THE COURIER
1
of youth and the conditions of life here
and now did not reach the standard es
tablished by the university and it was
never adopted- Meanwhile we continue
to begin our building in the air and the
foundation is shaky.
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Trtst Publicity
When President Roosevelt was gov
ernor of New York his message to the
Htate legislature of 1300 contained ob
servations and advice in regard to the
trusts, advice that is remembered now
and used as a basts for speculations
on his future treatment of a question
which seems to be settling itself. At
that time and in America last year
belongs to antiquity Governor Roose
velt recommended full publicity In re
gard to the finances and business
methods of the trusts: publicity of a
kind required from insurance com
panies and banks. The editor of the
Review of Reviews says that "There Is
good reason to think that President
Roosevelt has not changed his views
upon these questions, and that he be
lieves it would be better for the cor
porations themselves and for the coun
try at large if the authority of the na
tional government were so extended as
to permit Congress to enact laws for
the supervision or regulation of the
great Industrial companies. Most of
these business amalgamations have
been carrying on their affairs under a
veil of mystery that the small stock
holder is powerless to penetrate. A
highly significant innovation was made,
however, by the directors of the United
States Steel Corporation when on Oc
tober J. It gave to its stockholders and
to the general public a straightforward
and Intelligent statement of Its gross
earnings by months. Its expenditures,
its profits, and its disposition of the
net gains."
"El Tu, Brute!"
Of all tne Tuesday elections in the
United States the New York munici
pal election held the largest degree of
Interest for the largest number of peo
ple. Yer Mr. Bryan in last week's
Commoner, said:
Next Tuesday's elections in Iowa.
Maryland, Massachusetts. Nebraska,
New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania
will be watched with Interest and vari
ously interpreted."
There is no mention here, or in any
other part of the paper, so far as a
somewhat cursory examination can
discover, of the one election in which
all decent people of this country are
more interested than in any other. Mr.
Shepard. willy-nilly the Tammany
candidate, who was nominated by Tam
many, which dictates the most dis
reputable crime-fostering city gov
ernment in the world, voted for Mr.
Bryan In 1300, although he did not vote
for him In 1S96. He explained his 1896
vote by saying that he considered the
silver issue dead and imperialism the
paramount issue.
There is no doubt, however, that Mr.
Bryan's reconciliation with Tammany
ard his New York appearance under
the auspices of the unspeakable
Croker an action which, to do him
Justice, was contrary to his best judg
ment lost him votes in New York
state and among the simple-minded
folk who had idealized Mr. Bryan and
credited him with an abstract, holy ab
horrence of corruption and the corrupt
which would forbid any alliance with
the protector of the vice that stalks
by night. This election In New York
Is consequently a subject about which
It Is much more comfortable for Mr.
Bryan to keep silent. Considering that
Mr. Shepard has borne a reputation
above reproach and that his alliance
with Tammany was the only way by
which he could procure the mayoralty
nomination, and considering also that
Mr. Shepard was. If not an ardent sup
porter of Mr. Bryan's In the last pres
idential campaign, at least he was con
stant and, compared with the attitude
of other promlrfent New York demo
crats, ardent, it seems to me that grat
itude should have prompted Mr. Bryan
to admit the Importance of the New
York, election and the previous good
character of Mr. Shepard. But as a
matter of fact in the issue of The Com
moner immediately preceding election.
Mr. Bryan predicted that only the
elections in Iowa. Maryland. Massa
chusetts. Nebraska. New Jersey. Ohio,
and Pennsylvania would "be watched
with interest."
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"Union"
Among the sacred words In the land
lying between the twenty-fifth and the
forty-eighth parallels of latitude,
bounded by the Atlantic ocean on the
east and the Pacific ocean on the west,
there is none more sacred than the
word "Union." To Americans it means
an invincible, eternal compatibility be
tween and among all the states in
the region of the new world indicated by
the foregoing description. It is very
certain that if the Southerners liad
succeeded In proving that they had a
right to secede, there would have been
no contest now about this country's
right to conquer and rule the con
quered. Or if there had been such dis
cussion it would be restricted to the
purely speculative regions where col
lege professors, socialists, an occas
ional theologian, and the brainy but
unadapted and unassimilated love to
wander and disport themselves Irre
sponsibly and without regard to things
as they are. If the South had suc
ceeded in establishing a separate re
public, there is no way of determining
how many republics the United States
would be cut up into now. If the
South had succeeded then. England.
