davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20
From the Youth's Companion

rum Ht odA . SOHpuNtOU.
There Is perhaps no time or place in which
there 10 such urgent need of quickness of wit
and kindly tact as at the public receptions given
by the President Of the United States and his
wife.
When a queen receives her subjects. the eti-
quette Is fixed and inexorable. No one speaks
unless addressed by royalty. But Americans Of
all classes crowd into the Blue Room, many with
q question or n joke which they have prepared
to fire at their unprepared ruler, and they judge
by the fitness of his reply whether he Is compe-
tent to hold his Office or not.
Many of them, too, through sheer embarrass-
ment make foolish remarks, the memory of
which probably causes them misery afterward.
One frightened lady assured Mrs. Cleveland,
1T is n mutual pleasure to meet you" correct
ing her mistake by calling out as she was passed
down the line. II meant to say the pleasure Ii
all on your side"
A group of students out from college on q hol-
iday were presented TO the same lady just after
her entrance to the White House for the second
time. One lad, q freshman, pale with difiidence.
heard himself TO his horror saying in a loud,
squeaky tone OF authority:
Madam. think you have just cause to be
proud of your husband"
The other boys stared with amazement and
delight, storing up the joke ON Bill" for all
future time. But there was not the flicker of
a smile upon the sweet, womanly face of the first
lady of The land.
"Ah y she said gravely. still holding his hand.
you bring me the verdict of posterity !" THANK
you."
The freshman's comrades were delighted at
the reply and at the opportunity given to chaff
Bill upon the awkwardness of his address. but
Bill only knew that he had seen what seemed to
him the kindest woman in the world.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20
The Three ~Nlugwumps.

To-day the Executive Committee Of Ar
engagements for the National Conference on
Practical Reform in Primary Elections" is
to start an "agitation for reform ut the
root and source Of the elective franchise
system" ut a meeting to be held in the AS
sembly Rooms of the Board of Trade and
Transportation. The programme includes
"practical talks" from sundry individuals,
including ex-Mayor STRONG, Of New York,
MI. GARLAND, the President Of the Anal
gamated Association Of Iron and Steel
Workers of Pittsburg, and the Secretary
Of the Municipal League of Milwaukee.
While these professional reformers are
philosophizing about such reform, several
bills for the purpose of producing actual
primary reform have been drafted or offered
for consideration in the Legislature at AL
bany. New York has had since May, 1887,
a primary election law which has served
as a model and standard for legislation in
other States, but that it nay be made
thoroughly satisfactory and wholly just
these bills propose certain changes with a
view to the enactment Of a primary election
aw which shall commend itself to the ap-
proval of the people as fairly effectual in
curing any abuses of which there has been
reasonable complaint. 1t appears, how
ever, that the professional reformers Of
the Legislature, backed by a faction Of in
triguing m~alcontents. refuse to assent to any
propositions as to the subject which are
not made by themselves and come from
any regular party source. The Legislature
contains OIL joint ballot ia Republicans,
S3 Democrats, and 3 independents" or
Mugwumps. The Republican party has
been the majority party in the State and
the Legislature sine 1893, and the present
State Administration Is in It's hands; but
these three Mugwumps will kick viciously
against any primary election bill not pro-
posed by them, no matter what it's merits,
and the New York Tribune is supporting
them in their purpose.
Inasmuch as there are not now. never
have been, and never are likely to be,
enough Mugwump members in the New
York Legislature, or in either branch of it,
to pass a law to do anything, the i'm
pudence of such conduct is apparent.
All OF the three Mugwump Assemblymen,
too, come from one of the fifty Sena-
torial districts into which the State is
divided. They represent only OLA votes
cast for them collectively in the three dis
tricts wherein they were elected, out of a
total of 24,45O for all candidates in the
districts, yet they arc trying to "hold up"
the Republican majority of the Legislature
on the threat of the punishment of the
party by their faction If it does not sur
render to them.
Government by parties has not been
abolished in New York, and the Republic
can party, as the majority party, will de-
wise, perfect, and enact, through its repre-
sentatives in Albany, such changes in the
primary election laws of the State as are
practicable, desirable, constitutional, and
honestly responsive to the popular senti-
ment and demand.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20
The Launch OF the Kasagi.

