THE BEE: OMAHA,' THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1917.
THE OMAHA DAILY BEE
FOUNDED BY EDWARD OSEWATER
VICTOR ROSEWATER, EDITOR
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DECEMBER CIRCULATION
53,368 Daily Sunday 50,005
Dwttht Winiama. etrealattoa manager J
PahHihlnt eompanr, hrtni only aworn, aava that Uia
areraie etrenlatloa for tha month of Daotmbar,
U.I6S 4au and 10.008 Bandar.
w DW1GHT WILLIAMS, Clrralatlon Mnnaier.
Snbacriaad tn mr araaenea and aworn to Mora mo
tkla 4th oar of January. 1117.
0. W. CARLSON, Notary Pablta.
Subscribara Waving tha city tamporartly
shavM hava Tha Baa ma Had to mam. w
draaa will ba ebanfad aa oftoa nj raquaatad.
It will be all right now for the Commercial
tlub to say, "Let George do it."
When it comet to taking care of himself,
"Tom" Lawaon doei not need a guardian.
Sheridan county it rightly named. I tt -resident!
are live wiret, a-foot, a-horseback or in tpe
cial train.
The coming Fletcher treatment of1 Mexico
threatens to be as prolific of notes as "watchful
waiting."
Midwinter displays of fashions continue woe
fully incomplete. The very latest styles in dam
age suits are conspicuous by their absence from
the show windows. I
What's this? Circus parades with the gilded
animal cages propelled by auto I Is another boy
hood fancy about to be ruthlessly destroyed by
the brutal march of modern mechanism?
Any now the "dry" wave threatens to engulf
Wyoming, in which event the only "wet" shore of
Nebraska will soon be the small strip in the
, southeast corner which overlaps Missouri.
Out of the deluge of "leak" accusations and
gossip one fact rises fairly clear. "Tom" Lawaon
has congress going into the stock market with
a probe. That was the original object of the
deluge.
Of course, Uncle Sam is not covetous for ter
ritorial aggrandisement, but no one could resist
picking op a bunch of islands like those Danish
West Indies at such a bargain-counter price as
$25,000,000.
It turns out that the president's peace note
suits Bryan to a turn. Had this only been made
known before our democratic United States sena
tor from Nebraska would not have been so hot
to endorse It. '
Observe that when it came to a showdown
the members of our august state senate mani
fested no more objection to Gene Mayfield for that
Board of Control job than did his brother newspaper-men
of Nebraska, who were for htra almost
unanimously, : , '
The immigration bill with the odious literacy
test in it, for which the Immigration restriction
ists have been working insistently year in and
year oat, has again gone to the president, and if
it does not again draw the president's veto even
their expectation will be disappointed. '
Not the least significant feature of the in
formal transfer of the Dsnish West Indies is
the admission of another saintly urg to Uncle
Sam's museum. St. Thomas is a warm member,
though far advanced in years of discretion, and
forms a welcome chinook for the frigidity of St
Paul.
Democracy controls the state government of
Missouri as completely as in Nebraska. The law
makers of both states begin operations by putting
in bills regulating local affairs in cities and in
creasing municipal expenses for the benefit of
political favorites. Still the mouthpieces of the
party proclaim unfaltering devotion to the prin
ciples of home rule.
Misdirected Wealth
-Now Yrk ftaaadal Warht-
What the grea,t European war will eventually
have cost, the world, which must in the end bear
its burdens, is impossible to estimate with ab
solute certainty. All that we do know is that the
words staggering and unparalleled only come part
way m fittingly describing it.
So far the cost has already exceeded the
scarcely imaginable total of $.16,000,000,000. If our
memory does not play us false it is estimated
hat the entire wealth of the United States is
about $180,000,000,000. So if we compare the two
hgures we can see at a glance that Europe already
has blown up in smoke and powder equal to one
tilth of all the wealth in the United States. There
is not included in this estimate the loss in man
power, the source of the creation of wealth. This
would be impossible to compute in dollars and
cents, nor is any estimate made of what has been
lost by Europe through its diversion from the
pursuits of peace to blood-letting.
