Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, June 16, 1904, Image 6
Opinions of Great Papers on important Subjects. The Methodists and Amusemenls. HE question as to what amusements may be permitted to the members of the Methodist Epis copal Church is one that has caused more dis cussion in church circles than possibly any oth er. "Times change , and men's manners and customs change with them , " is an old and a true proverb. It is also true that this change in manners and customs and the inevitable change as it how they are viewed is , as active in the churches as any where else. It is to this steady shifting of ideals and opinions that the question remains perennial with the .Methodists. In the early Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America , the whole matter was dismissed in a prohibition to members against "taking such diversions as cannot be used in the name of the Lord Jesus. " But along in the decades about the middle of the test century the inevitable broadening of ideas due to the rapid increase in population , the change from solitary rural life to the hurry and bustle of the city all were liberalizing ten dencies. Especially in the cities , Methodists in good stand ing indulged in amusements , etc. , which were looked upon with horror by the more conservative , and hence more strict members in the country , especially the elder genera tion. But the liberals argued that they were well within the prohibition of the Discipline , and that there was no loss of true religion to themselves. It became evident that the clause in the Discipline needed amendment ; that the church must authoritatively specify what things could not be permitted to the Meth odist laity. The change was made by the General Con- Serence of 1S72. The paragraph which has stood since then < leals with conduct , and expressly forbids among othei things , "the buying , selling or using intoxicating liquors cs a beverage. " and "dancing , playing at games of chance , attending theaters , horse races , circuses , dancing parties or patronizing dancing schools , or taking such other amuse ments as are obviously of misleading or questionable moral tendency , " etc. But tns ! did not end the controversy. In very many churches , this regulation has become a dead letter. Methodist - odist members attend theaters , visit circuses , send their children to dancing schools and play card games in their homes : and they do not fuel that they thereby commit any -sin. That is to say , they do not admit that the church has a right-to prohibit any line of conduct that is not sin ful ; and feeling that these things are not , they ignore the jprecept. The matter was all threshed over again at the .recent General Conference in Los Angeles. Toledo Blade. The Question of the Battleship. ERETOFORE , when the public spoke 'of bat tleships , the breath was bated and there was. a gleam in the eye that boded the kindling of destructive pride. Some spirited souls even went so far as to lift the hat when one of our $ n ivj's ornaments was named , but something has happened. It has become dangerous to refer to America as sailing the seas like a battleship. We .hate to think of the ship of state as armored and carrying 12-inch guns. We cannot even remember that famous line , "She seems to feel the thrill of life along her keel , " without sympathetic shudders. The reason is as follows. Cesarevitch , 13,110 tons , dis abled by torpedo and beached , Feb. S , at Port Arthur ; Ketvi/.an. 1 ± 700 tons , disabled by torpedo and beached at Tort Arthur. Feb. S ; Poltava , 10,9JO ( tons , disabled at Port Arthur : Spvnstapnl. 10,900 tons , disabled Feb. 9 : Pobioda. V- ' ' . t tou > . ( hiiii.-iger by mine at Port Arthur. April 13 : Petrop.Mvlov.sk. 10.9GO tons , blown up by mine at Port Arthur. April K * . Sjx first-class battleships , four of them undoubtedly destroyed by submarine engines of warfare. ' not to speak of the dangers within the ship itself , as AVC .have learned in the cases of the Missouri and the Iowa. It is told that the unfortunate Admiral Makaroff dis approved of battleships on the ancient ground of "all your eggs in one basket. " The admiral is dead and a battleship holds his body , a battleship which sank within two minutes - utes after a submarine was exploded under it. There are others along the shore of the bay at Port Arthur , all for mer prides of the Russian navy , pointed at by the experts -of other nations as perils to peace and warnings for war , SOLC1ER3 OF THE CZAR. The uniform of the Russian soldier Is the simplest uniform in Europe. In winter a sheepskin coat goes on be neath the gray one. In summer , or during campaigns in hot climates , the Russians , like the Japanese , fight in white dress. To critics who say that this renders them needlessly conspicu ous , they reply that it is better than ' khaki ; for a man dressed in earth color - or imagines himself invisible , and be- .haves accordingly. lie gets shot ; -whereas the man who knows he can 'be seen keeps under cover and comes off with a whole skin. A writer in the Boston Transcript describes the sol diers of the Czar as follows : The Russian campaigner marches .somewhat heavily laden. He has his kit-bag with clothing slung over one .shoulder , his haversack with two days' rations of bread and salt slung over the other , his greatcoat strapped under one arm. Including his water bottle , .arms and ammunition , a section of tent .and the uniform he stands in , he car ries something over sixty-six pounds. "The advantage which offsets the burden - -den Is that at a pinch the Russian foot-soldier is practically independent -of a baggage train. He can transport his modest' necessities upon his own back. The Russian cavalryman rides so 'laden with cornsacks and blankets .and greatcoats and wallets and saddle bags and things that he puts one in mind of the much incumbered White Knight in "Alice in Wonderland. " Al together his impedimenta weigh 119 pounds. Fortunately what would op press another soldier is no burden to the Russian. He is sturdiness itself. Russian soldiers have been known to march thirty miles without rest , and -then g. directly into an engagement Severity is accounted the prime fac- of Russian military discipline. But now squatting drunkenly in the mud , their huge guns raking the affrighted stars. They have felt a shudder along their keels , and their glory has dwindled iik'e a leak ing balloon. The American people are prone to ask questions when things happen. Something has happened. The colored pictures of our navy are singularly uninspiring just at present , and we desire to know why. If we cannot find out why , we , at least , wish to be sure that something was really wrong. So there is the question in the air. How much is a $0,000,000 battleship worth ? If a Japanese cor poral's guard ( or the naval equivalent of the body ) can tike a rowboat , a cap pistol , and a torpedo and sink bat tleships , we desire to be allowed to look on , and possibly make a small bet on our own prospects. Further , some would like to know just how we are going to keep the upper hand if our battleships won't battle against the enemy's torpedoes. We are in a state of doubt San Francisco Argonaut. Chinese Exclusion. T is expected that the new treaty regulating the admission of Chinese into the United States , now in preparation , will permit certain China men , not of the coolie class , who are now ex cluded , to enter the country. Under the exist ing exclusion law , Chinese laborers are pro hibited from coming to or remaining in the United States. Registered Chinese laborers may leave the country and return to it , under certain conditions , and Chinese officials , teachers , students , merchants and travel ers may come into the country when properly certified. The law has been strictly construed by the Attorney-Gen eral , who ruled that not all Chinese persons might enter the country who were not specifically forbidden , but that only those who are entitled to enter who are expressly permitted to do so. The ruling excluded traders , salesmen , buyers , bookkeepers , accountants , managers , storekeepers , interpreters , physicians and agents. Persons falling within these designations are not manual laborers , against whom the exclusion law was particularly directed. The classes excluded by the rulings are numerous , and the new treaty may provide for the admission of some of them. Our expanding trade with the East would doubtless be stimulated by a more hospitable treatment of what may be termed the Chinese mercantile and professional element. A discreet extension of the privilege of entry could be per mitted , it is believed , without injuriously affecting the wages of labor. It is understood that the contemplated regula tions apply to the admission of Chinese of the higher class es and that there is no intention to admit coolies. Whether provisions shall be made for use of Chinese laborers in the construction of the Panama Canal is under consideration , and the more extended use of Chinese labor in the Philippines is urged by certain interests concerned in the development of the possessions. Philadelphia Ledger. The Price of Fame. HEN one considers how much the people love to be humbugged , it is surprising that there are not more people engaged professionally in the business. A man with a very brilliant mind may make a brilliant address before a brilliant audience , and there the brilliancy stops ; but a man with a mind about the size of a shriveled walnut , may talk a lot of nonsense to an au dience of no or of average or unusual intelligence , and immediately he becomes famous. An educator in a recent religious meeting told a fairly intelligent audience that dam-ing was thy closest approach to Paradise , and to-day his name and theory is known from Maine to California. A