davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

experience the darkest passages Of the
race biography are without effect upon
the ingenious mind. Innocence gath
ers only honey in the fields where ex-
perience sucks poison from the same
flowers.
There is no book which more openly
tells the human story than the Bible.
1t is a tale Of murder, incest, adultery,
rapine, treachery, cruelty, revenge, of
all the crimes and all the sins which
make men, when they think Of them
in their fellows, ashamed to be men.
It abounds in such plain speaking as
no modern author could venture upon.
Yet ever since the Reformation, good
Protestant fathers and mothers have
put the Bible into the hands Of their
children to read through, again and
again, without restriction; to be got by
heart, as much Of it as could be cram
med into the memory, without regard
to facts impaired in language which, If
the children had used it in their own
parlance, would have shocked the piety
enjoining its perusal upon them. 1t
was not because the children were
miracuIously, but because they were
naturally defended that they got no
harm from 1T.
It is the same, in some degree, with
the profane masterpieces, and purity
takes no taint from them. A child, no
matter of what age or sex, if unspotted
from the world, will scarcely receive
stain from Homer, Virgil, Dante,
Chauser, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Mil
ton, or even Goethe, or from the minor
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26
60Aard g. Smith, Editor Of the Railway and Engineering Review

though in less degree, just as surely
have their responsibilities to the pub
lie. The right Of the individual to dig
his own coal has been relegated to
them, and in accepting the employ
ment they tacitly agree to supply the
need. Here, again, the question is not
one of in6sVidual preference, but of
public necessity, and the miner has no
more right to infct a hardship upon
the public by refusing to pursue his
occupation than has the operator to
permit the coal to be mined. Such a
menace to public interests cannot be
admitted as inherent to any private or
personal occupation. There can be no
doubt but that the miner has the same
right to concentrate and augment his
power through the medium of COM
bination as has the operator, but when
in the employment Of the force result
ing from such combination the supply
of a necessary commodity is affected
the superior right of the public must
control.
It is just possible that the operators
have mistakenly exercised themselves
in an attempt to control the price at
which this public commodity shall be
delivered to the consumers. AS stated
in the outset, they are entitled to a fair
return for the capital invested and for
their own work in handling the busi-
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26
Full Meaning of commercialism.

who must do the physical and manual
work, by the application Of science
and invention to the arts of life. When
such men are true to their functions,
the dollars Of their wealth are but so
many tokens Of the service that they
have rendered to their fellow men, and
yet they themselves may be unaware
Of their true place in the great organ
ism which we call society, and may not
justify even to themselves the work
that they do.
What Is the motive Of commerce?
Is 1t not mutual service for mutual
benefit? How else does commerce eX-
list and continue on it's way? The mer-
chant who cheats his customers is a
fool. The manufacturer who debases
his product, and who tries to put off
goods and wares upon the public
which are not what they seem to be,
is a knave. Such men are relatively
few in number. They usually fail, OF,
if they secure riches, they are marked
men whom society distrusts, even
though they pile up dollars by their evil
practices. The abatement Of this class
is only a question of time and intelli-
gence. The makers and venders of
quack medicines, of beverages purport-
ing to promote temperance but which
are merely alcoholic stimulants in dis
guise, will be unable to cheat the COM
munity even in a prohibitory town or
state when common education is a little
further advanced. The stock gambler
who uses loaded dice on the exchange
and rigs the market waits only for the
progress of better commercial educa-
ton to be abated as a common nui-
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

last. They are the sweets at the ban
quet, and as it's mamie implies, one
does not begin with Che dessert, or
make whole meal of It. OF course
there are nove1ists and Snovelists, poets
and poets, and these and the drama
lists, who are a formEof both, have,
among infinite trash, written what is
worthiest to be read, though this loses
in worth by being read outEof time, or
all the time.
First of all, should think, a girl
had better read history, 3 which, ever
since Gibbon imagined. his Decline
and Fall Of the Roman Empire" the
greatest in it's kind, has been so de-
Eghtfully written that fiction itself can
scarcely outmatch it in masterpieces,
though the century pastShas been the
heyday of fiction.
It is no doubt we'll to begin with
Greece and Rome, but after some out
line of the classic story has been got
into the mind, one cannot go amiss,
however one wanders. Any time, any
country, any people, can as well fol-
low as another, but the great coun-
tries to know of are Italy, England,
Spain, France, and the English, Span
ish, and French Americas, Holland,
Germany, Russia. Let girl read any
thing concerning these countries that
she can lay her little or large hand on;
but if she chances on a charming book
land she can hardly fail of one or
more) about the Scandinavian coun-
tries, or. Switzerland sesor Turkey, or
India, let her not fail to- read that be-
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26
G)hat Should Girls Read'

masters who are perhaps the major Of
tenders. The innocent remain scath-
less from De Foe, Swift, Sterne, Byron
himself, and all their kindred brood in
all the languages of the continent. I'm
conscious purity is safest from their
worst; conscious purity less safe; it
is only impurity which is in serious
danger of contamination. The things
which defile are from within. While
the heart is clean there is little fear
that what enters the mind from Htera-
ture will corrupt the heart or sully it.
This was sometime a paradox, but
strange as it appears, it is matter of
experimental science. Therefore,
would almost say, but not quite say,
let girl read everything she finds in
her fathers library. If he is the right
kind of a father she will be in no dan
ger from his favorite authors.
One speaks Of the works of the i'm
agination as if they were the chief part
of literature, or were mainly to be con-
sidered in the question Of what girls
should read. They are indeed so ac-
cepted and considered, and that is a
great pity. The choice among them is
less important than the choice between
them and the works which are equally
literature, as histories, biographies.
travels, studies in the speculative and
exact sciences, and philosophic and
critical essays. People seldom think of
these in asking or saying what girls
should read they think of the nov
elists and poets. Yet these are the au-
thors whom girls should read least and
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

