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The Commoner.
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 2?.
10
Fishing.
When you tako your rod and tackle cm
a sunny afternoon,
Whon tlio air is balmy-laden with tho
sweetest scents o June,
And go down upon the river wliero
the gamey fishes leap
Hero and thoro in wanton mischief
from the waters cool and deep;
You sit down within the shadow and
you cast your hook from shore
But the casting's worse than useless
if you've failed to do much more.
You may cast till arms are aching,
but the fish will never look
If boforo you do your casting you have
failed to bait your hook.
As in fishing, So in living, it is folly
just to wait
For a prize to take your hook if you
have failed to put on bait.
You may whip life's stream forever
.with a lino and hook that's bare,
And' no fish you'll see provided on
your daily bill of fare.
While your friends are busy pulling
ilsh from out each darkling pool
You will fail in landing any if you
fail to use the rule.
You may wander hither, thither, whip
ping ov'ry pool and nook,
But you're wasting life in vain, son, if.
you fall to bait your hook.
See that man with handsome tackle
snarled and tangled in a knot?
Ho is growling at his ill-luck; not a
single fish he's caught
Ho wont out to try life's fishing with
his tackle up to date,
So intont on landing prizes that he
.overlooked his bait.
And he's whipped life's stream for
hours, but ho hasn't got a bite.
Why? Because he hasn't whipped it
in the only way that's right
Ho imagines he's entitled to the best
fish in the brook
Without making return for it and he
didn't bait his hook.
Dig your bait whilo yet 'tis morning,
when the shadows reach the west:
Get life's fishing tackle ready, and be
sure you get the best
Let your rod be Honest Purpose, let
your lino bo Duty Done;
Let your reel bo Strong Endeavor see
the line will freely run
Lot your hook be High Ideals to your
imo maue tigtt and fast,
.Then approach life's rushing river
without fear to make your cast
But before you do your casting for a
momont pause and look,
And make sure that Good Intention is
the baft upon your hook.
It All Depend.
Bjones "That fellow, DeSmith, run
ning on the opposition ticket, made
twenty-seven speeches yesterday."
Kernox "If that ain't enough to
beat him I don't know what is. Thn
people don't want no windjammer rep
resent' them in office."
Bjones "And O'Swat, the head man
pn our ticket made thirty-one speeches
in the same length of time."
Kernox "Bully for O'Swat Ho is
demonstrating his statesmanship ev
ery day, and the people will rally to
his standard as one man."
Senator draball. -
"But the people are opposed to tho
measure, senator."
"Sir, that's a matter of small con
cern under present conditions. Tho
legislature that sent me here was con
trolled by tho Interests that are back'
ot this measure;"
But even thtnwe did not know how
small a private citizen could be and
only learned when wo walked from
tho room without being seen by the
senator.
Premature.
"Alas, Antony," sighed Cleopatra,
as she threw nerself prone upon the
sward by the river Styx.
"How now, my sweet one?" queried
Antony.
"To think," replied Cleopatra, "that
I allowed myself to be bitten by an
asp. Uh! A creeping, crawling,
clammy asp!"
"But now that it is all over why
mourn tho method, sweet one?"
"But just think, Antony," mourned
Cleopatra. "Just think what I missed
by living so soon. Had I waited a
few hundred years I might have
achieved tho same end and got my
name into tho papers by , being
smashed in an auto accident."
Knowing by experience how useless
It is to try to satisfy a woman, Antony
discreetly refrained from asking Cleo
patra how she' was to know such
things as autos were to be invented.
Up to Data.
"Willie, tell me Instantly what be
came of the jam that was in that jav
on the second shelf of the pantry!"
"Mamma," replied Willie, who was
well informed on topics of the day,
"whilo believing that forcible annexa-
binders sent Into the state was Sena
tor Fairbanks of Indiana. One of his
first speeches was made at Aurora, and
he had an enthusiastic audience. Af
ter warming up to his subject the sen
ator began tho "prosperity chant" and
let his voice soar into the clouds.
"My fellow. citizens!" shouted the
senator, "prosperity has come to our
beloved land through the wise eco
nomic policy of the republican party.
Our granaries are full to bursting.
Prices aro high. Employment seeks
the man, not man the employment.
Our condition is a happy one. Is ic
possible that you aro thinking of risk
ing a change? Let me ask you, fellow
citizens, will you take this risk. Do
you want to change your present "hap
py condition? I repeat the question:
Do you want to change your present
happy condition!''
