iUJJUWBilll'MllilJlll
T1
THE COUKlKb
the honor of the French army! Ten
years imposed on a man to whom the
army has denied a fair trial and
which has persecuted him already for
many years both for being a Jew and
because the establishment of his in
nocence would prove the staff ofllcers
KUllty.
Although tlio French are singularly
self sutllcient and insensible to for
eign criticism the disapproval of the
sentence which English, German and
American newspapers have expressed
may alfeot them, especially if it have
any real inlluencc upon the attendance
at the exposition. From the tone of
Gorman newspapers, it is likely that
tile opposition to any Gorman exhlolt
Is growing The sentence is cer
tainly a disgrace to the nation and
ttie army, but inasmuch as tiie
French do notcaro for the opinion of
the rest of the world, it is only pos
sible for the nations to express tticir
indignation and disgust at the insult
otTered to Justice by having less com
mercial intercourse with France.
The Jewish citizens in France,
America, England and Germany are
the possessors of large capital. As a
race they are not Interested in poll
tics and in a presidential convention
the Jewish vote is never mentioned.
They are democrats, populists, re
publicans and their race does not ap
pear to influence their choice of party.
In Amer.cathcy are patriotic Ameri
cans. In England they are loyal
subjects of the Queen, and in Ger
many they are not arrested for leae
majcslc. Thus, although the race has
retained its homogeneity, its groups
speaking the language of the various
countries in which they live, do not
show much sympathy or interest in
each other. If an Irishman's rights
or even an Englishman's or Ameri
cans had been trampled upon as
Dreyfus' rights have been a storm of
protest and reprisal from Irishmen or
Englishmen or Americans the world
over, would have beaten against the
government Inflicting the wrong.
Even yet It is not improbable that
the Jews of the world will refuse to
traflic with the Trench, and it is no
less Improbable that Englishmen,
Germans and Americans will inflict a
punishment upon the thrifty French
men by carrying out their threats
regarding tiie exposition. Not being
sensitive, as the decision has shown
to losses in honor and self respect and
having no conception whatever of the
rights of man, the commercial loss is
the only one by which Frenchmen
can be induced to repent. Tlu re
fusal of the French court to Judgo the
prisoner by anything buc Star Cham
ber rules, will have an inmeasurablo
affect on Frenchmen. The result of
the trial has already shown that the
military Is superior to the civil law
and that therefore, civil law and the
constitution exist on the sufferanco
of the military. This being so, the
Republic exists until a Napoleon only
as strong and as quick and as deter
mined as Louis or a Bourbon brave
and subtle get control of the army
and at its head march on the Re
public. Tito trial has shown the
Bourbons, theNapoleonlsts and the
revolutionaries of all kinds thar,
France obeys the army. And tho
crowds which acclaim the verdict,
announce that France cares not for
Justice or law but only for the army.
Such 21 people I not ready for a re
public, and the man who plans and
executes the next coup d'etat and
establishes a monarchy will be fur
nishing tho French people with the
only sort of government suited to an
immature or degenerate nation.
The Preparatory School,
A few years ago tho preparatory
school at the university wasdlspenscd
with. But the year after It was
found necessary to resume the pre
paratory work. The state Is young
and of such large acreage that the
public schools affiliated with the uni
versity and prepared to fit students to
enter the freshman year, aro still
comparatively few. The arrange
ment that the university authorities
have made with the Lincoln high
school to fit students for the univer
sity at the cost of only a dollar a
semester where formerly the student
paid four or five dollars to tutors for
the preparation work. The prepara
tory school in the university 1ms al
ways been an awkward expedient
though It was undoubtedly a tem
porary necessity. This arrangement
will add to the high school a number
of earnest pupils working with a
definite pusposoand it will relieve the
university of a class of younger pupils
not quite mature enough for under
graduates. It will also leave the uni
versity professors free to do univer
sity workentirely and the university
funds will no longer be diverted for
expenses of the preparatory work
which is, strictly speaking, aside from
its function.
Jacob North.
