THE BEE: OMAHA. SATURDAY, DKCttlVlBttK 'Zbt iyU.
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The Omaha Bee
DAILY (MORNING) EVENING SUNDAY
THB BEE PUBLISHING COMPANY
KELSON B. UPDIKE. Publisher.
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OFFICES OF THE' BEE
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Chtoaco "Idi. Fun Prases 43) lue flu Hoasre
The Bee's Platform
1. Naw Union PwiMtr Station. ,
2. Continued improvameat of lha No
braska Highways, including the pT
mant of Main Thorouf hfarea feeding
into Omaha with a Brick Surface.
3. A short, iow-rato Waterway from tho
Cora Bait to tho Atlantic Ocoan.
4. Horn Rule Charter for Omaha, wide
City Manager form of Government.
. "AND ON EARTH PEACE." , '
x This part of the message from Heaven to
Earth on that first Christmas morning is yet to'
be realized, but who will say it is not nearer at
hand? Because of the Babe that lay with His
mother in the manger at Bethlehem the. world
is infinitely better than it was. The gospel of
love He so eloquently preached,, the lessons of
sacrifice, of humility arid patience, He exempli
fied have borne, a wonderful fruitage in human
life, and men and women are blessed as they
never were because of His coming.' '
Into a. world whose gods were fierce and
vengeful, , who imposed y severe and eternal
punishment on those who offended them; where
might made right, and the weak lifted their
hands in vain to the strong for mercy and sue-'
cor, this Man. of Sorrows came to preach a new
gospel, to give a new law, to light; the way to
a more glorious destiny for the race. Even those
who do not accept Him as the Savior of Man
"regard Him as an inspired exponent of the ele
mental truths on which all hope for ultimate re
demption must rest. -
( Nineteen hundred and twenty-one times has
the sun risen on Christmas morning s jnce the
shepherds were 'aroused by the appearance of
the angel, who brought that comforting word
from Heaven. Hundreds of millions today will
follow the wondering tenders of the flock from
their rifde camp to the stable where this greatest
of all wonders had come to pass. Only a babe,
(Wrapped in swaddling clothes, just as babies
"always have te, and perhaps always. will be;
a tiny miteyof.fl$sfi and blood, yet to Him the
"shepherds knelt .in prayerful obeisance, before
. Him the wise, men bowed and offered . their
frankincense and myrrh, and on His head Herod
set a price,- and caused great mourning in Judea.
From triat mangerjias gone forth the mightiest
influence for good the earth has ever known:. No
human institution; or agency has been so potent
in its effect on mankind.
If peace has not been established on earth, it
must be bceause, of man's perversity; certainly
it is not because of lack of precept, of exam
pie,., exhortation and expostulation." Yet even
lyyuan nature, the most obdurate of all known
materials, is slowly yielding to the gentle per
suasion of the teachings that culminate in
Christmas day observance. Else is the Yuletide
s bufa mockery, a' sham and a deceit. Human love
may be shut' up iri the narrowness of a self
centered life through the other days and months
of the year, but now, like the beautiful flower it
really is, it breaks through the encasing calyx
of selfishness and blooms a glorious triumph of
the better" part of man. "A Christmas gambol oft
would cheer a poor man's heart through half the
year," was , true of the time of which it" was
written, but now the deed that is done in love on
Christmas warms the heart of him that does it
' through all -His' life. He may think he has for
gotten ft, but. Unseen, and unnoticed, it goes with
him all the wayfrom one holiday season to the
next, insensibly savoring his existence, and prov
ing the postulate that the wojpfd is not only a
pretty good place in , which to live.' but is get
ting better all the time. ,
" We have not yet attained perfection; but we
ar striving upward to the greater light that
some day will illumine the way for all mankind.