If this great wealth had been diverted to con
structive endeavors, imagine what good it would
have accomplished. The sum of $36,000,000,000 in
vested on an income basis of but 4 per cent, would
have yielded annually $1,400,000,000. This one
item of interest is an amount sufltciet to defray
the cost of running our own government with
many millions to spare; would pay fo the greater
part of the poorhouses, asylums, prisons, work
houses and other public homes set aside to take
fjS'nSj derelic' f "" Had this $36,000,
000,000 been spent to uplift the human race rather
than for the destruction of a large part of it
radical socialists, anarchists and craftsmen in dy
namite would have been forced to go back to
work, for they would have had little to talk about
since there then would have been actually little'
suffering in the world. Discontent would have
been robbed of itt opportunists for mischief al
most completely. Of this ideal side of life the
world sometimes takes little note.
Perfect the Nonpartisan Ballot.
One of the platform planks upon which the
democrats won out in Nebraska calls for putting
the elective educational offices on the non
partisan ballot We would prefer to have them
made appointive, but, either way, the officers
elected on nonpartisan ballots, state, local or
municipal, should be barred, as the judges now
are, from having their names printed as candi
dates for nomination on any partisan primary
ballot during the term for which they may have
been elected. We are not sure but that we would
also include all appointees of officers elected on
nonpartisan ballots.
When a man accepts a public position which
it it thought of sufficient importance to divest of
itt partisan character, he ought not to be per
mitted to use it to maneuver himself into a
political office or to capitalize the patronage and
influence obtained in the guise of nonpartisanship
for his own political or party preferment. It
goes without saying that if a law were framed
to make these nonpartisan offices realty non
partisan it would also prohibit the incumbents
from holding placea in their respective party or
ganizations calling for active political service.
In no other way will the purpose of the non
partisan ballot be made effective.
Dosing Water With Chemicals
Municipal Jaurnal-
A Horseless Circus Parade? Never I
The gas-driven, self-propelled vehicle is threat
ening: the horse in hit last trench. Already Dob
bin has been driven from the plow; the pracing,
higb-headed steppers no longer make the boule
vard a thing of life and daily the great work
teams are becoming fewer on the city streets.
On top of all this comes the announcement that
the horse is to be banished from tbe circus pa
rade, and that the summer will tee the "glittering
pageant" go by on mbb-r tires, poshed or palled
by a chugging motor. Here is cause for sorrow,
indeed. What joy or comfort can there be in a
band wagon without Its ten or twelve beautiful
dappled horses, caparisoned in full panoply and
spurning the ground with dainty steps as if winged
and eager to fly? We may reconcile ourselves to
the thought of a general leading his army while
reclining in a softly upholstered touring car, and
the spectacle of the courier, careering across the
landscape astride a snorting motorcyle, does not
shock us, for in war aa in industry the machine
has superceded the animal. But the circus, if
anything, should be sacred to the horse. The
clown qr the bearded lady might be spared, but
a horseless circus parade never!
Feeling Burden of Democratic Rule.
The country is more and more feeling the bur
den of democratic rule. Chairman Kitchin of the
ways and means committee hat just given out a
tentative plan by which it it proposed to raise
revenue to meet expenditures. The outline con
tains the old reliable democratic institution of a
bond issue tnd also the equally dependable demo
cratic expedient of a floating debt. It is only
four years since the Wilsonites rode into power
on a platform that promised us relief from the
burdens of taxation, retrenchment in expenditures,
rednced cost of living and numerous other re
forms. What is the result? How have these
pledget been redeemed?
