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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1917)
The Omaha Sunday Bee OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, ' SEPTEMBER 2, 1917. Comb Honey By EDWARD BLACK. . School Days. Years ago somebodyflashed across the country this query: "How old is Ann?" There seemed to be a doubt regarding the period of time which had elapsed since the advent of Ann to this mundane habitat. Just why Ann, was averse to being correctly recorded in the vital statistics, is a matter which has not been explained satisfactorily. If Ann lived in Omaha today there would be little trouble determining her age. that is. her mental age, and it is said that the mental age is the only kind that is wqfth while. She would be subjected to the Binet-Simon test which appraises one's mental age with unerring certainty. , "Willie is smarter than he looks," was the recommendation of a proud mother, as she presented her male off spring at school headquarters for ad mission . to the kindergarten at the opening of school next Tuesday. Un- r the rules, Willie should be b years ge not latc,r than November 10, engiDie tor entrance to me Kin- ten this semester. He, how- fr. is only A'A years ot ageras time . . .i ordinarily recorded, but mentally le is 5jJ years of age, according to the Binet-Simon test -of mental efficiency. There was nothing on Willie's face to indicate that his mind had traveled yi years while his material being had gone but 44 years, but he proved to be smarter than he looked. This reference to Ann and Willie serVes to illustrate, the advancement in public school methods since , you and I went to school, a few years ago, yes, we will say a few years ago. We did "not practice writing to the tune of a Victrola, nor have manual train ing tools. The Moptessori method of kindergarten instruction had not been developed. There was no medical in spection at the schools. Next Tuesday morning 25,000 boys and girls of Greater Omaha will re turn to fifty-five .schools. Many will attend for' the first time and many will begin their last school year. Here's hoping that Willie will live up to the recommendation given by his mother who cherishes fond hopes that someday he will be a man of affairs. Willie's present ambitions are to own a grocery store, so he could make his mother lots of things, such as he sees the delivery boy bring to his house," I Young Man Afraid of a Gun. A member of a local exemption board stated that a man asked to be, exempted from military service on the grounds that he was gun-shy. He said he 'just went all to pieces" when hi saw war tools. This reminds us ... of our uncle's old family horse. One day uncle drove into the yard with a new gasoline-propelled vehicle, which Arthur referred to as a fliv ver, and Jater he called it a "boat." The family horse viewed the auto with fear. The animal refused to hob-nob vwith gasoline competition. Finally uncle and "the boys' introduced the horse to the automobile by tying the Snimal and giving it a close-up demon stration. After that the horse wanted to follow the folks to., town every time they got the car out of the ga- . rage. , ji ,! " Don't Crowd the Sanctuary. y'7, City Building Inspector Lee Bridges has made a discovery. While perusing the compiled building ordi nances of the city he observed a clause which prohibits' crowding churches. Part of the law is quoted: "No person shall be allowed to stand in or occupy aisles or passageways during the services." Mr. Bridges XT .This Was a Hard Bunch to Guess. These Leading Omaha .Attorneys Were Surely Something for Looks How they looked then. vf Wh KM 0J wW How they look now. WJ.Conttell (jroliiD Hia W of Omaka All Hie truth an3 untruth tliate fit to hnow - By A. R. Chapter XXIX Telephones and , Telegraphs. The first telegraph line came into Omaha from St. Louis in 1860. The line' from Omaha to California was finished in 162, in spite of the oppo sition of the Indians, who used to think it great sport to fasten a rope to the wires and then, riding rapidly away on their ponies, drag the wires down. They thought the wires were "bad medicine." as they expressed it in their ignorance. The simple red men of the plain couldn't see any sense in these "wires on poles. And when one great chief was told that the Great White rather in Washington could talk on those wires all the way to the big water at the Pacific ocean, the simple red man simply answered, "White man heap big liar. Telephones were invented after telegraphs. They were exhibited at first at the Centennial exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 (celebrating the 100th