Newspaper Page Text
THE TOP- t tt.v ffT ATE JOvat, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 18, 1915. Gtrpeka :tatr Jltrurttal An Independent Newspaper. By FRANK P. MAO LENNAS. (Entered July J, 16". second-class matter at the postoftice at Topeka, iUa, under the act of congress. VOLUME XXXVII No. 66 Official State Paper. Official Paper City of Topeka. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. Dally edition, delivered by carrier. 10 enta a week to any part of Topeka or suburbs, or at the same price in any Kan sas town where the paper hae a carrier system. By mall, one year ...-.......' By mail, six months l f By mail, 100 calendar days 1-W TELEPHONES. Private branch exchange. Call aS0 and aak the State Journal operator for person or department desired. Topeka State Journal building. 800. 80Z and 804 Kansas avenue, corner Eighth. New York Office. 250 Fifth avenue. Paul Block, manager. Chicago Office, Mailers building. Paul Block munager. . Detroit Office. Kresge building. Paul Block, manager. Boston Office. 301 Devonshire street. Paul Block, manager. FULL IiKASED WIRE REPORT Of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. The State Journal is a member of the Associated press and receives the full day telegraph report of that great news or ganization, tor the exclusive aiwrnoon mhliratlAn in Tooeka. . , The news is received In The State Jour nal building over wires for this sole pur pose. AMERICA'S OPPORTUNITIES. " eralogical Independence, yon may re At a recent meeting of the New I call that only about ten years ago this York Section of the American Insti- (country imported Its sulphur from tute of Mining Engineers, George Otis Sicily, whereas now, by reason of the Smith, director of the United States f work of one engineer, the United geological survey, delivered a signif icant address on the war's opportune ties to make America mineralogically independent. Excerpts from it follow; "For more than half a year we have watched the adjustments and read. justments of American industries to meet new conditions. Six months ago the United States geological survey suggested, by the publication of Bul letin 599, the extent to which Ameri ca's mineral reserves could be drawn upon to meet the emergency and in- deed to strengthen Ahe position of the United States as a world power in in- dustry and commerce.. Today, as a nation, we face an even greater crisis in our commercial relations, so that a discussion of national independence is especially opportune. 'As a nation we began with a decla ration of independence leading to an experiment in statecraft popular government on a large scale in a string of colonial settlements connected only a crude way by post roads and States leads the world in the mining of sulphur. Can not further success be expected in the utilization of min eral resources hitherto practically un touched? "The substitution of certain miner als of domestic origin for those bought in foreign markets will bring us face to face with the problem of standardization. Price is not the last word with the manufacturer-con sumer. This is a good time to drop any ideas we may have of industrial superiority and to copy for a while the industrial spirit of Germany, which systematized processes and standardized products until they won markets In every continent by sheer superiority. "The outlook for successful endeav or by the American engineer seems very bright." MEMBER: . . -, Associated Press. - Xudit Bureau of Circulations. . American Newspaper Publishers' Association. ' Italy's demands on Austria as the price of neutrality are so enormous that Austria is likely to tell Italy to fight for them. , It would also require a stretch of the imagination to suggest that the Kansas legislature is going out in blaze of glory. Dispatches from "Washington state that England's embargo against Ger man shipping will be opposed to the limit with words, probably. ' Russia's orders that all reservists report to their colors seem to confirm the reports from Berlin of the Rus sian casualties in the eastern arena of the war. . - . .