The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-10-26
The Same Old Apathy.

In the language of our ancient and
wise friend. The Old Farmers Nlmanac.
about this time look o,il Tor alnt nv.
And divers observers are booking out for
n. discovering and making n note OF
n. Apathy in New England Political
meetings there very slim" apathy in
Illinois. Ohio Iowa Michigan. California
and everywhere Brass bands and ora
tors pump in vain. The people are deaf
10 them. Apathy rcigns. so newspa-
per after newspaper tells MS and sage
after sage ways n solemn poll
Now this same apathy has prey al vt
In about every election hat we remember.
At least. il has been said 20 prevail II
the voters don't get red ia the face with
their howllgS, talk or yell politics all
their afternrOr~ and evenings and make
monstrous huilabiloo al the time. then
sapience calls them cold and apathe'ic
But. for the most part. voters have put
away childish things. They have go,
something else 70 do than 10 march and
hurrah. They can do their full political
duty without making mighty po'h"r
about il. Tho newspapers give them
as much politics a. Is needed Cor human
natures daily food Political meetings
and small bore political spouters are
an old story. Few are the speakers
who stir intellectual curiosity. Idcness.
habit, duty to the organization. send
men to the poli'ica! meetings where no
famous speakers are To appear. RI ere
Is much of the cat -and-drieG abuut thee
affairs. The stampcr or hired maker
of applause l. not unknown Ont ~
Ohio TONI JOHNSON uses tho old tIi"k ~
paying men to stand up IN ms circus ton
and ask him questions and bc "N"'-
Whelmed by his triumphant replies.
In this age OF tho trolley hctclcphone
and rural free delivery, the farmer can
sit at ease at home. read his paper and
never bother his head with the sound
and fury of the slump. He hn, all the
more time 10 make up his mind He il
quiet and deliberate, that is, "apath ic
Judgment takes the place nf enthusiasm.
In way. apathy, so-Callcd. n only
higher intelligence. the preference" of conn
mon sense To fireworks
The frequency of elections has a nat
ural tendency u reduce tho temperature
of political feeling The pot can't boil
all the time. tn" country scarcely needs
10 be saved every year: and even the
Hon. SUCKER Ron SAN JONFs of Toledo
cant stand on his head more thar thirty
seconds al time. There are plenty Of
dancing dervishcS and rarid-rcvolvng
fakirs; hut the mass of the people II
sober and hard-hcadcd able 10 make M
its own mind and no friend Ia Mysteries
American rs would hc in chronic state Of
nervous prostratlon If they worked hem
selves into a frenzy every election.
This year there ls about the usual
amount of piping, and perhaps not much
more than the customary amount of
refusals to dance Business j, % brisk
that politics are a It'll" dull. Folks seem
satisfied. cant be frightened and there
IL nothing in partC To Brighten them
with In this State the large regis,~a-
ton Is proof sufficient that there is 10
real want OF interest. The Jump Of the
New York Democrats into the Socialist
brier bush has had is effect The regis
tration shows that No doubt the New
York voters are apathetic That Is.
they arc calm and they know what they
are about, They are not IN rapturce
or agoni"S. hun they mean business