i
4 B
TIIE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: JANUARY 10, 1915.
Wy F.LTLA FLKiailMA.
Chinese maiden, little Fon-key,
Jfc I secured the services of Tony
I Fsnamo snd George Wsshlng-
ion jonnnn uj iter in
carrying a gaily decorated
Christmas tree, replete even to
the festoon of popcorn bells, to an
American aohool moth, presided over by
Russian Jewish school teacher. Shades
of Zsngwlll. Tr. Stelner and Mary An tin!
What mo complete consummstlon could
be ssked f the Melting Pot! Only In
America, under these glorious Stars and
Stripes, could such an achievement be
realised as It wan In the Case school o'
Omaha. Just preceding the Christmas hol
iday vacation.
, The Cass school, situsted near the heart
Of the rlty.'at Fifteenth ant Cass sjrecte.
boasts what la known at the "rngreded
Room," with Miss Rote Bernstein, of
Mrt experience with foreign-speaking
children. In charge. Aa Ita name signifies,
this1 room represents no grade, but here
all Immigrant children are. Introduced
and kept until they have attained
working knowledge of tha English lan
u.a. Not only are they taught their
A'a and lis and multiplication tables,
but the principles of American cltlsen
shlri and patriotism are soon Imparted-.
They learn to recognlzo and conform to
all established law, are mail acquainted
with American Ideals and given food for
their ambition. The flrart steps In the
assimilation of American life have been
taken, the rorTriisamc adaptability of tha
ihlid furnishing the opening wedge.
Under ordinary circumstances, the Un
liradrd Room Is crowded to the last aeat.
hut the war having interfered with the
usual arrival of Immigrants, there arc
but twelve puplli In this room at the
present, ranging from perhaps JO to past
to years of age.
Morning la Inaredea Room.
The following Is a faithful portrayal of
nlj-plcal morning In' the Ungraded Room:
Frank MarltSai. a little Greek boot
li'ack, la called upon to read. Tha lea
son chances to dwell upon the Greek
hero I.eonidaa, whereupon a amlle of Joy
rests upon his youthful features. "Do
you learn much of Iconldas In the Amer
ican schools?'' inquires, tH . teacher.
Upon receiving a negative token, "Of
whom do you Jearn?" further questlona
lha teachef. Frank, who was facing the
blackboard, wheeled around, and raising
Ills hand pointed reverently to the por
traits of Washington and Lincoln, hang
ing upon the wall. "We. learn of them
, rtnl other bosses of tha United States,"
he replied.
, Their he rend further of tha Peloponni-
sus. A look of Inef.'able charm overspread
Ills face. "That la my country. I come
from Peloponnesus." Aa ha want, on
reading about Lycurgus, ha Interposed
frequently to tell about the cuatoma of
tha- ancient Spartans and their Ideals,
how they didn't Ilka the underalaed boya
and cripple In tha olden days of warfare
and that Spartan mothera wept when girl
babies wero bom to them, for they only
wanted boy babies to rear for aoWlera.
Oaty nirh Go to School. ,
In my country, school booka very ex
pensive. Only rich can go to school.
Her, everything la free. I' think In
Krsnce must be free school also,", con
tinued the little a reek.
"What makes you think so, Frank;"
quelled the teacher.
,, "Because there also Is a president, so
.must be free.'.' too." expressing In bta Im
perfect mariner that tha Inseparability of
the republic, and freedom linked with edit.
rational opportunities has mad a vivid
Impression. .
Little Louis Incontra, a lovable Italian
chap, la asked to read about Columbus
and. the discovery of America,
"Because of your countryman's discov
ery, you were able to come to live In,
this beautiful lend," says the teacher.
."Ah, not only J, but everybody come
from other places. All cltisena this coun
try," Interposed I-oule.
i "What will you do for thla flag?" asked
the learner.
, "Fight," monosyllabled he, and Im
mediately went off In a rhapsody of "I
give my head, my heart and my hand
to my country, one country, on language
and one flag."
Aa If to supply tha Inspiration, 'there
areno less than six American flags In
this room, placed at different points so
that In every direction In which the. gase
falls, it encounters an emblem of pur
country, while thl Inscription la kept
permanently upon the blackboard:
There are many flags In many lands,
There are flags oi every hue;
lint there is no (lag however grand
I.Ike our own Red, W hit and Blue.
Learnlas; te Spell.