anniversary of the signing of the immortal Declaration of Inde pendence). In 18y a company was started in Omaha to put in telephone service. Of course nearly everybody thought they were crazy. They said the "tele phone was all right as a sort of freak and curiosity, but as far as making use of it in actually talking every Sport of the Vlborifittes day, why that was silly. It couldn't be done. But the promoters went ahead and put in some telephone lines in the mam business district and got about a hundred subscribers. The first tele- does not believe this law has been en forced, but he intends fo get tjtisy at once. Points of Interest. i Governor Neville handed Omaha of ficials a list of addresses where boot legging is said to be in operation-. One of our raconteurish friends in dites this query: "Would it be right to refer to th'ose places as 'points of" interest?'" Answers will be read n order in which they are received. Heard en Passant. "Papers from youf home city." "This morning I learned somethirrg that was a great surprise to me". "Meet my friend, Mrs. Williams of Syracuse." ' ' . TJ-... J ...... 1M.. ... tint" ,v xiuw uu yuu line uijr iiw jim..:?- "You've only got to carry it half a block; that won't break your back." That Reminds Us. "Tuneful Triumvirate" Three po hcemen' singing Die Wacht am Rhine" at the German home. "Tin Shop" A bank. (Approved by George Creel.) In Their Early Days - 1. .... - . A.. .t , . . ' ' " " , ' ........ .. .- 'v phone directory was not a large book such as we have at present, but was just one sheet of paper ,with the names printed on it. Neither was the telephone such a simple instrument as it is now. To make a call in those days you had to take the receiver off the hook, push a little thing to the left and then ring a bell with your right hand. Then when "central" answered you had to push the little thing to the right and state what number you wanted. Then you would hang up the receiver and wait until central called you. Then the receiver had to be taken off again and the little thing pushed to the left. And then you got your answer if the person you called did everything right listening Jtu on the telephone at his end of the line. Sometimes a connection could be secured irTTen minutes. ' It was a common thing to hear people brag ging and saying, "I talked over a tele phoneitoday." Recently the present historian sat in a room in "Omaha and heard a man in San Francisco and another one in New York talking over the long dis tance telephone. It was indeed an impressive sight, or rather hearing. But it is expensive, the. telephone charges being about twenty dollars ($20) for three minutes "which is more than the historian's inccuffe for the same period of time. Today the telephone is in -nearly every home and business house: Chil dren can use them as well as adults. We call up the butcher and grocer and save many a step by this won derful invention. People who have party lines often find much innocent and inexpensive amusement listening to what the othcV parties on the line are talking about. We could not ret along jh out modern complex life without the telephone. Questions on Chapter XXIX. 1. What did the Indians think of the telegraph? 2. What dj"d the knockers say about the telephone. 3. What can you say Regarding party lines? , GROH. His Hobby! What's Yours? Serving as a "big brother" to a group of boys is the hobby of John L. . McCague. He ; always, has from ten to fifteen boys on his list, of call ing or writing acquaintances. He en ioys' ilviftf these boys a start in life, by givinff them food advice along with companionship.! f "You can't just inject a lot ofcofd facts into a boy and expect to get results. It is necessary to reach the heart of the boy and then plant the seed of friendly counsel," said J. L. ,Even when his boys leave Omaha to find their places in distant cities Mr. Zfesikss SpiriffoucAes 7 Mere tor. dxer&eic By A. EDWIN LONG. He was a fine upstanding Welsh lad when he used to swim in the mad foam of St. George's channel, off the coast of Wales. Born at Haverford west, South Wales, in 1860, he early learned -the mastery of the waves, whether with the oar, the sail, or the broad overstroke of the manly arm. For General George H. Harries was ever an outdoor lad and an outdoor man. To swim, to box, to wrestle, to row to engage irr any manly sport that becomes a man, was always his keenest delight in spare moments. . As a lad he was "George" or "Her bert," for his nanic is George Her bert Harries. But in, later years those who knew him from Canada to New Orleans, and from Pacific tide to At lantic spume, have known him only as General