-. . Harvard's students must become ex pert pedestrians if they would hope to profit by their opportunities. The tiew Harvard library has 60 miles of shelves. As a legislature works. Up in Wis consin, the senate wrangled off and on for a cou, le of weeks over an anti- tipping bill that had been a law of the state for fourteen years. , And the uncertainties of life are emphasized again in the news from New Jersey about the man who hunt ed a job for seven months and was killed the day he found it. Here s a sad suggestion from the goosebone weather prophets. They declare that if the weather was cloudy in the middle of March it will be more or less cloudy for the succeeding nun dred days. ' - " . There is also reason for rejoicing in Kansas that a special session of the legislature is not in order. There is no telling but it might do some of the good work it left undone at the regu lar session. ; Another prophecy that probably Will not be fulfilled is the one of the London expert that financial exhaus tion on the part of one or more of the European belligerents will end their war by July. Golf is evidently not the only old man's game. The members of the Creve Coer Club bowling team of Peoria, contestants for the bowling championship of America, average 63 4-7 years old. 3 The unusual in everything seeming ly develops in New York. Along comes a woman there who sues her husband for a separation with the un derstanding that she pays him ali mony to the tune of $200 a month. .8 " "While many sections of the country are rehearsing their "hard times" Kansas is able to report a new record for deposits in her state banks. And out here in Kansas there is still plenty of room for whosoever will may come. i New York city also produces an economist of the practical order in the shop girl who insists that it is a simple problem to live on a wage of J6 a week. If you want more clothes, all you need to do, she points out, is to eat less; and vice versa. coastwise sailing vessels, and perhaps even more feebly united by bonds of common race or creed. Yet that po litical independence was the breath of life in the new nation, and the ideal then set up attracted the best human material from all lands. Thus we may say was developed America's greatest resource, a progressive citi zenry. "The other element necessary to make America great is material re sources the earth and the fullness thereof. I do not discount the wealth of our forests, which have contributed so largely to our foreign and domestic trade since colonial days, nor do I disregard the bounty of our soil. which enables us in these days of waste and war to feed the peoples of Europe as well as ourselves, yet I be lieve the mineral wealth of the United States is in largest measure the foun dation of the marvelous growth, of the last few decades. Industrial America! think to . what degree the indus tries of America are based on our ores and mineral fuels, or figure, if you will, the percentage of railroad ton nage that originates at the mine. 'Not only is our country a world leader in the output of such essential minerals as coal, petroleum, copper, zinc, iron, lead, phosphate and In three of these it exceeds all other countries put together but as far as such things can be measured or esti mated we are blest in the possession of the largest reserves, of many of the more important of these minerals. No other country can, in any sense, com pare with the United States in the de gree of industrial independence af forded by the possession of these mineral resources. The raw material is at hand to enable us to win and maintain supremacy as a manufactur ing nation. Yet under this 'most favored na tion clause,' the catalogue of our min eral resources is not the complete list of minerals essential to modern civil ization; a few items are missing,' othr ers are present apparently only in insufficient quantities, and the qual ity or locality of the deposits of still other minerals may be unfavorable to present-day utilization. Thus it hap pens that the nation is not wholly in dependent, in its mineral industry. and no problem better deserves the attention of the American mining engineers than this, 'How can we fill these gaps and thus make America more truly independent? "The catalogue of the products of our mines, quarries, and wells is long. The list of what we lack is short. We are wholly dependent on other coun tries for only four principal items tin and nickel, potash and nitrate. Among the minerals of which the United States has a deficient supply Journal Entries ; More evidence of the hard times that prevail in these United States Is to be found in the fact that the army has its full quota and that recruiting stations are thereby being closed. There is no rush of enlistments in the army when men can find work to do. In cutting down the import duties of this country by $100,000 a day, the English embargo against German Shipping will furnish the Watchful "JVaiters at Washington with a reason ably good excuse for extending the "war taxes" when they have a chance. They certainly didn't have one when they Inaugurated their first "war tax" measure. , Roque Gonzales Garza is neither a new brand of cigars nor a croquet ex pert, as the name might suggest to the uninitiated. It merely designates :5the gentleman who is the latest to enter the lists among the provisional presidents of Mexico. When the