University of Chicago professor tells wherein Rockefeller is superior to Shakspeare , and while the oil magnate mod estly protests , the professor's mail is overwhelmed with re quests for photographs and locks of his hair. A Harvard professor , who teaches Slavic literature , and who is a native of Russia , expresses the hope that his fatherland will be defeated in the Eastern war , and he gets half a column of attention , where his sensible utterances had never won him more than very moderate attention. And so , if a man must simply be foolish to become famous , is it any wonder that almost everybody to-day is famous r Baltimore Herald. something better than severity goes to make soldiers of Russian peasants , and that something is a powerful spir it of camaraderie. A high Russian officer does not hesitate to joke with his men. When the commanding officer meets his troops for the first time in the morning , he calls out cordially , "Good morning ! " The men reply with a pe culiar , long , rattling shout , "Your good health , your excellency ! " When a maneuver is executed to the commander's satisfaction , he shouts congratulations to the men , and they respond all together , "We are glad you like it. " IS THE SUN HOT OR COLD ? Sim and a Hot Stove Have the Same Kiiid of Energy. So far as I know , no reasons at all for doubting the high temperature of the central body of the solar system have ever been found. There are in general three distinct ways in which heat can be transferred from one body to another conduction , convection and radiation. The first two are depend ent upon the presence of matter , the latter will take place across a perfect vacuum. We may receive heat from a stove by nil three methods. If we place our hands upon it we receive heat by conduction ; ifvi - hold them above it they are warmed by convec tion , the heat being brought to them by the rising current of hot air. If now we stand in front of the stove we will feel its warmth , the sensation in this case being produced by the heat waves which it emits. These waves are similar to the electric' ' waves used in wireless telegraphy , differing from them only iu their length. They bear the same relation to them which the ripples on a mill pond bear to the Atlantic rollers. With the instru ments at our disposal at the present time we can measure the length of these waves as accurately as we can measure the length of a table with a foot rule , and we can prove that they will pass through a. vacuum , a plate of glass or a tank full of liquid air , without losing their ability to warm our hands. We find , however , that if we pass this radiant heat through cer tain substances , water vapor , for ex ample , its intensity is diminished , ow ing to the fact that some of the waves have been absorbed. It is possible to determine the exact length of the waves of heat which have been re moved by absorption in the vapor , and if we test the radiation which comes to us from the sun we find that waves of this same length are absent , the water vapor in the earth's atmosphere having refused to transmit them. This fact , taken alone , is pretty good evi dence that the sun and the hot stove are pouring out the same kind of en ergy. Harper's Weekly. Wanted a Demonstration. "John , " said Mrs. Makepeace , com ing out on the back porch , where her husband sat tilted back in his chair , his feet on the railing , "didn't I hear you tell the minister when he was here that you were deeply interested in tem perance movements ? " "Yes. " Mr. Makepeace replied , rath er stiffly. "I said so , and you know that I am. " "Well , " said Mrs. Makepeace , "sup pose you go and make a few of them on the pump-handle. I want a pail of water. " What Made Him Ask. Paying Teller "What is your name , anyway ? Indignant Presenter of Check Don't you see my signature ? Paying Teller Yes. That's what aroused my curiosity. Baltimore American. Daily Guido to Table Manners. Never kick on the food except on the cook's day out Otherwise you might lose her. It doesn't matter about your wife. She'll stay. Baltimore Ameri can. Republican Tariff Plank. Senator Aldrich says the Republ cans will revise the tariff when it i necessary to do so , but as the Scnato manages the Republican tariff prc gram and in turn is controlled by th trusts , the time for revision is certai to be in the distant future. Those o us witli small incomes , at the mere , of high trust prices , have seen th necessity for tariff reform ever sine the combines boosted prices beyond th ability of the poor man to pay. Th Rockefeller group of industrial trusts with whom Senator Aldrich is con nected , will hardly consider it neces sary to revise the tariff , unless" to raisi it to a higher plane. The last Repub lican platform for Iowa declared that "Duties that are too low should be in creased , and duties that are too higl should be decreased. " That was th < plank adopted to compromise