THE COURIER.
ten it out in accordance with the
canons of the profession and the
latest inspiration, it is none the less
trying to be warned by the butcher,
the Laker, the candle stick maker
that that is very poor stuff and a re
petition of the offense will compel
these representatives of noble and
useful callings to '-'stop the paper."
And the threat is not the trying part,
but the necessity of- assuming an
attitude of attention to a purblind,
fatuous candle stick maker. For al
though, to the three men in a tub,
the editor exists on sufferance and by
their unrewarded patronage, al
though they think him a superfluous,
useless member of the community,
whom they good-naturedly tax them
6elvesto"support, the editor himself
.knows better. lie knows, and this
knowledge is what makes him so
elastic rfhuffets and contumely, that
lie is fulfilling a valuable if unrecog
nized function of the community be
serves. How many years for instance,
has Mr. Gere, the editor of the Jour
nal, studied, read, pondered and re
corded tbe conclusions of a subtle,
keen mind in simple, direct language
without impressing the butchers and
bakers, with the value of his ser
vices to the community? Services
that are not and never can be paid
for by patronage. The influence of a
good newspaper is incalculable and
priceless. The deliberate choice of
journalism by men and women with
flexible and powerful minds is a for
tunate phenomenon of this country.
Such a mind' is invariably rejected
by the builders, and if it finally be
come tbe chief corner stone, it is
through a chacce of the builders'
drowsiness and of some fortuitous
energy rolling the stone into tbe place
so long ready for it
"Contrariwise" as "the mockturtle
says, in spite of our poor estate, our
slender fortune, and men's disesteem,
apprentices are plentiful and mem
bers of richer guilds leave their own
calling to follow ours. Only a few
days ago a mother said she had de
lected in her daughter signs of being
able to put this and that together and
make a sentence and from that a
story. Therefore she concluded that
when tbe maid was grown sue would
ba a tit sacrifice to journalism. I told
her she would do better to become a
teacher. But the mother was un
convinced and reiterated that no.
child of hers should become a com
mon teacher when she might get en
a newspaper.
Religious Papers.
The Christian Register, a Unitari
an paper, The Congregationalist, the
New York Observer, a Presbyterian
paper, Zion's Herald, a Methodist
paper. The Catholic "World, and a
lirge number of religious papers rep
resenting the interests and express
ing the doctrines of every larg3 de
nomination are already in existence.
They arrive the latter part of the
week and their subscribers read them
every Sunday with satisfaction and
edification. Very able men are em
ployed to edit them:, much better
scholars and writers than the Rev
erend Sheldon of Topeka. The To
peka Capitol is not tbe organ of any
church. It has been a newspaper.
If the stockholders and directors of
the company succeed in converting it
into a religious paper it will become
a competitor of these denominational
papers. Without denominational zeal
or energy to support it, the chances
are, unless edited with much more
catholicity and originality than the
editorship of Dr. Sheldon, that the
Topeka Capitol will cease to extend
its circulation, and become an out
grown and useless institution. The
850,000, which the paper earned dur
ing the week Dr. Sheldon's edited it,
has turned the head of the president
of the company who thinks that all
the church membership of America
will subscribe for the Topeka Capitol
if it continue to exclude ,the news
and publish only bortations from
pious editors. The long-time editor
knowd better. Topekans are no bet
ter and .no worse than other people
and the editor knows if he stopped
publishing the news, the Topeka Capi
tol would lose every subscriber who
takes the paper to find out what is
going on in the world. The people
who subscribed for the paper during
Dr. Sheldon's week took it to encour
age a good but fatuously self satisfied
man, for curiosity, and because they
fancied that it propagated righteous
ness. Such an impulsive, curious,
illogical circulation cannot last. In
refusing bis consent to the transfor
mation o'f the paper into a religious
daily, the editor is within his rights
and under the inspiration of common
sjnse and experience.
Imitations.
House-furnishings, works of art,
notions, fabrics, clothing, trinkets,
flowers, drugs, fruits and groceries'
are purchased mainly by women.
Man earns and woman spends because
it has been demonstrated in thous
ands of years that man can better
eirnand woman can better spend.
