THE COURIER.
and the profits should revert to the
regiment. All officers whoso opinion
on this subject I have seen quoted are
In favor of the canteen system which
will not sell an Inordinate amount of
liquor to anyone soldier, and whoso
prollts return to the regiment and are
used to provide extra rations, a read
liiK room, and periodical literature, an
well as other delicacies for the private
soldiers. Before the time of the can
teen the forts and camps were sur
rounded by the lowest dives, and a
drunken soldier was a common sight.
Thh Commit is in favor of regula
tion of the evil where prohibition ie im
possible. An army of men will drink,
and that system which has reduced
theamountof li(Uorconsumcd, driven
dive keepers out of camp and returned
the profits of drinking to the army in
an improved cuisine and a comfortable
well-stocked reading room, enjoyed by
the temperate at the expense of their
convivial comrades, is better than the
one that is threatened by the law di
rected against the canteen. From the
first, the canteen has been bitterly op
posed by storekeepers and saloon-keepers,
whose grievance is that the post
near them does not trade with them
bHt at the canteen. The opposition to
the latter expressed in this bill was in
cited by this feeling. The prohibi
tionists in the beginning had little to
do with it.
The result of the republican pri
maries is gratifying to members of all
parties, especially in the mayoral
nomination. Dr. Winnett has the
confidence of the cltizensof all parties
and will be elected in all probability
by a very fluttering majority. A good
record is better than promises or
speeches and the doctor has made no
promises and few speeches. He was
nominated on his record in the coun
cil and he will be elected because of
the republican majority in this city
and because of the confidence he has
inspired by his work in uhc council.
The Illinois federation of women's
clubs at a recent session condemned
the use of a woman's face and figure
to advertise soap, tobacco, patent
medicines, etcetera.
It is an ungrateful task to be for
ever finding fault, but there is no par
ticular point in praising the sun,
moon and stars the only created
things from an earthly standpoint
which are all right and perform their
functions faultlessly Every thingelse
needs attention and American news
papers occupy the position of moni
tors in calling the attention of the
people to the constant infringement
of their rights by money-makers and
dollar Idolaters.
Some of the most flagrant indecen
cies are sent out by patent medicine
companies and pasted on the city bill
boards; six or seven feet high and
four or five f jet wide, it is impossible
not to see them as you pass along the
street. There is an ordinance against
allowing such signs as the no to-bac
manufacturers have had pasted up all
over the United States. The bills are
Indecent and a conscientious street
commissioner would order them ob
literated at the first glance. Protests
against such signs arc frequent but
the passers by forget that they are
walking on their own property and
that such signs are a tresspass on
their rights and their children's. If
they would immediately appeal to the
street commissioner he would be
forced by the volume of the com
plaints to order the removal of the
objectionable bills. Most of the bill
board pictures are harmless enough
and Introduce a bold splash of red
and yellow into the neutral tints of
the winter streets that Is not unpleas
ant to the writer. But if we wish to
bring up our youth decently such
signs as the one mentioned should be
prohibited, as well as several others
now on exhibition. Members of the
woman's club could do immediate
good by protesting against such coarse
impertinences. Patent medicine mak
ers have no interest in Lincoln except
for the few dollars worth of their con
coction they can sell to the citizens
thereof. In making the sale they in
sult our taste and morals. Nobody
who loves his town or his kind ought
to encourage such enterprise by buy
ing the stuff they advertise,
.;
The Inferior quality of the canned
meat has been established by the tes
timony of the American soldiers who
appeared before the session of the
court of inquiry held at Chicago.
Many of the witnesses testified that
only about one-fifth of each can was
good meat, the rest was fat and scum.
These four-fifths it was quite impos
sible to cut and it was thrown away.
From u standpoint of patriotism the
offcers, and in particular General
Miles, who have been blamed for in
juring a great American industry by
telling what was really in the cans,
arc not in so indefensible a position
as the contractors who sold this meat
to the United States to be eaten by
United States soldiers in the field.
Some newspapers call it a senseless
clamor calculated to injure a great
American industry. Great American
fiddlesticks! Several thousand Amer
ican stomachs rejected the cheap
fatty contents of the cans which a
careless commissary general provided
for them without previous inspection
except by the cans sent his agent by
the packers. The celebrated Mr.