. Ixiuie la dismissed, but before walking
to. hf aeat. pk-ks up a piece of chalk, and
writes "swender" uoon tha board. "Thla
right?' la his luconlo Inquiry, pointing to
the sweater which ha. wear. While the
traqher corrects the word on tha black
board to "sweater" tha others wait un
disturbed by tha interruption, for It is)
not such to thera. They are learning tha
word at tha same time. Satisfied, Louie
goes to his scat and seta about to writ
a composition on "sweater."
Miss Bernstein la no mean actress, and
accomplish halt of her teaching, es
pecially when the foreigners have Just
arrived, by expressive motions and ges
tures. To simulate anything sad. aha
puta her hahda ta ber eyes; covers' her j
ears with her hands to designate a 1
scroechy noise;, struts around the room1
like a peacock, feigns ths dignity of a
queen, raps on the desk. In place of a
knock at the door, etc.. In order to make
them understand.' Indeed, ths children
are moat voluble, too, In gestures, and
use their expressive hands aud shoulders
aa only foreigner can.
These reptecentatlves of the four cor
ners of the globe apply every little bit
of tnformaliod which they glean to their
own lives, coupling It with some past ex
periences of their own or something of
which thay know. Tha teacher, too,
clus every opportunity and uses every
loophole to point a moral or give thera
a proper Itialght Into ethics and Ideals.
Only Trasso La sr.
The word "lasy" divulged ths fact
that tramps vers laxy, did not want to
Work, and eventually were forced to steal
In order to live. - "Which Is worse, t
teal or to get caught T" they were asked.
When the desired answer had been given,
a little Greek, Stephen Pantelabrss,' broke
out to tell a sordid tale which had ap
pealed In the dally papers, of a Greek
who had been wounded In stealing and
hud thus been traced and caught
. t "is he- a triend of yours, Stephen?"
aked the teacher.
"I know httcra. but he lo. my friend,"
obiuhediy replied tha boy. '
litre tha bU rang fur recess and all
fiU-d happily out for a few minutes t
flsy. all except two Jewish girls, Minnie
iwPiuo i,d rnitW Hldofsky, a Syrian
Ctrl. M MJ Axlm, snd the Italian Us
fcic, I'alu.a. Theas remained and
cviitmued Kith their studying as busy as
Omaha's "Ungraded Room," the Great "Melting Pot"
' l-- i; .',.1 J , tM tmmA.Jm .MjBiA ,fcVsY-Mim... i imwiij
- m. sm mm,
i I .. -i .. : ... 11
,Nw j : IVviurp
bees. They were older than the others
snd begrudged every moment not spent
In the most concentrated effort at mas
tery of tha new language.
Out on the school grounds, tha boys of
all natlonalltlea pushed and Jostled good
naturedly In their efforts along tha line
pt organised play as outlined by Instruc
tor Carns. Most Interesting It was to
wauh a Jewish. Italian and negro, boy
toe tha earn chalkllna while a sturdy
descendant of "the Viking kings acted aa
atartrr and referee. In another corner
of tha grounds, a tousle-hoaded 'son of
F-rln, a lithe Italian and numerous non
descripts not easily to bo diatlngnlshed,
were engaged in a joy-In spiring gams of
leap-frog. . .
"Is It cold?" queried the teacher of
little Annie fldorsky, who came' In from
recess with sparkling eyea and rosp
cheeks. i"Oli. . no! Only mlddla-slsed
weather. '! Ths tae.her' explained that
parsons were mlddle-clsed, but weather
was medium.
rat Words Together
Lessons are resumed. OraJ sentences
axe construc ted from worda on the Nock- j Bf le"on sessions, comes In. He la Im
boar.J while some ars set to work to write P"caUy attired, and after greeting tha
sentences. The list of 'words Include such ' tacb-" politely, he walks around the
aa "habit." "axpenalve." "ornament," I room 'lth i'et freedom and a superior
"diamond." etc. The following are ex-a,r' P" Ink-wella to-all the deaks
amples of sentences, some quaintly con- n1 .when .h h" ftmhed. wipes ths Ink
structed. of children In this country from '
crtod. of -It months, ranctns to ohe !
year ana tnree monins:
"A thief' Is a bad habit." "To play tn
school Is a bad habit," writes Minnie, an
Industrious girl, who has been in school
only since September. "I don't like to
travel," she continues, probably with the
memory of many weary days on tha
ocean still freab In her mind.