the dif ferences between Gov. Cummins ant "the stand-patters , " so that each conk point to it with pride. The followers of Gov. Cummins who believe that tlu tariff shelters trusts , could quote thai part of the plank which promised that if duties were too high and were fos tering the trusts and allowing them tc rob the Iowa farmers , the duties would be reduced. The stand-patters , on the other hand , who proclaim thai high duties bring prosperity , doubtless feel that still higher duties would bring about even greater prosperity. But this juggling with words that gave both factions a chance to approve the platform did not lead to any revision of the tariff by Congress and in fact the Iowa delegation , led by Senator Al lison , agreed to "let well enough alone. " That is the trusts and corpo rations had more influence with Con gressmen than their constituents , for Gov. Cummins , who believes in tariff reform was elected by a large major ity which shows that most of the people ple of Iowa favored revision. The Republican leaders are now try ing to agree on tariff and trust planks to be incorporated in the platform to be adopted at Chicago and the same juggling with words that will allow both factions to stand on the platform is certain to be presented to the vet ers. Senators Aldrich and Lodge are said to be preparing the planks , under the close supervision of President Roosevelt , and the voter that will not be able to find what he wants will be hard to please. Yet the fact remains that the pro tectionists and trust interests will write the platform and also control the action of the Republican national con vention , and as every revision of the tariff by the Republicans has resulted in increasing duties , it is certain that if the Republican party wins the elec tion it will not be considered necessary to revise the tariff , and more certain that if any revision is attempted the protection the trusts now enjoy will be maintained. Dun's Index figures for May show that high prices for all the necessaries of life are still main tained and yet wages are declining , with a vast number of workers unem ployed and many imported industries running on short time , and yet the high tariff , which the Republicans declare produces prosperity , is in full working order. The price of many farm prod ucts is falling and yet the cost of liv ing shows but little , if any , decrease. The beef trust , the coal trust , the salt trust , the oil trust the sugar trust , and the minor combinations are paying large dividends , fostered in most cases by the protection the tariff gives them. It would seem , therefore , Senator Aldrich to the contrary notwithstand ing , the Republican national platform should declare when the tariff will be revised and if the revision shall pro vide for higher or lower duties , espe cially on trust products. The Intelligent Farmer , Giving the farmers taffy before elec tion and promising them legislation that never was intended to material ize , is a favorite game of the Republi can leaders. It is therefore not an un expected pleasure to read the first in stallment of guff and bluff given out by Hon. Joseph Weeks Babcock , chair man of the Republican Congressional Committee , in which he brings in the "intelligent farmer" as the standby of the G. O. P. Mr. Babcock says he has implicit faith that the "intelligent farmers" will vote the Republican ticket for they have telephones in their liouses and read the daily newspapers. That Mr. Babcock really believes the "intelligent farmer" will support the party in league with the trusts and corporations is doubtful , for he is evi- iently much exercised , though he says lie is not worrying over the outlook for i Republican majority in the next Con gress. Yet Mr. Babcock evidently is ilanned about what the "intelligent farmer" will do , for be also says : "It seeps a member of Congress busy all : he time to answer the questions they isk him about public affairs. " Maybe , tvhen he gave out that interview , Mr. Babcock was thinking of the uncom- lortable questions that many of his > wn constituents have been asking lim about the charges of his too close : onnection with the railroad corpora- ions , the padding of the mails in the nterest of those institutions and his ! ailuie to push his bill to reform the ; ariff schedule that shelters the steel xust , though ho had declared the tar iff must be reformed. Or , possibly , he was thinking of the charges made by Secretary Bristow that over 100 Re publican Congressmen , including him self , had been mixed up with the post- oilice grafters , if not in league with them. The "intelligent farmer" who reads the daily newspaper could hardly have missed knowing about those charges and a number of other scan dals that Mr. Babcock and his party are responsible for , and it is hardly any wonder that it has kept those members of Congress busy , as it has i Mr. Babeock for he tolls us