Just as the Chrsitmas spirit has permeated our
souls and guided our action, so have we made
headway towards that time when "Peace on
Earth" will be real, and, the Law of Love laid-
, down by Jesus Christ will have become the con
trolling element, in human existence. '
1 Back to Primitive Barter.
Instead of giving money to the relief fund
for the children of Europe, some rural communi
ties in Nebraska are offering to contribute corn to
feed them. Thus does the medium of money re
ceive another jolt. The-function of currency as
a measure of value has to a large extent broken
down in some nations abroad, and the primitive
method of bartering is coming into use. There's
one thing about bartering one product for an
other: there will be no kss opportunity forhid
ing the discrepancies in values. The Ohio farm
er "who computed it would require four bushels
of corn to get his shoes soled, half a wagon load
to pay his city hotel, bill, and that all the cab
bage he could carry Would not buy him aa ice
cream soda, was doing his best to make some
sense out of the muddled situation. In the same
way, the offer of corn for charity is an expres
sion of the belief that it is worth as food more
than it will bring in money. ;
Internationally, the erratic fluctuati6ns of
exchange have made the use of money in com
merce actually more' difficult than barter. A
large locomotive works in the east is reported
to be trading engines to Germany for dye stuffs,
and a cotton growers' association is arranging
to ship cotton there and bring back whatever
German-made goods that will have a sale in this
country. In this instance, the -difficulty lies in
.the depreciation of foreign currency. The same
condition was seen in the south when Confeder
ate currency became of such little value that, to
recall a story of O. Henry's," it took a hat full of
paper money to buy a hat and a boot full, to
buy a pair of boots.
The currency system of the United States
has not been inflated as has that of the European
eountriy, and in fact our money, instead of be
coming! ess valuable, is gaining in value, which
kfto say, it will buy more now than before. In-
stead of simplifying the matter of (foreign trade,
this development tends to swell the dispropor
tion, and renders money less useful iru foreign
trade than barter.
Filling An Educational Gap.
It U flattering to the older generation to read
the declaration of Dr. Frederick A Hall, chan
cellor of Washington university at St. Louis,
that "the average intelligence of college students
is lower than that which'prevailed yearj ago."
Reports from many other educational institu
tions bear out the statement that the young men,
instead of having been made more purposeful and
earnest by the experiences of war seem to be
less inclined to serious labor, according to Dr.
Hall. , ' v.'
' Coincident with this condition, and perhaps
responsible for it, is a steady increase . in the
number of those seeking higher education. A
college course can iy longer be considered a
badge of aristocracy or even of" unusual per
severence and resolve to overcome handicaps,
for it is becoming a natural and customary
thing to go from high school to college or uni
versity. ,
It is well that the desire for higher learning
should become general, and a grievous wrong
would be done if through the failure of the educa
tional system this ambition should be thwarted.
It may be that the old system of education has
not kept step with the times and that the teachers
themselves are in part to blame for the poorer re
sults. Many a boy has been berated as a block
head when the fault really was with the methods
of instruction. Boys who were thrown suddenly
into the fierce contact with life and death overseas
cannot be expected tp be capable of developing
high interest in the dried flowers of some classr
rooms a spirit of greater vitality is necessary.
However, it probably is true that ' in , other
days smaller enrollments in our colleges meant
that those who came were more especially pre
pared than are many of the boys who now fill
the halls. 1A Nebraska farmer touched on the
subject in a speech here recently when he com
plained of the educational system that takes coun
try boys and girls from home at the age of 14
in order to get an education, and suggested that
the state university build down to the country
school so that country graduates might enter it
without the present difficulty., . -
Here is an apparent difficulty that educators
believe can be solved by the establishment .fif
what are called "junior colleges." Universities
and colleges cannot" assume the burden of im
parting technical and solid education to young
people that are not yet ready for it. By means
ot s) system of secondary colleges, adequate
training could be given to many who now either
do not go to the university or if they do go, are
not ready to assimilate the courses. In this way
the progress of those who are qualified for uni
versity life would not be held back, and the
others would receive adequate preparation to
take a Vightful place in more or less classic
halt?. .. . ,
-V,. V , '
A Moral Breakdown.
Some will explain the floodtide- of crime
that is surging about New York, Chicago and
Detroit by the fact that unemployment also is
rife there. This in itself is somewhat, compli
mentary to mankind, implying that it would
rather earn . its bread than steal it, but at the
same time is adding insult to injury in the case
of many worthy and entirely honest men who
are out "Of a job. x
Probably not many burglars or. footpads or
gunmen have starving wives or children for
whose sake' they plunge , into a life of crime.
