The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-20

Providence. r. /. Journal.

Providence. r. Z, Journal
A great deaf has been said about tae
commercial ard financial results of the
rush 70 the KIendsks geld fields. but We
Go net remember having seen any rsAeT-
ence 10 It's effect On cur English vocAoa-
larry The word KlondlNe has been As e.
rus.Fe!y welcomed as Z IL allied long
felt want. We have kloudiks soda water
a, the drug stores and kloadike mufters
al the haberdasheries- There are hIoA-
dixie groceries. where the term has been
seized upon as one well cliucalateG 10 4aFe
the wary customer. For Il you 50 10 he
real klondike you come back with your
pockets full OF gold. Anybody who couois
that IS too cynical 10 be listened 20. Anu
the inference is that II yeu trade ar 4
k!ondika shop you henefI your pocket
book accordingly. Whether business has
actually improved At these establishments
is a question. Ii would he interesting 10
know II trade has increased owing 10 tue
use OF the magic symbol.
In the same way the word has worked
lis way into all iguratsve speech. We
have klondikes of wit. kloadikes OF wis
dom, klondikes of this. that and the other
thing. And wherever It Is used, IL sIgii-
mes great and OVERLOOKING abundance. X
calls up visions not of a frigid territory,
but of El6orado the EIysian fields. the
land Of the lotos-eaters. the happy hunt
ing grounds. and all those other delectahle
localities tina. represent the fairest and
fondest Of mems dreams. Its mission in
the English language Is a happy one. It
does not stand for anything mean
or sodid. but for opu.ence, splen-
dor and luxury. Some words have
q hard time Of IL. They have
nothing TO do but reflect the wickedness
or misery of mankind. 'Squalor." 'treaeh-
cry" deceit" "iniideiity," hypocrisy
rHaSa Sara ira ~ he i.aY.
sneer or frown. They do not belong
TO our verbal aristocracy. II they are
ever brought into contact with their bet
ter conditioned cousins, it Is only to fur
nish contrast to them. peace" 10y"
happiness" fortune" ''virtue"--all these
are predestined 10 a felicitous existence.
They move in the best linguistic circles.
and have an easy time OF IL. And so Il is
with the word Klondike. II signifies wealth
wealth obtained without the ordinary year.
in-and-year-out effort, comfort in place
or discomfort, and plenty Instead OF need.
The humorists have not been slow TO
avail themselves of the gold discoveries.
The way they are laying hold on the Klon-
dixie region for their Jokes Is proof enough,
IL proof were wanted. that they had previ-
ously been running dry. Here is the poet
OF the Washington Star. for instance, who
remarks:
1.-THE Kfondike housewife so they say.
Her worthy spouse implores
To brush the gold dust from his boots
Before he comes indoors"
And, Of course. the old pleasantly about
the Boston girls lack OF ardor had 10 be
revised TO date after the gold rush set In.
This Kiondke craze" says one OF the
Chicago paragraphers, SIS going to help
Boston immensely. After these fellows
have survived an Alaskan winter they
won't be afraid TO tackle Boston girls"
A Detroit philosopher represents a solicit
tous neighbor inquiring OF her friend:
Aren't you afraid that your husband will
perish with cold at the kiondike?" ''Not
at ALL" is the response. "He was so not
because did not object to his going that
II Will take him a couple of years to cool
off," These do not represent a very high
grade OF humor. perhaps. but they show
what godsend the Kiondike rush has
been to the professional wits. those unfcr.
tunate people who must try to be funny,
no matter whether they have the tooth
ache or heartache. or any other III that
man Is heir to. The word Klondike is now
fixed in the language. both in it's literal
and In It's figurative sense. May II stand
for happiness and abundance In the future
as It does at present, and not for disap-
pointed hopes and sordid greed and DEATH