The ceremony set for to-day, at the
shipyard of the CRAMPS, is one of excep-
tional interest. The first Japanese war
ship ever built in the United States will
then be launched.
Formerly we took from the Japanese
navy ideas in construction, instead of fur
nishing our W to Japan. The Charles.
ton, one Of our second group of steel
cruisers, was modelled on the Naniwa, a
ship which Japan had purchased in Eng
land. Since that day, however, our reputa-
tion for shipbuilding has grown, and japan,
among the recent contracts for her navy
placed two for protected cruisers in Amer
lean yards, one with the CRAMPS at Phila-
delphia and the other with the Union Iron
Works of San Francisco.
No steel warship had been built in the
United States before the Dolphin's keel
was laid, on Oct. IL. 1888; and as that
vessel went into commission only about q
dozen years ago, this industry must indeed
have developed here rapidly in order to
supply ships to a navy SO good as Japan's.
Not only, too, lave our war vessels grown
in excellence. but they have decreased in
cost, so that foreign orders come for them.
The wise policy which Congress followed,
in declaring, soon after steel construction
began, that only American materials should
be used In our new warships, has borne its
fruit. For q time we may have paid more
for our ships, but we are independent in
shipbuiIding. and our yards can supply
foreign fleets.
The Kasagi will make her own record.
m it is not necessary to indulge in pre-
dictions about her. Blu it is safe to say
that the yard which has furnished to our
own navy such cruisers as the New York,
the Brooklyn, the Columbia, the Minneap.
| oils, and the Baltimore, will not %disappoint
our esteemed contemporaries the Japanese.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20
The ~Immigrat.an Bill.

As it now comes before the House. having
passed the Senate by a vote of As against
%, the bill for the further restriction of
immigration Is an improvement upon the
measure which was agreed to by the last
Congress, but was vetoed. The fact that
the Senate last winter concurred in the
former immigration bill only by the close
vote of 81 to 81 indicates that q more ac-
ceptable measure has been framed now.
In the first place, the four sections of the
old act directed against citizens of Canada
or Mexico who cross the border for work
on our side of the line, but make their
homes on the other, now disappear alto.
gether. 1t must be admitted, we think,
that, whatever the merits of these provi.
sions. they have nothing, necessarily, to do
with a bill whereof the specific purpose Is
to secure a certain amount of education in
immigrants. People who go forth and
back in this way are not, in fact, immi-
grants at all. The use of the words male
aliens " instead of immigrants had to be
resorted to in last years bill to connect
them with it; and even then nj provision
was made for applying to them the reading
and writing test to which the previous
parU Oh tne measure was ueNOUeu.
The original bill, in fact. did not con-
tain this provision about laborers coming
across the border, but 1t was added at the
instance of Mr.. CoRLIss of Michigan, De.
troit being specially concerned with it.
The result was a prospect of retaliatory
legislation from Canada that might hurt
labor here directly and seriously. For ex-
ample, it was suggested that an American
ship passing through a Dominion canal
should be compelled by law to hire a Cana,
| dian crew to take its vessel through, while
its American sailors should be forced to
travel along the route by land. Other
measures for favoring Canadian labor were
also considered.
1t seems possible, therefore, that while
an effort may possibly be made to put the
Corliss rider on the bill again, those who
are solely interested in keeping out u
taught immigrants will insist ON making
this last the only subject included under
1t, lest the present measure should fail like
ita predecessor. They will probably urge
that the question of border labor should
stand or fall on its own merits In q sop
arate bill.
A second very noteworthy change is that
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20
engagements of Marriage.

