The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1901-03-28
ER, MINNESOTA, THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1901.

There are three grades into which
the people of different gift and ability
are classified. We find first, the Genius
second, Talent; third, Horse Sense. /
have never been able to get salts
factory definition of Genius. Speaking
of one, the American confines himself
to saying "Poor fellow and some revolv-
ing motion in proximity of the brain.''
Talent stands for moderate cleverness.
Horse sense-that's what counts-what
knocks. To say that man or woman
has horse sense is to pay that person a
very choice compliment. A man seek
ing position Of trust or Importance
does not have to produce diplomas from
Harvard, Yale or Annapolis, but he
must submit to that only reliable and
unfailing qualification test. He must
produce certificates of horse sense.
Pertaining to social and business
matters the American has very easy
and elastic principles. Thus he is
enabled to adopt himself to conditions
as they change. You can't argue with
an ordinary rational American along
those lines. He will tell you that
which Was yesterday, does not exist
today; what exists today will have
vanished tomorrow. The past is
history; present a matter of individual
experience; the future belongs to the
prophets
In geological gardens and like places
you observe notices posted about for
bidding you to feed the animals with
tobacco. l think it would be ap-
propriate to post conspicuousIy at the
entrance of all American harbors a
notice like this: "Do not talk politics
with the natives" On this subject the
American is decidedly decided" The
public political educator-the stump
speaker-is particularly American. AS
rule there are honorable exceptions.
He, the stumpspeaker, is a man with
absolutely no regard for truth or for
facts. If he is employed by the repub-
licans, he will solemnly tell the people
that democratic victory means tenn
poral misery and eternal destruction;
if by the democrats, he will paint
picture of Paradise and write beneath
it: "Thus will our country look if your
vote is straight. Vote 'er straight, boysw
The literary taste of the American
masses (make exceptions) is conun-
drum to all foreigners who have had the
opportunity to study. Here is highly
gifted people, a people with super ior
intellect and reasoning power, Il don't
mean horse sense now a people with
the very keenest perceptions to discern
the chaff from the wheat, feeding,
gorging itself on literature which is
less than worthless. (This is no slur
on American authors, because the
works of the many good American
authors are not ready don't mean to
say that the American public yearns for
vulgar books-no, but they indulge in
the purest literary nonsense. What
books sell here? In5 months, $4,000
copies of "Coin's Financial School" were
sold. Looking Backward" netted the
publisher phenomenal sum. Just now,
a book written by an aspiring New
York genius is having a run. 1 beg
permission to make short quotation
as sample of the contents. There is
a good deal of social dissection, and
among other compliments paid the
American girl I find the following:
"The American 4girl is a pronounced
tiirt, in her cradle she will fiirt with the
doctor, in school she will flirt with the
teacher, when she is dead she will sit
up on chunk of ice and firt with the
undertaken" And the American girl
will read, laugh over and enjoy this
libel.
believe the newspapers are mainly
responsible for the perverted literary
taste of the people, The American
people are newspaper reading people
and the chief stock in trade of the
American newspaper is sensation,
exaggeration and pervertion of facts.
There is some petty explosion in
coal mine. Immediately there are