The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-11
AFTER THE POCKET KNIFE.

In one Of the reading books over
which the boys and girls droned in
monotones fifty years ago, there was
a "piece" In which some rhymster had
told how
''The Yankee boy. before he goes to school,
Well knows the mysteries Of that magic tool
The pocket knife"
With it he had fashioned his popular
whistle made his sling shot. shaped his
bows and arrows, and, in its season,
had drawn the deeper tone from the
stem Of his pumpkin-stem trombone.
In his older years it was his indispensi.
BILE companion and implement. 1t per-
formed most of the feats in construc-
ton for which the trained artisan finds
his chest of tools hardly sufficient 1t
was the companion of his contempIa-
tive moods and aided his mind in reach
ing its point of decision by bringing
to successive points the stick upon
which the thinker Whitfield. An inter
esting essay might be written on the
1.-THE Effect of the Pocket Knife Upon
4NGW EISldHu NIldIdCl6T.
Mr.. Dingley's committee purposes.
with the kindly aid Of the few makers
of pocket knives, who ply their voca-
ton in this land of the free, and the
approval Of congress and the presi-
dent, to play havoc with the Yankee
boys Of this generation and all the
other boys and men and women to
whom the knife is an object of more
or less extensive use. They have been
informed by the native makers that the
morals of our youth are being seriously
impaired by the cheap knives that the
interruptions Dutchmen have been
sending here for sale at prices that are
not only ridiculously cheap, but are de-
moralizing in their tendency to encour-
age the growth of the pernicious idea.
that cheapness is consOnant with the
preservation Of American character and
dignity. They have actually produced
knives at the shameless prices OF
twenty-five cents a dozen; a price it is
needless to say, that the American
maker looks upon with unfeigned con-
tempt. Not only will these latter
not make such characterless knives
but, in the interests of the
youth of our good land, they are decid-
edly of the opinion that these should
be totally barred Of entry. So they
have laid before Mr. McKinley's COM
mittee a schedule OF taxes to be laid
upon foreign knives seeking admission
to our ports, and, ultimately, the peck
cts of our boys, and the complacent
committee have accepted what may be
called the collective note of the powers
1t is schedule fearfully and wonder
fully made. Duties specific and ad
valorem are dovetailed to make stiff
and high the bars against the invad-
ing knives. But experience shows such
dOvetails, even where they made an av-
erage rate of 80 per cent as in the Nc
Kinley bill, or from 25 to rs per cent as
in the German bill, did not defend our
youth against the assaults of cheap
knives from abroad. So to specifics
and ad valorem have been added dis
ordinations, based on the number of
blades each knife has and whether the.
handles are of shell or pearl or of some
other cheap substance. If they have
but one blade and bone or wood han
die and cost, where made, more than
forty cents a dozen, they are to pay
&c per cent on that value and fifty cents
a dozen in addition. Then the scale
of cost runs up by twelves at first until
after the 81 dozen point is reached,
when the line is drawn at intervals of
"a cents. Then the two bladed knives
are taken in hand and taxed 20 per
cent and 81 to $3.50 additional; the
three-bladed 20 per cent and S1.5O to
$2.25; the four-bladed 20 per cent and
from 81 to $2.75 a dozen, as their ham
dies are shell or pearl or something
else.
Now let us see how these shifty de-
vices work out in increase of cost. We
find that bladed knife that costs
AZ cents dozen, pays a tax amount
ing to ia per cent, while one that costs
$500 a dozen averages SO per cent;
either paying now tax of so per cent
A two-bladed knife, with a pearl or
shell handle, sold by the German maker