This letter propounds q question of grave
Importance to society, and invites a discus
sion which should be of general interest:
ITO THE EDITOR or The sus-.Str: What is q fathers
duty for the happiness and welfare OF his daughter
under the following conditions? After q four years.
courtship . gentleman says that his finances are not
sufncient for him to marry at present. but that he
will continue his attentions and when the future de-
velops his resources so that he can support q wife he
will then marry the daughter. OF course. this ID
understood between them; and 1t is further agreed
that II meantime either prefers another the engage
ment Is on. and he or she can marry the one Of his
choice Such q fatuous contract is suggestive. The
dim future 10 dark with uncertainty, rs applicable to
the conditions. Hence the question.
I'm q recent editorial you strike the keynote OF my
question in saying: THE superiority OF the tumultu.
Gus youthful passion and impulse of the daughters to
the experience and judgment OF the parents wrecks
the happiness OF too many homes
"PArERRAMIAs."
In the first place, neither a girl herself
nor her parents should tolerate a four years
engagement, except under very extraordi-
nary circumstances. 1t is injurious to the
girl in many ways and serves no desirable
purpose. The prolonged acquaintance does
not tend to the better preparation of the
pair for marriage, but rather to produce
WEAKNESS in one or the other, which de-
creases the probabilities of eventual mar
riage as the time is extended. 1t is an un-
natural relation. AS a rule, no man ought to
court" a girl until he is in a situation to
marry her; he has no right to ask her to boz
come his wife unless he Is already in a con-
dition to assume the responsibilities of mat
rimony. Because a man has conceived an
affection for a woman, he should be all the
more anxious to save her from tying her.
self to him In an engagement of indefinite
duration. An attempt to bind her by a
promise of marriage at some remote time
in the future, determinable by himself only,
is pure selishness in him.
A betrothal is simply an agreement pre-
liminary to marriage, and 1t should not
be entered into by a man until he can
see his way to its fulhlment at the
altar. Hence a betrothal ought to be an
nounced with scarcely less formality han
the marriage itself, for 1t presumes the
marriage. The Jews who advertise their
engagements in the newspapers follow a
proper and desirable course in thus making
a betrothal a matter of record as a seri-
Gus and definite obligation. "Getting en-
gagged" is a grave matter; there are in
life few compacts with consequences more
far-reaching; no man worthy to be a
husband promises marriage without the de-
termination to wed the girl within a reason
able time, the soone the better.
The old way was for parents to require Of
a man dawdling about q daughter to "de-
clare his intentions, that is to say, whether
he was monopolizing her company and
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20
The Proposed Local Government for
Ireland.

Some light has been thrown recently
upon the provisions of the bill which is to
be introduced at the coming session of
Parliament, and by which some at least of
the powers of s~elf.rule conceded to counties
in England are to be granted to Ireland
also. II will he remembered that the pas
sage of a County Council bill for England
was followed by All application of the prin-
ciple of local autonomy to parishes as well,
hut in Ireland the great majority Of the in
habitants are still deprived Of any share In
the administration of their local affairs.
II cannot be said that the Conservatives
lave made no effort to remedy the glazing
injustice of which Ireland complains. In
1902, toward the close of Lord SAILS
BURy's second Ministry, Mr.. A. j. BAL.
-FOUR brought in a bill, which gave the
voters in Irish counties large powers of
local self-government, but the desire to
safeguard the interests of the Protestant
and landowning minority led to the inser-
ton of certain features which aroused
strenuous opposition, and ultimately
caused the defeat of the measure. 1t was
proposed, for instance, that, where ten
county councillors were to be chosen
al q v tCStoIo ~ Notttg
instead Of casting one vote for each
nominee Of his party, might cast
ten votes for a particular candidate, thus
insuring representation to the minori-
ty. Much more obnoxious was the pro.
vision that. on the complaint of twenty
r~atepayers, u county council might be
brought to trial before two election judges
on charges of malyersation, corruption, or
oppression, and, II found guilty, might be
dissolved by the Lord Lieutenant, who was
empowered to appoint in lieu thereof paid
v~ice-councillors. 1t was this precaution,
popularity known as the Put 'em in the
dock" clause, which was mainly response
BILE for the failure of the bill.
1t IL settled that the Put 'em In the
dock" clause will not figure in the forth
coming bill. Power TO check abuses, how
ever. and to suspend n council convicted of
maladministration, may be given to certain
superior officials, as, for example. to the
Local Government Board or to the Lord
Lieutenant in Council. The Irish Nation
alists IN their part have no wish to
shield evil-doers. but they will oppose
vehemently any system Of checks and
interferences which is not equally APP
plicable TO county councils in England.
In other words, they van county govern
ment In Ireland to be a reality and not
a sham. They hold, moreover, that the In
terests Of large land owners are adequately
protected by-other Gestures Of the bill now
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20
Ordered TO Pay In InstaIIments.