Germany and France would not now
be Inclined to retaliatory tariff meas
ures on account of the growth in terri
tory and in exporting capacity of the
United States of America.
Germany, France and England do not
regard Central America or the im
mense territory and multitudinous
states of South America as rivals. In
the anxious consultations between
European manufacturers Central and
South America are not mentioned. The
people of the regions referred to are
not homogeneous, they are polyglot In
language, religion, notions and tradi
tions of government and unstable in
all unless, it be language. They are
easy to convert and still revert to
schismatic beliefs whose virtue in
South American eyes is that they are
schismatic and a departure from the
conventional. On the other hand the
United States is homogeneous in lan
guage, religion and political ideas, and
hence a formidable rival.
Every nation has specific and nation
al sacred words. "Union" would not
bring the flush of pride and determin
ation to the cheek of a Turk or of a
Bulgarian. "Union" means in the
United States what It means In no
other country. Thousands of men died
willingly that "The Union might be
maintained now and forever, one and
Inseparable."
What we fought and died for in li60.
we fought and died to destroy in 1776.
Ancestors of the men who died in 1S60
to preserve the "Union" were the rebels
against the existing union with Eng
land in 1776. If the Revolutionary
Americans had been unsuccessful what
an inconceivably great and powerful
nation England would be today. The
English of George the Third's day
could not understand our plea that
taxation without representation was
tyranny. Crossing the ocean on the
Mayflower, Englishmen suffered a sea
change. After organizing the colonial
government within the restrictions
authorized by England, taxation meant
to the American English representation
In the taxing body by a resident of the
region taxed. This is not what tax
ation means to an Englishman even
now. Politically ambitious Englishmen
who wish to go to the House of Com
mons can stand for election in any
borough. Residence in the borough
which sends a man to the House is not
compulsory, though In practice, a can
didate is surer of election In the dis
trict where he is known and has Inter
ests. When the discussion between the
King of England and the American col
onies began the English claimed that
the Americans were represented In the
English government by the elder Pitt.
Fox and Barke. friends of representa
tive government and partlzans of the
olonies against the king in Parlia
ment. The English and the colonists
were talking about two kinds of repre
sentation. They thought their Ideas
Identical but -It. is.easily demonstrable
now that the mother country and the
Englishmen she sent here were un
consciously considering two phases of
one idea. The history of an idea trans
muted into a national emotion Is con
tained in the word "Union" as Ameri
cans use It.
Ji 4t J
Light Opera
Rest for the weary, music for the
musically untrained. Innocent relaxa
tion for strained nerves. Is provided
by light opera. The crowds which left
the Oliver on Monday night when Je
rome Sykes played "Foxy Quiller" were
laughing lightly and humming tunes
from the opera. Light opera makes a
woman wonder what she was
nagging about a few hours before
she heard it, and if the men have been
planning unusually tricky maneuvers
the melody of a musical frolic drives
away the vapors and influences them
to righteousness. One reason why chil
dren are so much better than grown
up people is that children are merrier
and abandon themselves to pure fun
till they are sleepy. In the large crowd
that strolled away from the theater the
other evening there was not a conspir
ator or a thief or a murderer or an ene
my to goodness. They might become
criminals later, but for the moment
laughter swept the cobwebs from their
minds. They were as little children.
The influence of this sort of entertain
ment upon a community is wholesome.
Mr. Jerome Sykes is a spontaneous
comedian. His expression and move
ments recall Francis Wilson and Hop
per. He Is on good terms with himself
and with his audience. He Is the type
of man that In real life has every oth
er man for his friend, the sort of man
whose name other men, intending to
give a dinner, write down first. He is a
good fellow, without coarseness. His
humor is of the honest, surface, mascu
line sort, common as sunshine in Ne
braska and aa beneficent. The little
Adolph Zink, the shrimp of a man, has
the humor of his sex, which Is nearly
always so obvious that a runner at
full speed can get an exhaustive view
of it. He is comical, and his German
brogue does not hamper his enuncia
tion. He was the only one on the stage
who enunciated distinctly. The sailor
lover might have had his mouth, full
jf marbles or he might have said his
lines in Spanish. There was not a con
scientious man or woman in the audi
ence who would swear that he spoke
English. Foxy Quiller is a burlesque
upon the detectives who pose as intel
lects and never catch a thief or dis
cover his swag. Mr. Sykes easy as
sumption of the detective's omniscience
was funny and very like his model. The
chorus was tuneful and well trained.