time comes for its organization, the So ciety of Ex-Provisional Presidents of Mexico will i : lack for members. Most of the horrors of old age are in the imagination of youth. . When a man is on easy street, the road without a turn is never too long. If some people were as bright as they think they are, there'd be no work for the sun to do. Many men waste all kinds of valu able time sitting around and waiting for opportunity to visit them. A big difference always exists be tween the salary a man thinks he de serves and the one he gets. Jayhawker Jots As the Yates Center Advocate ob serves: Most men would be ashamed to preach half what they practice. The Marysville Advocate-Democrat suggests that the present generation may be justly termed the automobile race. The Anthony Bulletin thinks that if we paid more attention to the Kansas primary schools and less to the Kan sas primary law we would help in the making of better Kansas citizens. Excellent advice from the Lyons News-Democrat: If you have a weak heart and are easily affected by the unKina tnings people say of you and your acts, there are several offices and jobs we would warn you to fight shy of. Never try to be a governor of the state, county attorney, countv suDer- intendent, teacher, preacher or editor of a newspaper. Observations by Editor Young of the Oakley Graphic: Mark it down with the other bunk when a fellow says. "I am not afraid to say what I think." . .The most effective conversation is carried on by making gestures some thing like these $ S $ $ The styles in ladles skirts are exceedingly snort mis year and this is figured as a discrimination against bow-legs..., A Persian grafter came Into this dump with what he said was a ' soapstone bust of Abe Link. When you are busted what do you want of a bust of Abe Link, we ask. Globe Sights BY THE ATCHISON GLOBE. Waste is the poor relation of haste. Anyone can start a boom in an off year. Don't get the notion you need a stimulant when rest Js needed. When it comes to dodging taxes there are very few dead ones. Fear of being found out is among the greatest Influences for Good. A boy's notion of thoroughness is the way his mother washes him. Comparatively few of the Bov Scouts live on farms where there are chores to do. There is the Blue Pencil for writine and there should be a Red Fist for a are manganese, platinum, gems, and I lot of talking. asbestos. . Still other minerals it has heretofore been more profitable to buy abroad than to produce at home, such as chrome ore, barytes, flint pebbles, magnesite, mica, and graphite. 'These deficiencies create problems A boy is apt to pay more attention to his father's ultimatum than to his mother's protest. The loafers have various excuses: some of them may be waiting for Op portunity to Knock. Higher education teaches us that relating to three different types or I the faculty will stand a good deal from a competent athlete. There is no such thing as a free country, and it probably is a good thing for you that there isn't. Some of the girls should neglect their piano practice long enough to take a course in domestic science. We gather from a manager that the worst case of artistic temperament left-handed classes of minerals. In the first class, tin and nickel only seem to present a hopeless outlook; and as a matter of fact the whole world is poor in tin. Especially is this scarcity felt in cer tain of the countries now at war, where the shortage due to cessation of imports is intensified by the in creased use of tin in r-annlni nrmv I is that possessed by a Klinnlioa Ftllt -aro lrlr tr Smith A mor- I ica for tin ore and make its importa tion a foundation for profitable com merce with Bolivia. For nitrate we can continue to rely' upon Chile, but we should develop our independence in respect to this mineral by the manufacture of nitrates from atmos pheric nitrogen. . Opportunities for cheap hydroelectric development will On the Spur of the Moment BT ROY K. MOTJ LTON. The City Guy. 'Tve got an idee" said . Farmer Brown. "It's purty expensive- to live in town. It's a nickel here and it's ten cents there, Fer you can't git 'rbund th'out payin' rare. . And a feller must dress purty dog gone cute. . Fer he can't get- by with a ten-buck suit. v And if he don't keep himself In trim mere am t much business comin to him. - If a feller ain't dolled up purty slick He loses caste and be loses it quick. He must wear a collar and tie, by f gum. Or they put him down for a ten-cent bum. He's got to have callin' cards printed too. Fer that is the wav the town folks do. He must look prosperous, that's the eve. And the man that don't never will get bv. Fer you can't make good with a busi ness stunt . Unless you're there -with a good strong front. - His Allowance. A young lady of our fair city, who was about to be married, eat in the gloaming with the , young gentleman of her heart. "There is something that I think we should talk about." said he. 