Many new forma of taxation have been de
vised, but have not been adequate to meet the
extravagance of the democrats, who have turned
a surplus into a deficit, have already issued bonds
to piece out the revenue and now propose to not
only issue $289,000,000 additional bonds, but to
hang a floating debt of $100,000,000 on the coun
try. This It to meet the requirements of a single
year of peace and prosperity. Recollect, too, that
in December, 1915, President Wilson specifically
counseled against expenditures that would exceed
the revenue estimated as available under his novel
plan for increased taxation, especially urging on
congress that a bond issue be not resorted to.
Income tax, surtax on incomes, excess profit tax
and all the other list of special taxes have pro
duced even more than was estimated, but the
treasury finds itself In a $400,000,000 hole just the
tame.
Democratic management of the nation's affairs
would be comical were it not so tragic.
The use of coagulants in purifying water is ob
jected to by many citizens who wish to have their
water pure and note dosed with chemicals, or
otherwise changed into a manutactureq sou urnm.
As an illustration of what they object to, St.
Louis last year treated its water with 13,793 tons
of lime, 4,509 tons of sulphate of iron, 1,413 tons
of sulphate of alumina and twenty-eight tons of
chlorine; a total of nearly J0.000 tons ot chemi
cals," The popular objection to such treatment
has, m several cases, interfered witn the aaop
tion of rapid filtration with its necessary accom
Daniment of coagulation.
Most of this objection centers about the two
words "pure" and "chemical." The purest water
to be found outside a laboratory contains mineral
matter in solution, and if it did not, the taste
would be so flat that most would refuse to drink
it Probably any citizen would be satisfied that
water direct from a deep well is pure, according
to his standard of purity. An analysis of weil
water, taken at random from a report on the wat
ers of Illinois, gives the water from a well 217
feet deep as containing potassium nitrate, potas
sium chloride, sodium chloride, magnesium chlor
ide. maenesium sulohate. alumina and silica. Cer
tainly any chemist that proposed dosing a public
water supply with a mixture like that would be
driven out of town, and yet each gallon of this
"pure" water contained 50 per cent more by
weight ot these minerals than was the total
weight of chemicals added per gallon to the St
Louis supply in treating it.
Reverie English on Munitions.
Our national complacency, if we had any,
would be rather rudely jolted by the news that
the Navy' department hat just awarded a $3,000,000
contract for large-caliber projectiles to an English
firm. On sixteen-inch and fotrrteen-inch shells
this firm underbid Americans by $200 on each
projectile, guarantees delivery in nineteen months
lest time and agrees to pay the duty. Several
conclusions are to be drawn from this. First is
that the price of tteel and its products, based on
European war needs, has been pushed too high
in this country. Cost of production has not ad
vanced as rapidly at has the selling price. Second,
and more important than any, is the warning con
tained in the situation. If the English firm in time
Of war can find opportunity to undersell Amer
ican makers in the home market, what may be
expected after peace has been established? If
American factoriet are to be kept running full
time it will not be under the conditions estab
lished by the democratic Underwood free trade
tariff law. This shell contract is not the only
sign visible of what is waiting for us when the
European nations again turn their attention to
the pursuits of peace.
If we consider the Mississippi river water at St.
Louis, we find dissolved in this the same minerals
as in the well water referred to, but in greater
quantities. The amount of chemicals applied in
the filtration plant totaled only about half of the
total amounts contained originally in the water,
and the effect of these was such that the water
as it left the plant, contained only three-fourths
as much dissolved minerals as the pure well
water above referred to.
It is important to note, also, that although
lime was added to the water, it was all precipi
tated and retained in the plant and removed half
of the lime originally contained in the river water.
Of the sulphate of alumina and sulphate ot iron
added, only 0.6 of 1 per cent was to be found in
the effluent and if a customer should drink ten
glasses of the filtered water a day, he would have
to keep this up for 1 18 years to obtain one ounce
.i ' , - . .l i i .l .jj:
oi inese cncmicais. un ine oinrr nana, tnc atiui
tion of this minute amount of chemicals resulted
in removing from the water 250 times as much
of the minerals already dissolved in river water.
So much for the "dosing" and spoiling the "pur
ity" of the water.
