' .r""" t ft"- - -
p j"
wr."
&
-.:.
.
w
li
fe."
R'
V.f
N:
I.
10
dwwi$p'
The Commoner.
VOLUME 6, 'NUMBER 4
Off to School
Wo liavon't any "little girl"
. With oycH alight with glco,
And hair In many a dancing curl,
Ifor happy heart caro free,
Sho Htarled off to school today
And mamnm'H heart is sore;
"Our hnhy'H gone," I heard her Hay;
"Our little girl no more."
Wo loBt our little girl today.
With eager, hurrying foot
Sho sped with laughter light and gay
Along the busy stroot.
And watching her a niother'H eyes
Grow moist with unshod tears
As backward now her niom'ry (lies
Throligh quickly vanished years.
Wo lost 'our littlo girl today.
With lightly tripping feet
ano miiTies on nor scnooiward way
Far dowii Iho city stroot.
But though the years speed swiftly by
Into otornlty,
She'll bo, however fast they fly,
"My littlo girl" to mo.
Modern Definitions
. Community of Interests Society
languago for the old saw, "There is
honor among thieves."
Vested Rights Logally authorized
to infringo upon the rights of others.
Memory A convenient thing to fall
back from when asked, "How did you
got it?"
Senatorial Dignity Something to
bring out when questioned too close
ly. Congress A largo body of men sur
roundod by selfish influences.
BlncknmUor A Mann-lv art.
Judicial Dignity A .Jtoialresrln
which to temporaKijHfide judicial in
competency. . t"
WjuuwiTel' Sometimes used as a
3'Jionym for paresis.
Octopus No. 2G Wall street..
Sweat shop A hot house for grow
ing bargain counter sales.
'
That Corn Problem
A reader of The Commoner writes
nat there are always an evon num
ber of rows of kernels on a cob be
cause nature ordained it, and offers
as proof that nature works in pairs:
hat man has two eyos, two ears, two
hands two feet, etc. Ho forgets, how
2,lhl,t "" l"s only one nose, one
mouth and ono heart. Ho also for
gets that man has an odd number of
dig s on each hand and foot. Ho
fur her asserts that nature never
makes mistakes. But people have
been born blind, with one arm or no
arms, and that nature often indulges
In some romnrkablo freaks. There is
a natural mathematical reason why
the rows of kernels on a cob are al
ways even, and of the scores of an
swers sent in not one has gone to the
real essence of tho matter.
Women and Chers
An exchange expresses wonder that
the feminine gender has never nro-
ffof ft'ttCU(iS3 1),ayor- S?m?to
abouUha t nnS somothlS strange
m.c LV J' AU th0 gloat chess Play
ers have been men. For that matter
p have all the great billiard p ayors'
to become proficient in either of the
pmos ono must have pie ty of iw
for practice, and surelV the- wotom
bavo plentv of nmA vniGn
to do in the morning when feg'et
P is to start tho kitchen fire let
broalcfast, prepare the cimdren for
school, wash the dishes, sweep 1
house, get tho things ready for din
nor so tho children can I ,rry iS
to school, wash the dinner m hot
darn a lot of stockings, put on a lot
of patches, make the beds, scrub the
kitchen, iron a lot of clothes, get the
washing ready for an early start next
morning, peel tho potatoes for sup
per, make biscuits, get supper, wash;
tho dishes, get the children ready for"
bed and then do some moro darning
and patching. With just this little
amount of work to do it, seems a won
der that more women have not de
veloped into expert" chess or billiard,
players.
It must be that there is something
about these two games that appeals
only to the male mind.
The Difference
The smiling financier merely turneft
in the witness chair and refused to'
obey the court's command to answer
tno question.
"I refuse to answer by advice of
counsel," ho said.
"The court insists that you an
swer." Silence having reigned, five consec
utive minutes the court -adjourned.
But immediately after the court con
vened again the laboring man who
had struck for shorter hours and bet
ter wages was haled before that same
judge.
"You have violated the Injunction
issued from this bench!" thundered
tho judge. "I"
"Your honor, I plead not guilty,"
replied the prisoner. "I have faith
fully obeyed the court's order and I'
have not "
"That is enough from you, sir,"
ejaculated the judge. "You are fined
vivv aim njaiuujjuu iiLlWA.-10V.--U-rLWi
nny. TTre orders oTThis court must
bo obeyed."