Jt is much more frequently the case that ill
gotten gains of this kind are spent in gambling
and carousing. English criminologists report
that the war, taking so many young men out of
thei'r vhome communities, where the restraints
of decency and fair conduct- had kept them
straight, is responsible for the increase of crime
that has been noted in London and other cities.
4Then, too, it is said, the lesson easiest learned
from the war was the efficacy , violence. No
. whether under arms or at home, but did
not feel that the final court of appeal was not
to justice but to force. The individual counted
for nothing; he was completely at the mercy
(plan instrument calfed the state, which for the
first time sfiowed that it ruled with an iron hand,
although its grip was seldom felt ' K
Self-respect and the respect for others that
accompanies it, has perhaps been lowered by the
disturbed conditions of the last few years. , To,
the extent that there hasf been a moral break
down of society, this can only be healed by the
soothing conviction, that honeaty and law are
not so much a matter of force as of principle,
and that injustice, in places high or low, carries
a penalty that is not so much an arrangement
of man as of nature.
Jone,
. -v A Little Matter of Courtesy.
It is comforting to note that the State de
partment is sufficiently jealous of its dignity to
take note of an incident of misconduct on part
of the British ambassador at Washington. We
may easily assume that the act was not an in
tentional slight on part of Sir Auckland Geddes,
even though he might be justified under condi
tions in thinking the strained relations between
the senate and the executive are such as might
warrant him in approaching the former directly)
However, the affair has not as yet vcome to a
point where hostilities may result The little
breach of etiquette is an annoyance rather than
a casus belli, and. will be regarded as such. Yet
the action of the State department will perhaps
have the effect of checking a tendency on part
of foreign representatives to ignore that fine
point of courtesy which requires that they take
up all business with any branch of our govern
ment through proper channels.' ' ,
; When the prices of raw materials went down
we -learn that this had little effect on the xqst
of the finished goods, and it remains to be seen
what the result of lower wages will be.
Judge Foster's vendetta on the peripatetic
pugilist deserves some commendation. Boxing is
a fine sport, but a wandering prize fighter is very
apt to prove a nuisance. .
There is an eternal fitness in the case of the
Iowan who first kited checks and then escaped
to Canada by airplane. "
Maybe it is - just as well for "our digestion
that. Christmas only comes once a year.
At that, Clara Hamon won't be any gladder
than the public to have it all over with.
Favorite Bong of the prohibition squad: "Oft
in the stilly night."
i Well, what did Santa bring. youj t ; f
I
A Line 0' Type or Two
Haw to th Lint, Ut the quipa fall whera thay nay.
.- FIXAtE
If I had' sought to praise some other face,
Not perfect bo nor bo with Love conspiring,
And, If my hand, more temporat In desiring,
Had tried some lesser loveliness to trace,
Then In my tak of wordy commonplace
I might have found, meet for my mood'a re
quiring, v v
Phrases not threadbare for the plain attiring
Of any other but one gem-like grace.
&ut I have striven to pilfer from the blrde
Their lilt, from Heaven s star-Dunt cuaaei
Its symphony, hoping with these to tell
A beauty past the portraiture of words:
And, having failed, I break the lute in two
That shall not sound, unless it honours you,
P13TRARCH1NO.
IT is chiefly a matter of temperament. And
more impudence and assurance is required to
crack a safe or burglarize a dwelling than to
cancel a shipment ot goods in order to avoid
a loss; but one js as honest a deed as the other.
Or it would be better to say that one is as poor
policy as the other. For it is not claimed that
man . is an honest animal; it is merely agreed
that honesty profits him most in the long run.
INTERPOSITION OF PROVIDENCE.
Sir: In view of the almost total absence of
crime and the well-nigh idolatrous respect for
law and order which prevails in Chicago, it
seems unfortunate that an unfavorable lmpres-.
sion of our .city should have' been created in the
minds of outsiders. I have Just-received a letter
from an acouaintance in-the northwest, In which
he tells of a most miraculous escape from being
robbed and beaten into unconsciousness, "i
bought a ticket to Chicago," he explains, "and
missed the train." K.. C. W.