As to the word "chemicals:" These consisted,
as they do in practically all purification plants, of
lime, which is already contained to a greater or
less extent In most spring and well waters; iron,
which is also found in most ground waters, and
sulphate of alumina, the popular name of which
is alum. While to a chemist effecting chemical
combination, these matters are chemicals, when
called by their popular names it is seen that they
are substances familiar to the ordinary citizen and
not thought of by him as being chemicals. If,
instead of being informed that chemicals were
added to the water, he were told that the mate
rials and amounts contributed to the water which
he drinks in one day would be equivalent to that
obtained by placing in said water the smallest
visible particle of limestone and of alum and
stirring the water for a minute or two with an
iron spoon, it would seem probable that his hor
ror of the use of the "chemicals" would be dis
pelled. The additional information, proved by
figures, that half of the cities of the country of
any size are now filtering their water supplies
should complete his conversion. i
Decadence of Lawyers' Oratory
Science Plus and Profit.
Another proof of the advantage of adapting
science to our daily needs is furnished by Sheri
dan county. Old-timers well recall the disap
pointment of the "alkali" ponds encountered in
northwestern Nebraska. Gleaming in ' the sun
light, they promised refreshments to weary man
and beast, who sought in their crystal clearness a
cool draught, only to find them bitter as worm
wood, For many years they shimmered by night
and by day, cheats to the unwary and a reproach
to the land, giving color to its misapplied title
"desert." Slowly the advance of settlement broke
down the belief that nothing could be raised
there, but the alkaline waters still held their sin
ister reputation. Came in time a party of stu
dents from the University of Nebraska doing field
work in summer vacation, and these gave atten
tion to the pariah ponds. Science waved its wand
and out of the bitter; waters brought forth riches.
Tea millions of dollars in potash is the produce
of a single year from this source, and the industry
is just getting under headway. It is not a marvel;
.it is but the inevitable result of careful inquiry
and the practical application of knowledge ob
tained, y
From a business point of view the legal pro
fessions owe Harry Thaw an expression of dis
tinguished consideration.
Waahinfton Past
A professor of a Pennsylvania college has re
cently directed attention to the decadence of
lawyers. The reasons given by him are the
rapidly increasing numbers in the profession and
the accompanying reduction of fees, causing some
of weak character to resort to questionable meth
ods. "Two or three generations ago," said the
professor, "the lawyer was looked upon as a
man of high standing; today, in the minds of
many, the word lawyer suggests .sharp prac
tice and effort to make the worse cause the
better."
No doubt the Pennsylvania professor is talk
ing according to his light. That lawyers have
.measurably lost caste in popular opinion over
much of the country is a certainty. Whether
the causes ascribed are the true ones becomes
the debatable question.
The greatness of lawyers in the popular eye
of an earlier generation had much to do with
the inherent qualities of the generation itself.
One history of Lincoln dissects the pioneers
among whom he lived. They were described
as a "highly moral but exceedingly litigious" peo
ple. Their definite views of right and wrong
made the appeal to the law inevitable on many
points that now are either ignored or else are
adjusted by speedy and inexpensive compro
mises. Hence, the possible restriction of high
order of talents to fewer cases and a con
tempt for the general mass of litigation over petty
matters that involve lawyer, court and client in
one indistinguishable mass.
But the reverence for the lawyer and his ora
tory has not altogether passed. In the south
especially both are still held in high esteem. The
co'thouse is still the temple of justice toward
which patrician and plebe elbow their mutual
way as in the days of ancient Greece. The skill
ful methods of leading advocates are as well
known to the local populace as were the distinc
tive abilities of a Fox, a Walpole, a Curran and
a Pitt to the historians who follow their respec
tive careers.
Even this, however, has suffered loss within
recent years. Other, if not lower, orders of
amusement and delectation have crowded out this
most princely of professions from the center o
public gaze. What with vaudeville, revivals and
the movies the present generation is being dis
tracted where it should be edified and the once
vaunted oratory wasted -on a hardened judge and
an indifferent jury. In all probability it is the
people and not the lawyers that have become
decadent. '
Health Ulnt for the Dny.