But lately man has been heard com
plaining that woman crowds and de
presses the markets where, formerly,
his labor was at a premium and that
as a spender she lacks both good taste
and judgment. A writer in The Chi
cago Tribunensks plaintively: "How
can women be taught that cheap gilt
belts, coarse, cotton roses, and tawdry,
satins are ugly to the eye, fairly de
void of use, and expensive at any
price? How shall they be taught
that a plain white muslin curtain is
more economical and infinitely pret
tier than a monstrosity in figured
lace? How shall they be taught that
a good, washable gingham gown is
finer in every correct use of the word
than a cottony imitation silk, and, of
course, cheaper? How shall they be
taught that a plain oak chair, with
simple lines, is more pleasing, easier
kept clean, and more durable thaa a
grotesque, machine-twisted shape,
patched'out with poor brocade ?
"The same questions enter into the
choice of foods. Why buy an indi
gestible mince pie when you can have
fine, wholesome red apples for a
smaller sum?
"All the worthless lace, gilt jim
cracks, and trumpery plush furniture,
are manufactured to meet a de
mand; and the demand in cheap
er goods ape3 the demand in
more expensive materials. What if
we find the kernel of the matter
here ? Women put large bunches of
coarse flowers on their bonnets be
cause the imported hats in die win
dows are loaded with finer ones. It
may be that less conspicuous waste
on the part of women who set the
pace would lessen tbe bales at the
shoddy counters." No matter how
good an imitation is. it is an imita
tion and will be found out. And that
moment of discovery is always a shock
An imitation is an insincerity. The
house that is furnished in imitation
leather chairs, and other imitations
of various kinds, of estimable woods,
skins, and clays, creates inevitably a
suspicion of the sincerity of the in
mates, and a settled conviction of
their bad taste. We are all more or
less misled by cheapness, but it is
better for tbe youngsters growing up
in tbe house to realize that all their
surroundings will bear investigation.
Ral things 'contribute to self re
spect. Imitations are a device of tbe
evil one to insinuate that the true is
as good as the false if it look like it.
A counterfeit is the cleverest and
best of imitations, but it is a lie and
the bestcounterfelter rightfully gets
the longest sentence. "Just as good
as" is a phrase that all genuine manu
facturers fight. We are -so infected
by it that the mostincere of 'buyers'
is occasionally seduced by it. But she
is punished by a daily loss of self re
spect. The incurab'y ingenuous per
son is always rejoiced when an imi
tation chair breaks down, and when
an imitation silk or linen dress wears
out. As the buyers are women, they
sooner than any one, can repress the
tendency of the American manufac
turer to produce imitations, by re
fusing to purchase them. The effect
upon tbe bojs who are growing up to
be politicians, bank cashiers, mer
chants and manufacturers themselves
must soon be apparent.
Clairvoyance.
The ex-ray which penetrates opaque
bodies as eas ly as the eye sees through
transparent ones is indisputable,
though it has no name and nobody
'understands "its operation. Clair
voyanc e(or clear-seeing)is an ex sense.
Distance, opaque objects, or darkness
cannot prevent the clairvoyant from
seeingthings that other people can
not see. The little Hoi mas girl of
Peoria, Illinois, who located the
drowned bodies of two .people in tbe
Illinois river is a clairvoyant. She
sees the bodies as the ex-ray locates
the bcoes in the body. The river
that flows between her eyes and the
corpses is not there and she saw
themclearly.lt is a sixth sense that.we
have not classified, .that we cannot,
teach, that we have obscured by call
ing it hypn6tlsm, mesmerism,' spirit
ualism and what not. The genuine
ness of this little girl's clairvoyance
seems to be established. Mercenary
parents will doubtless cheapen and
destroy it by stage exhibitions with
all the usual accompaniments of
cabinets, slates, and confederates.
Even these manifestations may have
been carefully arranged by designing
showmen who lacked an attraction.
The public has been fooled so long
that all proofs must be infallible. If
Grccie Holmes is more than usually
clever or if-she-be a real "clairvoyant, -Professor
Hyslop of Harvard College
of the Psychical Research society will
monoplise her manifestations and in
form the public after ten years or
thereabouts, if she is genuine.