Louie, of ths blight, beaming counte
nance, writes; "Expensive carpets corns
from Turkey. , Miners dig In ths mountain,
to drink whisky Is a had habit." ,
"Sam Lack, - Rusalaa-Jswleh. but atght
months slnoa from Kills Island, writes:
"Tha cats are disappearing from tha dog.
Tha little bird Is afraid of ths cat I
would ilka to Irsvtta my friend to a
picnic" Tha chlrography on this slats
was almost perfect.
Katharine Marltsas. stater to frank, has
only been hers slightly mora than ons
year. She ts a shy little maiden, who
writes that diamonds are expensive and
that birds build nests ta trees, etc. There
Is not one mtstaks In spelling on this
slate. '
Llkea ta llelw Mather.
Annie and Fannt Btdofaky are Russian
JswUh slaters, who have boon In America
for ons year and three months. For ths
first 'four weeks It seemed impossible for
them to grasp any- Idea of tha new
tongue, but after that tho seeds began
to sprout and they gained wonderfully
In knowledge. Annis wrote, "I don't like
to be laxy. I help mother. That makes
me happy," whlls Fannls disclosed ths
fact that "ths turkey disappeared on
Thanksgiving" and that "ths boys can-,
not elide down from a high mountain."
To work, bo polite, to tight for one's
country were all cited as good habits by
ths oral division. "What is a better
habit still r- asked .the teacher.
"To make peace Is a better habit still."
was the muly. Truly, from ths mouths
of babes do pearls of wisdom fall.
"Where Is lots of fighting now?" is ths
query.
"In Europe. Europe Is ons great bat
tlefield.'' eomes In halting words.
"Which country Is at peace?'
"Tha United States of America,"
proudly cams ths anawer.
"Who tried to make peace f
"Tha president sf ths United Slates.
He wrote a letter to tho king of Wig-
land, ths csar of Russia. Wllhelm of Ger
many aad tha president of France and
be say, 'Please make pesos!"' volubly
explained Carl Vaccaro.
TDIaraaa ths War.
A babel of voices here took part la, tha
aar discussion. Just as naturally as their
elders would. Until finally they veered
round to ths Amerloaa ship, which had
beB reported sunk. ."Maybe England
not know It ta American ship that sink.
England not sink American ship." was
ths chsrUablo view to which Aaron
Shafer Inclined. .
Plamonds are expensive. Are they
necessary?" asks the teacher.
Typical Pupils of the Omaha Ungraded Schools
"Na: good-for-no-thlng." with a motion
of expressive hands, "only for rich man
and woman." '
"What can yotr buy with the worth of
diamonds?" '
"Buy store and sell fruit, buy a busi
ness, furniture and hous," are the re
plies received. .
"I whip the ball with the bat," says
Minnie, Instead. of "hit."
"When do you plgy bell, In summer
or In winter?" Tho reply to this quesUon
for gome accountable reason reminds
Ioule of tho Fourth of July and. not to
be downed, the Irrepressible youngster
tells animatedly of boys at Bxteenth
and Farnam streets last Fourth of July,
who threw fire crackers into a woman's
hslr. "That was r.ot polite;" says he.
I-oule'glso tells that he hss seen "A
Happy New. Yes r". on cards Issued by a
local bank, and wanta to know "why fori
bank says 'Happy New Year'."
Did Not Like to Paaa. ' '
Just then Horn, a Chinese boy who
works In a chop-suey house evenings and
re lore generally attends only the
creruy 'rom his fingers. In a dainty
mnwr- "" was who. when he was
Informed that he had acquired sufficient
rudimentary knowledge of the English
language so that he might be promoted
to another room, raised a great disturb
ance. Instead of manifesting the Joy of
the ordinary school boy on "passing."
"New teacher, aha not understand!" de
clared Horn vehemently, and thenceforth
could not he charmed away from tho
manual tra iling room where he forgot
ths sordid atmosphere of ths chop-suey
kltchsn In plsstlo clay and artlstio wood
carving unUI ha was readmitted to Miss
Bernstein's room.
Frsught with Interesting dlstln'cUons
are tha teacher's efforts to teach tha dif
ference In meaning, spelling and pro
nunciation of "pigs," "peeks" and
"packs." snd with what a sigh of relief
and unknotting of wrinkled countenances
dlsoernmvnt comes.
In the arithmetic lesson, ona of the
pupils dlopbted the fact that a man could
earn 7 In one day aa tha problem Indi
cated. To his Intensely practical little
soul, ths sum wss munificent, .