'It is the matter of an allowance." "Yes. mother and I have figured it all out." "That's fine, my dear girl. How have you figured it?" "Well, we have taken your salary as a basis, and we think tnat s week will be quite enough." "Oh, no; that wouldn t be enough. "Oh, yes. Three dollars is quite lot for an allowance. You have no expensive habits, you know, and if you come home to lunch every day, $3 a week ought to do you very nice ly. I will take care of the rest of your salary." Good News for the U. C. The ultimate consumer need not be down-hearted, for while some com modities are going up, others are coming down. It was somewhat of a poser when he was confronted by the fact that there has been a heavy ad vance in the price of sugar, but the glad news has just been announced in London that there has been a sharp decrease in the price of radium. which is now only $80,000 a gram the lowest since it was discovered by M. and. Mme. Curies Evening Chat BY RUTH CAMERON. Ab. Adkins, who is ouite a student of political economy, thinks some of the spring styles should be declared unconstitutional. QUAKER MEDITATIONS. From the Philadelphia Record. One way for a woman to keen her age is not to give it away. The time to take chances is when invite capital as soon as congress will you have nothing to lose. legislate. For potash the outlook is It is generally easier to establish a less certain: thus far only one potash- reputation than to live up to it. rich brine has been found that of the Searles Lake deposits, in California where potash occurs in even greater quantity than that at first estimated by the geological survey, but the problem of its commercial extraction has not yet been fully solved by the chemical engineer. 'The deficiencies of the second Class, like manganese and platinum, are stimulating to the geologist and the engineer, the one to discover, the other to develop. The recent find in southern Nevada of rich platinum bearing gold ore constitutes a notable addition to the world's supply of this too rare metal. The third class of minerals, those which it has paid better to buy from foreign producers, probably furnishes the largest incentive for the effort to secure mmeralogical independence. Here especially can the geologist and engineer co-operate. Magnesite, mica. and graphite, for example, are com mon minerals, of which large de posits, have been found in this coun try, yet up to the present time they have been large items of import from Austria, Canada, and India. 'As an encouraging instance of min- Many a man . will stand his ground in an argument, ' even when he hasn't any. When you can't get in a word edge wise, there is no danger of cutting remarks. If it takes nine tailors to make a man. where does the self-made man come in? The man who puts up a good front" isn't so apt to.be talked about behind his back. When a man has an ax to grind we are always suspicious of getting it in the neck. A woman can generally manage to keep a man guessing, even after she marries him. In making the cocktail of life it is just as well to remember that business and pleasure won't mix. Muggins "I suppose even Hen peckee has something to be thankful about." Buggins "Yes, I dare say he's glad he isn't a Mormon." Hoax "See that little fellow over there? He can lay anybody out." Joax "He doesn't look like a pugi list." Hoax "He isn't. He's an un dertaker." Blobbs "Poor old Talkalot has been taken to a sanitarium. He has lost his reason completely." Slobbs "Well, I dare say he's glad it wasn't his voice." Half Truths. A lie which is all a lie may be met and fought outright. But a lie which is part a truth is I harder matter to fight. , . Tennyson. Like all proverbs "half a loaf is bet ter than none" is almost as often un true as it is true. ,,, .. Half a loaf is sometimes worse than none. . .,, p : . For inetanee, half a truth is often much more dangerou to a right un derstanding of things than a down right lie. ' For a half truth is more insidious. more plausible and harder to fight than a downright lie. When I. was a newspaper woman I was once sent to investigate a strike in a mill where a kind of bagging was made. I was told to get both sides of the case, and went first to the em ployer. He told me a most plausible story. The operators, he said, received more per roll than any other workers in the state. I went to the employees and asked them if that were true. It was half true, but see what a different aspect the other half gives to the -situation. They did receive more per roll than any