To prevent tetanus, commonly
known as "lockjaw," resulting from
a wound, It should he thoroughly
opened and washed out with boiled
water or antiseptic solution and should
be kept open by strips of sterilized
gause.
e
One Vear Ago Today In the War.
Sweden protested against British
Infractions of her commercial rights.
Germans said to be evacuating
Lutsk, one of the triangle of fortiBca
tiona in Volhynia.
Austria claimed to have completely
won the great battle with the Rus
sians in eaat Galicia.
Rome reported the Italians had re
captured their lost trenchea on the
heights northeast ot Gorilla.
In Omaha Thirty Years Ago.
The marriage of Ben Robidoux and
Miss Kdlth Van Arnam was celebrated
at the Christian church. After the
ceremony a reception was held at the
residence of J. A. Wakefield. 2613
Parnam. Miss Van Arnam la the
daughter of John Van Arnam, 1584
North Eighteenth, while Mr. Robi
doux is one of the competent young
men in the employ of Mr. Wakefleld.
Miss Joslin is working on a difficult
figure piece, "Sweet Violets." She
has been very successful in the draw-
People and Events
The small loss of life in the munitions explo
sion at Kingsland, N. J., is credited to a telephone
girl, who was on the job at the right time. No
ticing a wisp of smoke in the gasoline storage
building, she sent a hurry call to the men in every
building to get out and run for life. Fourteen
hundred men owe their safety to her courage.
A new walk-to-work movement has sprung
up in eastern cities, threatening the street railway
short hauls as the jitneys did two years ago. Of
fice men are the chief boosters, because they need
the exercise. Beginners start in with a dozen
blocks, lengthening the walk a block each day
until the entire distance is covered. A procession
of walkers paralleling a street car track, besides
toning up lazy muscles, eases the strain on car
straps.
Down in dry Alabama where a snort of booze
brings the top price on the spot, some smooth
boozers hypnotized special guards at Girard,
tapped a barrel recently seized and made away
with several jugsful before the guards woke up.
An old trick in a new spot Years ago when
the Union Pacific freight house stood on the pres
ent site of the Union station, booze hunters bored
a hole through the floor and into a whisky bar
rel, secured all they could carry, while the rest
of the contents soaked the floor and the ground
beneath. A pungent odor revealed the barrel's
emptiness tbe morning after.
;
Ing In catching the sweet expression
of the child's face as she stands in her
tattered shawl holding a basket of
flowers.
Heveral of the leading packing cs
tabllshments of Chicago haye repre
sentatives at South Omaha looking
over the ground with a view of put
ting in packing houses. The North
western railroad is cutting Ita way to
the stock yards and will have cars run
ning there before July. The predic
tion is made that South Omaha will
contain 50,000 people Inside of five
years.
At a meeting of the stockholders of
Paxton & . Vierling a Iron works the
following officers were re-elected: W.
A. Paxton, president: Robert Vierling,
vice president; Louis Vierling, secre
tary-treasurer, and A. J. Vierling,
manager.
Tbe Parnell Social club gave a suc
cessful party at Cunningham's hall,
which waa managed by the following
gentlemen, w. H. Flankin, J. F. Price,
H. Maher, J. F. Fltzmorris, Louis Con
nelly, T. J. Conway, S. E. Collins, E.
Hynn and J. M. White.
It la beginning to leak out that for
some time past Stewart Hayden has
been a benedict. His friends were not
aware of the fact that he was married
the latter part of July to a niece of
Dr. Bwetnam, Miss Prltchard of Cat
lettaburg, Ky. Mn and Mrs. Hayden
are living at 2022 Howard.
This Day In History.
1782 Daniel Webster, statesman
and orator, born at Salisbury, N. H.
Died at Marshfield, Mass., October 24,
istz.
179S French captured Utrecht.
Holland.