' Teacher is Versatile.
Through all of this, ons Is Impressed
with tha versatility of ths teacher, who
Is abls to hear a reading lesson, give
Horn Instructions as to what to do, cor
rects a elate while another child ta wait
ing near to have her alate marked, be
sides answering sundry queatiens from
tha body of the room, for these children
are ao eager to learn that they are most
unhappy at ths slightest hindrance to an
lmmeulae attention to their queries.
Ths Qreek boy bends over the slate of
the sloe-eyed Syrian Rarhlda, helping her
quietly with her sentences. He Is Frank,
of ths handy Greek-English dictionary,
which he keepa Invariably on hla desk
or In his pocket, anil which he consults
on an average of on doaen tlrres a min
ute. Frank works iat noon and after
school In a. shoe shining parlor, he and
hla brother contributing to the support !
n.w miiiuj. mi inner avorKed on a
railroad gang and suffcref an Injury
which resulted la the loss of one eye,
se that he Is not worklug' at present
His mother cooks meals for other little
bootblacks, and Frank confided the sor
rowful, fact that his mother wss very
lonesome and wept bittsrly at ths sepa
ration from friends and family In the old
country.
The dismissal bell, when It rings, hss
not ths slightest effect upon ths children
of ths Ungraded Rcvra, ror school Is a
happy place for them. 4
Freedeae ef Actios.
Montessortan methods obtain tn ths
Ungraded Room, as far aa freedom ot
action Is concerned, although Miss Bsra
steln does not sxpressi herself as being
In perfect accord with tha new system ot
education. Ws Uachera have been using
ths best part of ths Montesaort method
before Mootessorl divulged It." she laugh
ingly remarked. f-Uf-expression Is the
aim, the teacher culv being there to
m . K II . . - . . .
j guide the pupils l ths rlgut direction.
Instead of tc exercise the arbitrary ped
agogical practices of earlier days.
Compared with the necessity tor com
pelling attention In the .ordinary class
room, Mlsa Bernstein's chief difficulty Is
In repressing the students, who all wabt
attention at tho same time. Their thlrs
for knowlcdgo Is ao Insatiable that they
forget the privileges of others. This Is
the only difficulty In preserving discip
line In the Ungraded Room. , "
Miss Bernstein never begins to Impress
the newcomer of the need of speaking a
perfect ITngllsh. nor does she practice
It herse.lt In ths beginning. "The child
would never understand. relf-xpres-tlon
and a grasp of the language are of pri
mary Importance. ; Tho adjustment comes
later," she said. Whenever she can the
teacher Interposes a word In the child's !
own l.nsu.ae. tht. lvi, I
fruitful avenue of approach to an other
wlo stolid, unintelligent-appearing for
eigner. ' Bound by Devotion.
This, versatility and perfect 'Under
standing of tJielr tyfe and dilemmas has
..... l. - . .
bound Miss Bernstein's pupils ta her with
strong bands of lovs and devotion. Tho
pupils of ths Ungraded Room ndvo'r for
get the mentor of their introductlod to
a strange landk she who stood at tho
gateway, marshaling to their command j
"wnusii 10 me "mo, liberty and
ths pursuit of, happiness" In the new !
world., frAhe receives many letters and '
tokens from, past students, which aro
cherished because of their expresslos of
love and esteem.
The attachment of the Chinese to every
thing pertaining to the school, and their
remarkable adaptability to American cus
toms. Is a source of especial gratification
to the teachers at tho Cass schooL- Ths
Chinese experience great difficulty In
mastering thslr arithmetics problems, but
their literary ability Is amaxlng.
Ons of tha Chinese boys who had left
school to go to work, ouat down to visit
during working hours. "Ms no gottea
Job. Boss too frssh," he explained. After
having absorbed consolation from tha
school atmosphere, he rose. "Me go catcha
Job, maybe."
A teacher In the building waa ona day
complaining of how quickly her collar be
eama soiled. A Chinese boy advised her
to buy a rubber collar and wash It her
self. !
Chinese Are Gestrsss,
Tha Chinees are generous to a fault.
They seem to have plentiful spending
money and are lavish In treating their
scjiool fellows to sundry les-eream cones
and candy. During a candy sala which
was held recently In order to secure funds
for purchasing a Vletrola for the school,
three Chinese boys put money Into the
contribution box and refused to take their
shsre of ths candy that the girls had
mads and were selling.