other workers in the state, but the rolls wre half again as long and they had to work with material which was coarse that it continually broke their machines, and interrupted their work. As an argument that the country was really prosperous some one cited the fact that one of the big shops in this city had the largest sales this year for any January in its history. I re ported this to the man-who-thinks. That is interesting," he said, "but January, I believe, is the month of sales; might not that mean that more people waited for the sales this year than usual? I should like to see their record for November and December before accepting- that for an argu ment. Now, of course, the before Christ mas sales may have been as large as usual. Indeed, I hope so, for I am the last one to want to be pessimistic about the condition of the country. Pessimism breeds the need of pessi mism, I think, and optimism helps bring good times. I only quote the case as an example of the way a half truth may He. Again, it is a favorite argument against woman suffrage that in Col orado, one of the oldest women suf frage states, there are no proper laws regulating the work of women in fac tories, inose who bring this argu ment forth forget to mention the oth er half of the truth, namely, that there are scarcely any women working in factories in Colorado. In the wild statements that are fly ing backward and forward anent the war there are plenty of downright lies, I fear, and on top of them innum erable harmful half-truths. Beware of half-truths. When you hear a statement do not accept it as final and sufficient to base an opinion upon unless you know that it is not only the truth and nothing but the truth, but also the whole truth. POINTED PARAGRAPHS. SONG OP THE FI8BEBUAK. There's a sound that rings in my ears to day And echoes In vague refrain; The ripple of water o'er smooth-washed clay Where the wall-eyed pike and black bass play. That makes me yearn In a quiet way For the old home haunts again. Back to the old home haunts again, -Back where the clear lake lies. Back through the wood where the black birds brood. Back to my rod and flies. I wish I could paddle my boat today Through watered-logged grass and reeds Where the uiuskrat swims and the cat tails sway And the air is cool and the mist is gray And the ripples dance in the same old way Under the tangled weeds. Back on the old oak log again. Back by the crystal brook, - Back to the bait and the silent wait. Back to my line and hook. I wish I could wade by the water's edge wnere tne railing leaves arirt Dy, Just to see iu the shadow of the ledsre Where dark forms glide like a woodman's weage Through drifted piles of dark marsh sedge, Ana near cue oittern cry. Back where the tadpoles shift and. shirk. saca wnere Dumrogs sod. Back Just to float irr my leaky boat. Back to my dripping bob. O, it's just like this on each rainy day; Alwari the same old naiu That struggles and pulls in the same old way To take me off for a little stay By the water's edge in the sticky clay, lo iisu in me iaiung rain. Back to my long, black rubber boots. Back to my old patched coat. Back to my rod and breath of God, Home, and m v leakv boat. E. B. Widger, iu the St. Louis Republic The Evening Story From the Chicago News. Blessed be the little flat in which there is no room for trouble. Ambition is all right if a man has energy to back it up. A self-made man is often the only one satisfied with the Job. As soon as a sick shoemaker is able to work he's on the mend. It takes a nervous woman to dem onstrate what nerve force really is. The mantle of charity covers a lot of amateur theatrical performances. After a lively race for a husband many an heiress marries a run-down nobleman. The man who doesn't secure the services of that great teacher, experi ence, may live to a green old age. Unless a man can see a slight im provement in himself it's impossible to make him believe the world is growing better. Little First Foot. -(By Molly McMaster.) Upon the first morning of the New Year Dean Richmond had awakened to find a small black kitten prowling inauisitivelv about her studio nome. "Good luck! ' was xean s iirst thought, and the kitten, realizing that she wa being summonea, stroiiea over with humped back to receive a caress. They were friends at once, uean lived, alone in the Bohemian section of the city, where the stables had been converted into wonderful stu dios with trailing vines rambling over windows and springing up througn cobblestones. Dean was an editor on one of the better magazines, and left her- studio each morning sharp at 8:30 o'clock. . " The black kitten which uean cauea First Foot was a waif ' of the- feline world who was willing to live wher ever she was most