from n oui o 'oWUuHion.
Sometimes, without doubt, American and Brit
ish Judges. who are held TO a close accountable
" to the letter OF a law which may have In il no
Justice for a particular case, may well sigh for
the latitude of an Oriental cadi. Sometimes,
moreover. they may rightfully bend the admin.
~istration OF the law in the direction OF absolute
justice.
An English paper. for instance. records a pe-
culiar decision in the suit OF a usurer against n
poor woman. The man had lent tho woman
money In such a way that II was TO no paid in
installments. and with monthly usurious inter.
est. The woman was unable to pay the amount
due.
The Judge satisfied himself that the woman
was honest and honorable, and that what she
had already paid in installments would cover the
original loan and a reasonable interest.
"WiIl you accept five pounds in discharge r.
asked the Judge OF the plaintiff; you will then
have had 10 per cent. on the loan"
The plaintiff would accept nothing less than
the full amount to which the law entitled him.
Then" said the Judge. although j cannot
inyalidate the agreement. ! can make an order
which. i think. will 1T the case. | give judgment
for the full amount. to be paid at the rate OF six
pence a month"
This was the "installment system with a
vengeance, for at this rate of payment the usurer
would be seyenty-ive years in getting his
money.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20

driving on other fellows with the serious
intention Of marrying her II abe would, or
simply to crafty his vanity by securing
her preference. II n man expresses his In
tention to marry n woman ut some indef-
mite time In the future when 1t IL con-
venient for him, IL is not q betrothal. It
amounts to nothing, for he makes no abso-
Lutte promise. 1t lie merely n conditional
agreement, and It is left to his own pleasure
to settle the conditions.
In the particular instance referred to US
there is not even the pretence Of a betrothal.
The young man evidently wants to play
fast and loose. II he is unable to get some
girl he prefers to marry he will, perhaps,
marry this young woman, In the course Of
eternity. Such q proposition Is an insult
to a girl, even II 1t is accompanied by the
stipulation that she shall have liberty
engagement, but simply a travesty of one
OF the most serious compacts in life.
Four years engagement Four weeks Is
better. -Four months is long enough. If a
man really is enamored Of q woman every
minute Of delay after winning her before
he makes her his bride Is irksome to him.
Why does q man ask q woman to betroth
herself to him7 Is 1t not that he wants
and Intends to marry her2 Why, then,
should she consent unless he is ready to
prove his faith by his worksG
Beware, girls, of the selfish or craven
hearted fellows who want to entangle you
In long engagements simply to keep from
you truer and drawer and better SWANS.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20

the educational requirement IL less sweep
! ing. The old bill excluded aliens who,
being 18 years old and physically ca
pable, could not read and write English
or some other language. 1t admitted,
however, an illiterate parent or grand
parent over 80 years old, accompanying q
qualified immigrant who is over 81 years
Of age and capable of supporting the com.
panion, and also the parent or g~randparent
sent for by such IN immigrant, and finally
a wife or minor child accompanying or
sent for by the husband or parent. The
new bill repeats these provisions, but
with one very important change, namely,
that IL substitutes "read or write" for
tread and write"
The practical effect Is to make the read
ing test sufficient; for some who could read
the printed passage Of the Constitution
taken by hazard for the test, as prescribed
by the law, might not be able to write IL.
Mr.. SPooNER. during the debate, pointed
out that, according to the last census, there
were 222, 634 foreiRn-born citizens In the
country who could read but could not
write. We may add that, In the Com
m~issioner-G Generals report for 1895, there
were among the arrivals 1888 persons
over ii years Of age who could neither
read nor write, and yet 5000 who could
read but could not write.
The general result Of the amendment 10,
therefore, to make the exclusion somewhat
less sweeping than under last years bill;
and since that was passed in the House by
q considerable majority, it now seems prob
able that the present measure will also be
agreed to. Should that prove true, and
should the Corliss amendment Of last
years bill, relating to persons coming
across the border to work in this country,
fail to be attached to the present bill, the
President would probably sign it. as it
would then be free from any question of
foreign complications.
1t only remains to be said that the excep-
ton of Cubans from the provisions of the
bill "during the continuance Of the present
disorders" remains in the present exactly
as in the former measure. The old bill was
to take effect on July 1, 1897; the new one,
three months after its passage. Should it
be made a law, there may be some hurrying
among the illiterate immigrants this year
to get here in season.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20