TO the suggestion, placarded in Ireland,
"Join the navy and see the world,", some wit
added: " loin the K. i. u ana see tne otner
world."
TWO WEEKS' NOTICE, SAT.
(From the Cambridge Chronicle.)
', ' The . janitor of the Lutheran church
would appreciate very much if some one
would be kind enough to inform him of any
? thing special going on at the church, such as
funerals, so that he can be prepared. Please ,
i bear this in mind.
,;i "NO," remarked an opera lover, after the
performance of "Edipo Re," "I don't care for
the modern decadent Russian school."
NATURE IS SO CONTRARY 1
Sir: You quote Dr. Bell concerning the con
versations of fish, but have you heard that a
psychologist lecturing here recently advteedUils
rapt feminine audience to encourage their houise
plants by frequently talking to them, thereby
stimulating their growth and increasing their
beauty? One devout attendant, after begging her
prettiest for several weeks with no success what
ever, finally exclaimed: "Darn you"! Don't grow
j-then!" And immediately it did! T. R.
EVERY little helps. We have received the
secretary's card: "Merry Christmas, Happy New
Year. The rooms of the Cliff Dwellers will be
closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day."
POETIC LICENSE.
Bir: S. Fein's, taxicab is not orange, but
brown. I have been trying for two weeks to
'knock some kind of wheeze out of It However,
it could be described as black and tan. F. J. H.
jNEW YORK has, two detectives, Burming
ham and England. Mr. Holmes would agree that
they belong in Scotland Yard.
SUNLIGHT SAVING. , ft N
The day is dark, oppressive, gloomy.
I am so tired of the treadmill quickstep
Enforced by "household tasks.
If we can set our clocks ahead to gain an extra
hur of daylight
Why should not I set my mind ahead
Three or four months,
And find, some sunshine? I'll do it
How soft, how odorous, Is the springtime air!
How brightly the sun filters through
The green veil masking branches bare but yes-
' terday. '
Here, at rrty feet, ehy hepatica
Has thrust her furry stem through the matted
dead leaves " . ,
And unfolds her pale beauty. -
Hear that robin scold!
Twice before, with infinite toil, she built her little
house, v - '
Here onny porch rafters; 1 '
Twice she laid therein the Jewel-like promise of
her family,
Only to have the Jays rob" her. s "'
Taste these luscious strawberries.
My neighbor has tended her coldframes tirelessly.
To-day, flushed with Justifiable pride,
She brought fhe these proofs of her toil and skill,
Beauty is not spontaneous: r
Beauty is a product of real living, of effort
I'll go back to my essential routine
And take this sunshiny knowledge back with me.
Perhaps something beautiful.
Something worth-while and lovable
Will come of it , .
Perhaps, did I say? ! , j
i
IRIS.
I mean
Assuredly!
MR. HARDING, we read, shoots Chevy
Chase in 95, "but is known to be ambitious-to
reach par," which is 71. Any golfer should be
able to get a laugh out of that.
, ,, YOU'D KNOW IT AT ONCE. ,
'"' (From the Shetland Times and Weekly
. vi. ' Advertiser.)
General Notice. Found straying, White
year-old HOG. Right, crook before, half out
- behind; Left half out before.
LESLIE, Sandsound.
, EXCUSE received the other day by a pri
mary teacher f "Dear teacher i had company and
did not get up in time, Mrs. "
Academy Jottings:
R. NT.: ''I nominate for -president -of the
Academy for the ensuing year, Constant Econo
my of Sah Redro, Calif. For director of the
marine,' department, A. Marine Fish of Spring
field, Ariz., who's mother's name Is Kat Fish,"
A. R.: "I see by the bulletin' board of the
California Camera Club that Val Salmon recom
mends Miss Fish for membership. They must
Jbe from the same school."
Gee Ess: "Dr. Brmk, physician, Delevan.illl.,
has his office directly over an undertaking estab
lishment" ' .
London Correspondent: "Under what cate
gory would you place Pinchback & Company of
Adam Place, Eden Grove, London?"