Success.
Contrary to the story books and to
the habitual addresses to the young,
wealth and power are won by the man
who works for it, who leaves nothing
to chance but gets up early and keeps
on thinking after other men have stop
ped to eat, drink and be merry. Poli
tics and the politicians in Lincoln il
lustrate this philosophy. Let us take
the aspirants for the United States
senator from Nebraska. There are a
few men here who have shown in the
management of their own affairs a
capacity for finance and a knowledge
and practise of statesmanship. Such
qualities are useful to a state and such
men could be of large service to Ne
braska and to Lincoln if elected to
the United States senate. One of
them might,g3 but as the lightening
plays about their heads not one of
them is willing to move in order that
another may get the full force of the
shock. Meanwhile the rewards of
industry, the sure effect of singleness
cf purpose and a true aim are ignor
ed. Success is also its own justifica
tion. The practical politician who
has an organization that he can de
pend upon, whese members incessant
ly work for him has at least some of
tbe essential qualities of leadership.
Anyway he cannot be beaten by a
disorganized, headless, mutually an
tagonistic opposition.
o
A Noble Record.
These figures are taken "directly
from the records and are furnished
The Courier by competent authority.
Lincoln lias had occasional "reform
administrations" but never an ad
ministration that has done so much
in the way of capable and energetic
conduct of public business as thn ad
ministration which tbe people will
have an opportunity of giving their
emphatic endorsement on Tuesday
next. .We liave come to disbelieve so
completely the possibility of efficient
municipal government and it has
been so persistently maintained that
our city is hopelessly misgoverned and
inextricably entangled in debt, that
it has come as something like a shock
to the community to learn that while
tbe "reform forces" have been zeal
ously talking of our distressed condi
tion, the capable, energetic and con
scientious men in charge of the af
fairs of our city have actually manag
ed its affairs with as much care and
effect as is displayed in any private
institution, and with results far in
excess of what would be deemed cre
ditable in any municipality.
Some of the details of the recent
city admistration may be studied
with profit. Tbe assessed valuation
of property in the city has been
steadily decreasing for several years.
Thus in 1897 the valuation was 85,
200,000; in 1898 it fell to $3,017,597; and
in 1899 to $4,777,835. The ordinary
course-where the'valuation'falls is to
increase the levy, but during tbe
three years in question tbe levy has
been reduced, having been 40 mills
in 1897, 38 mills in 1898, and 38 mills
in 1899. Taking 90 per cent of the
revenue as available, the city had in
1897 8190,710; in 1898 8171,61411; and
in 1899 8163,401.19 upon which to
operate. That is, in spite of tbe con
stantly falling valuation, the levy has
been reduced also and the city has
been operated each year at less ex
pense to the tax payer. By the most
rigid economy in every direction, not
only has this been done without in
creasing the' bonded debtj" but at the
same time the general indebtedness
of the city has been steadily reduced.
The floating indebtedness of the cily,
which amounted to about 856,000,
when funding bonds were issued, has
been reduced to less than 832,000 and
at the present rate, will be about
830,000 at the close of the jear. Ex
cept for a temporary increase when
the Mockett well was provided, which
was soon overcome, this debt has been
steadily paid off. This has been a
benefit to the laborers of the city as
well as to the tax payers. In 1893 the
I. O. U"s , of the city were selling at
35 per cent discount. Today the dis
count is commonly 3 per cent, or
about the current rate of interest on
such investments, and they often
bring par, in the belief that such
purchase amounts to a 2 per cent
premium on the warrant. In this
way the laborer who has to take one
of those instruments receives his pay
in full, whereas formerly he had to
submit to a ruinous discount.
Even greater progress has been
made in paying off the warrant in
debtedness of the city. On March
1st, 1898 the outstanding warrants
amounted to 8175,343 70; on March 1st,
1899 they had been reduced to 8144.
723.70; and on the first of the present
month they had been still further re
duced to 8 1 28,969 99. In other words,
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