Fon-Keys brother. Chin Tusn Tuck. Is
the first one to respond to a call to bring
flags or other necessaries whenever a
school holiday Is ee'ebrated. An amusing
feature is that after the first vacation
following his arrival In thla country, a
Chlness boy with a perfectly good Chi
nese name like "Chin" Leo Don. or some
thing similar, will return to school and In
his slow, drawling manner of speech, In-
'"' leacner mat ms name Is Jim
0T ,ohlv Sucn the processes of
Amertcanlxation.
Siewgl" waa an Italian boy who at.
tended Cajs school some years ago. but
who still receives the homage of all con- !
nected with the school. He U the ons j
a ho established a miniature Ty Cobb!
record In base ball for the achonl ni '
woB himself an everlasting niche In the
Hall of Fame.
For awhile an Italian man with curling
black mustache waa In dally attendance
at ths school, but hs never admitted to
being more than U years ot age.
There used to be a meek little negro
boy who would buy randy at .ths corner
store at recess every day and begin to
munch It. whereupon some ot the other
boys would pounce upon him and take It
away. He would open his mouth In sur
prise, but never uttered a whimper.
The Individual belief of the child Is held
Inviolate at the Cass school. Just before
ths Christmas vacation, when programs
of recitations 'and music are being ar
ranged, little Jewtvh Leah refused to sing
ths Christmas songs, which, however, are
not religious , songs, only those savoring
o' the holiday season. She closes her
book as the other childish voices rise In
unison, but she is not subject to reproach.
The greatest friendship exists between
tho different races and religious denom
inations. When the Jewish holiday sea
son rolls around, Tony is perhaps the
first ono to inform the- teacher that
"Bennle won't be hers today; It's Tom
klppur," and when Tony goes to mass
on holy days of obligation, llks as nbt a
Syrian youth will be the Informant. Each
respects the religious beliefs of the other.
f. Is In tha atmosphere to feel for one
another and to help each other as much
o- possible. . . .
' Dlnaraer mt Prrlniltor.
The teachers tell .with much Interest of
the Greek 7. T . ?
h! GrMk ni tn J"W wh M th
"" othor their respective ions-ua
and ssluted each other every morning In
ire other one's language. "Cart meda!"
or "Hyerod!" exclaimed the Hebrew In
response to tho Greek's "Sholom Al
elcliem!" Indeed this school la one of ths greatest
dlsarmers of prejudice ths mind can con
jure up. Uttle Mino sits next to Frits
In the classroom, while Ivan plays mar
bles with Abraham Lincoln Jones at re
cess. F.lthcr Sarah or Norah may be re-
dued to tears after a rather heated argu-
" as 10 winch one was "teacher's
Pot-" Thero is no standard or distinc.
tlon of race or religion amongst these.
llul ones. Playing together In the school
yard, marching Into tha building aide by
mi sis ..a. A : MI J. ...
sldo in the first signal of the bell, striv
ing for knowledge under the smne diffi
culties with the same teacher, these chil
dren representing tho four corners of the
earth, sink every Inherited bias. They
have battered down substantial barriers
of prejudice which exllsted between their
elders. The publlo school s training and
environments have destroyed them.
"octal Repartee.
At a card club the other day a woman
tried to add the score, failed, and passed
!iJ0 "other woman, who likewise failed.
The third added It without trouble.
"Pardon me." said No. 1. sweetly, "but
would you mind telling me whether you
wero a bookkeeper or a teacher before
you wese married?"
"Neither." was the reply. "I was merely
educated. "KsnSHS City Times.
DslBcmj F Bails-
Sanatorium
This Institution la tha only ona
In tha central west with separata
buildings situated in their own
ample grounds, yet entirely dls
.iiut, and rendering it possible to
classify cases. The one building
bains fitted (or and devoted to tna
treatment of non-contasloua and
non-mental diseases, no others bv
log admitted; the other Heat Cot
tage being designed for and de
cii u ,us u...iudlvt treatment
ot select mental cases requiring
.or a tma watchful care and spe
al nursing.
To Keep Skin Healthy,
Youthful, Wrinklelett
Now that the social season la here, be
esiXK'lallv careful t keep your skin tn
fine condition. You know how conspicu
ous complexion dolects appear under the
bright light of the drawina or ball room.
