The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-21
IN THE Goss1p's CORNER.

were veterans of the wars of 1856 and lSby
one was one of those whose boast in civil
war days was Il fight nit Segel;" thu
fourth had been in the German army. but
did not learn his service, and the nth was
an American young man of German parent
age. Leaving out the broken English. this
was substantially what / heard:
II would rather be slave than a priva t.
in the German army" said a veteran OF
the Austrian war.
You would be a slave IL you were one,
said the other. II would rather be dead
Il believe said the young man, Il
rather be killed than bounded to death. rs
1 know some of those officers do hound
their men,
Some of them are killed" This from
the man of unidentified service. There
was a case of that kind when was In Ger
many this winter"
What happened to the officer?'
Nothing"
There never was anything like 1t in the
American army" said the Segel veteran
"Once in while you would find an officer
who was cruel to his men, and l suppose il
can be done now. but brutality is not com
mon In the old army, officers of that class
were generally men who never had any
authority before and got the big head. "
(Which has the best army?" asked the
young man, and the recent visitant to Ger
many responded promptly:
This country. every time Too much
harshness takes the spirit out of the Ger
man soldiers"
Yes" added one Of the Schleswig cam
paigners. land some day Wilhelm II bumr
up against this country and we'll lick h
out of him and his soldiers"
Then they all went TO the bar and drained
big stems in honor of Uncle Sam and thC
freedom he gives his nephews.
How can it be, when men have ears OF
brain,
That they are led like sheep across plain;
1 cannot understand how even chumps
Would follow Taggart to the polls again.
To-day is the natal anniversary of Fred
erich Froebel, founder of the Kinder
garten." born at Oberweisebach. in Thurin-
gia, in 1882. He died at Rudolstadt on June
q. 1852 His first school was founded AT
Brandenburg The educational reform be-
gun by Rousseau and carried on by FIGHTER,
Pestalozzi and Diersturg found its culrnina-
ton in Froebel's gospel to children, tn"
kindergarten. It's effect on the progress of
the world may be realized in part, when it
is remembered that some OF the leading
industrial enterprises of the age are Civ
ing preference in employment TO those VINO
have had kindergarten training in child
hood. and have set dates after which they
will employ none but those who have been
so trained.
Shade of Oliver Wendell Holmes.
What would the Gentle Autocrat say if
he could read the editorial paragraphs pub
lished nowadays in the journals of his be-
loved Boston? Here are a few recent ex-
amples:
There is lots of tanbark at a horse
show; lots of black-and-tan bark at a dog
show"
Most people hereabouts are like the Car
of Russia. They want to see little sum-
with such a captain the Independence
will have the cup is already Half won.
IF they are really crooked. those Manila
quartermasters will have to seek new quar-
ters.''
DR.. Holmes hated a pun, the cheapest of
benevolent nature was capable. Hear him:
Life and language are alike sacred. Hon.
icide and verbcde-that is, violent treat
ment of a word with fatal results to its
legitimate meaning, which is its life-are
alike forbidden. Man slaughter. which is
the meaning of the one is the same
mans laughter which is the end of the
other. A pun is prima facia an insult 10
the person you are talking with. 1t implies
utter indifference TO sublime contempt
for his remarks, no matter how serious.
| speak of total depravity, and one says
all that is written on the subject is deep
raving l have committed my sef-respect
by talking with such a person. l should
is a nuisance. A pun does not commonly
justify blow in return. But if blow
were given for such cause and death en-
sued the jury would be judges both of the
fact and of the pun, and might, if the lat
ter were of an aggravated character,
turn a verdict of justifiable homicide. Peo-
pie that make puns are like wanton boys
that put copDers on the railroad tracks.
They amuse themselves and other children
but their little trick may upset freight
train of conversation for the sake of a
witticism.'
l asked a friend the other day his opin-
ion of puns. His prompt reply was: "They
are generally bad" This must have been
in the mind of John Dennis when he wrote,
some 200 years ago: "A man who would
make so vile pun would not scruple to
pick pocket which applies very nicely
to the Boston puns quoted.
This life is full of disappointments. The
Gossip, like great many of his fellow
liens. was just beginning to hope that little
Japan would give Brother joe Kipling
a chance to write a poem With lines in it
something like this:
HE clipped the claws on the steel-shod
paws
OF Adam-Zad the bear"
when the Bear tucked his paws into his
fur for another diplomatic nap, and the
claw-clipping exercises are postponed, dies
irae, dies non THE GOSSIP
Have your tin roof. gutter and down
unout rpDairpd THOMAS F HAD