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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1901)
THE COURIER dw who has bought and lives In a baronial estate in Wantage, England? Li Hung Chang never maue mis mis use. He desired to introduce western ichinery into unina, uui ne wanieu L Chinese to do it themselves. He aid not want a foreign company ex- tioiting the Chinese. Ana ne out fitted many such attempts. This wise yd great oriental wished to secure that was best in the West and make it over into Chinese life and progress. ! Li was a pure Chinaman in blood as uell as by training. Instinct, tempera ment and political intuitions. He was (torn at Hofel, a small Chinese village. -1S22, the same year in which Grant s born at Point Pleasant, Ohio. Li's father belonged to an obscure Chinese family. Poor and humble, without in juence, but of pure Chinese origin, without a single drop of Manchu blood ia his veins, Li was started without positive advantages, but with no dis qualifying handicap. Li's father rose to some distinction as a litterateur. In the district exam Isations Li took his first degree. After wards he won distinction among 20,- M competitors at the triennial im ' perial examination in Peking in 1849. This honor gained him admission to Hanlin college, which is a training school for the Chinese civil service. The scholars receive the rank of nobles. They are eligible to the high est offices in the Empire. Li was of some assistance in quelling the Taiping rebellion which lasted thirteen years. The regiment he raised was incorpor ated Into the imperial army, and Li was made a colonel. When the rebel lion was finally suppressed. LI was made viceroy of China and the Em peror presented him with the yellow Jacket and the peacock's feather. For twenty-five years he was viceroy. He made a large fortune by methods which Westerners practice but do not approve. His estate is said to be rep 'resented by 100,000,000 dollars. But for forty years he used his power to urge Chinese progress, to induce the Chinese to adopt Western machinery and West ern commercial enterprise. He was a great man because he profoundly af fected the conduct and morals of his Eple. For himself he kept the old ' and died in it. He could not e retained his Influence else. As soon as he was dead the lifesize paper horses in the court yard of his house that his friends had sent when they heard that he could not live long. were set on fire and all the Chinese who are not heretics believe that he rode into heaven on the ghosts of these steeds. Old-fashioned as he was, he held modern ideas on the woman subject when his views are compared with those proudly recorded by a revered local paragrapher. His favorite mottoes in regard to omen were culled from the choicest national mots. Thus he would say: "Let the family of a man who has brought them comfort look up to him s up to heaven. "The children shall not speak in boisterous tones before him, or the women cease to smile and look happy. ."He .shall have a son to perpetuate te monuments of his ancestors and he shall take wives until that supreme ambition is gratified. "I'pon his walls shall be rules of decorum, and seeing him look toward them all women shall bow upon the flor in shame. "A wife may not spend her hus band's money in thought even, taking the gowns in gratitude, asking no more. If few, she shall not deport her selt in languid demeanor, but shall a'k with energy, as though well Pleased." The Carter Trial Oberlin M. Carter, who was sen tenced to a term of imprisonment in the Penitentiary at Leavenworth. Kan fas. and whose sentence will not ex Ita fr tW years according to At l rney General Knox is not to have a llT tfIal fr the cr,me of wh,ch ne -g been convicted. Attorney General pnox has explained to the cabinet that aPtain Carter would appear before Judge Kohlsaat of Chicago solely to determine whether the $150,000 of property in his name which the gov ernment has attached belongs to him or the government. Incidentally the whole question of Carter's guilt or In nocence will be investigated again. It does not particularly matter what the nominal reason for the new trial Is. No man in prison with an estate of $750. 000 can be denied a new trial as long as the proportion of legal business re tains its present relations to the army of lawyers. It is very surprising, con sidering the sum of money In Carter's possession, that he has been allowed to languish so long. Popular conviction of Carter's guilt is strong. Reports of the original trial were widely read, and when he was convicted, private Judg ment ratified the sentence of the court. Apparently possessed only of his army pcy, having no visible source of in come, Carter spent the income of a millionaire. It was spending large sums and having no visible source of income that first attracted suspicion to Itichard Croker. "Where did he get it?" was asked in the newspapers many times before it was answered by some busy-body fond of investigating. Where Carter got his money was a matter of discussion that occupied the leisure of his fellow officers. And they had enough, so that a really baiiling question like that was a relief. His father-in-law was a rich man, but like so many American millionaire fathers-in-law, he was close and suspicious of a dilettante, fastidious son-in-law. Captain Carter was In charge of har bor improvements in Savannah. He was accused of putting In bundles of brush, called rip-rap, when the spe cifications called for stone, and the vouchers showed that he had paid gov ernment money for stone. His succes sor discovered that hidden beneath the muddy waters of Savannah harbor were bundles of underbrush instead of the piles of solid masonry the govern ment had paid for. The discovery was immediately communicated to Wash ington and after more investigation in to the organic nature of the founda tions of the sea-walls built under the supervision of Carter, he was arrested. On account of the government money in his possession it required a long time to convict him; and after he was finally convicted it was a long time be fore he was put into the penitentiary where tha jury said he belonged. If the prosecuting attorney had not been able to demonstrate his guilt without the shadow of a doubt, he would not have been convicted. It was said that he had the strongest pull at Washington of any young officer. It is cer tain that President McKinley was badgered by all degrees of officials and influential to pardon him. But the mere suspicion that such an attempt was being made provoked such a news paper storm that Carter's attorneys, wh thought the people had forgotten about him. were discouraged. And in course of time, as