Harries. The grammar schools of Wales gave him his schooling, and then he just read and absorbed things as the desert absorbs water.' Howard uni versity at Washington, D. C, con ferred the degree of master of arts upon him just because he showed in a series of lectures that he knew more about colonial history than any body else that "had ever lectured around that university. McCague keeps in touch with them through Uncle Sam's mail service. He has bne boy at present in Los An geles,, another at the military camp at Deming, and other boys in other parts of the country. It is his real and lasting1 hobby. He derives much satisfaction watching the development of his boys and en joys receiving letters from them. He avers that one never realizes how in teresting boys 'are until he studies them. He contends that boys are the most interesting things he ever studied. Girls are not half as interest ing, according to Mr. McCague. Omaha Goixiim Smrii . But lecturing was not exciting .enough for Harries. He must manipu late a railway or public service cor poration, or he must chase redskins or Filipinosr He must command sol diers in the field or he must wrestle and box with President Roosevelt. Something must be doing every min ute. The big corporations found he was about the best corporation fixer in the United States, so they kept him busy jumping from coast to coast re organizing and running corporations. Harries has probably held the presi dency of " more public service cor porations than any other -man in the United States. He was president of railway, gas, interurban, electric light and street railway companies in Chi cago, Washington, Louisville, Omaha, Council Bluffs, Minneapolis, and a lot of other places recorded on the map of the Western Hemisphere. Eastern capitalist syndicates positive ly .stood in line waiting to get this man and send him out where one of their big public service plants needed fi&ing. ' Wherever stiff backbone and masterly diplomacy were needed they sent him. That kind of work would do all right durjng times of peace, but when any real excitement was promised Haries would pack his kit and malte a pilgrimage in the direction of the commotion. Thus he mounted a horse with the Northwest Mounted Police of Canada and chased Indians, Eskimos horse thieves and gamblers over the great white waste. Thus he also dropped his corporation cloak several times and plunged into the Indian campaigns of the west, scouting and trooping with the soldiers on these hard desert marches1 and desert fights. Every inch a soldier, he received the presidential commission as brig- kadier general, commanding the militia and naval forces of the District of Columbia in 1897. When it was found that Spain had to be licked . by somebody, General Harries wanted to.be at the licking, so -r n 1 1 11 1 i t w i The Weekly Bumble OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING," SEPTEMBER 2, 1917. THE ' BUMBLE BEE. - A. STINGEJt, EDITOR. Communications on any topic received, without postage or signature. None returned. NO ADS AT ANT PRICE. Governor rRoor. Certain local occurrences put temporary attention ' on the matter of proof of guilt hi case of serious crime. Experts disagree as to the efficiency of "third degree" methods, while all admit that confessions must be supported by corroborating evidence such as might serve to fully establish guilt were confession absent. Clrcum- Jtantlal evidence is only partly onvlncing, and it, too, must have some strength not Inher ent, but from the outside. Prob lems set before the authorities are baffling In their nature, but may usually be solved by appli cation of common sense, rules of reason leading to conclusions that may be supported by logic. Confessions extorted from weak-minded ' Individ uals through application of third de gree tests are not good basis for condemnation. DIFFERENT. , If you think an apostate doesn't 'make an enthusiastic apostle, compare the Hlrld-Whlrld s tar toon, showing the kaiser wading knee-deep In Infamy. wfWi some of the editorials it was running a year ago, when Its owner was seeking votes. dancy of lar off a curfew had acme of Now and managed Herb stick into COMFORT. W. J. Bryan reminds us of the old time blanket Indian, who always commenced making poac sign along about this time ol year, so he could get back to reservation comfort and gov ernment grub. DAXliER. An Irate Individual down at Hastings wants Herb Gooch in terned because Herb's paper Jumped on the Great Commoner. Jeewhis! If they lock Herb up Ibr what his per says about the Bryanttes.'twhat would they do to some republican editors! Joe Hummel Is another one of the