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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (June 8, 1901)
V VOL. XVI., NO. XXIIL ESTABLISHED IN 1SS0 PRICK FIVE CENTS- AT mtk. J LINCOLN. NEBR., SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 1901. THE COURIER, BXTXUDIN TBE POSTOFFICE AT LINCOLN SECOND CLASS MATTER. AS PUBLISHED EVEBY SATURDAY BT TIE HER PRINTING AND PUBLISHING GO Office 1132 N street, Up Stairs. Telephone 384. SARAH B. HARRIS, : : : EDITOR Subscription Rates. Per annum 1150 Six months 1 00 Rebate of fifty cents on cash payments. Single copies 05 The Courier will not be responsible for vol ntary communications unless accompanied by return postage. Communications, to receive attention, mnst be signed by the full name of the writer, not merely as a guarantee of good faitb, but for publication if advisable. r OBSERVATIONS. 9 OBSERVAT 1 A Non-intime. The serial story most talked about in these parts is Gilbert Parker's "Right of Way,'' now appearing in Harper's Magazine. Unquestionably it is the most interesting serial that has appeared since Du Maurier's Tril by. Charley Steele, the hero, is a "non-intime " He is one of those per sons who do right without the in spiration of a passion for righteous ness. The refuge of the helpless, tolerant in spite of scoffing, an aes thete in the word's best sense, the protector of the weak, and a fascinat ing philosopher, he bears his own misfortunes as equably as though they were his neighbor's troubles. There are non-intimes with philos ophical tendencies in Lincoln who bear their neighbor's troubles with admirable calmness. Charley Steele accepted undeserved disgrace, the world's contumely, the humble call ing of a tailor and exile from his dwelling-town, with cheerfulness. Nevertheless, in the little town a mong simple poor folk he is a non intime as he was among his rich acquaintances in the city he is exiled from. In some mysterious, world universal way the villagers feel that a man has come to live among them who yet is separated from them by an aristocratic barrier. They think they suspect him because he is a stranger and an unbeliever. The7 are Canadian-French, a simple, un sophisticated people, good "catholics all, with a horror of heresy and its post-mortem consequences. When they discover that Charley Steele does not worship God as they do they suspect him of robbing the church, r burglary of private houses, even of murder. The soul of isolation never explains. Charley was aware that the village distrusted him and why. Although he had begun to feel the ubiquitous presence of Providence, that even he was led and that he had never had his head, he was too proud, or rather too absolutely a non-intime to seek to change their impression of him. The first chapters of the story are devoted to Charley's very brilliant conduct of a murder case, for he was a lawyer in his first period, known as Beauty Steele," and for his keen intellect. He is a drunkard and while drinking, is struck on the head by a logger who resents Charley's aloof ness though he does not name it aloof ness, but pride and heresy. The blow stuns Charley and he is thrown into the rier, from which the murderer, whom he has saved from the gallows, rescues him. carries him home to his hut in the woods and nurses him back to health. Charley gets well, all but the memory part of his mind. FOr six months or a year he is tormented with a thirst that he does not know how to satisfy. He drinks water from a spring near the hut, quantities of water, for he is always thirsty. Then a great physician removes the pres sure on his brain by trepaning and Charley recovers his memory of what will momentarily satisfy his thirst, of his heartless wife, and of his pro fession. The surgeon has left pow ders in case his patient wishes to conquer a drunkard's temptation, which, he percieves will assail him as soon as memory is released from the numbing pressure of a broken skull. Charley remembers everything when the anaesthetic ceases to af fect him, and an old newspaper in forms him of the remarriage of his wife to an army officer she had long hopelessly admired. Thereupon lie determines (and the author does not say "he determines" but shows it by action) to lead a different life. He finds a tailor in the nearest village who needs help. Charlie learns the business and when the tailor dies, succeeds to the business and makes the trousers, coats and vests for a village full of peasants. Imagine the lawyer with the largest practice in this city giving it up and voluntarily consenting to make clothes for a liv ing. To nurse the sick of nights, to screen the guilty at the cost of his own reputation, to deny love, to take the humblest place in a city' where all are lowly, this was what the gifted serial love stories to let thee lovers marry and live happily ever after wards. They must suffer and die like Juliet and Romeo. The chorus sings a death song and the girl and the man will die. Charlie's struggle with his appetite is manful. It is like the gladiatorial tight in the Roman arena where an unarmed man fought a hungry lion. The man was always conquered, but the old Romans said it was a fine sight to see the straining muscles of a Christian athlete throw the lion and almost strangle him. The Ro mans loved athletics. And still we love a struggle where the issue is death. The