affectionately re ceived. She was black and sleek and a daintily clean little lady kitten. It would not have been difficult for her to find loderines in the Bohemian sec tion where black cats were considered the best of luck. The little collar with which Uean mmediately made her ownership cer tain was black leather, ine name in scribed on the tiny silver tag was First Foot," since she had been the first little visitor to put foot over Dean's threshold in the new year. First Foot's maintenance was rather simple. Milk was left on the floor each morning, and the .door was ar ranged with or bar locking it a iew inches open so that the kitten could come and go at will. Dean had em ployed the slightly open door since she had taken the position as editor and was forced to leave her studio during the day. Her provisions, which she ordered as she went to bus iness, were slipped within and her studio was nicely aired instead of stuffy as was her office. Having little of value In her possession uean wor ried not a particle as to who might bo desirous of entering her studio. The Bohemian settlement, if burglars were discriminating, was the least likely to be troubled in any case. First Foot completed a most nappy domicile for Dean. Coming home tired, her head swimming with plots and stories, it was good to see the black kitten rise, stretch, yawn and come forward purring by way of greeting. The absolute lack of Intellect expected from the companionship made it a de lightful rest after a day's toil. First Foot had been a part or tne studio life for some five weeks before she brought down the wrath of her mistress upon her own sleek head. Upon picking the kitten up for her evening nap in Dean's lap the girl had smelled tobacco. Upon examination she made the discovery that her pet was reeking of the noxious fumes. You disgraceful little laay, aa- monished Dean while she went to the kitchen for brush and soap and toilet ater. "You have been visiting the den of some gentleman." And since First Foot continued to revel in brushing and fondling it was evident that her reputation bothered her not one jot. ) That proved to be only the first of the visits for each night Dean found her erstwhile perfumed pet reeking of tobacco smoke. There was no good in scolding. First Foot purred happily on during the tirades and Dean finally accepted the tobacco as part of her troubles. She did, however, tie a huge pink bow on the neck of her cat and i saturated it with wild Rose scent. "The guilty man may take a hint. was her inward hope. But the guilty man did not take the hint. Each day when the small black cat came silently into nis den he arose, stroked her head and felt that the day was well begun. After that he put milk in a saucer, placed the saucer on his writing table and wrote many stor ies while First Foot lay on his table, sometimes slightly amused at the swiftly rushing pencil and more often sleeping. When John Rogers finished a par ticularly good story and determined to try it on the editor of the "Good year Magazine," he talked long and earnestly to First Foot. "We need the money badly," he said. "If we are to buy our type writer we must sell this story. If you don't bring me luck I will lose my faith in omens." It was John Rogers' habit to dip First Foot's paw into the inkstand and make her imprint on his manuscript. So far the sign seemed to have been lucky. Rogers had sold many stories since the advent of the cat. The small black cat's paw became rather well known in editorial offices. "Eccen tricities of genius," was the thought it had evoked. So that the story,' having passed through the hands of the readers and found its way to the editor of the "Goodyear," Dean Richmond found herself smiling at the imprint of a cat's paw on the manuscript awaltUig her judgment. She immediately thought of First Foot, but did not connect the two cats in her musings. The story was excel lent. The cat's paw had worked the charm and Dean put the story among accepted ones. In the evening she was reminded of I the peculiar sign on the manuscript she had received and only half con sciously found herself examining First Foot's paw. - Her- amazemnet was very genuine when she discovered that her pet's foot was sticky and that close scrutiny revealed dried ink on the little toes. - "So," mused Dean, "the person who blows tobacco smoke all over my love ly kitten and the author of 'Stagna tion' are one and the same being." She fell to speculating as to the man's per sonality. "He assuredly is human and I would say rather charming." For a long time she pondered over, the strange happenings of the world. It was not especially a work of the fic tion world this straying of her cat to the den of an author, but it was a trifle extraordinary that the man's story should come to her hands; that her perfume was no doubt as obnox ious to the author's senses as was his tobacco to her own. The little cat's paw on the manuscript was a link in the chain that was to draw author and editor together. After a night's sleep Dean decided to fling a trifle of the mysterious into her dealings with John Rogers. Un doubtedly he knew as little of First Foot's mistress as she knew of him. It would be a bit funny to send a note on First Foot's bow if only to see what happened. When John Rogers received the lit ,tle black visitor that morning he glanced amusedly at the extra large pink ribbon on her neck. ..'