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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 1898)
....'" '"L-.v-JrB- i''",;7, j,;i1;,;;'j '.Tiii "--- -"-'" "" 'r"n'-'''r,' "'?" ,,, T ' ' g t tj .11 THE COURIER i If law." Tbe death rate in Rassia is 35.4 and 37.3. In tbe whole of Central Russia the death rate reached in 1882 was 62 per thousand per annum. A congress of surgeons pronounced the cause to be an insufficient quantity of bread. A significant fact which was an important factor of the decision was that the mortality was greatest in the districts entirely devoted to agri culture. Out of a total number of young men tested by the recruiting officers in 1874 701 per cent were ac cepted as able bodied. After that the rate fell annually as follows, 69, 68,67, 65,29. This means a decrease of 121 per cent among the flower of the nation. Tbe peasants grind up straw and husks witli their meal and rye flour. As their necessities increase more and more chopped straw is added to the flour until it crumbles at touch. Oh the other hand the Russian peasant practices a democracy that is broader end more practicable than tbe socialism of Henry George or the author of Looking Backward. The Russian mir meetings are town meet ings of all tbe workers on the land, men and women. The whole amount of land at the disposal of the Tillage commune is divided up among the families according to tbe number of workers in each family. That land can not be sold and belongs each season to those who till it, is firmly fixed in the mind and habit of the Russian peas ant. Tbe Tsar has set an officer over tbe elected mir elder, but he cannot destroy the peasant's ideas that they have a prescriptive right to the land which existed before their was any Tsar. The competitive system has not developed to any extent in Russia because manufacturers and trade have been neglected for agriculture and the peasants desire only to raise enough gram to feed and clothe them selves and their families. The mir buys agricultural machinery and makes rules concerning tbe common pasture or forest belonging to tbe commune. They have a habit, cen turies old, of working in concert and Russia may yet give us the norm of a democracy such as Englishmen like Sir Thomas More have only dreamed of. Julia Marlowe's late pictures show that she has travelled far since she first set her dainty feet in the via dolorosa of stars. Tbe dimple in tbe chin is not worn away and the nose is piquantly retrousse, but her feature have lost in the purity and ingenu ousness that made a lack of feeling excusable. It is as though she had seen the Gorgon head and been turned 10 stone. The profession does not seem to have the same effect upon the male physi ognomy. Jo. Jefferson's eighty sum mers have not altered his gentle, deprecating expression, which is plain ly as much of an inheritance as Julia Marlowe's tip-tilted nose. But the life of movement, glare and publicity it as a rough hand on a butterfly's wing. And the delicate bloom of womanliness is ravished except tbe woman be a genius like Duse, whose spirit aits so far out of 3ight that she never really plays in a crowded "house to more than the small circle in which the average woman passes her life. Then she keeps her private life pri vate. It is not invaded, because she will not have it so, by tbe eavesdrop pers and talebearers of the press. Most actresses welcome newspaper notoriety because it is free advertising and they are hard up for fame as well as money. It may be that Mrs Taber's acting has gained depth by her unfortunate matrimonial experience and that tbe hard lines are modeled into softness by the footlights which throw shadows up instead ef down and she may have kept its old trick of girlish- ness that her photographs deny, but the nameless elusive charm which en slaved men and women has gone and as it was something felt rather than 6een or heard she cannot command affection as she did before she married Robert Taber and left him. Julia Marlowe was one of the actresses whom society loved to reward for pre serving her reputation by inviting her to functions and by consenting to have personal relations with actor folk as represented by her. There are only a few like Sir Ilenry Irving, the Kendals and Joseph Jefferson, whom, society does not patronize, and Jul'a Marlowe was beginning to be a social rival of the Kendals whea she fell out with Robert Taber, though, to de her justice, it is not sociai neglect which has graven her face. She is too much interested in her work to be disturbed by what is only the surface of emotion even for artificial people. Disappoint ment and disillusionment and a reck less disregard of former ideals is what has hardened other youthful faces. In Julia's case there is only a pitiless ly truthful photograph as exhibit A. Last year The Courier started a crusade to get good water for the city. It was successful in a measure though Mr. Mockett received most of the credit. History repeats itself. This year The Courieh has devoted most its editorial space to comment on the city council and its ruinous methods of conducting the business of the city. The daily papers are now adopting tbe conclusions urged by The Courier tbat most of our financial difficulties are due to tbe silly set which is able to outvote the sensible minority of the city council. Busy men have al most ceased to read the reports of the council's deliberations, because, as a body, it has no sympathy with the difficulties of the people who pay an annual tax many times larger than it should be. Newspapers, in matters of financial polity, should stand for the interest of their patrons who are of all political faiths. In Lincoln, for in stance, most of the large