Also l'W very evident are some make
ups iien similarly Illuminated. I have
mvaelf dibcaruV'd cosmetics entirely,
using a process which gives far better
results, ami which leaves 'no trace on
the kklu. At night I smear ou a thin coat
of ordinary n.t roolu-d wax, washing It
off next morning. Thla gradually ab
sorbs the devitalised partlciea of surface
Kin; just as gradually tlie more youth
ful skiu beneath comes forth, providing
a complexion as clear, smooth and deli
cately tinted aa a young g-trl'a. Ge an
ounce of mercollted wax at your drug
gist's an, try this remarkable treatment
Remember, too. that wrinkles, even
the finer lines, are not easily concealed
tn a brilliantly litrhted room. You an
oulcklv obliterate these hateful marks
bv bathing your fare in a solution ot
powored aaxollte. 1 os., dissolved In
witch liuiel. W rt- And your face won't
look stlckv. as sfter using nastea. Aunt
Sally In Woman's Keeliu.-'-A.dverUae-tuaat
sw s my sw sv saisi
WHY THE COST OF OP
ERATING RAILROADS
HAS BEEN INCREASED
STRUGGLING AGAINST INCREASED COST
OF LABOR, SUPPLIES, ETC., CONE
HAND-REDUCED RATL
ON THE OTHER
During the lsst few years the sdvo-
etitr. of Kovemment ownerii of rail- j
rn la have leen somewhst peritent '.n
tM public ires an 1 the matt-r i re-i
furred to here, not with nny Idea of!
combatting this propaganda, but ineie'j i
thit the f eople may briefly se butti i
sides of the picture. So long oh a lot ' j
men welcome the wrecking of tne ruil-1
j roads on the theory that the government
: v 111 tske them over and Hpi- si'li a
, fiote of affa'rk would be pr'-fei-jjulo tj
p rivate ownership.' It will be tuiin i ihli: i
tc obtain from them a fair .1 nljuneir. ifi
the litur gy'em which now .irivaMt In!
: tl.e 1'nited States. It Is lm)Mi1M to i; 5 j
into this great question at .my leng-.n at!
i Hi!;: time, but here ore a ,'rw thirgs
worth thinking nhout. Much has hern
salrl In recent years about the ;-ws.or"
j container! in American nti!ronl e; jritic.i,
j ond, in this connection the valuation of
rope Id very interesting. ' In Germany ti e
! state owned roads are allied at 11 4,1 S
t Per mile. I:i Auslrin nt I12),LV In linn.'
Rury at SixVlo, In Italy t:t fU'l.sj.;, j f:,.. j
giuui at 5110. 114, In Switzerland at 10J,;i). j
' in Ko.iinunla at 1W.113, in Jap:i nt fsS.MI, j
Irl New South Wales nt 171,391 while j
! the pVlvetciy owned lines of tho Vnilcd !
States, regardless of y.hat -.vater may j
j l,ave been force,! Into them in -pcclfl; in-
mile. Whatever inflation may therefore
; have been put Into their properties in the
past, the fact remains, that tliei- presru
valuation Is much lower than thut .. tiii
government owned railroads of Din h',
atd, what is still mere Important, tha
rates charged sre the lowe-.it nnd the
strvico rendered admittedly ,th best In
ths world. It Is also pcrt'nent :o retpen
ber that the charge of watered jtocks,
after all, can be made against hut very
few American railroads- tho lion's ehare
of them having been managed without a (
brerth of sci-ndal or ciltlclsnr.
In this 'connection, a statement con-1
i
tained In the last annual ' report of the !
Deutsche Bank ot Berlin, which has a '
paid-up capital and reserve fund of 170.-i
0)0,000, Is interesting: "American' rail- !
roads need higher rates. The present ;
rstcs tire the- lowest In the world top- J
lesentlnng but a fraction of the English
railway rates, for instance and this In
the fsce of tho fact tltat waaej in the
t'nlted States on the average are fully
twice as high ss in Kurope." Certainly
this view of tha privately owned lines of
the United States, coming from Germany,
which has the most succeseful state
owned system of transportation hi tho
world, is worthy of grave consideration.
In further confirmation of this state
ment we quote the following statistics:
It costs 7 mills per mile on an average
to haul a ton of freight In the United
States, while In England It costs an aver
age Of 133 cents, in France. LU cents,
and In Germany 1.43 cents. The average
daily wage paid to American railroad
employes Is $2.23; In -England It Is 11-36.
In France 88 cents, and in Germany 81
cents. Are American railroads, therefore,
entitled to the wholesale abuse and de
nunciation which has been heaped upon
them from all sides In recent yesrs?