In the deatli of Mr. North Lincoln
loses a master printer of exceptional
knowledge and ability. Mr. North
belonged to a generation which was
willing to learn In the school of Xhe
apprentice how to do good work. He
learned his trade of book-maker and
job-printer in England. I know of
no man in Lincoln who can take his
place. He was an exacting employer.
He was capable of taking pains, and
the books, pamphlets and papers that
came from his establishment when
he was himself, were so carefully
scrutinized and corrected that the
Imprint of his publishing house has
acquired an honorable and deserved
fame.
Mr. North lived temperately and
dealt justly with his fellowmen. He
did his work well for the sake of do
ing good work. All who dealt with
him are anxious to testify to his up
rightness and to his respect for the
craft he learned so patiently and
thoroughly when lie was a boy. He
brought up his children with the
same respect for work and he leaves
to them the heritage of an honorable
life and a spotless name. For Mr.
North clung with an Englishman's
tenacity to the tradition that has
made England the greatest nation in
the world. It is found in tho Bible
but it was said to the first man and
the last man will obey it. It is, the
command to labor.
The Open Letter.
Tho habit of writing open letters
to the newspapers is much more prev
alent in the east than in the west.
Readers of the New York Sun and of
the Boston Transcript and other
papers are in the habit of thinking
and almost simultaneously sending off
their thoughts to one of these news
papers. The Dewey parade is discuss
ed by fathers and mothers anxiously
and conscientiously. They desire
their children of eight years and over
to see Dewey. It Is impossible, of
course, for a father to hold up a child
of eight years old and over for very
long at a tlmo, and a New York crowd
will not permit a child of eight years
old and over to scroogo his way to tho
curbstone. S" It Is very doubtful, un
less some placo is set apart for the
olght year olds and overs, that they
will get a sight of Dewey. Two
parents,!), w. C. Ward and Hal Bell,
suggest "that a largo stand bo oreet
ed on tho Park side of fifty-ninth
street, extending from fiftli to eighth
avenue for tho exclusive use of the
children of our public schools" An
other affectionate father asks that
Dewey be compelled "by all means"
to ride at the head of the line. This
is P. P. Parsons, and he says ho ex
pects to have "five boys at tho land
parade and they will s'and a poor
chance of seeing the great Admiral
unless some other way is arranged
than to have him review the parade.
Charles G. Hall wants to havo the
parade s' art in time so that persons
from out of town can see it and get
home before night. One of the Vic
tims is suspicious and asks in a mar
tyred tone: "Who is it with windows
to let on University Place that had
the pull necessary Ko induce the Plan
and Scope committee to march us
over a rough pavement with car tracks
and a back street instead of down
Fifth avenue with a good pavement
and no car tracks? H. V. says, "that
boxes when they are placed in tho
rear of sidewalks interfere with the
rights of others, but. when they aro
placed along the outer edge of the
side-walk, as has been done, they and
the people occupying them are a nui
sance and the police should beordered
to stop the practice." Then there are
a half dozen or more communications
In regard to the later beginning of
school in the fall. There are other
communications in last Sunday's edi
tion of the Sun from the overburdened
heart of tiie people to the editor on
the subjects respectively of the waltz
and the two step, protesting that the
waltz iias not been superceded by the
two-step except by young people who
can not learn to waltz, on a plea for
fractional currency, on theatre ticket
speculators by one who believes in
them and who may be a ticket specu
lator himself though he signs his
name (Mrs.) G. A. Wheelock, there Is
another on the madness of unionism
commentlfigon the edict of the Brick
layers and Stone Mason's Interna
tional Union which under the direc
tion of President Gubbins declares
that President McKlnley must join
the union before ho can be allowed to
lay the corner stone of the new fed
eral building In Chicago as under its
rules no one in Cook county can handle
a trowel who is not a member of the
union.
