Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-07-25

Il bUHS SOllQ Fe6O1n8. w Heu u UQOA 40
neither good nor amusing, however,
why should time be wasted in reading
IT? We may not pride ourselves on our
literary culture II we read solely that
when some book is mentioned we may
say We have read 1t and thus have an
opinion on 1t. There are books enough
in the public library which are at once
Instructive and interesting. and which
are rarely taken from the shelves. u
have no time to improve myself is so
often the excuse for not reading the
classics and the fresh new books which
will some day be classics. Yet the ex-
cuse comes with poor grace from those
who pass by Eliot. Thackeray, Hugo.
Schreiner and Hardy to give their time
and attention to James, Grand, Grant
Allen and Fowler.
There are some very queer people in
this world. OF that there can be no
doubt, but just who are queer and who
are not will probably never be deter
mined; for the most Of mankind is
next of kin" to the old Quaker who has
been quoted time without number
as telling his wife Everybody is queer
but thee and me. and sometimes thee
are little queer" Two girls We're
overheard talking the other day. They
were speaking of a famous village in
4 the east where those who care for his
tory and literature delight to go and
browse away from the busy din of the
unpoetical work-a-day world. OF the
number who 30 care for history and lit
erature, one OF these young ladies' evil
IDENTIFY was, for she said how che longed
4 to go there in that day when her in
! satiable desire to travel should be graft.
lied. Yes" said the other, Il have
been there and ] should like to go
/ again, for it is getting to be quite
! fashionable place to go for few days
and you can get the best kind OF meal
4 at the hotel there" The first speaker
tried to explain why she wanted to go,
but it is doubtful IL she succeed
ed very we'll. IL one had8only to Judge
4 of the other girls face. Later each one
4 approached the rambler alone and
asked to coincide in the opinion that
the other was "queer.s Overwhelmed
4 with the desire to become wise an at
firmative answer was given to each and
4 the girl who couldn't understand how
any one could want to poke around
old houses and gather ivy when she
4 might be sitting in a brilliantly lighted
4 banquet room, and the girl who could
4 not understand how am one could
waste the precious hours which might
be spent in an intellectual ecstacy in
/ eating and dressing, went away salts
4 fed.
Those who would keep abreast of the
i times have to be wide-awake and
thinking and reading nearly all the
i time, for the acts in the great theater
LOT the world are go short and each so
Il closely followed by another so different
& that one has scarcely comprehended
Il the one until the curtain is rung down
upon 1t and another scene is presented
u for inspection. 1t Is but three years
Il ago that the chief subject for3conversa-
stion and newspaper discussion was the
F fabulous wealth whicht was believed
II would be found in the Klondike, The
q fGrewells had little more than been said
II to the seekers after gold than tears
Il We're flowing again as the brave boys
4 marched Otto fight for Cuba and for
Il 1.-the right. The conflict in South Africa
& drew attention next and before it was
u fairly ended the eyes of all the reading
Il world We're turned towards the far east
}. and hearts We're anxious for the fate OF
q friends or fellow-countrymen who
might be in the power OF the Boxers.
q 1t has become a commonplace saying
y that history was never made so rapidly
Il before, but is probable that should a
modern Rip Van Wrinkle fall asleep he
would need to doze but twenty days to
know that the saying is literally true.
n ,ft
the arrogance which we receive with
q the years we laugh at the Illusions Of
q the children who, far happier than We,
make the most of the pleasures they
q have and invent many more "A family
which has in its number only one child
was discussing future plans and hopes
& not hong ago, when the little girl was
y asked to state her ambition. She
proved herself a typical girl of Il by
4 calmly declaring that she had no de-
q sire in life except to clerk in candy
:, store OF course the sister, who is a
stenographer. and the. one who is a
a teacher and the one who is musician,
s. as we'll as the brother who longs to be
an architect and the one who is a bank
clerk. joined in one long laugh at her
expense. Yet if each one had not at
Il is matter worthy of record. They
know that it will in time give way to
y the actress craze and that to the desire
4 to be duchess or a countess. and in
d time il may even come to pass that the
j, girl Will not be fond of candy at all.
But that is no reason why she should
/. be laughed at. a realization of the ac-
a tivities of life and their relative values
can come only with the years, and ii
q is well that they can come no other
way. So, letsthe little people be happy
with their play and make believe
q We may look at them with our eyes
from which many scales have fallen
y and we may know that some day they
will be like US; but they may look at us
with their innocent and trusting eyes
and know that if we could we would
!. give much of our Wanted wisdom to be
>, like them again in happiness and inno-