Having signed the committment pa
pers the judge sent a polite little note
to the financier saying that he was
within his constitutional rights when
he refused to answer, and assuring
him that the court would protect him
from further indignities.
In the meantime the workingman
was in jail.
A Lessons in Morals
"Look here, son!" exclaimed the
angry parent. "I hear you were bet
ting on the races yesterday."
"Well, father, I only put up a few
dollars that Flyaway would win."
"Haven't I told, youit was wicked
to gamble? Haven't I warned you
against it? If I over hear of your
doing such a thing again I will thrash
you good. Now you take this note
down to Broker & Seller's office, and
hurry up about it. I think this re
markably open winter is going to hurt
the wheat crop and I want to buy a
few thousand bushels on margins. And
don t you loiter on tho way, either."
Just Thoughts
mn ??da, 0ne or tUo old-time
nnWi prln ers wanlered into the
palatial quarters presided over by tho
architect of this department, and for
E!rt,?wi T tW0 ,arcuitect and tourist
indulged in reminiscenses of the old
cS?nb,n0re th,e tyPUne machines
came in and made such radical
tK In, ?B printInS business
Tho tourist recalled old times when
be and the architect worked at he
case wherever fancy dictated, ami
iff rSyi'fi I1U and a acore or moro
of old-timers guessea at. And Sen
nature 'thn'n111111 taken "
paitine, tho architect sat for n whnft
ruminating on the things that worn
and tho things that are Umt WOre
The change in the printing trade
brought about by the Mergenthaler
machine nas ucen iiuie snurt u mar
velous. Twenty years ago the print
ers of America were tho greatest iten
orants known, and the term "tramp
printer" was as common as fleas on
a dog. These men drifted from ono
section of the country to the other,
usually going south in tho winter and
nortli in the summer. They could al
ways get enough work to keep them
from going hungry, generally made
enough to satisfy their thirst, and
were a happy-go-lucky class. Some of
tho biggest-hearted men the writer
has ever met were those old-time tour
ists always ready to divide their last
dime with a brother printer, and
standing by him through thick and
thin in times of trouble. Their work
and their itinerant natures made
them a convival class, and as a result
the whole trade soon came to be
known as one inclined to dissipation.
This, of course, was a gross libel, for
a big majority of printers are and
always have been, sober mechanics.
The ones who habitually squandered
their earnings in drink made so much
noise and were so "previous" that
people made the mistake of thinking
they were in a majority. It was just
the mistake the Arkansas man made
who wired to a St. Louis commission
house to know what it would pay him
per dozen for frogs' legs. "A dollar
a dozen, how many dozen can you
furnish?" replied the hutisfc. "Can
furnish them by the million," replied
the Arkansas man. A week later the
Arkansas man shipped in three dozen
and accompanied tjiem with a letter
saying: "This is all I could find. I
was fooled by the noise they made."
Those were the old hand compo
sition days, and it was common to
see from twenty-five to one hundred
men working on the case In a city
daily office on a Saturday night. Then
a man was supposed to set about
8,000J.'ems" the printer's standard of
measurement. Jfyit If he was just
recoveriwr-'i'rnm n min rm,f ,fii
SoJinBarleycorn and did not make
over 4,uuu or 4,500 it did not matter
very much. But it is different now.
Ten men working at machines have
to set as much type as fifty men did
in the old hand days, and If one ma
chine man is "off his feed" it means
that the paper is "stuck" and misses
the early mails. Theretore the- dis
sipated man does not last long these
days. As a result the old-time "tour
ist" has about disappeared and the
printers are today relieved from the
odium that once attached to the
craft. It is a nerve-racking job to
run a linotype machine and a man
must have the possession of all his
mental and physical faculties if he
"makes good."
The benefits of thorough trades or
ganization were never better shown
than when the printers wero con
fronted with the typesetting machine.
The writer remembers well the time
when he and other journeymen print
ers used to stand around after "30"
was off the hook and laugh at the
idea that a machine could ever be
built to set type. "When they can
build a machine that can think they'll
have a machine that can set type,"
was a common expression in the craft
And while we were deceiving our
selves with this idea Otto Mergen
thaler was working away on his won
derful invention. Suddenly ft ..was
thrown on the market-a machine
that not only set type but actually
made it possible for ono man to set
as much type as five men could by
S' Xt .Wa? enoush t0 disrupt al
most any trades union, but the nrinr
ers met it more than'hal way in
stead of fighting it they accented it
conformed themselves to the new
conditions and today the "iron man"
ha the most tractable individual in the
iTr ?w In ,til? 0ld hund Qays a" man
had to work two hours m the aftor
noon "filling his case," and then set
typo by hand eight hours at night in
order to make $3.00 or $3.25 , ten to
eleven hours a day. Now he wSrks
eight hours and makes more money.