Shoddy, who secured the government
contract for providing the union sol
diers of the Rebellion with uniforms,
is said to have made the same plea,
namely, that any charges and investi
gation into the quality of the cloth
his uniforms were made of would be
bad for the reputation of American
manufacturers. It might have had
that effect too but the charges gave
the government agents the courage to
inspect more carefully the goods fur
nished the government by the wool
manufacturers and the soldiers had
cause to be thankful for what Mr.
Mr. Shoddy called an unwise attack
on the American wool trade. And
Mr. Shoddy had to change his name
an'! move. Never having been a stu
dent of language or literature, it is
said he was surprised to find that his
name supplied u word that bad been
lacking to the language ever since the
Yankees reached the coast of North
America. Shoddy means something
which will neither wear nor wash,
but will drop to pieces and fade when
used.
There l no denying the fact that
canned roast beef and canned corn
beef are in bad odor on account of the
charges made by General Miles and
the Investigation by the court of in
quiry. It is assorted that the beof
sold by some of the packers was just
what it pretended to be, prime beef,
of good quality. Unfortunately the
honest men have to suffer the odium
incurred by dishonorable members in
the eame business. The eventual re
sult, when this fuss is over, will bo
the improvement of the product, and
the more rigid investigation of their
purchases by commissary generals,
whoso "honah" is better preserved by
precautions before an investigation
than by objurgations afterward.
Audubon societies are growing in
numbers and interest in birds is in
creasing to Judge from the letters re
ceived from the secretaries of bird so
cleties in Washington and elsowhere.
One of the largest of such societies is
in Massachusetts, whose membership
liBt Is printed on fifty-six pages. Ne
braska was the first state to propose
the establishment of a bird day In the
schools. Other states took the hint
and set apart a bird day for the pub
lic schools. But Nebraska has not
done much for the birds or carried
out the suggestion made in this stale
first. Though individual teachers are
trying to cultivate a knowledge of
and sympathy with birds.
The biological department at Wash
ington sends out, on request, some
very interesting books on birds. Two
at hand are "Hawks and Owls from
the Standpoint of the Farmer," by A.
K. Fisher, M. D and "Four Common
Birds of the Farm and Garden'' by
Sylvester J udd. Mr, Fisher says only
a very small proportion of the hawk
and owl species destroy young birds
and chickens. He divides hawks and
owls into four classes, based on their
appetite, as follows: Species which'
are wholly beneficial, those chiefly
beneficial, those in which the benefi
cial and harmful qualities about bal
ance, and the harmful species.
Of the raptorial birds Mr. Fisher
says:
The rapacious birds are slow breeders,
roaring only one brood a year, though of
course if the first set of eggs is destroyed
another will be deposited. The young
grow slowly, and need a relatively large
amount of food to develop properly. To
satisfy their enormous appetite requires
constant foraging on the part of the pa
rents, and the strain of bringing up the
family is probably twice that of any of
the other land birdB. Even the adults
are large eaters, gorging to the utmost
when the opportunity presents ; and as
digestion is very rapid and assimilation
perfect, a great quantity of food in rela
tion to the body weight is consumed
each day. Taking more food than is nec
essary for immediate wants enables them
to store up force for future emergencies,
for they are often required to withstand
great exposure and long protracted fasts,
especially during inclementweathcr.
Hawks and owls are complementary to
each other. While hawks hunt by day
and keep diurnal mammals in check;
owls, whose eyesight is keenest during
twilight and the early hours before dawn.
capture nocturnal species which the for
mer are not apt to obtaiu. Again, the
owls are less migratory than the hawks,
and duricg the long wintry nights they
remain in the land of ice and enow to
wage inceEsant warfare again? t the little
enemies of the orchard, garden, and har
vest fields.