a-
"The Portion of Labor"
Miss Mary E. Wllkins' story, "The
Portion of Labor," which has just been
concluded in Harper's Magazine is one
of the notable novels of the year. Alas,
It Is a problem novel, and problem
novels and artistry do not work
smoothly together. Where two ride the
same horse, one must ride behind and
in the problem novel the problem has
the place of honor. But since there is
no well-known author who does not
occupy himself with some phase of the
sociological question, it Is apparent
that those who have a taste for ro
mance, pure and undeflled. will have to
get used to the mixture, which Is the
only thing on the market. Historians
like Prescott and MacCaulay, who pos
sessed the literary sense and a roman
tic style, were constantly subject to
the temptation to be Interesting at the
expense of history. The man who alms
at two targets almost always misses
both. A man who endeavors to Incul
cate a sociological truth or a great
moral lesson within the pages of a nov
el occasionally accomplishes his real
aim. which was to write a .
the people would read and i-,-and
talk about the sociologUa.
suggested by it, rather than i. ,.
imaginary hero and heroine i .
vicissitudes which preceded thei
ly happy marriage. The author ,
a book is satisfied though the , .
has written Is not a novel nor t
Ise on sociology or religion. - ,.
pauses where the action halts ... ,,.
old-time novelist used to sav , ,.
smiled and looked out of the v
where the distant mountain - . .
bathed In a purple glow and .1 ,
cades hurrying to the plains look-i ...
diamond pendants strung on .i
neck," etc, the contemporar-
inserts some of his burning idea;- i ,.
reform and the novel reader
them and begins to have ideas . . ,
own about reforming the world .,.
time he has finished the book.
But where an author, a real u- . .
with the Instinct and training .t t 1
artist, desires to write a novel in t ,
cidentally to teach something ih . ,. t;
leal or morally good for the system w
keeps his whole mind on writing j. .. ,i
story about real people and in ai.-. .
deavor. If he have the technuui -a...
and Inspiration he Is sure to su. i
In the meantime and because it i
singleness of his object he has
a moral lesson unobtrusively -" i
truth Is beauty and beauty truth i.. i
the greatest and most lasting beaut
of the spirit.
Miss Wilkins has for the most . -subjugated
the current almost mi .n
querable Impulse to have one ,u
about the problem of labor and Jf i
tal. The representative of . apita. a
"The Portion of Labor" is a young Tia.i
in love with the representative if m.
bor, a young woman. She is bnlha.i
imaginative and a strong partisan
labor. Her lover is manager of j. -.imc
factory where she works. After .it
death of his uncle, the owner ot ..e
business and factory, the young -na.i
inherits the business and almost m
mediately lowers the wages of the -3i-ployes
for the reason that during i.
temporary depression of business .it
factory has ceased to make mune
This unsociable snub from capital 'j
bor induces Ellen, the representatu - r
labor, to refuse to talk with her .-iu.i;
man on any subject except one ru.
In which the employes of his faitm
are equally Interested. He soon nstnr -s
the scale and repeats his assuranies r
affection and the last chapter present
a view of their restoration to happi
ness. At the end everyone of the na
acters gets an author's slice of hap. '
ness and prosperity.
I find myself not much interestei
the heroine and the hero, although "i
former is a very nice girl: Jeli i -high-minded,
brave and conceited, -n--1s
an only child and a constant oo:
of adoration, ever since her birth. u'
she takes herself too seriously. 'ik
many women, and before the end oi '
story she Is somewhat of a bore. 'A
father and her mother, and her griaa
mother. Mrs. Zelotes, and Granville J."
her hopeless lover, live, move ind
breathe. Mrs. Zelotes. the severe ,
lady, believes in the sacredness of
blood which she inherited from i"
family and exalts the purity and -i.
value of the blood which she transmi
ted to her son. the father of Ellen.
As a student of heredity. Miss W
kins is always subtle and the resei
blance of her grandchildren t
grandparent is interesting. The -; '
erations and the spirit of the um
which most people over fifty cease
Inhale, work a change In descenda
which grandmothers do not appr
The latter ascribe the different ha'n
to innate depravity or to Impr'P
training rather than co the chanc"
which time makes in the conduit
all men and children. There are pi."
in the story where Miss Wllkins i
the inspiration of Shakspere. she is -human.
Ellen Is a conventionali
book character, at times. Just .is t!i
are wallpaper and carpet figures, whi
we would recognize if we saw th
elsewhere than on a carpet or on