1797 Weekly mail service estab
lished between United States and
Canada.
1811 Charles J. Kean. famous ac
tor, born at Waterford, Ireland. Died
in London, January 22, 1868.
1816 Public thanksgiving in Eng
land lor tne victory at Waterloo.
1861 Russia celebrated the one
hundred and fiftieth anniversary of
ine estannsnment or the monarchy.
18 (1 William L or Prussia was pro
claimed German emperor at Ver
salllea
1873 Edward Bulwor, Lord Lvtton.
celebrated English novelist, drama
tist and politician, died. Born May
ZD, lotlo.
1884 "City of Columbia" wrecked
off Gay Head, Mass., with loss of near
ly 100 lives.
1909 Secretary of the Interior Gar
field announced the discovery of west
ern land frauds Involving 3110,000.000.
lsiz The president pardoned
Charles W. Morse, New York banker
convicted and imprlsoaad far misuse
of trust funds.
Tbe Day We Celebrate.
Rov. Charles A. Mitchell of the
Presbyterian Theological seminary,
was born in Springfield, C, January
18, 1864.
Harry M. Christie, real estate man.
Is Just 46. Mr. Christie was born in
Iowa and played the real estate game
tn south Omaha until 1909, when he
became associated with the W. Far-
nam Smith company.
Crown Prince Boris of Bulgaria who
now exercises a high command in the
Bulgarian army, born at Sofia, twenty-three
years ago today.
Ruben Darlo, who is considered the
foremost poet of Latin America, born
at Segovia, Nicaragua, fifty-three
years ago today.
Dr. Frank J. Goodnow. president of
Johns Hopkins university, born at
Brooklyn, N. Y., fifty-eight years ago
today.
Robert Howard Patton, who served
as permanent chairman of the last
prohibition national convention, born
at Auburn, III., fifty-seven years ago
today.
Eieklel S. Candler, representative In
congress ot the First Mississippi dis
trict, born at Belleville, Fla., fifty-five
years ago today.
Olga Nethersole. celebrated emo
tional actress, born at Kensington.
England, forty-seven years ago today.
Timely Joltings and Reminders.
Twenty-live years ago today Wil
liam A. Peffer of Kansas introduced
tn the senate a Joint resolution favor
ing the election of president and vice
president by a direct popular vote.
Governor James M. Cox of Ohio
and Frank A. Vanderllp, the New
York banker, are to speak at the an
nual meeting and banquet ot the Ohio
Manufacturers' association, to be held
today in Columbus.
What is expected to be the last ses
sion of the present Canadian parlia
ment will be formally opened at Ot
tawa today by the new governor gen
eral, the duke of Devonshire.
Matters of vital Importance to the
live stock industry throughout the
country are to be discussed at the
twentieth annual convention of the
American National Live Stock associa
tion, which begins Its sessions today
at Cbeyenne, Wyo.
Storyette of the Day.
The town council of a small Scotch
community met to Inspect a site for
a new hall. They assembled at a chapel
and aa it was a warm day a member
suggested that they should leave their
coats there.
"Someone can stay behind and
watch them." suggested another.
"What for?" demanded a third. "It
we are ail going out together, what
need la there for anyone to watch the
elothes?" London Tit Bits,
Do Women Want to Vote?
Omaha, Jan. 17. To the Editor of
The Bee: An article appeared in one
of our dallies three or four days ago
telling of a young woman arrived In
our city to organize a branch of the
Congressional Union for Woman Suf
frage who expressed a desire to be In
Washington at this time in the picket
ing campaign to remind the president
that women want the federal amend
ment. if she had stated that a few
women desire the federal amendment
she would have been nearer the truth.
Women (meaning the majority) do
not want the vote, and consequently
no federal amendment Is necessary.