Although much may be learned about
the food from observing the habits of the
live birds, the only way to And out the
full range and relative percentages of
the food elements, hi by examination of
the stomach contents. Sometimes, in
the case of birds of prey, a moderately
complete and reliable index to the food
can be obtained by examining the "pel
lets." Hawks and owls often swallow
their smaller victims entire, and tear the
larger ones into eeveral pieces, swallow
ing each portion bb it in detached . After
the nutritiouB portion of the food baB
been absorbed, the indigestible parts,
euch as hair, feathers, scales, bones, and
other bard partB, aio rolled into a solid
bail by the action of the muscles of the
stomach. These massei, known as "pel
lets," are regurgitated before fresh food
is taken. The movements of the stom
ach so shape the M pellets" that the sharp
pieces of bone which might otherwise
injure the mucous membrane are care
fully enveloped in a felty covering of
hair and feathers. The pellets contain
everything necessary to identify the food
and in the case of some of the owls tbat
have regular roosting places the vast
amount of pellets that collect under
neath give an almost perfect record of
the reiulls of their hunting excursion i.
I
MMMMMMMMMMMIM
LliBS-
MMMIMUMMMt
LOUISA h IilOKETTS.
Following are the officers of the Gen
eral Federation of Women's clubs:
President Mrs. Rebecca D. Lowe,
Atlanta, Ga.
Vice President Mrs. Sarah S. Piatt,
Denver, Colo.
Recording Secretary Mrs. Emma A.
Fox, Detroit, Mich.
Corresponding Socrotnry Mrs.Goorgo
W. Kondrick, Philadelphia, Pa.
Treasurer, Mrs. Phillip N. Moore, St.
Louid, Mo.
Auditor Mrs. C. P. Barnes, Louis
ville, Ky..
State Chairman Mrs. Louisa L. Rick
etfs, Lincoln, Nebr.
Officers of the State Federation of
Women's clubs;
President Mrs. 8. 0. Lang worthy,
Seward.
Vice President Mrs. Anna L. Apppr
son, Tecumseh.
Recording Secretary Mrs.F. H. Sack
ott, Weeping Water.
Corresponding Secretary Mrs D. G.
McKillip, Seward.
Treasurer Mrs. H. F. Doane, Crete,
Librarian Mrs. G. M. Lambertson,
Lincoln.
Sorosis met, Tuesday afternoon, with
Mrs. A. S. Tibbets. The subject for
the afternoon was' "Australia ' Mrs.
McGahey, the leader of the afternoon,
gave a very interesting review of this
country and its government, explaining
the proposed Australian Federation,
which will result in a government simi
lar to our own. Next meeting will be
with Mrs. H. H. Wheeler, when Mrs.
Munger will lead on "The Government of
Colonies."
The child study department of the
Woman's club wil hold its regular meet
ing this afternoon, at the club rooms, at
2:30 sharp. The general subject for the
afternoon will be "Habits." Superin
tendent J. F. Saylor will speak on "The
Formation of Habit : .Its Importance
and Influence on Character." Dr. Inez
Philbrick will talk on " Detrimental
Habits," from the standpoint of a physi
cian. There is important business to
come before the department, and each
member is urged to be prerent.
The parliamentary department of the
Woman's club, with Mrs. Nellie M.Rich
ardson as leader, gave a unique and en.
tertaining program at the club rooms,
rooms, Monday afternoon. The depart
ment was organized into a senate, with
the leader bb president, and if the
amount of business transacted and the
general good feeling prevailing is an ear
nest of what we shall have when women
take their rightful place in the law-making
bodies of our land, then we say, for
the good of the commonwealth, all hail
to that day and hasten the coming of
the good time.
The majority of the members of this
department are versed in parliamentary
practice, which added muuh to the inter
est of this meeting.
The program was preceded by a phort
buBinesa session and a cornet solo, Ver
di's "Ah! I Have Sighed to Rest Mo," by
Earl Wehu. Mrs. Richardson then
called the senate to ardor. In the ab
sence of the chaplain she fluid there
would be no devotional exercises. The
chief clerk called tho roll, Thorn was
the reading of the journal and collect,
ing of bills by little girl pageB and all
other features of the Nebraska Benate.
The bills themselves were decidedly. a
credit to the wit of the ladies. One bill
favored the prohibiting of the sale of
celluloid hair pins and combs unless
marked very explosive," on account of
y
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iMBHWMJ
