THE COURIER.
gressman Mercer lias secured the
gratitude of his district because lie
hashcen able by wire pull inland vari
ous kinds of activity to induce con
gressto pass Misappropriating money
for several structures in the second
district of Nebraska. Xo newspaper
or partizan contends that he is a
statesman or is liable to do anything
for the country at large. He looks out
for Omaha and improves every opjior
tunity to dellect United Suites reve
nues to that city. Wit h a Dave Mer
cer representing each district in the
country the character of the legisla
tion would be easily nredicted.
Under the present municipal system
the council meetings which should be
business like discissions of the needs
of the city at large are in the nature
of a wrangle over the division of the
spoils, where each councilman is sus
picious and jealous, not for the good
of the city, but of his fellows and their
motions Until the councilmen are
elected at large and their number
very much decreased good municipal
government is impossible. Such a re
form would decrease the amount of
patronage and the number of otliccs.
and the politicians are not in favor of
it. Syndicates and corporat ions of all
kinds would be bankrupt if managed
In the way cities are, but the few
politicians who prolit by directing a
city's e.'icndium are organized.
They are competent toj prevent any
change which would place the affairs
of a city into the hands of an entre
preneur of courage, ability and unas
sailable integrity.
The present Lincoln city council
contains men of more than average
intelligence and conscience but on ac
count of ward antagonisms council
legislation is a -eiics of compromises
for the purpose of conciliating certain
members of the council or to secure
their vote for an unwise appropriation
of the money of the city. Occasion
ally it hapiens that .some desirable
measure for tbe good of the whole citv
is passed in spite of thesystem. This is
unfortunate because if the results
were all bad they would the sooner
become intolerable.
If the present city council is unsat
isfactoryand it is there is little
hope that there will ever be one of
higheraveiage intelligence or charac
ter. Thesystem is radically wrongand
should be discarded. By dividing the
responsibility it has been thought that
corruption was made more difficult
Municipal history shows that it in
creases opportunities for corruption
and lessens the dangers of detection.
Responsibility unshared and unshar
able develops character and enlarges
the honors of a public office When
the mayor shall be a citizen and man
above reproach assisted by three coun
sellors who can prove their title to an
exalted position the name of politician
will close the shadow of reproach.
Before the meeting of the next leg.
islature Lincoln citizens could pre
pare and dcvelope a system worthy of
being operated and obeyed.
..
Bulletin numler fifty-four issued
by the University of Nebraska is
entitled 'riie EtTect of Certain
Methods of Soil Treatment Upon the
Corn Crop," by Dr. T. L. Lyon. One
of the most encouraging features in
Kansas and Nebraska agricultural ex
periment stations is the attention
given to the conservation of moisture
in the soil. Dr. Lyon says that "The
question of production of field crops in
this region is largely one of water
supply for all other conditions of fer
tility are present in abundance. The
average annual rainfall tor the state
during the last twenty years has been
23.48 inches' The experiments re
corded in the bulletin under consHe;
ation are as to the effects of subsoil -
upon the production per acre, experi
ments in fall and spring plowing, on
Mr. 11. W. Campbell's plan for sub
surface packing the land, listing and
deep and shallow cultivation of crops
during growth. The exiwrimcuts in
subsoiliug on sixty farms in different
parts of the state indicates that of the
trials on a clay subsoil SO percent
were favorable and 'Si ier cent on a
loam subsoil were unfavorable. The
point most strongly brought out by
the record of these trials is that on a
large majority of soils having a clay
subsoil, subsoiling was beneficial,
while on land having a loam subsoil,
generally, it had either no effect or
was injurious
The continued publication of records
of exieriinents made in adjacent fields
areof great value to the farmers of the
state who think they can not alTord to
try experiments but are willing to
accept new methods of increasing the
productiveness of their fields when
the merit of such new methods is
established.
Neither the successes nor the ulti
mate failure of young Leiter have lost
him the popularity among the other
dealers on the board of trade. He is a
true sportsman and he has played the
game which lasted a year and ended
in defeat with the aplomb, generosity
and fairness nf a young athlete. Fair
plaj is his motto. He has played to
win but notto beat. And between the
two motives there sail the difference
between-Old Ilutclfaud oung Leiter.
Asgallanth and proudly as Hobon.
Joseph, the son of Levi, sailed into
the wheat market. He has sunk no
body knows how many millions in
stimulating wheat and arrayed hanks
and financial forces of the coun
try on the sj(L. of the far
mers to keep the price up. Every
body knows that when interest
and wheal are high manufactures and
commerce of all kinds are stimulated
into an activity that reaches to the
most secluded corner of the globe
When bread is low the workmen are
more apt to be out of a job. So that
from the side of the workers in the
city or country,.loseph's dream and his
efforts to garner the wheat into the
granaries of the world was beneficent.
His boldness, his chivalrous treatment
of the enemy, his calm acceptance of
defeat, have given Joseph a warm
place in t lie heart of everybody who
likes to see a game played with
strength and skill and confidence. To
my mind his magnificent courage and
calmness, undisturbed, first by the
success of the century and later by
overwhelming failure, is the most ad
mirable example of that presence of
mind.absence of self-consciousness and
something else which is wholly Ameri
can but undcfinable and that novel
ists have hopelessly tried to port ra.