J. P. W.: "I present Roley Akers of Boone,
la., as director of the back-to-the-f arm move
ment" C. M. V.: "For librarian to the Immortals I
nominate Mr. Bessie Hermann Twaddle, who,
has resigned a similar position in Tulare county,
California." ' -
CaloitrosuS: "I hasten to inform you that the
Barrett .Company, which manufactures rain
proof roofing material, now has Mr. Rainhard
as its president"
OUR Christmas will be more cheerful for
knowing that Clara Smith is to be allowed, to
cat hers at home.
THAT TRAFFIC COR ' ?
I never iroke his traffic rules,
And yet it's very clear,
He's sore at me because he AL
Ways whistles in my ear. HELEN.
"FROM that Titanic realm where primeval
emotion, unconquerable ambitions, agonized
endeavor, artd passionate individualism, have
swirled in the crucible of the centuries above the
flames, of political and' religious -oppression
Russia, motherland of music there ,comes an
other supreme master of the violin, a creator of
divinely inspired melodies of his own and a re
creator of the Slavic classics, to offer his treasure
trove to the music-lovers of America."
At the request of the press agent, who wrote
the above, we suppress the name of the. artist.
INSTEAD of the phrase, "stock market hits
bottom," we prefer the New York Times' ex
planation that "investment prices have not yet
adjusted themselves to the level described by
probable earning power under changed industrial
conditions." Pass the needle, Watson. B. L. T.
,,,'
Be Calm, Ladies, Be Calm 1
If Congresswoman Robertson takes charge
of the House restaurant it will be with the under
standing that her action does not indicate that
a Congresswoman's place is in the kitchen.-
Boston, Transcript.
They Said "A Little."
Dietitians advice people: "Always leave the
table a little' hungry," in other words: "Eat in
restaurants," Syracuse Post-Standard,
How to Keep Well
By DR. W. A. EVANS
Question conctrning hyfUna, sanita
tion and prtvintlon af diuaae, sub
mitted to Dr. Evans by readers of The
Bee, wiU be .answered personally, sub
ject to proper limitatian, whera a
stamped, addressed snvelopa is en
closed. Dr. Evans will not make
diagnosis or prescribe for individual
diseases. Address letters in csra ml
The Bee.
Copyright, 1520, by Dr. W. A. Evans.
From the Farmer's Viewpoint
AT THE SURGEON GENERAL'S
Walking along B street S. W. Jn
Washington I camo within hearing
distance of two ladies Just as they
approached the library and museum
of the surgeon general of tho United
States army. This is the conversa
tion I overheard:
' " 'Library and museum of the sur
geon general','' read one. "A regular
chamber of horrors," the other com
mented. The first lady was not, cer
tain she had been In there since bo
fore' she was married, and that was
25 years ago. I decided to drop in
and find out if it was a "chamber
of horrors." w
On entering I turned to the left
and landed in the library , without
seeing what was in the- museum.
Here are some of the things I
learned in two hours. A very ex
tended, careful, detailed study indi
cated that the English middle classes
are not dying out. Their birth rate
is low, but it is high enough to keep
up the population so long as they
take care to keep the babies alive
and healthy. ' j
There are authorities who hold
that a great middle class is necessary
for the salvation of society. Some ot
these authorities hold that certain
nations are in trouble because they
have no great middle, class to act as
a balance between the aristocrats
and the hoi polloi. -
The information that the middle
classes are surviving was not so hor
rible. Next I found a very scientific study
which proved that there can never
be an inherited aristocracy of brains.
Thestrength of the stock must be
repeatedly recruited by marriage be
tween; persons of different social
levels.' The progeny of the proletar
iat contribute a share to the ranks
of intellectuality, mental vigor, char
acter and leadership. '
' Having roamed around on the top
shelf for a while, I concluded to drop
down to the waist line. ' Here fTound
very definite scientific proof that we
were not entirely beholden to milk
for , our welfare. While milk in
proper quantities is the best of all
foods, I learned that children could
grow satisfactorily when fed other
foods. The growth principle without
which children will not grow, despite
an abundance of carbohydrates, pro
teids and fats, is found in good quan
tities , in carrots, rutabaga turnips,
all the yellow vegetables, potatoes,
greens, pumpkins and squashes, sal
ads, roots or various sorts, the leafy
vegetables, the seeds--in fact, in a
multitude of vegetables.