so explaining - ' plaining and twisting and turning , to answer the questions , of not only the "intelligent farmer. " but to others of his and their constituents. No more favorable news for the Democrats has been published than this acknowledged interest the farm ers are taking in public affairs. No doubt they are inquiring about Repub lican extravagance , about the enor mous increase in price of what they buy and the cause for it. They doubt less want to know why the packers' combine is paying less for cattle and hogs and yet the price of meat to the consumer is relatively higher than it was. There is no end to the ques tions that intelligent farmers will ask candidates for Congress that will puz zle the Republicans to evade , let alone to answer. That is just what the Dem ocrats want full and free discussion and intelligent inquiry by all voters. A Little Remembrance. Big events at present scarcely grant us an interval in which to notice mi nor episodes. But there is often profit in small things and it may pay us to consider for a moment the adjourn ment of the Republican Congress. Con gress sought to sneak out unobserved while great wars , the World's Fair and other tremendous concerns occu pied the fore ; and the attempt was well-nigh successful. The difference between Congress in session and out of session is imperceptible anyhow , and except for the empty felicitations and formalities iu both houses there was nothing unusual to signify the close. Congress , however , leaves us a little something by which to remember it a deficit of $77,000,000 ; the appropria tions for the coming fiscal year made by the present session being $781,574- 020 and the estimated revenues being but $704,472,000. The chairman of the Appropriations Committee character izes this financing as "laudable econ- omj- . " But Senator Gorman , with much more reason and regard for fact , calls it amazing extravagance and at tributes a large part of it to the im perialistic aid rash ambitions of Mr. Roosevelt. Be that as it may. $77.000- 000 is a rather sizable and menacing fioiloit and points in the direction of either bad financing or a considerably raised tax rate , or both. Incidentally we may inquire : Where is the boasted benefit of Dingley "pro tection" to the people , the taxpayers ? The taxpayers are $77,000,000 "in the hole. " Dingley "protection" has done better by the trusts. To be sure , thej nre not "out" $77,000,000 on account of it. Our political economists , and especially - c-ially those who are both political and partisan , might not support the propo sition ; but a court of equity sitting upon the question of adjustment would require the privileged monopo lies to pay over the sum of the deficit into the treasury and make up the pee ple's losses. Robbing the people to en rich the trusts is good economy from : he Republicon standpoint , but it is de cidedly inequitable and uncomfortably Burdensome to the country as a whole. Sister Molly's Beau. Ls children got t' be as nice As ever was , an' when \ve go T1 answer 'at doorbell , we got T' make a little bow jess so' Vn' ef it's 'at big mustaclied man 'At came from heaven t'other day r call on Molly , we must put Our nicest manners on an' say : 'Most walk right in. " Vn' 'en we got t'go upstairs As qiii t as we ever knew , Vu' say t' Molly : "Sister , dear. A gentleman's t' call on you : " Cause ef he'd hear us say : "Oh. Moll , 'At guy 'ith whiskers jess rozne in ! " . 'ere would be a nawful row An' we'd pet spanked by Moll. like sia , 'Cause lie's her beau ! 'enee Molly's not a beau , they can't Nobody irive her any sass ; Cer tell th * man 'at Moll jess stands AIl (1-i.v by 'at big lookin * glass ; Ve got t' make out like she looks Like 'at all times , 'cause slic'nd slap > ; ir heads right off. ef we * nd tell Him how she looks in her old wrap When lie uin't there ! wisht 'at they'd stop spoonin' so , A sittfn * 0:1 th * sofa say ! saw him put his arm around Moll's waist. I did , las' Saturday ! ' wisht 'at they'd ? t married , an' We wo'.ilOn't have t' primp up so 'hoy ain't no fun in livin * now Senre Sister Molly's got a beau , 'At whiskered man. -Baltimore News. t It Certainly IB. r "Yes. " paid the thinker of audible tioughts. "it's a grave injustice. " g "What's a grave injustice ? " a iie man with the rubber habit. I "Burying people alive , " explained be C the uoin.rieuzhfs. . . 