Conservative *
THE CONSEKVA-
TIIK TOKKKNS TJVE lms ffom time
to time called the
attention of its readers to the excellent
invention known as the Torreus System
of Laud Titles , and proposes still to con
tinue BO doing until , if it can be effected ,
the citizens of Nebraska are as well
served , and their rights as owners of
land as well protected , as any of the
most favored nations.
This is not the case at present. If
farmers and owners of homes in general
were once aware what a back-number
our system of land-titles is , and how
little real security it gives to the man
who pays money for property of that
kind , there would be many who would
look about to see if there were no better
arrangement possible.
The fact is that our real estate system
is a thousand years old , with only a few
Yankee notions added in this country ,
by virtue of our claim to being a pro
gressive people. In England they still
enjoy the methods introduced by Wil
liam the Conqueror in the llth century.
Such an anachronism in such an import
ant matter caii be explained only by the
existence of an influential class , whose
livelihood is largely dependent on the
difficulties inseparable from the holding
and transfer of land by those mon
strously antique methods.
Our ideas have really changed quite a
little in a thousand years. At a time
when the best title to a homestead was
obtained by knocking the owner on the
head and butchering his family , it was
quite right and proper that in selling it
again you should only part with your
own interest in it. Then if in addition
you agreed to defend your purchaser's
possession against others , he was really
as well fixed as the state of society at
that time admitted. The idea of the
king or the rest of the people being suffi
ciently interested to see to it that the
rightful owner had his laud , was not
one that belonged to that period.
The idea that pervaded the earliest
English law-courts is clearly shown by
that iniquitous ancient maxim"caveat
emplor : " let the obuyer look out for
himself. If the seller turned out to be a
swindler and the buyer thereby lost his
money , it was his own fault ; what
must he be buying things for ? And it
is no otherwise in Nebraska in this year
1900 : if you want to buy land or a
house , you must find out yourself , or
trust a lawyer with that duty , whether
the man who proposes to sell it is the
owner of it or not. The state is com
pletely indifferent in the matter ; the
laws leave it entirely to the individual
purchaser to protect himself. Most
owners of laud have an "abstract , "
which it took a considerable quantity of
time and money to procure. This they
think protects them in some way , but
they find out differently if they ever
try to prove anything by it in court.
Having bought your land , you have
your vendor's guarantee , as in the time
of the robber-barons , that ho will "de-
feud" you in your possession , and this
the courts will compel him to do if he
can ; but suppose ho dies , fails in busi
ness or otherwise disappears ?
Now this improvement called the Tor
reus system , which was hatched in Aus
tralia and has been working there most
admirably for forty years , arranges dif
ferently , going to the root of the matter ,
in this way : instead of Mr. Smith trans
ferring to yon , in return for your mon
ey , whatever rights yon may decide ,
after looking up all the evidence Mr.
Smith has to the land yon desire , the
state itself assumes the responsibility of
knowing who is the owner of each tract
of laud within its boundaries. A thing
that it can easily do , since laud is land ,
does not change , and can always ( except
in the Missouri bottoms ) be found
where it is laid down. Then if you
want Mr. Smith's land , if he can pro
duce the state's certificate that he is the
owner of it , you have no further evi
dence to seek ; you pay the money , he
has his certificate canceled at the court
house and a new one is issued to you.
Then , instead of Mr. Smith's promise
that , if nothing prevents , he will protect
you against any body that may turn up
with a better right to the land , you have
the positive guarantee of the state itself
that you are the sole owner ; and the
"defending , " if any is to be done , will
be performed with all the power of the
courts by the state itself , which does
not die , fail in business nor otherwise
disappear.
This plan , which , besides providing
safety where there is no safety now , has
the further merits of making transfers
quicker and cheaper than at present , is
already in operation in several states of
the Union. Massachusetts is one , thanks
in a large measure to the efforts of that
ingenious and public-spirited citizen ,
Mr. Edward Atkinson. Illinois also now
has it in such counties as desire it , after
ten years of litigation ; for there is no
concealing the fact that the abstractors
and some lawyers do not love the meas
ure. And THE CONSERVATIVE would be
very well pleased if enough property-
owners could see the value of it so that
the Nebraska legislature would take
some action looking in that direction at
its next session.
CHAKLES FRANCOIS FELU.
BRUSSELS , Feb. 7. Charles Francois
Felu , an armless artist , died Monday in
his 70th year. He
Telegram. . . . . , .
painted with his
feet and copied hundreds of the best
masterpieces. Many specimens of his
work are now in America. While work
ing he held his palette with his left
great toe and manipulated his brush
with his right foot and with great skill ,
He always shaved himself. Ho had
written a successful tragedy.
_ , , In the summer
Pluck Possl- . - _ _ _
„ „ THE CON
SERVATIVE passed
some time at Antwerp , in Belgium ,
admiring the works of the old masters
which adorn the cathedrals and galleries
of that ancient mart , whose wonderful
docks and piers were constructed by
Napoleon Bonaparte. The intense
colorings of Reubens , in that wonder
fully realistic picture , "The Descent
From the Cross , " his delineations of the
emotions , in each face , and the tender ,
solemnity with which the greatest
tragedy of the world's historic career
is committed to canvass , arrested atten
tion and compelled a reverent admira
tion.
tion.Artists
Artists from every country and clime
were gathered at that home of Reubens
to do honor to his genius by attempting
to copy his works. And among them
we met and became acquainted with
Charles Francois Felu. He was then
fifty-eight years of age. His pallid and
regular features were pleasant and at
tractive as his manners , which were
those of a world-wise , scholarly gentle
man of most amiable disposition. He
was sitting bolt upright before his easel
copying a famous piece , "The Fisher
Boy. " With his left foot he held his
palette against the base of the easel and
with his right foot he held his brush ,
mixed his colors and developed the
picture before him.
With admiration for his genius and
the pertinacity of his pluck , which had
. , made him an artist
Armless. „ . , ,
of merit and prom
inence , though he had been born with
out arms , one could but feel how
relatively incompetent he had been with
his two hands , as compared to this
industrious artist with no hands. His
persistent and successful struggle to use
his feet as hands and his toes as fingers
made him an artist of world-wide
celebrity. His pictures were in demand
and THE CONSERVATIVE purchased the
"Fisher Boy , " which is painted upon a
piece of mahogany about eight inches
by ten , for fifty dollars. It is a constant
inspiration to attempt , to endeavor
against odds and by persistent pluck to
overcome obstacles.
Every boy and girl , every youth
should see and study the pictures , the
life and the triumphs
Hoys and GirlH.
umphs of Charles
Francois Felu. Those who have strong
arms and perfect hands , who have
health and vigor , combined with quick
intellectual abilities , may emulate the
uncomplaining and courageous en
deavors of this armless artist whose
works are now a monument to his genius
and skill , his talent and his triumphs.
The Belgian artist , Mr. Charles Fran
cois Felu , Graduate of Letters , was born
without arms at
Biography.
Waermaerde , i n