Recent primary elections in Chicago
prove this statement. I nder the head
ing, "Women Silent on Voting Day,"
the Chicago Tribune of September 14
says, "There was a mild interest In the
election of sanitary district trustees,
but It did not bring out the mass of
registered women voters." It states
that at the mayoralty primary in
1!15 the number of women voting was
189,700. At the aldermanlc primary
in February, 1916, the number of
women voting was 81,121 At the pri
mary on September IS, 1916, the
number was only 64,930. A conserva
tive estimate of the number of women
eligible to vote In Chicago la 626,000.
Of these 660,000 stayed away from
the polls on September 13, 1916. This
Is of especial interest to note, and sig
nificant as showing the indifference
of women, because Illinois is the only
state where the men's and women's
votes are kept separate.
NEBRASKA ASSN. OPPOSED TO
WOMAN 8UFFHAGE.
soil, by Serbian assassins? Or can
there be found in all America a man
whose heart Is so far advanced toward
petrification that he could attempt an
extenuation of that unspeakable
crime? For it must not be forgotten
that the archduke and his wife were
responding to an invitation of Serbian
'authorities to visit that country at the
i time when the death-trap was sprung
upon them.
There was the plainest evidence
that those who were guilty of this
Infamous crime were destined to
: escape punishment if their apprehen
1 slon and prosecution were left entire
ly to the Serbians. Who. then, denies
that Austria was fully justified In de
manding a representative among
those who were to inveatlgate and ad
judicate that matter, when account
is taken of these facts and circum
stances? In their answer to the president's
last note I observe with some surprise
that the spokesmen for those powers
have descended to a level much below
that from which they have hitherto
let fall their public pronunclamentos.
Have the enemies of Germany and
her friends such faulty memories that
they have so soon forgotten their fierce
declaration of determination to so
crush the spirit of the Germans that
henceforth there would never be
cause for uneasiness concerning them?
The tenor of this last communication
differs as widely from their earlier
ones as daylight from darkness. Have
they learned at last that they "have
waked up the wrong passenger."
CYRUS D. BELL.
Germany's Gods.
Lincoln, Jan. 17. To the Editor of
The Bee: A correspondent of the
Russian News, Mr. Dioneo, speaking
of the violent military tone of the
holiday numbers of German Journals
and newspapers portrays an example
oi shocking blasphemy.
"Before me lies a Christmas number
of the Lustlge Blatter. Two pages
are occupied with a drawing of
zoological garden. The sky Is thickly
set with stars. In the distance a col
umn of victories is seen. On the first
pedestal a colossal, monstrous wooden
idol bristling with nails, representing
MinaenDerg. into this idol every Ber
liner for a smalt sum drives a nail.
At one of this Idol's Hessian boots
stands a baby Christ with a hammer
in one hand and a nail in the other.
For the head of the nail a glittering
star serves, Below is a verse Indicat
ing In translation: 'in the silent
Christmas night the Boy-Christ drew
from the canopy of heaven a star nail
which he brought to earth. Devoting
It to the service of true heroism, ready
to sacrifice its blood, the Boy-Christ
drives a nail in the glorious armor
of the field marshal who brought fame
to uerman arms. "
After searching for the Teutons'
"New God" I discovered Its origin in
the depths of antiquity.
In the time of the Roman republic,
whenever there occurred any remark
able event, there was elected a so
called dictator who duty It was to
drive a nail In the wall of the temple
of Jupiter Capltollnus. That custom
remains to this day with the Etrus
fc.ns. Among the Valsinii, they drive
a nail yearly into the wall or the
temple of Nortla or Nurtia, the god
dess of fortune. Contemporary Ger
mans are only copying the antique
Romans.
The triumph of such principles will
mean the downfall of western democ-
I
FELIX NEWTON.
racy.
In Sympathy With Germany.
Omaha, Jan. 17. To the Editor of
The Bee: A good many facts con
nected with the ghastly European con
flict are more or less puzzling to me
as I from time to time attempt to
analyze them. 1
Is there a correctly Informed man
who doubts that the Immediate cause
of that widespread catastrophe was
the brutal shooting to death of the
pitiable Austrian archduke, and his
even more pitiable wife, on Serbian
Good Roads.