We are getting to be so crowded
and artificial in the cities that we
cannot keep our own cows, but many
of us still have room for a few rows
of vegetables. I learned, further
more, that this growth principle is
not destroyed by heating and drying.
Therefore, children can grow when
fed dried fruit and vegetables. Nor
Is it destroyed by cooking. We are
not compelled to go around gnawing
raw food, at least not in order to gret
growth principle.
I learned that it is not ecessary to
take an iron tonic through a quill or
to swallow a bitter iron potion. Good
meat and good Vegetables are more
effective, and they taste better.
I think these ladies ought to turn
in to this building some time. Twen
ty-five years between visits is - too
long. There -is plenty of helpful,
hopeful stuff there. Of course, any
person with a chamber of horrors
mind could find what he was looking
for.
Laurel, Neb,, Doc. 20. Tothe I borrowed, marketing of crops, ten
Editor of The Bee: Being a farmer I ant's labor or even his breakfast
, Clean Scalp Holps Most
W. A. L. writes: "I note that Dr.
Wiley, of pure food fame, says tight
hats and diseased scalp (presume he
meant dandruff) are the cause or
baldness. As a reader of your ar
ticles on health matters, I am inter
ested to ask your opinion on this
matter, and what remedy you recom
mend? What is a prood, safo treat
ment for dandruff? , Is Glover's
mange cure, one?" , - ?
REPLY.
I think tteht hats are a factor In
baldness. Unhealthy scalp is an
other. Others are sex and inheri
tance. 1 About the best remedy for
you to use is frequent, : thorough
brushing and cleanliness. If wash
ing makes the hair very dry, rub in
a little-grease. Mange , cures gener
ally contain rome crude' carbolic
preparation. They, do good in that
they lead to frequent washing,
cleansing and massage.
Safe for Players.
T. I. writes: "l. Is it wise for a
group of folks( to go to a hospital
where there, are only patients who
have tuberculosis and give entertain
ments? "2. Should underfed children be
sent to the above hospital during the
summer and be kept there to be.
properly fed?"' x
, REPLY."
. 1. It is entirely safe.
2. I presume this hospital , is
properly conducted. If so, it is
safe.
"Will" vs. "Bad Taste."
Mrs. R. S. M. ,4 writes: "What Is
your idea of the cures sold for the
tobacco habit? Will they produce a
permanent cure with no other bad
results?"
, REPLY. ,
Cure of the tobacco habit is large
ly a matter of will power. The cures
consist, in the main of remedies to
"put a bad taste in the mouth."
Better Let Moles Alone, i
H. P. writes: "Several days ago
I wrote you for a formula that
coftld be used for treating moles,
but have not seen an answer, i
' REPLY. I
You sent no stamped envelope
for reply. Had you done so we
would have advised you to let moles
alone. When moles are troubled
with theyare apt to end up in
cancers. . - r
FINAL CLOING-OUT SALE
Discount .25 to 50 Par cent.
MU D. FRANKS
JEWELER I
201 So. 15th St. I
' Room Vacated January 1st.
I
MOTEL ROME
The Greeks were philosophers.
The Romans were soldiers.
Both knew the value and
pleasure in dining.
OMAHANS appreciate
HOTEL ROME CAFE ,
AND CAFETERIA
Where environment means so
t much.
ROME MILLER
of long experience and having read
the many and various articles and
addresses o, those who really know
what is wrong with tho farmer, and
what he should do to better his con
dition, but being always particular
not to involve those who handle the
finances of our country, I think it
may be well to submit a few facts and
figures in order that the true condi
tions now existing on the famv may
be known. I fully realize that the
Interests of the farmer are a matter
of concern to every business manjn
this country and assume that he
wants to know the facts. I live in
one of the very nneBt agricultural
couhties on earth and I am sure
that our conditions are neither bet
ter nor worse than In other places.
As a basis for the statement which
will follow I shall quote Governor
Harding of the ' federal reserve
board and Hon. M. L. Corey, gen
eral counsel for the Federal Land
bank ot Omaha.