city dads who Is losing no sleep over what the future may hold for him. ; -, Acala. Our boy governor Is showing himself ." a very capable pro ducer of proclamations, at any rate. He will soon have es cal Interests of Ig Dunn. tablished a record la the num. ber emitted. .. The blinder the pig the wilder the cow" holds good here as well as elsewhere In the dry belt The Bumble Be never stings Why, do a dead one. Kugel V, PfHi, f . he jumped in as colonel of the First District of Columbia infantry, and was one of those who drew the net of siege about Santiago de Cuba. The war didn't last long enough to make a good fight, so the general had to go back to corporation boss ing again. Again he was in command of the District of Columbia troops when Roosevelt was president. He and Roosevelt were warm friends pals, in fact, for they wrestled, rode, hiked, And boxed together constantly. Roosevelt loved companionship in his search for the strenuous life, and in General Harries he found a rough-and-ready and congenial pal. Yes, Harries was so close a pal that he used to hang around the White House, and loiter in the executive of fice with President Roosevelt. One day he was loafing in the executive offices when President Roosevelt sud denly burst into the room. "General," said the president, "I found a way to break that throat hold you brag so much about.. You got me once or twice, but I can beat it now." "Nor you can't," said the general. "It is impossible to beat that hold." "Come on and I'll show you," urged President Roosevelt. "Oh, surely we don't want to wres tle in here," General Harries parried. "Come oh,' L tell you," ' shouted Roosevelt.. "I want to try it out here and now. Get your throat hold and I'll show .you how to break it." General Harries took him at his Governor Neville Sets Omaha Sleuths ' Work a - Task of, Uprooting the Secret Lairs of Rum Demon Said to Abound Neville has put a evil traffic has been entirely for bidden, the crime is more than ever heinous. If It were possible to exaggerate Its offenstveness, and the guardians of the public weal are correspondingly more alert and vigilant In their ef forts to overtake those who for any reason scoff at the law or attempt to' evade Its mandates. Such godless wights may be as sured that Nemesis Is on their trail, and sooner or later thoy will bo brought to book. Gover nor Neville may be equally cer tain that no pains will be tough nut up to the Omaha po lice force, but we feel sure that, even though It be not cracked, It will receive the most active attention of the authorities. In, fact, the record of the city for a number of years ought to be conclusive proof that the gover nor's admonition. Is but redun official exhortation. Since the beginning of tne now century our" local constabulary has had its mind, Jointly ar.d severally. Impressed fron time to time with the overwhelming Importance of seeing that noie, native or outlander, be per mitted surreptitiously to quaff a foaming stein. To blow the col spared to uproot and the terrible traffic, the last ves tige of .whose existence must be completely removed before a new jlssuo can be thought of for the comfort and sustenance ot hopes that spring eternal in the bosoms of some who are on the outside looking In, but who seldom seem to attract serious attention from the voting popula tion of the village. Meanwhile, we may miss a few murdefs or robberies, and similar bits of misdirected energy, but woe be tide him who seeks to wet his whistle with a glass of beer! scuttle of suds atter tolled has been the all offenses hereabouts. then some daring cuss to run the gauntlet and get away with his snifter niter hours, but his success served only to lure on less Vary or those wanting In craft, and these maladroit adventurers found their way to the pres ence of the alcalde, who mulcted them accordingly. Since the . 1 BREAD. Hoover has stuck a RENT. Omaha tenants are admit that Sherman the . bread-making machine, and the baker man Is up in the air almost as high as the birdman ever flew. Just now the patient public that must eat Is being assured of the Impossibility of a re turn to the Jitney loaf, and that with all the fixing of wheat and flour prices the cost of making and delivering the loaf remains stationary. One thing may be depended upon. So long as the waxed paper wrapper holds out. and "'fresh" bread is demanded, the good people of Omaha will pay for many tons of Missouri river water that might be had just as chap at the kitchen faucet. but In passing would tuny asK tne lanaioraDuna to amend Its notice of the Im pending uplift. In face of re cent action by the United States government. It