And an enthusiastic republican in
the rear of tho hall, roused from a
sleep induced by too much campaign
liquor, slowly arose to his feet and
leering admiringly at the speaker, ex
claimed: "Well, I sh'd shay not! Never!"
Fairly beaming with satisfaction be
cause of his happy condition the in
ebriated gentleman sat down, and in
the wild applause which followed Sen
ator Fairbanks made his escape.
Modern. -
"Gentlemen," said" the president o
the society, "it having become public
that I desire to.succeed myself in this
high office, I hereby give you. an op
portunity to do the right thing."
"Mr. President," said the gentleman
from the Third ward, "as this meet
ing was called to transact merely rou
tine business, and as the present "in
cumbent's terra does not expire until
next year, I deem it hardly proper at
this time to"
"But I want a public indorsement
Y rZ? vrseCr-.W.' Jm Vl Ji m. rvi T
'mi ninety-five cents
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THE FAVORITE
tion would be criminal asrtrression.
still consideration for my own. wel- at this time," exclaimed the president.
faro and duty to my Interior organ
ism, I deemed it proper to engage in
benevolent assimilation. Therefore
I"
As it dawned upon the fond mother
that her loved son was thus early ex
hibiting the symptoms of imperialistic
leaning, she fell in a faint
The New Armament..
"Sire, we aro now prepared to move
upon the enemy with every assurance
that a great victory awaits us."
"Have those now guns arrived?"
"No, sire; but we have found three
or four automobiles and have all ar
rangements made for a road race
through the enemy's country."
Realizing instantly that his com
manding general was a genius, tho
king decorated him upon tho spot.
"Those who are for me will say so.
All in favor of indorsing my admin
istration and pledging me support
next year will please say 'aye.' The
'ayes' have it. Gentlemen, I thank
you for this token of your loyal and
disinterested support What is the
further pleasure of the meeting?"
LUDWIG I
I uLiawiiaiiii i ' lii
i MF iffi " Pfc
aP'iT""HirB'Iin LjSrt
ffl PIANO. I t
I -Ma " I fS
In Baltimore.
Mary Land "Goodness gracious,
Jessie; where did all those solemn
faced undertakers 'come from?"
Jessio Peake "They are not under
takers, Mary."
Mary Land "Well, then, who are
they?"
Jessie Peake "They are profes
sional humorists, and they are merely
wearing their vacation faces."
In Boyvllle.
"What has that boy over there done
that he should put on such superior
airs and calmly accept the homage of
his playmates?"
"0, that's the boy who shouted
"Hello, Teddy," and was spoken to by
'the president"
Awarded
Medals;
Paris 1900.
Buffalo 1901.
London 1902.
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Query.
If all the world were water,
And all the water were rocks,
Pray tell me what would Morgan do
For moisture for his stocks?
Limerick,
There was a fair maid named Louise,
Whose chief delight it was to tuise.
But she always cried "Nay,"
And refused then to play
Unless told "You can do as you
pluise"
Thoroughy Satisfied.
During the campaign of 1892 in Ne
braska the republicans imported Into
the state the best oratorical talent ob
tainable. Every republican officehold
er who had a national reputation as a
spell-binder was sent into the state .o
sing the prosperity song, and they
sang it day and night to tho exclusion
of all sober discussion of the questions
at issue.
. Among other administration spell- j glasses.
Brain Leaks '
ixr
Only the agnostic takes pride in
parading his ignorance.
The memory of youth is the staff
upon which we lean in old age.
Marriage may be a lottery, but a
capital wife is a prize worth drawing
for.
Only the foolish seek temptation in
order to try their powers of resist
ance.
Those who see nothing wrong in a
wnico lie are afflicted by moral color
blindness.
Bad habits cannot be cured with
ointments. They require a surgical
operation.
The true Christian never does those
things for which he must first seek an
excuse for doing.
The happiest homes aro those ia
which the company manners are on
exhibition every day.
Science has not yet been able to
toll whore a boy gets all the things he
carries in his pockets.
If the eyes wore really the "windows
of the soul" a great many people
wuuiu ue compeueu to wear opaque
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ROUND TRIPS JULY 1 TO 10, IN
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JUNE 1 TO SEPTEMBER 30, INCLU
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