New Assessment Plan. The men sent out by Mr. Aitkin to make county assessments are instruct ed to appraise a stock of goods or any taxable property at the full valuation. This is all very well, but the men arc instructed not to take the owner's appraisal, but to inspect the property and appraise it themselves. The new assessor evidently believes that the taxpayers of Lincoln are thieves and cannot be trusted to return a true list of their holdings. Tiie imposi tion of such a belief on the citizens, good and bad of Lincoln is contrary to the spirit of thecommon law, which even holds a man arrested for mur der, innocent, until his guilt has been proven without a reasonable doubt, to twelve of his peers. How can Mr. Aitkin's emissaries who are not ex pert financiers, but ordinary toilers of the land, appraise goods of whose value they have no knowledge? One of the least of these assessors recently arrived at The Courier otlice, and en quired about the value of the type, etc. He was invited to inspect the type treasures belonging to this pa per. He replied that he knew noth ing about the printer's business. Not being allowed to take the owner's word for the value of the type and knowing nothing about it himself, it is difficult to surmise the basis of his appraisement. This incident would not be adverted to here were the complaints of arbitrary and ignorant assessments, under the new dispensa tion, not numerous. J Technique. There is a comparatively large num ber of people who have, what is call ed, a "catural ear" for music. They "Beauty Steele" did. To be spat up- can piay any simple tune they hear on by clowns and still to bless them! without being able to read notes. Only one Man ever really succeeded Tney are seldom musicians of fas in fulfilling his own sermon. But tidious taste or of much knowledge, outwardly "Beauty Steele" obeyed the Occasionally a natural-eared musi Sermon on the Mount. He crucified cjan conquers his predisposition to love and his appetite. Slapped, he take music easily, and strenuously turned his cheek, spat upon he did exerts himself to learn to play by not revile, and he gave more than his note, but lie has to overcome his cloak to the needy. Such is the in- original talent first. Other profes evitable tragedy of life that so good a sj0ns contain examples of natural tal draughtsman as Gilbert Parker will ent which interferes with the ac not answer the prayers of all the spin--quirement of a good technique. A sters and sentimental people who read large number of people possessing ideas and the imagination of a ro mancist begin to write books and short stories without acquiring any knowledge whatever of the language they must use to convey their con cealed thoughts to an audience. The use of could, would and should is an infallible indication of culture or illiteracy. Sentences lik3 "If lie would have done so" a constant em ployment of would, should and could where the past or present indicative is indicated, are characteristic of the talent which lias depended upon its own leading and has Ignored the patient study of the master of English and of the analysis of their medium of expression. No musician who neglects the scientific study of music Is listened to with respect by musicians. It is quite as preposter ous to expect that a reviewer who lias any technical knowledge of the lan guage, who has studied faithfully what the author has chosen to ignore, will lay aside his standards of measure ment thus acquired. A book review,, if it have any value whatever, must be the sincere judgment of a person with a certain amount of discrimina tion and with technical knowledge of the art he discusses. Not that criticism is of much value anyway, but people are fond of reading criti cisms of plays they have seen, book they have read, and music they have heard. Criticism should advert to merit and excellences more than t faults. But sometimes the technical faults are so glaring that the critic's predisposition to approve the work,, it may be of a friend, is obliterated at tlie beginning. The faults of com position obscure the real sweep of the imagination and of original thought. The carping critic is a nuisance but the smug, insincere, cowardly critic is unsanitary, and of no use to the community he attempts to serve. My friend Mr. Mason, of Beatrice, avers that the book reviewer of The Courier often underestimates what he says is "hot stuff" for the reason that, it contains a few unimportant gram matical errors. But the reviewer iro question thinks that a man who ex pects to speak to a large audience owes it to the precious time of liis audience to prepare himself to speak intelligibly. Life is short and if a man speak to a thousand for only art hour it means a thousand hours or about a month and a half of one per son's time. It is therefore selfishly conceited not to learn the most con cise methods of expression. And the "natural ear" thumper whose reper toire is composed of street-band tunes and of the latest soubrette fancie might as reasonably expect to charni good musicians who chance to be in his neighborhoods for the author who has neglected to learn the movement, the mechanism of his medium of ex pression, to expect to receive the approval of honest critics. Considering the amount of creative talent in this city it is a pity that the school children are not taught to