Fairfield, Neb., Jan. 16. To the
Editor of The Bee: Is It possible the
legislature is not going to accept Uncle
Sam's donation of Jl. 600,000 to the
state of Nebraska? We had been led
to believe this legislature was pro
gressive. It is true good roads cannot
be Justified on financial grounds alone.
Good roads are chiefly desirable for
the same reason that a man buys an
automobile, because It is a comfort
and a pleasure. A farmer cannot Jus
tify the purchase of an automobile on
financial grounds alone, yet he would
not be without the good roads, either,
the comfort and convenience of having
it, by actual experience. He would
not be without the goad roads, either,
after he has learned their value by
actual experience. Good roads are to
be urged, principally, for the same
reason that good schools are main
tained, namely, because they increase
the intelligence and value of the citi
zen to society. If Nebraska is going
to be a great state, It must pay the
price of greatness. If It is going to
be a tailender among the states, it
must pay the price of that, too. in di
minished prestige,' diminished land
values and the shrunken value of
other property. P.
MIRTHFUL MUSINGS.
"Thla In a great character In Dlckens tha
Artful Dodaer. I love the atory."
'An automobile atory, eh?" Kansas City
Journal.
"It may come to wooden ehoea."
"Do you think ladiea would wear 'em?"
"Why not? It's all In the atyle. Carre
'em with high heela and they'd go all light."
Louisville Courier-Journal.
WOW CAW I AMOlb MEttlMfc
A CtirrMW VBUf .MAN ON UT
This cynical poftt aaya a man's wtf Is a
little dearer tnan his horse. Now that isn't
true."
"Of course. It isn't true. She to a rreat
deal dearer. A man doesn't have to buy
Ms norse a new outfit every naif year.
Baltimore American.
"Jlpus always gets the best of a job," salt
Bill thn BurRlar. "Last nlaht him an' mm
trimmed a provision store,"
Did he set all the money?"
'No. He let me take the cash while he
slipped around and gathered In all the sirloin
steaks." Washington Star.
Florida
, The charm of this delightful state during, the period
when the entire North may be in the throes of snow, bliz
zards and zero weather are all that are characteristic of
a semi-tropical climate. Warm sunshine, bright, clear
skies and bracing ocean breezes combine with the best of
hotels and other living accommodations to make it, along
with New Orleans; at once pre-eminent among places to
visit during the winter.
TRAIN SERVICE: The "Seminole Limited" of the
Illinois Central, with the exclusive feature for the ac
commodation of its Pullman patrons of a Sun Parlor Ob
servation Car included in its modern all-steel equipment,
affords superior southern service between Chicago, St.
Louis and Jacksonville, Fla., via Birmingham. Leave
Chicago 10:15 P. M., arrive Jacksonville 7:35 A. M.
(Second morning). "Florida and En Route," a bookie
pertaining to the route of the Seminole Limited and
points of interest in Florida, gladly given to those inter
ested upon request at
Illinois Central, City Ticket Office
407 South 16th St Omaha, Nebraska.
S. NORTH.
District Passenger Agent Douglas 264.
ROCK ISLAND
To Chicago
Arrive La Salle Station on the Loop any
part of the city quickly reached by elevated
trains. Most convenient location in Chicago.
"Chicaio Day Express" at 6:00 a. m.
"Chicatfo-Colorado Express" at 3:55 p. m.
"Chicago-Nebraska limited1 at 6:08 p. in.
"Rocky Mountain Limited' at 2:00 a. m.
Connections at Englewood Union Station
(63rd Street) with limited trains for all Eastern
territory.
Automatic Block Signals
Finest Modem All-Steel Equipment
Superior Dining Car Service
t.u r2fetvitions nd information at
Rock Island Travel Bureau. 1323 Faraam
Street, or at Union Station.
J. & McNALLY
Diviaira Paaaasfar Aeat
Pheaa Daajlaa 428
lb -w-xv i