In an address at Indianapolis, Ind.,
December 5, 1920, Governor Hard
ing states in part: "If the farmer
would go to his banker and make
a frank statement of his condition,
agreeing to make orderly sales of
his products, as the market develops,
he would be able to make arrange
ments for present pressing needs and
"tor the requirements of another sea
son." V
On December IB,-1520, Mr. Corey
states Jn part: The farmer should
sell a Small part of his products now,
pay a' small part of his debt; he
should do the same next month and
the succeeding months. A partial
and general liquidation during the
next three months will save the busi
ness and agricultural interests of this
country." i' .
So we have a request-for a frank
statement of the condition of the
farmer and a method of saving the
business and agricultural interests of
the country. We give the frank
statement below:
For example, I will take a good
improved 160-acr farm in Cedar
county, Nebraska, rented for the year
1920, on the basis of two-fifth share
of crops delivered to landlord at
local market, this being as fair a
rental as can he had. . The utmost
that such tenant tilling said farm can
put out is 80 acres to corn, 40 acres
to oats, leaving 40 acres to hay and
pasture land. This hay and pas
ture land produces merely rough
age to carry on the farming and
produces no salable product, so will
not be further mentioned.
The government estimates show
that the corn crop of the United
States for 1920 averaged a little
more than 30 bushels to the acre,
but I realize that Cedar county is
considerably better than the average.
bo will use 40 bushels per acre- for
the purposes of this statement, which
is substantially correct I know that
the oats crop in this county is not
more, .than 25 bushels per acre, I
shall also figure these crops on pres
ent local market values being 43e
per bushel for corn and 33c per
bushel f oft oats.
The tenant, therefore, produces a
total of 3,200 bushels of corn. He
deducts from this 1,280 bushels
which he delivers to his landlord
as rental, leaving him, the -tenant,
1,920 bushels. .He deducts from this
as part of feed for horses. - 300
bushels, leaving him to sell 1,820
bushlls. For this on the market he
receives the sum of $696.60. He has
paid out for husking and board of
man. 3,200 bushel at 10 cents per
bushels, $320, and for shelling at
3 cents- per bushel, $96. or a total
of $416, which leaves his net income
from his entire crop of, corn at
$280.60. He has threshed out 1,000
bushels of oats from his 40 acres
and delivers to his lnnd lord 400
bushels of this, leaving him 600
bushels. He deducts 300 bushel
from this for. seed and feed for
horses, leaving him 300 bushels to
sell and for which he received $99.
He has paid out for threshing for
1,000 bushels at 6 cents, $60. and
has paid for twine $9.60, which
leaves his net income from sale of
oats at $29.40, adding to this to his
receipts for corn, leaves his total
net income at 8310.
I have deducted jap to this time
nothing for taxes-, depreciation of
farm equipment, interest on money
But notwithstanding this, Mr. Farm
er still has the $310.
Now this Is , certainly a frank
statement and I am wondering,
after it is submitted to the banker.
Just how such banker is going to
take care of this tenant's "present
needs" and "requirements for anoth
er year."
But we will proceed to "save the
business and agricultural interests
by an orderly sale." Mr. Tenant
sells 20 per cent of this crop and re-
pives $62 and continues in an or
erly manner as tho market de
velops, to sell $62 worth of crop
per month until five months have
elapsed. , Wo will suppose that he
owes the sum of $3,000, which bears
interest at 8 per cent, bo he owes
$240 interest, and perhaps $20 in
taxes; after deducting this from his
receipts, he has the sum of $50 left to
live on and divide up among his
creditors 6c much for the tenant.
New, the landlord has received
1.280 bushels of corn worth $650.40
and 400 bushels of oats worth $132,
and the tenant still owes him $200
as rerit for the pasture and hayland,
making his total income from thifl
farm at $S8.40. He must pay taxes
of $150, and insurance and upkeep
of at least $100 per year leaving his
nei income at $632.40. If this farm
is clear of encumbrance, he can live
on this by working out a large part
of the time. However in case he
must pay interest on a farm mort
gage he has very little left.
I mention the landlord, as k it
might otherwise be said that the
tenant paid too much rent.