The square face of him, with his short
strong nose, chin and firm lips and
steady eyes would make an ideal head
for an American coin if the masters of
the mint were not so given to placing
a long nosed Grecian lady on the coin
of the realm of good fighters.
600L
HOUSES
The amateur sportsman has shot at
the partridge and had hit tbe dog.
"Confound that ammunition dealer,"
he said, "I ordered birdshot and he gave
me dog shot."
Hills That wild, weird, unintelligible
poem of yours will never find acceptance
with any of the magazines.
Mills Won't it, though ! I'll bet ten
to two it does.
Hills I'll take the bet. How will you
manage it?
I'll call it a literary translation from
the Persian of OmarKhayyam. Every
; . 1 goes iidr that head, you know.
Are what everybody wants in the summer, and nothing- ff
2 does so much good to make a house cool as matting- on the
V -vrv tiff "I
J lloors. We nave just put in a new stocic oi nne designs, p
3 We have a fine grade of linen warp matting that is usually V
5 sold at 40c per -ard. We only ask 30c per -ard for it.
3
We also have a heavy grade of straw matting at 15c per
j yard. Just think ! You can cover an ordinary room for (
? about $3.00.
1
J
5
?'?ZTiM
1124 0 St. Lincoln, Nebr.
?
?
SKETCHES BY THE WAY.
Chicago, June 13. Special Corres.
pundence to The Cockier. I had the
gooc fortune to come to Chicago just in
time to see the spring exhibition in
water eolers and pastels on the closing
day. Four galleries were filled with
works of American painters and all the
fads and foibles of the time were repre
sented. There were c,ood cm vases, but
examples of individuality and vitality
were rare. I andscapes predominated
and the majority of tbetn might have
passed for the work of one man if the
observer had denied himself the pleas
ure of peering into the corners. Rhoda
Holms N ckolls has a splashy little Ven
etian sketch, and a more carefully pxe
cuted "English bridge of the twelfth
century." Mr. Leonard Ochtman in "A
Winter Symphony" dealt with the
problem of snow in twilight and pro
duced an exceedingly poetic effect. The
largest and most striking work in the
exhibition, however, is a pastel of H. H.
Breckenbridge, and represents a young
woman, nude, holding a lighted Chi
nese lantern in her hand while several
other lanterns give a glow of light be
hind her. The whole effect is charm
ing, especially the play of light on the
h'eure. Frederic Freer has a sketchy
one might almost say scratchy, pastel
which he calls "Fiction," where two
girls, with heads together, are intently
readicg a hook but one corner of which
is visible. The composition is pleasing,
but there is a lack of solidity. There
are contributions from Barnard, J.
Apleton Brown . J. Alden WIer, Ohas.
Warren Eaton, J. Wels Champney,
Chas. Curran and many others of prom
inence. But water color exhibitions always
impress one with their lack of serious
ness, and it was with a feeling of relief
that I turned into the beautiful gallery
containing the Field collection, to enjoy
for the hundreth time Breton's "Song of
the Lark," and the cool grey tones of a
Corot. As 1 sat down to reet, my atten
tion was attractea to a tall, cadaverous
looking individual, with deep set eyes
and overabundant hair, who seemed to
be entertaining a number of people with
his views on the various paintings. As
I watched them a little fat woman with
faded blue eyes dropped into tbe seat
beside me. 1 asked hr if she knew the
man, and her answer was a volume in
one sentence. He was an art teacher,
her grandson was in his class, and that
was her daughter, tho one nearest to
him, etc. When she stopped for breath
I remarked that he was unusual in ap
pearance. Then her little round eyes
opened wide and drawing nearer she
cave me a gentle tap with her fan, as
she said in a half confidential whisper,
"I ain't been studying people fifty ears
for nothing. I tell you some folks is
harder to read than books; the longer
you study "em the Ies3jou know about
'em." Then she gave a little 6igh and
stroked the faded strings of her well
worn bonnet. I wandered on to the
next gallery where I found an unexpect
ed treat, Sargent's "Mother and Son.''
A wealthy Chicagoan is the owner of this
beautiful picture and has loaned it to
the Institute while he is traveling in
Europe. I saw it first at the World's
Fair, but here, where there is less to
distract one's attention, it's beauty is
intensified. The perfect abandon of
the boy, his half dreamy expression as be
listens to tho6tory his mother is reading,
the glorious freshness of color and ex
quisite modeling, all combine to give a
satisfying and lasting pleasure. I
think Sirgent was at his best when he
painted it. An artist confessed to me yes
terday that he makes daily visits to the
institute to study the masterly tech
nique. He is clever, marvelously clever,
this genius of the nineteenth century.'
There is a portrait of Zorn and little else
that is new.
The exhibition of students' work opens
on the 19th and if newspapers are to be
relied upon it will be the best of the
kind ever held at the Iustitute.
Cora Parker.
He is a man without a country, said
Gohang.
"Too bad, too bad," said Ukerdek.
'Oh, I don't know. He owns the city
and most of the state."
"Have you ever had any missionaries
here?" inquired the latest one of them.
"Oh, yes," said the king of the Cannon
Ball islands, "we have had missionaries
to burn."
May-What's the average woman's
weight.
Maxence-Till the man asks her.