.You have an extravagant mistress, little lucky lady," he said. "She would never do for the wife of a struggling author." If the cat disagreed she could not say so. Rogers petted First Foot and dislodged the note Dean Richmond had concealed in the bow. "The plot thickens," laughed he, and opened the letter. "The editor of 'Goodyear' will see you tomorrow at 10 o'clock," he read aloud. "I'm hanged 1 How in thunder !" Rogers ran his fingers through his hair and gazed questioningly at First Foot, who only went to sleep, having delivered her message. Nonplussed, but willing to be en lightened, Rogers went down to the editorial rooms of the "Goodyear Magaeine" fully expecting to meet a man. Dean Richmond was, however, ultra-feminine and rejoiced when Rog ers's card was handed to her. She was femininely curious to meet him. She had broken a "strict office habit for the first time in her career and had put a drop of scent on her blouse. It was the perfume that reached Rogers's senses while they were dis cussing the merits of his story and the size of the check he was to get. iou," ne said suddenly, and it semed accusingly, "are the mistress of First Foot." "I am." laughed Dean, "but how do you know?" "The kitten reeks of that same scent," he told her. "It is far better than reekine of tobacco," flashed Dean. Rogers flushed guiltily. "Mv niDei is rather strong." Then. "You must live near, very near to me," he added quickly, and there was a shameless suggestion of Joy in his eyes. -xes it is strange, isn't it?" -"Delightfully strange," agreed Rog ers. "i wisn .first Foot knew the ex tent of the luck she had brought me. I sell a story for 1250 and realize that I have a neighbor whom I " "I am very busy," Dean said swiftly. trying to overcome the timidity that had swept her lashes down. Rogers only laughed and watched the color sweeping stealthily into the cheeks of the editor of "Goodyear. "- "First Foot is a lucky cat." he ru minated on the way home, "and I once Informed her that her mistress would not make a good wife . for a struggling author. Humph!" a soft, whimsical smile played about Rogers's lips. A smile of self contradiction. (Copyright, 1915. by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) Kansas Comment BE AMERICANS FIRST. If the American flag is in such good repute abroad that ships in danger fly it -for safety, let's not discredit it here at home by partisan plays. We are not called upon to fight the battles of Europe in America. Nor are we go- ' ing to help one of the countries over there win from any other. If any man here is so full of war spirit that he can not keep neutral, let him go back to the old country and get his fill of fighting. As the screws tighten in the war zone, things will happen which will more and more put Ameri can neutrality to the test. We ought to meet this increasing tension with united determination to defy any at tempts to make our government take sides. Back of these efforts to sway our government is only one purpose. That purpose is to get us into this war. Watch for it! Note its development! Nail it! Swipe it! Wichita Beacon. " HOW RARE CONSISTENCY IS. President Wilson vetoed the immi gration bill because, he said, there had been no mandate from the peo ple calling for a reversal of the tradi tional policy of this country in rela tion to the admission of foreigners. And yet the president fought to the last ditch to pass the shipping bill which provided for , a complet re versal of the traditional policy of this country in the matter of government ownership of merchant ships. Where was his "mandate" for that? We sad ly fear that the president is like the rest of us he thinks the people de mand the things he is for and he is sure they are dead against the things he doesn't like. Iola Register. From Other Pens A POETIC DIET. War poetry at its best is only pass ably good. Only the very exceptional production gets into mis ciassmca tion. War is epic, but today there are no epic poets. Most war poems are insufferably bad. Some Englishmen and Germans of considerable note have, since