St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-12
TOPICAL TALK.

Those window shades on the new court
house are the subject of universal criticism.
They are of purplish.blue color, and con-
spicuous enough to attract the attention of
every passer-by. They are SO inharmonlous
in effect and add SO much to the cold aspect
of the stone exterior, every one is wondering
why softer color was not selected. When
asked about it, DR.. DAY said that the window
blinds were not put there for the benefit of
the outside public, but for the accommoda-
ton of the occupants Of the rooms. think
the doctor has made mistake. The build
ing belongs to the outside public, and not to
the occupants of the rooms, and surely the
public taste ought Ito be consulted. And
when it comes to the question of what color
gives the most agreeable light to the eye we
know that green is Natures favorite color,
and question whether mans theories can
improve on the artistic sense of the Almighty
mind.
His numerous ST. Paul friends will be graft
fed to know that ED Jingle is making
a success of journalism in the far West
His paper. the Seattle Morning Journal, is
one of the breeziest of our Western ex-
changes. and judging from the looks of it's
advertising columns, it is in great favor with
the business men of the Pacific slope. Mr..
TINGLE received his journalistic education on
the GLOBE. and is consequently well quail
fled for his chosen vocation. / am inclined
to think he made good strike when he To-
Gated at Seattle, and l am confident that it
was lucky thing for Seattle to get such
brainy, enterprising young Journalist.
TTH
A correspondent complains that the city
parks are not in the custody Of the right class
of men. The point is made that capacity to
handle pick or to run lawn mower does
not qualify a man for the kind of work that
is required in a park. 1t is urged that the
SUPERINTENDENT of each park should be an
experienced landscape gardener, and that
men Of this class can be obtained for the
same wages that are now paid to men who
don't know dandelon from moss rose.
The point is good one. and ought to COM
mend itself to the attention of the city Of
ficials who have the parks in charge. Upon
the principle that a thing OF beauty is joy
forever, the money expended on the parks
ought to be so judiciously applied that the
few parks we have will be made real orna-
ments to the city.
THT
These pretty afternoons are improved by
the botany classes in the various schools in
going to the country in search Of plants and
flowers. / sometimes wonder If it occurs to
these young students of plant life to inquire
into the suggestion made by the old Italian
botanist, MALTHIoLUs, that plants have brain
power Usually the botany student thinks
his or her work is accomplished when the
classification and arrangement have been
done, and couple Of Latin or Greek names
have been appended to each specimen. 1t
was not SO with old MALTHIoLUs. To him
the plant was not mere inanimate being
but it stood revealed as an organism exhibit
ing animal functions. and something higher
than mere automatic or instructive move
ment He argued that if the brain was an in
termediate agent which only served for the
transmission of impulse then plants
have brain power. Plants have the
power of adapting themselves to cir
cumstances. Plants breathe. they sleep,
they have circulation of blood or sap, they
have nerves and nerve cells, and all the 4
various complex movements equally we'll de-
fined as are the analogous traits in animal
existence Those wonderful plants the
mimosa, if not allowed to sleep, would soon
die The recuperation Of nervous energy is
as essential in the vegetable kingdom as in
the animal. Then there are the carnivorous
plants. the Venus fly trap, for instance, which