seems a bit odd that rents should be pushed up because of the "enormous Increase in the cost of coal.' The landlord is go ing to get It; but he ought to pick a more plausible alibi. SABRE. Admiring friends have pre sented Major John G. Maher with a silver hllted sabre ot special manufacture. That's all right; Johnny won't mind, so long as they don't disturb his battered but trusty old type writer, companion of many campaigns. JOB. Ellis V. Graff, uprooted In Omaha, lands a job in Indlan apois, where the good people recognise ability that seemed at a , discount . here. A good man ' doesn't need to worry about a job these days. COtRTESY. We encountered Senator At. fred Sorenson one day last week, and from him secured permis sion to use the word "hebdo medal." This courtesy on part of a brother editor will not soon be forgotten. As soon as occasion arises we shall 'take ad vantage of his permission. TOUCHING. let ' us let ' us repeat. It Is most touching to note the devo tion of Ed Howard to the politi MIKE. Sheriff Clark Is looking after I things outside city rate mat doesn t- encourage the devilishly Inclined. ITike Is some gogetter when set In notion. RASSLE. Omaha will be asked on Mon day to again confirm the truism regarding the birth rate, emitted . HALO. . If, you notice a strained look on Mayor Jim's face, don't worry. He Is only trying to keep his halo on straight. HINT. you think, does not Al take a layoff some time? by the late P. T. Barnum. - word, clutched at the throat of thf president of the United States right in the executive office of the Whit$ House, and backed the president uj against the wall. Roosevelt struggled mightily, and round and round the room scuffled the general and president. Chairs! were knocked bottom up and just when . the general was crowding! Roosevelt against the wall, the presi dent struggling and writhing to wrench loose from the grip, there came a knock at the door, the door was pushed open by a page, and a United States senator was ushered into the room. The wrestlers dropped their hands, rearranged their hair and shook hands with the senator. "If it had been a secret service man instead of a senator," General Harries once said, "I would probably have been shot on the spot as an assassin." When the Omaha Electric Light and Power company needed fixing, eastern stockholders and directors sent General Harries to Omaha. He immediately became a part of Omaha life, a clubman, a corporation presi dent, and prominent in all public ae tivities here. Omaha had him for three or more years, and then along comes this war with Germany tojake him from us again. Again the call of ;the wild drags at his thews and he is off for Deming, N. M., brigadier gen eral of the Nebraska brigade. (xt In This Series How Omaha Got M. K. Shafw.) . to IN OUR TOWN. John L. Kennedy was out In the state making speeches last week. 1 v W. J. Connell Is hibernating at Atlantic City trying to keep away from the crowds. Will Burgess got back-- from the lakes, bringing word that E. L. Johnson was right about the fish. Paul Marquard Is talking about going into the show business. He has his eye on the theater be wants to manage. Willis Reed was up from Lin- obliterate icoin. He is expecting to appear before one of the local courts as a lawyer some day. Charley Sloan was In town a few hours last tweek. Under stand he Is thinking of running for office next year. Carl Herring still Is talking of writing, a letter to the papers. He says now If he could think of something to write about he'd do it. TOUGH. It was with greatest regret we learned of the serious Injury of our genial fellow townsman, Mr. John D. Weaver, the ef flclent secretary to Samson. We hope h ft will soon recover and be about his accustomed werk, for he is sadly missed. willing to was right, respect-J " PAVING. What put a stop to the hul labaloo about Omaha's paving? Did George Parks call on somebody, or did the agitators get tired? The pavement Is Just the same as it was, you know, only it has a few mote holes In It. KISSING. Some of the state press In commenting on the kissing ex ploit of an Omaha young woman and a tralnload of soldiers over, look the mAtn point. The of ficers should be censured for not giving their men better pro tection. DRESS. A gown designed for fall wear is called the "silhouette." We'll say It does. Going to be a hard winter on blind men. J L. F. W. . We have often wondered why somebody doesn't come along, and buHd a new theater la Omaha, v" POEM. Our profiteers are on the run. Their heels are plainly show ing. ' ' We've got them started down the hill, Let's try to keep 'em going. limits at a Bee
