habitude.
J. G. Vhittier.
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