LetttnsT Well Enough A loaf.
In view of these facts the average clti
xen may well ask himself whether it is
not best to let well enough alone rather
than Invite other ills we know not of
whether It is not wiser to cure such de
fects as may encumber the present sys
tem rather than run the dsnger of plung
ing this mighty tnduatry into the whirl
pool of party politics for all time, with Its
attendant opportunity for evil of. which
the past affords such rich variety of ex
perience. The United States is still a
young country, and In many seetlons only
partially developed. Many new lines and
extensions are needed here and there to
give a wider opportunity to expanding
agriculture and commerce, and nothing
could be more unfortunate or disastrous
than that these favors could henceforth
be obtained only by leave of tho domi
nant political fuctlons which will reign at
the national capital In the years to come.
Political parties are intensely human In
stitutions, and the average cautious cltl
sen will prefer to leave the railroad ex
pansion of the future to the economic law
of supply and demand of tha different
communities rather than to place such, a
temptation for power la the hands of
those who rise and fall In the field of
politics. Furthermore, should ths time
' ever come when the government takes
over the railroads. It means that the peo
ple will have to forego the millions of
taxes which they now pay and which
help to support the public schools, public
' highways and other public expenses and
i that henceforth these millions of revenue
i would have to come out of the pockets
of the people.
I Many other things could be said upon
1 this phasa of the question, but space for
bids. For some time the government,
through the Interstate Commerce com
mission, liaa been engaged in making a
physical valuation of ail our railroads as
a matter of guidance for future rats ad
justments. Again, ws repeat, since the
people absolutely control and regulate the
railroads. Is that not enough? Will It
not be better to let well enough alone
to cling to that which Is good and .elim
inate that which is bad in the present
system, which, with all that has been said
against It, furnishes the best and cheap
est transportation service In the world?
Increased Coat ef Operation.
We now wish to refer briefly to another
phase of the problem. For a number of
years the err of the "high cost of living"
has been everywhere abroad In the land.
Time waa not so many years ago, when
tha farmer sold his corn at 88 cents per
bushel. Now It brings him from 80 cents
to 75 cents. So, too, hs sold hoga at S
cents per pound, which now readily
bring from 7 cents to IS wyts while a
good steer calf, which used to bring
from 81S to tlX now sells for from 820 to
fCS. Nobody who knows anything about
present land values or the farmer'a cost
of production will contend that ha is not
entitled te these Increased prices. As a
matter of fact, unless hs Is an sxceed-
Inglv good inannaxr Ami mill u best
of modern agricultural thought ho Is by
no nierrns grttlnf rich at preint priees
hlsh as they 'nay seem to people In the
cities who do not iiinlrr3tnhd the cost at
tarlvd t" 'presently farming. To go
hsdt to the old pi kes he uned to recelvo
wou'tl bankrupt. In r. little while, every
farmer In the country and the tendency
of the fut'im will be for the prices of
farm product to go still higher rather
than low er. A gi leulturt' In tho nation's
greatest fundamental Industry and so
ciety miiFt make thi- farm, game eiif-fl-iently
profitable to justify the man
who Is on tlie farm today and the fsrmer
boys of the futnre to etay by tho plow.
Much haj been said recently about the
fact that .the., farmer docs not' receive
enough for what he producesthat-there
Is too bis 'wato.ln the channels through
which his products pars before they rrsch
the consumer, ond that he has some
cause for complaint in this ' respect is
undoubtedly (rue. However, tho railroads
enn face eu-h an lnuuirj-, with a clear
conscience for an exhaustive investiga
tion conducted by the I-hlgh Volley rail
road some time ago shows . that the
rainier gets fri's tenia out of tha averagn
dollar's worth of products he sells; the
puckers, (ocul shippers, distributors " s.ml
retailers get 1 4 1 u cents between, them;
while rho raluoads receive only 6 cents,
or one-twentieth of tho dollar, for 'lhe
transportation services they render .
S5o, too. there has been a sWolv ad
vance in pruciicaiiy tho entire realm, ot
merchandise and manufactured products,
w hatever their nati'rc. and tho .ever -Increasing
toll in the cost of labor, ftpel
products, lumber, cars, locomotives.' dml
other supplies, has Ievied'a tribute of tin
told millions upon the railroads, whtlii
have not only been forbidden to increase,
their rpte, hut, on the contrary, hi' many
instances, compelled to lower' them.''
Itlp; Increased Cost of I,ntor.
