New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-08
MORE TROUBLE IN NEBRASKA.

MORE TROUBLE IN NEBRASKA.
There seems to be trouble in Custer County,
Neb. And. judging from the manifestations
which have reached us. heap OF It, too what
Is more and what lends it additional interest Tor
our readers, The Tribune appears to be the in
nocent cause of it. From a late issue OF that
ably edited fearless and outspoken organ OF
public opinion she is spoke and wrote. "Ihc
Custer County Independent" we learn that the
school authorities Of Galloway In that county
recently voted to introduce newspapers as sup
Elementary reading in connection with the ordl-
nary textbooks in daily use In the schools.
Whether they were led to take this step by
habltual reading OF the clevating and inspiring
utterances of 1.-The Independent (weekly). and
the conviction that the youth Of Galloway would
be benefited intellectually by the study of their
smooth and limpid literary STYLE as well as
morally by their purity Of sentiment and tone
of deep sincerity, we do not know. From the
fact that the editor Of The Independent dls-
approves the plan. infer not. We suspect
that that Influential! newspaper is not included
in the supplementary readings
But The Tribune is. And the editor OF The
Custer County Independent apparently does
not approve Of The Tribune. At least that Is
or inference from column and half in its
issue Of December II. in which 1t endcavors-
in a genial, but quite warm-hearted. earnest
way-to convince the school authorities that
they have made mistake. "If," it says. "A
"School Board should send TO TOphet for teach
"ers procure the nomenclature or the Fish
market and Pandaemonium for dictionary and
spelling book, maps and descriptions of the In
Eternal World for its physical and descriptive
Biographies, Satan's calculations for its mathe-
mates. lamentations Of lost souls for its ora
tory. and the rot of Roswell G. Horn and the
Republican for its literature. the blunder
might, by a tense stretch Of Infinite mercy, be
Overlooked and the maniacs pardoned." From
which 1t will le observed that School Boards
may, in the editors judgment, be allowed con-
siderable liberty in the exercise OF their func-
tons without putting themselves absolutely be-
yond the pale of infinite mercy. Yet there is one
objectionable sin which he proceeds TO describe
In the following breezy paragraph:
But to select The New-York Tribune as sup
Elementary reading to the pure lessons OF the
fourth reader. and thus Introduce worse than
aspic worse than cobra. worse than spiders pol
son into the susceptible minds and hearts OF pu-
pills old enough for the fourth reader-od enough
to begin to feel like reaching forward to maturl-
ty and to sight in the distance the border-nes OF
the land of man and wOmanhoOd, throws Lu-
cretia Borgia and Jack the Ripper" into the
shade and leaves us without an excuse To ask
what next?'-for nothing worse could be antici-
pated.
There Is a certain fascination in the earnest
and forcible style with which Populst editors
and orators put words together which one can
not resist, even when they have, as these do.
H., -bnx, ,li
editor calls The Tribune Journalistic mon
strosity." and describes it rs "the vilest, foul
"est. dirtiest. least reputable, most intolerable
land most untruthfu sheet that the patience Of
"a long suffering people ever allowed to utter
1.-THE language of HE'LL forget that the ian
guage. strictly speaking, is a trfe uncompli-
mentary. and just lose ourselves in admiration
of the sweetness and beauty and rhythmic flow
of il. Ii seems a pity that such gems OF eio-
quence have 10 be wrought out laboriOusly for
a newspaper instead of being flung out spon-
ianeously with appropriate gcsticulatiOn from
the stump If this writer only had the same
gift of language in cXemporaneOus discourse
that he exhibits in his newspaper, nothing could
stop the Popusts from nominating him for
President of the United States. We forbear to
quote some portions of this article which seem
to exhibit less calm and judicial spirit than
the extracts given. because. although adapted
no doubt to "rhe independents constituency,
they might he considered by the fastidiOus as
jus! huckleberry too rank for their tastes.
In conclusion. the editor urges that all news
papers ''be kept out Of our schools. away from
the companonshp Of our textbooks" adding
in a gently touching and tenderly pathetic tone
"let them he read under the protecting and af
fectionate influences of Home This Is real
sweet: fitting tribute to the protecting and
affectionate influences Of which his intelligent
treatment Of current questions shows the ripe
results And certainly If THE Custer County
independent" must be read anywhere. II should
be where there are protecting and affectionate
influences