1 * Contract. Pupils Mustache . Over 100 students of Syracuse Unl- rersity have signed the following agree ment : "We , the undersigned , do here by agree to let our mustaches grow from date unless this promise Is dis solved by mutual consent. " Only upper class men will be allow ed the hirsute lip , as it has always been against college custom for lower class men to wear mustaches. Every year the upper class" men adopt some scheme that will distinguish them from the lower class men. Last year it was corduroy trousers. The mustache scheme is especially popular because no expense is involved. Old. Soldier's Story. Sonoma , Mich. , June 13. That even in actual warfare disease is more ter rible than bullets is the experience of DtJos Hutchins of this place. Mr. Hutchins as a Union soldier tsaw three years of service under Butler Barko in the Louisiana swamps , and as a re sult got crippled with Rheumatism so that his hands and feet got all twisted out of shape , and how he suffered only u Rheumatic will ever know. For twentj'-five years he was In mis- pry , then one lucky day his druugis atlvised him to use Dodd's Kidney' ' Pills. Of the result Mr. Hutchins says : "The first two boxes did not help me much , but I got two more , and before I got them used up I was a great deal better. I kept on taking them , and now my pains are all gone and I feel better than I have in years. I know Dodd's Kidney Pills -will cure Rheuma tism. " Money in the Bunk. Mrs. O'Brady Sluire , I want to bank twinty pounds. Can I draw it out quick if I want it ? Postmaster Indade. Mrs. O'Bradjr , you can draw it out to-morrow if you give a wake's notice. STATE OF OHIO , CITY OF TOLEDO , I * .LUCAS COUN'TV f * FHAXK J. CHKXEY makes oath thatjie Is tha senior partner of the linn of F. J. CHEKEY & Co. . doing business In the City of Toledo , County and State aforesaid , and that said firm will pay the sum of ONE HUNDRED DOLLAHS for each and every case of Catarrh that cannot bo curcu by the ujso of HALL'S CATAURH CuitE. FKANK J. CHENEY. Sworn to before me and subscribed in my pres ence , this Cth day of December , A. D. 1880. A. W. GI.EASON. SEAL Rotary Public. Hall's Catarrh Cure Is taken internally , and acts directly on the blood and mucous surfaces of the system. Scad for testimonials , free. F. J. CHENEY & CO. , Toledo , O. Sold by Dniselsts. " 5c. Hall's Family Tills are the best. Vegetarian Itestaurant , Vegetarian restaurants are increas ing in numbers in New York. There is one near Herald square where one- may enjoy a table d'hote dinner for 23 cents which includes several courses that might contain , meat , for anything one can tell from their flavor. Steak , soup , roast beef , en trees of several kinds , with dessert and coffee , make a good dinner , vvherever enjoyed. Yet the manager 5vill tell you that you have not tasted inimal flesh throughout the meal. Artful use of butter , milk , vegetables ind nuts has deceived you. Many icrsonswho go into the restaurant nerely for the experience become reg- ilar customers , says the manager. Chore is one thing to be said , one can lave a much pleasanter meal , so far is surroundings go in this vegetarian ilace than in the average "quick unch" room , with its clatter of lishes , shouting of waiters and cof- 'ee drowned in hot milk. Promised to Tell Bridget. A young matron whose girlish ap- learance sometimes subjects her to the lersecutions of impudent strangers icatly rebuked one of those public nui- ances on an elevated railroad train re- ently. He was dressed in a style that ie regarded as very "fetching , " and ie ogled the young woman persistent- F. Finally he edged through the crowd intil he was directly in front of her , ihen he bent down , and , lifting his : at , said : "Beg pardon , but I'm sure I've met ou somewhere. " "Oh , yes , " began the young woman , i a pleasant voice. * "Delighted ! " broke in the youth , cstatically. "You are the young man who calls n our cook , " continued the young- oman , in a clear voice. "I'll te Bridget that I saw you. " HAS TRIED BOTH. Travel for Health vs. Dieting. A man who was sent to Europe for is health and finally found cure in little change in his diet says : "I was troubled with dyspepsia for ve years , and two doctors here in enosha that treated me for over a. ear both told me there was no help > r me. Then I had an expert from hicago but still received no relief ; icn followed another expert from hicago who came to our house two mes a month for four months. He ive me up like all the others and told ie to take a trip across the ocean , hich I did in the year IS99 and came > rne about as bad as when I started , he doctors told me my stomach ling - ; g was full of sores. Then I began to udy my own case and learned of the et recommended by the Postum C'er- il Co. , so I gave up coffee , pork and 1 greasy foods and began using osturn Food Coffee. Gradually I gou > tter and better until I am well now i I ever was in my younger days , ive no trouble and eat anything fit eat. "Sometimes away from home I am srsuaded to drink coffee , but I only ke a sip of it , for it tastes bitter and sagreeable to me , but the longer I e Postum the better I like it and the tter I feel. I could say a great deal ore of my experience with Postum , it think this will give every one a od idea of what leaving off coffee d using Postum can do. " Name givea ' Postum Co. , Battle Creek , Mich. Look in each pkg. for the famous tie book , "The Road to Wellville. " I