To glv the reider arl eet ideaof
how the cost of labor has advanced In
the oneratlon of railroads we quote the
following Increases In the dally wago
from l?u0 to m i-a period of only four
teen years: In the case of engineers I.
Increased from J3.6S per day to 8.1.7S. or
on Increase of M per cent; firemen from
81.21 to .1.2. or 64 per cent; conductors
from 83.31 to 14.83. or 45 ner cent: station
agents from 81.3S to $2.16, or per cent;.'
other station men from 81.83 to $1.90, or 17
per cent; ordinary trainmen from 8X97 to
$3.3. or 70 per cent; machinists from $2.7.!
to Uf.2, or 29 per cent; carpenters from
$2.m to $2.59. or 12 per cent; other shop
men from $1.93 to $2.20, or II per cent;
section foremen from $1.61 to $1.83, or 21
per cent: trsckmen from $1.15 to $1.62. or
33 per cent; telegraph operators and dls-'
patchers from J2.25 to $2.65, or 17 per
cent. . Tills means a general average In
crease in wages of 32 29-100 per cent and
all other classes otr railroad operatives
and employes in a Wre or less similar
degree. While these advances have
proven a great boon to the nearly 3,000.000
men emWoyed in the railway service amf
Increased their capacity to boy from mer
chant and farmer, they have exacted
many million annually from the rail
roads themselves all of which made tho
general public richer, but the roads
poorer, in 1S0O the railroads Jaid $1.44
per ton for coal. Now they pay $1.81;'
Then they paid 88 cents for ties. Now
they pay 62 cents. ;
Other Increased Costs.
But there are many other items which
have enormously increased the cost of
railroad operation which -we cannoj, go
Into because of a lack of space. The
public is constantly demanding a more
efficient and a safer service, and hence'
the railroads have had to spend vast
suma in installing block signals, stel
passenger cars, doing away with grade'
er slngs. straightening lines, heavier lo
comotives, better roadbeds, and supply- '
Ing many other protections protecting
both their operatives and the public ell
things very necessary, yet very costly.'
So. too, numerous statea have passed
"full crew" laws which, without benefit
ing the public, have compelled the ralU
roads to pay a toll of millions to useless i
employes.
Now. while labor, farm products, mer.
chandiso and manufactures and supplies
of all kinds have steadily Increased In
price, the, railroads, as stated before,
have been compelled to reduce their rate !
In the face of this aralnucbe ot ever-advancing
cost of operation and that all
but the most powerful lines fin3 (htiv
selves in an exceelingly oritical condi
tion is not to be tvondorsd at Tho
farmer, tho merchant, tne manufacturer
nnd the laborer Justly Ineint that they
would not be able to get along, on tho
prices they received ton or fifteen years
ago. How. thei., can the railroads. whk-l
are the largest empl.. - of later ai a
buyers of material in the United States,
he expected to exist ;n lcti than they re
ceived ten or fifteen ycar-i ago? In view
of these facts, it ia in wonder that Presi
dent Wilson and oth-'r patiii.-tic and care
ful students of the situation ars speak
Ing wordu of kindly adih it.lllot to the
-American public, tj the nd that the
railroads, through wh.se giant aiterte
flows the very life olxd of ths nation,
nay , not be wrecked and k.-stMyed.
The Public and the Manager.
On the one hand, for the last twenty
five years the public ha dema'nde.l the
beat and highest efficiency in servlcd
and lower rates 1n inc und llio same
breathy On tho other nai-l stanl the
thousands of men and womn wh- have
Invested their money in railroad secur
ities and who, in common with the
farmer, the manufacturer and tha mer
chant, believe they aro entitled t a
fair profit. Then come the hundreds of
thousands of employe whi ars continu
ally clamoring for an in'Toas.) la wages,
as well as the cost of all manner of raIN
road supplies which is constantly ad,
vanelng and between them, as arbiters,
stand the managers of he roads the big
"hired men,' struggling with might and
main to reconcile all these conflicting In- '
ter"ts in the face ot reduced rates upon
every hand. That they have at last
reached a point a here they can continue
the unequal atruggle no longer b?uU
not be a matter of wonder and In fa.
of the harsh and unfriendly criticism
which has -descended upon their heads
from svery quarter they find themselves
in the mental attitude of the fiddler in
the western mining camp when he yelled
out, "Please don't shoot, boys; I am do
ing ths best I can." (Paid advertise
ment To be continued next week.)
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