soon as a rich man may decently be interred. Carter was placed in the United States prison at Leavenworth, Kansas. The people cling to the old Mosaic law: 'An eye for an eye. and a tooth for a tooth." when the object of their hatred is a man who has been placed by them, or by the government repre senting them, in a position of trust, in charge of monies reserved for harbor improvements or for safe keeping. Oberlin M. Carter was accused of stealing two million dollars from the United States. Doubtless the bundles of brush are still in the mud of Savan nah harbor, placed there by his con nivance and certified to as stone above his own signiture. Seven hundred and tifty thousand dollars may be able to obscure tho?e bushes, but the people of the country are yet to be convinced. Attorney General Prout says that with the $150,000 expected from the re sults of this trial, the government will have recovered more than one half million dollars. al injunction for the establishment of "an efficient system of free schools whereby all children may receive n good common school education." The Judge said If It was meant that the city should provide free text-books for all children, rich and poor, the legis lature should have added specific pro visions to that effect. Buying books for the children of par ents who are able to buy books for their children is contrary to the spirit of American institutions. It has a ten dency to pauperize the children and their parents, tot). The children have no respect for the books thus loaned them by the school board. They use them as missiles and such Insolence Is not easily eradicated In after years. All the stored treasure of the ages that is not contained in sculpture, ar chitecture, painting or ceramic art. Is found in books. One of the most Im portant lessons an individual can learn is to appreciate the value of records and of the creative genius of men stored in books. Many a man comes to the end of a comparatively unprofitable life thinking a book a thing of paste board, paper and printer's ink. Be cause It Is printed, a saying may still not be so; and too much reverence for printed words Is almost as bad as having none at all, but a book or writ ings which have lasted through the changing tastes and standards of three or four generations of humanity should be handled and considered with rev erence. The school children of Nebras ka are being taught by the act of the legislature empowering boards to loan them books that a book Is a cheap ar ticle provided by a designing set of men, and that it contains lessons which if they learn not, they will be "kept in" or otherwise dis ciplined. If the book were pur chased by the pupil's parents and came Into his hands fresh with all the freshness and daintiness of a new book, for a while, at least, he would treasure it. And finally, if he soiled it. he would not have the nameless repugnance for the stain we have for dirt of unknown, hence of loathsome, origin. There are other reasons why the free text-book law is bad. There is a certain amount raised by taxation for school purposes. Under the present system a large an nual sum must be spent for books. The budget Is small enough without this burden upon It. The salaries of teach ers are dlsproportloned to the work they do and the preparation necessary to the proper performance of a teach er's duties. If the free text-book law were repealed, the difference might be distributed among the grade teachers and It would inevitably raise the stand ard of effectiveness. If teachers uni versally (universal so far as Nebraska is concerned) disapproved of the free text-book law. It Is likely that they could get It repealed unless the schooi book publishing houses should object. At any rate the subject Is a fertile one for discussion at educational i.in- cut ions. Considerate Candidates In spite of cavil. Massachusetts offers from time to time convincing proof of her advanced culture and final accom plishment of the suppression of animal instincts. During the campaign which preceded the election of a fortnight ago. the conduct of the two candidates for governor was an example to the whole world. Governor W. Murray Crane, the re publican candidate for a second term as governor, was opposed to Joslah Quln cy. democrat, for the same place. In making their campaign speeches the two candidates Invariably began their advocacy of the opposing policies which each represented by explaining to their audiences what a fine, honorable, reli able gentleman the other candidate was. The legitimate Issues of the campaign were deliberately and cour teously presented. Governor Crane re peatedly referred to the high character of his opponent, and the Boston Post, a democratic paper and a supporter of .Mr. Quincy. said on election morning: "Everyone, democrat or republican, likes Governor Crane, respects him. trusts him. To treat him with other than entire courtesy, even In the heat of a political contest, would be to of fend the people of Massachusetts who know him. As Mr. Joslah Quincy says In his last word to the voters of the state: The democratic campaign has been conducted In a. spirit ot modera tion, of dignity and of frank recogni tion of the strong qualities of our pres ent chief executive as a business gov ernor. "We may all go to the polls today with a sense of generous complacency and vote the democratic ticket without a single twinge of hard feeling to wards anybody, and even with a glow of admiration for the gentleman against whose name we do not set a ci oss." 3- a- Looked Her Part She was richly but inconspicuously dressed, and would have attracted no particular attention as she stood on the corner of Tremont and Winter streets, yesterday noon, had not her face, under a white veil, been writhing in a series of remarkable contortions. Several persons paused to watch her "make faces." and then came a fem inine acquaintance. "Why!" exclaimed the newcomer, "what upon earth is the matter?" The facial contortions ceased and were replaced by a smile. "With me? Nothing." "But you looked as if you were suf fering terribly." "Never felt better." "But your face you were twisting It Into all sorts of shapes." The lady standing at the corner laughed and held out her hands. In each of which was a parcel. "I was only trying." she said, "to work the edge of my veil down under my chin." Town Topics. J aj. Free Text Books Judge Neeley of Illinois has recently decided that the free text book law is illegal. The Chicago board of educa tion relied upon a general constitution- CHARLES H. RUDGE Recommended by the Union Commercial Club of Lincoln, for appointment by Governor Savage, as St. Louis Fair ComraLwioner for Nebraska !' 1 i 4 4i4 1 1 i?