1t Is astonishing to hear that "John the
Baptist" tho new Sudermann play. has fallen
fiat in Germany. What 10 tho matter with the
Germans that they will not stay welded to their
idolsi Is IBsEN, continued In the spirit by his
disciple, no longer to prevail In the fatherland =
Are the Sudermann novels also doomedl Is
thore no assurance for eithor the Niagara of
sentimontality or tho HERCULES and ATLAS Of
the modern dramatic form in Germanyi Is
"The Fall Of sodom" forgotten, and did Tho
Wish" and Dame Care exhaust tho supply Of
German tearsi Perhaps the Emperor edited
the play too severely. II he did. what u stu
pendous second example Of the power OF the
imperial handi First BISMARCK. and then ST.
DERMANNi The soul quakes.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-20
Godkin and the Ex-Member fol
ShoreditCh.

o1lOECtAhtOhs
On Dec. % the NetD York Evening Post
printed what purported to be an interview
with Mr.. w. RANDELL CREMER, formerly
Member of Parliament for one of the Shore
ditch divisions, but now actively engaged
in Washington as a promoter OF a general
treaty of arbitration between England and
the United States. The alleged interview
in the Post attributed to Mr.. CREMER GER
tain extraordinary utterances, upon which
We commented at the time.
Mr.. CREMER now writes US q letter de-
nouncing The Evening Posts interview
with him as ga fabrication" Consequently
we beg leave to withdraw all remarks that
were based on what he did not say.
While Mr.. CREMER's principal grievance
is against the Erening Post, the newspaper
which INDUCED in this exploit of menda-
cious enterprise and reckless i~rresponsi-
bility, THE SUN recognizes the fact that it
is somewhat to blame on its own part. We
were careless in assuming that because the
Euening Post reported Mr.. w. RANDELL
CREMER as having said certain things, MI.
CgEMER had said those things. We were
led into the error of momentary conf.
dence in the Posts truthfulness by the
circumstance that the bogus interview con-
cerned a subject in which Mr.. CREMER
and GoDKIN q in common a strong
interest, namely, the promotion of a
quasi alliance between this country and
England. 1t was natural to suppose that
the Erening Post would be the chosen or
gan for the expression of the English gen.
tleman's views. 1t was natural to suppose
that GoDK1N would 20 or send to Mr..
CREMER to ascertain what he thought
about the effect Of an Anglo-Anerican al
lance upon British interests In the Far
East. 1t seemed to us that IL there were
ever any sporadic occasions when the &C.
curacy of the Evening Posts statements of
fact might be depended upon. this was GER
tainly one of them.
THE SUN ought TO have known better
than to accept the fabricated interview
upon the unsupported testimony of the
Ne,o York Erening Post. Our guileless
friend from Shoreditch may be %pardoned
for his charitable supposition that the God
kin establishment acted in good faith
when it manufactured this interview, but
we have not Mr.. CREMER's excuse Of igno-
rance and inexperience of the Posts habit
ual methods.
1t seems a little hard that a respectable
and well-meaning English gentleman can
not follow GoDKIN to this country to sup
plement his efforts to Anglicize the Ameri.
can nation without becoming within a few
weeks after his arrival a conspicuous vic
tim of Journalism" as GoDKIN practises
it. Let Mr.. CREMRR go to the Hon. THEo.
DoRE ROOSEVELT, Assistant Secretary of
the Navy, and ask him about the inherent,
intimate, and ineradioable defect OF per
sonal character which the alethometer
measures but cannot reform, and which Mr..
ROOSEVELT once described In the brief but
monumental phrase: "GoDKIN couldn't
tell the truth II he tried"