I omitted to mention the item of
eggs the farmer's wife gathered in
during the period of this lease, but
as they can be had at 80 cents per
dozen and are all In cold storage,
no doubt will be so financed that the
consumer will not be overcharged.
It is very fine of Governor Hard
ing to advise the farmer to "brace
up" on his showing, and the helpful
hints of Mr. Corey are both timely
and needful. N
The farmer is being blamed for
feeding , so heavily during the past
years. I think mvsolf he is verv
much to blame not for feeding
but for listening to the advice of
those "higher up," but be that as
it may, we must remember that by
so feeding he was gradually eating
away that awful surplus of corn
which Beems to be giving us so much
trouble. In t this connection, I am
reminded that Mr. O. G. Smith very
recently addressing the Farmers
congress, stated that the farmers had
been on a continuous spree or
words to that effect, and must set
down to business. In heaven's name,
what would our surplus corn be
worth today had our farmers really
got busy and produced.
I am very ignorant of the work
ings of the great financial system of
our nation. I had foolishly gathered
the Idea that our federal reserve bank
was created to, prevent panics. But
somehow, notwithstanding, it is said
it has worked "admirably to prevent
a panic;" If this is not one, kindly tell
me what it is. I would also like to
have explained to me this state of
facts; I recently read that the total
loans of the federal reserve board
was the sum of $17,000,000,000.
This article appeared in a recent
issue of the independent and had
the earmarks of being inspired.
Now In another article I saw that
the lrans-of 'the Kansas City dis-.
triot, which I believe includes Ne
braska Kansas, part of Colorado,
AVyomlng and Oklanoma, were 'the
sum of 4146,000,000 in round nutn-.
bers. If these figures are true, th ,
Kansas City bank should insist on
prompt payment for it amounts t
eight-tenths of 1 per cent of the total
of"all loans and would pay interest
thereon when collected. for ubout two
months. I am wondering also if ;;
is the idea to reduce the amount -of
such loans, why tt would not also,
be well to collect from the large
borrowers or large borrowing dis
tricts. .
I also saw that this country ex
ported in October 40,000.000 bushels
or wheat ana tne price aecnnou
about B0 . cents per bushel during
that time. We are told that thm
was due to International conditions.
But the" igovernment report alsv
showed that we exported millions of
dollars worth of manufactured goods (
during the same period. Will Koine- V
one kindly tell me why international
conditions did not prevent this at
prevailing prices?
I would further like to suggest
that our honorablo secretary of
agriculture be selected to take over
the matter of provisioning the starv
ing children of Europe -and Asia.
Surely one who can find 39,000,000
bushels of fall wheat und 70.000,000
bushels of oafs three months after
threshing is done and reported would
be a very valuable official "ovei
there."
Now, in - conclusion, this whole
question is one of existing debt,
national, state and local or Individual
How is this debt and the interest
going to be met by buying cheap:
It Is perfectly plain to everyone that,
we must either get a fair price for v
what we sell, bo that labor, farm
produce or manufactured goodn or
we are all broke. Why not take
this view and get out of this hole.
WILLIAM MACKLEM.
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Let's Be Sensible !
- y
V
A big business man in Omaha has com
pared the present business condition to
that of a man who has survived a severe
and wasting fever.
He is absolutely right. " V
After a severe illness a man enters the
convalescent stage. So with business.
We cannot expecUto -step out with the
same old stride we had before the illness.
We have to feel our way, conserve our
energies, go moderately and work care
fully. ' ;
Let's besensible. . , :
Let's- recognize that Thank God we are
out of danger of a business calamity ; that 1
our trials are now those of healing and re-
habitation; that reduced prices, reduced
profits, and reduced salaries if you
. piease are an indications that we are
slowly but surely recovering our normal
x business strength.
Don't let us be foolish patients and &et
to kicking the covers off and quarreling"
with either the nurse, tne physician or
the medicine. Let's put forth our best'
efforts rb getting well. .
.We are on the highway to a splendid busi
' ness recovery ; . ..v.
"iet's smile and get well." ,-' v,
Why not! 1 :-l : ;? x '
V -v .
President
L. V. NICHOLAS OIL CO.
"Business Is Good, Thank You' V
a
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FX'
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