The examples are sufficient to show
the interest everybody takes in cur
rent events. They indicate also that,
far more than the editor's thoughts
tho people enjoy expressing their own
and seeing them in print. It is a
New England trait, this one of ex
pressing one's mind, and the faith
that the expression may abate a nui
sance, accomplish a reform or make
converts. The letters arc Invariably
characterized by great earnestness
and belief In their usefulness. This
attitude of mind which seems to be
universal, is complimentary to the
editors of the papers and to the sub
scribers. In fact these communica
tions take tho placo of the town meet
ing which Boston and New York have
out grown. The conscientious writers
warn fathers and mothers orpitralls
laid for their children, they remon
strate against committees and conn
oilmen who do not make suitable pro
vision for the children, discuss poll
tics, religion, and finance witli a
dignity proper to ono addressing one
hundred thousand people with tho
faith that their words Instead of fill
ing space will reach tho discouraged
and the tempted or tho bribed with
beneficial results.
A community which writes so many
open letters Is, If a trifle pharasalcal,
at least striving to improve and It is
a healthful sign of Interest and faith.
In tho west It is only occasionally
that a strayed New Englander reverts
to his type and writes a letter to the
newspapers. The man who docs ii
habitually gets a reputation which In
does not usually deserve of a desire for
notoriety It is not notoriety which
urges him but the fever of reform
which Is the same that sent the Purl
tans to these shores.
If Lincoln and Omaha would bin
cultivate the open letter habit, tin
officers whose duty it Is to protect tin
public and prevent it from being lm.
posed upon by the savages who leav
swill in alleys so long that the air is
infected for miles around, or who ex
tend signs Into the street and cut oil
their neighbor's view. The open letter
habit Is a hearty, healthy habit ami
every newspaper man appreciates it.
The First Nebraska.
Members of the First Nebraska
have little liking for parade. -As they
tiled into the dining room at the fair
grounds they had a somewhat shame-
faced expression as though they did
not altogether relish the attention
and applause their appearance created.
Many of them were not to be seen in
the parade of Thursday and although
they wore missed, the real soldierly
distaste for display is another evi
dence of the Integrity of their fame.
As a regiment thelr's is a modesty
that is appreciated. Thpy will not
make capital of their service in the
Filipinos and they object to forming
part of a spectacle. But knowledge
of what they have done will deepen
the sympathy and appreciation the
state feels for them. By one and an
other the story of the Plrst will be
told and it is hoped that it will re
ceive the place in history its achlev
ments merit. Because Colonel Stotz
enburg is dead is no reason why he
should not be granted tho honors of
the Filipine campaign which he sure
ly captured. Compared with General
Funston, Colonel Stotzenburg is as , v
Wellington or Marlborough to one of v7
their dashing reckless captains. Col.
Stotzenburg had real military genius;
the ability to make an army out of
disunited elements and theieafter to
place It in the field at the point where,
and the moment when it can bo most
effective. He thought ho knew at
what place the Filipinos would begin
the attack and lfe camped on that
spot and a sentry of the First Ne
braska fired the first shot of the war
at a Filipino who refused to obey
orders. It was not chance that the
First Nebraska was always in the van
and on the heels of tba enemy. Colonel
Stotzenburg drilled the men to the
highest degree of efficiency and as a
military tool Stotzenburg and bis regi
ment were recognized as being the most
serviceable of any in tbe Filipinos.
When history is written his work will
be recognized, but in tbe mean tlmo it
is disappointing to sae other officers and
other men receiving tbe credit which
belongs to the First Nebraska and its y
Colonel. '
The Street Fair.
Tho soldiers note tbe signs 'of quick
ened prosperity in Liocoln. Prepara
tions for the booths and tho street fair
are proceeding rapidly and even rojiic
ing over the return of tbe poldiers and
tbeir fioe appearance, did not interrupt c
the preparations for tbe street fair
Tbe pretty booths are fast transforming
tbe Htreets from a purely comercial as
pect to a festival appearance. Tbero ia
little doubt that the fair will be a suc
cess, with tbe streets full of peoplo who
have accepted the invitation(to cotue and
be amused. Tbe city has never before
been at home to everybody and tlio
novelty and freedom of (be intivationa
insure few regrets. Between tbe die- y
plays of merchandise contortionists,nnig
iciansand trained animals will atniiso
tbe populace. It is hoped that thero
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