the beginning of the pres ent war, tried their hands at poetico milltary work with notable unsuccess. Their output has been almost invaria bly painful. Months ago the Toronto Mail and Empire began to publish a daily war poem. Apparently it had a large stock on hand which it wished to dispose of in order to avoid hurting the feelings of its contributors. Hav ing started the practice, it has kept steadily at it.' The habit, one fears, has become established and cannot be broken. While the war lasts the peo ple of Toronto must have one of these metrical horrors served up with their eggs and bacon. It is an unmerited Infliction for Toronto. Cleveland Plain Dealer. SILENCE MISCHIEF-MAKERS. The Japanese premier says: "Ef forts recently have been made to in vent some plausible reason for a dis ruption of the relations between Japan and America. These attempts have failed, the mischief-makers now look to China as a field in which the two powers may be made to clash. 1 tree no reason for such a sonflict." That is a frank and friendly state ment. Why should it not be accepted in an equally frank and friendly spirit? The habit of perpetual sus pfsion is an abominable trait In an in-1 .' dividual and is still more to be con demned in a nation. It is dangerous and unpatriotic to try to make sua picio n the attitude of the United States toward any foreign country. We should, at least, wait until some na tion gives offense before looking upon it or thinking of it as hostile to us. Buffalo Express. The Selfish Princess. Once upon a time, in the long, long ago, there lived a very beautiful prin cess whose name was Delightina. Her mother had named her that because of her own delight in having a little daughter. And for many years De lightina gave her parents so much pleasure that she seemed truly named. But, unfortunately, her parents loved her more dearly than wisely; and they gave her everything she could possibly wish for which is a bad thing for anybody, even a princess. She lost all her pretty grateful ways and only thought of her kind parents as givers. She spent many hours thinking up things to ask for, but never gave one fleeting thought to what she could do for them. ; do not want your three wishes," replied Delightina crossly, "I only want three dogs." This was very bad for her and the kind fairies who watched over her. determined to show her how ungrate ful and hard she was becoming. They resolved to cnange ner ways. So one day when Delightina was out walking with her three pet goats, the fairy queen disguised herself as a beggar ana appeared on tne road before Delightina. "Oh fair lady." cried the beggar, "give me a crust of bread and I will give you three wishes." "I do not want three wishes," re plied Delightina crossly, "I only want three dogs instead of these tiresome goats." And instantly the goats van ished and three dogs can along side of their mistress. Delightina walked along with them,' but she found them hard to manage. So when she saw the beggar again by the roadside, she said, "I do not want these dogs, I want three squirrels." (Squirrels were very rare in that country and Delightina had never had any you see.) -. i Immediately three squirrels rati by her, side in place of the dogs, and- the princess walked on without a- "thank you." But the squirrels ran and frisked about so much that they were- not as good company as Delightina had ex pected them to be; so when she again saw the beggar in the road, she ran to to-him and said commandingly, "Take these - squirrels away, and bring me three birds!" . . ...... At once the squirrels were gone and three beautiful birds flew around over her head. Delightina was much pleased at first, but in a few minutes she tired of looking upwards and she called to the beggar who was resting near by, "After all, I don't want birds, give me back my goats!" Instantly the birds vanished, but though Delightina watched carefully. no goats came to take their place. 'Where are the goats?" she asked im patiently. "They are gone forever," repled the beggar and she threw off her disguise. And you have had your three wishes. Now give me my bread!". The princess had no Dread and she was very frightened for she recog nized the fairy queen and knew she had been very rude to her. "Dear me, what shall I do?" she cried. "Give me three years of your life," replied the queen and the princess had no choice but to obey. So for three years she lived at the fairy palace and learned lessons of kindness and self denial and then she went back to her own home and lived happilv ever after. (Copyright, 1915 Clara In gram Judson.) Tomorrow A Foolish Sparrow. niTOTr'T VJ Him dMl& Vc5 1MI TOPEKA BRANCH STORE W. W. KIMBALL CO. 823 Kansas Ave. . .F, P. Whit more Mgr. r" i s V