advertisers, who are the real support of the city and of every institution in it, happen to be advocates of free silver. But with the good sense which has con tributed to tbeir success they support the newspapers of value irrespective of the particular party policy which they (the newspawers) advocate. This is as it should be, but the newspapers owe these workers and pillars of com merce a reciprocal duty, viz.; that of supporting men -of character and ability to administer the funds con tributed by these workers, who are too busy to take a hand in politics them selves. Instead of performing this obvious service the Journal and the News will recommend and advertise anything that Bud Lindsay and D. E. Thompson chose to nominace for their support. In consequence the affairs of this city are badly administered with a rising tax rate and a constantly threatened increase of tbe debt. The taxpayers owe their bankruptcy large ly to this and preceding city councils. The banks which have suspended pay ment on account of the inability of borrowers to pay notes which they might have paid had it not been for tbe depreciation of the value of real estate due to over taxation, owe their failure to the city council, members of which are surprised and insulted when the heaviest taxpayers complain of tbeir extravagance. It was not so long ago tbat Mr. Mockett, when remonstrated with for advocating a purely ornamental sewer in his ward, replied that the ward in question had paid more taxes into the city than tbe city had returned to it, and as for economy, that was not an issue in the last city election. And Mr. Mockett K A K HI HE (SO., 1224 O St., Lincoln, Neb. This fall we are showing a very strong- line of medium furniture, carpets, curtains and draperies. Here are two of our leaders in dining- room furniture. BBazxmRT' v Solid oak dining table, top 42 inch square, very heavy and will last a life time. Six foot length, S6.50;eight foot length $8. Solid oak dining chair, cane seat, brace arm. A very good thing. We sell six of them for $5. FREIGHT PAID ONE HUNDRED MILES. y y y y y y 7rrTrrrjrrK is the most thoughtful of the silly set in the council. If the charter can be revised so that the council is reduced to three men drawing a salary worth the while of fairly intelligent men, every bit of property in the city will feel the effect before the first year of such an admin istration is concluded. In the mean wnile tbe alienation between the council and that part of the people not-paid a salary by the city or not di rectly responsible for Mayor Graham, is increasing. The silent, busy part of the population, who do more daily f-r the welfare of the citv than the council can .destroy in a night, will not be influenced by a desire to en dorse President McKinley at the next election and they may make the issue one of economy as they have done be fore and ignore politics. Tbe daily papers might be of direct assistance to the industrial classes which sup port them if they also would refuse to endorse the nominees of ward heelers and men who force assessors to rate their property far below an equitable assessment and those who make cats paws of corporations for their own gain. From two recent editorials in tbe daily papers referred to there is reason for hope that the papers have decided tbat the merchant guild has a claim upon an institution which their industry supports. Rev. Dwight L, Moody is a much overestimated man. Altogether lack ing in scholarship be has the courage of ignorance and never hesitates to deny tbe conclusions of the most pro found and reverent Hebraic students. At Denver he has made most ridicu lous statements about women's clubs, though be admits be knows nothing about them. His celebrated addresses are composed of rather pointless stories, but his unlimited supply of words and abundant vitality and emotion bynolise conscience stricken listeners into a display of emotional repentance whose reflex action carries them deeper into iniquity the week after the celebrated bypnotizer has departed with a fat salary for his two week's exertion of hisj mesmeric powers. The merchants of the state did not do overmuch grumbling while the ex position was in progress but now that, the Omaha retailers are trying to get up another one next year, there are unmistakable threats from the coun try merchants that in case of such an attempt they will not continue to patronize Omaha jobbers. Therefore the Omaha jobbers are opposed to an other, or the same old exposition in 1899. The Burlington is also opposed to the plan because it made a profitless rate for the benefit of Omaha and donated $30,000 besides. All the people whose moral sensibilities are still shocked by the sights and sounds and conduct of tbe midway are allied with tbe railroads and although tbe latter class is regrettably small whea it is sensibilities versus gain, the strength in thi? difference of opinion seems to be with the jobbers, the rail roads and the sensitive. In this connection it may not be out of place to comment upon tbe admir able self control of the Burlington road which gave 130,000 outright and has not complained that its lack of faith in the exposition prevents it from receiving the 75 per cent which, has been distributed to tbe stock holders. If the positions were re versed, i. e., if the city had made a. donation to tbe road and all the other donors were paid back 73 per cent, would there not be a howl in th papers against corporations whiclr take advantage of a little natural lack of faith in the first place to refuse the railroad its deserts? But the Burling ton has paid its money and has gone on carrying passengers to Omaha to get their 75 per cent and nobody ha heard a whine from tbe road. . "