Instead of injuring the printing busi
ness from the employe's standpoint
the machine has been a benefit. And
above all it has worked a marvelous
change in the morale of the- craft.
The men who were threatened with
trade extinction by the introduction
of the machine were speedily taken
care of by the increased production
of newspapers, magazines, and other
products of the press. '
But the machine put the "tourist"
out of business. If he was too thor
oughly imbued with the itinerant
spirit to settle down he was forced ;out
of the trade. If not, ho settled down,
learned the machine, or went ,from
the news room to the ad .or job room,
and is today a sober, industrious 'and
respected mechanic.
All these wonderful changes have
occurred, in the short space of sixteen
years. But after the old "tourist"
had wanderod forth to again take up
his weary way, the writer spent; an
hour of pleasant recollections ofwthe
old days, the old ways and- the old
(Continued on Page 15),
Beneficial to elderly people
who suffer from dryness, of
mouth and throat, in boxes only.
CLUB OFFER
Any one of tho following will bo sent
with THE COMMONER, both ono -year,
for tho club price.
Periodicals may be Bent to different ad
dresses if desired. Your friends may wish
to join with you in sending: for a combina
tion.. All subscriptions are for. one year,
and if now, begin with the current num
ber unless otherwise directed. ...Present
subscribers need not wait until their sub
scriptions expire. Renewals received now
will bo entered for a full year from ex
piration date. Subscriptions for Literary
Digest and Public Opinion must bo' new.
Renewals for theso two not accepted.
Foreign postage extra. '. ..
AGRICULTURAL
Reg.
-PricG
Agricultural Epltomist, mo....$ .25.
Breeder's Gazette, wk 2.00
arm and Home, semi-nio 50
Farm, Field and Fireside, wk.. 1.00
Farm, Stock and Home,semi-mo .GO'
Farmer's Wife, mo-. ..50
Homo and Farm, seml-mo.... .50
Irrigation Age, mo i.oo
Kansas Farmer, wk. l 00
Missouri Valley Farmer, mo. . . !50
SSw? "y Magazine....,,.. .50
Poultry Success rn
Poultry Topics, mo '.. .'25
Practical Farmer, wk so
Prairie Farmer, wk -: i'oo
Reliable Poultry Journal, mo. !50
Farm Nows, mo ...... .50
NEWSPAPERS
p1ff
Constitution .Thricc-a-week. . .$1.00
Cincinnati Enquirer, wk ion
Farm and Homo Sentinel, wk. iso
Johnstown (Pa.) Democrat... 100
&ai?aS-C,,ty World' daily.,. 3.00
K. C. World daily ex. Sun . 2 00
Nebraska Independent, wk. . . . 1 00
Rocky Mountain News-Times,
Seattle Times,' wk! '. '. '. '. '. '. ', ' ' ' J
Thrico-a-Wook N. T. Worlds 1 on'
Commercial Appeal, wk rn
World-Hei;ald, twlce?-week.: ! I'.oa
MAGAZINES
Reg.
Cosmopolitan, mo..', ?1r,c
Tho Housekeeper f 1f J
S'm!??: mo'::: '
Pacific Monthly .'';; j'XX
Success, mo ix
Campbell's Illus. Journal .' .' .' .' .' 1.00
Woman's Home Companion. mo 1.00
MISCELLANEOUS '
Reg. Club
Literary Digest (now), wk ??nn ?
mlum offers In which t o ThiSS? a ?xPZ
World, World-Herald, or icins ? nZ
World, or Farm, stock and iSmf5aD?ra
aro not open io residents of th n n?'
Hvft ntna In M Ji. -L01 " respoo-
u.shod. -uu XJUI,ers named.aro
. Club.
Price
$1.00
2.25
1.00
1.35
1.00
1:00
1.00
1.35
liOO
1.00
1.00
1.00
.1.00
1.15
"tl.00
1.00
1.00
Club
Prlco
$1.35
1.35
1.00
.1.25
3.00
2.00
1.25
1.60
1.35
1.35
.1.00
1.25
Club
Price
$1.35
1.25
1.50
1.45
1.45
1.60
1.25
1.45
rw2.WS
.-- . j.
'sW
dF