tionable that because Of the public ma
ture Of the employment that the public
has the right to decide in both cases.
The Inauguration Of such a policy
would no doubt upset present values,
but that is minor consideration.
Public utility must be served regard
less Of individual convenience or profit
1t is easy to perceive that this line
OF argument points to permanent
courts of arbitration to which all such
questions shall be referred, and that it
includes all quasi public utilities. It
is just for this reason that the subject
Is treated in these columns. Railroad
operation comes in this same category
and if the Interruptions to traffic which
are constantly occurring because of
disputes between the so-called en-
ployer and employe can be prevented
by reference to such a court, there is
ample reason for it's establishment. To
come back to the original proposition,
a man may do what he will with his
own, but there are good many things
which are not his own, and among
them is the coal which is in the earth,
and the opportunity for transporta-
ton, for the performance of which a
railroad is construed. In both of
these things, as in many others, the
public, because Of it's paramount in
terest, should be the final arbiter.
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

sance. The transactions of this nox-
ious kind are, however, but a small
fraction of the great trade Of the world
in which men and nations supply each
others wants.
The unthinking persons who con-
denim commercialism from the pulpit or
the rostrum merely expose their own
ignorance of the true function and the
interdependence of the merchant, the
manufac cturer, the workman, and the
laborer, by whom the modern condi-
tions of society have been evolved.
Commerce stands for all that is good in
modern society, and in the progress of
human welfare so far as human well
fare rests upon the supply Of physical
wants. War stands for all, that is bru-
tai and barbarouS in modern society,
however necessary it may have been in
the past in making way for the present
commercial age.
Napoleon denounced the English as
a nation of shopkeepers, but by the
very strength of their commerce they
developed the power by which he was
beaten and suppressed. Spain, in her
day the greatest military power in Eu-
rope, tried to conquer Holland, but by
the force of their commerce and indus
tries the Dutch developed yet greater
power, enabling them to defeat their
oppressors.
In every age of recorded history from
the time of the Phoenicians to the pre-
sent date, the states in which COM
merce has been most fully developed
have been those which. have excelled
not only in the common welfare of the
people, but also in art and literature.
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

! thought and social progress. Instead
of making an effort to discredit con-
dition which marks the highest point in
the progress Of humanity yet reached,
and in place Of misapprehending the
commercialism Of the new century, let
them direct their thoughts to the DOM
inant power Of commerce, Joining with
men of affairs in developing 1t, until
every man and every nation shall be
free to serve another'S wants without
the perversion Of the power of public
taxation to purposes Of private gain
under the pretext Of protection to do
nestle industry.
It Is doubtless true that yet for a
short period a naval armament must
be maintained upon the sea for the pro-
lection of commerce. This necessity
will exist so long as there are brutal
nations endeavoring to extend their
commerce by conquest, and to annex
colonies or dependencies without any
regard to the rights of their inhabit-
ants. The name of Commerce de-
stroyers' has already become a term Of
obloquy and of contempt in it's applica-
ton to naval vessels. In respect to
ornaments upon the land, standing ar
mics are already in disrepute. Volun-
teers of sufficient intelligence each to
fight on his own judgment have proved
to be better fighting machines than
regulars in any equal contest. Again,
volunteers must be men Of Intelligence
| who think before they fight, but in
regular armies thinking is not consist
ent with discipline.
1t may not be long before other
states will follow the good example Of
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

that, extended to it's ultimate, the di-
rect antithesis of primitive conditions
logically obtains, and from barbarism
we have come to socialism, the one as
Objectionable as the other. Where is
the happy medium, is the problem,
and to it's solution the minds of stu
dents at this time naturally are
turned.
To substitute the concrete for the
abstract, the present anthracite agita-
ton affords an excellent object les
son. AS society is organized in this
country, it is impossible for men to be
Independent on the question Of fuel.
Although there is an abundance OF coal
in the country it has come under the
control of a comparatively few indi-
viduals. Originally it was owned by
the people in their associate or govern
mental capacity, but it has been sur
rendered for stipulated consideration
to the control Of those who are now in
possession. The whole trouble has
arisen from the lack of distinct un-
derstanding as to the obligations that
necessarily follow such transfer. AS a
matter of fact, the coal itself was not
and could not be transferred; all that
was involved in the transaction was
the privilege to mine and distribute it.
It was impossible that the individual
user of coal in the country should do
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

Of tomfoo1ery, not fit to use for gun
Wa6ding to shoot anything but mon
key whose brain had been softening
since the creation!" and she is mad"
clear through, and the editor has lost
her friendship and countenance for all
time.
People have an idea that a newspa-
per is organized to give them, and
their affairs, gratuitous puffs-that is
If they subscribe for the paper. A
years subscription entities them to $40
worth Of advertising space in the col
umns OF the paper.
Somebody gets up a fair for the
church, or for some private enterprise,
and the editor of the local paper must
advertise that, and give it a puff after
ward. That is how he gets his free
pass. He must give SIS worth Of adver-
tising space for 25 cents worth of
strawberry festival.
Editors are often sued for 1ibel-sued
for telling the truth! For in many
cases of that kind the very worst thing
he could say about the party in ques-
ton would be the truth!
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

erly the subject Of public concern and
adjudication. This is why such an
exigency as at present exists. The gov
ernment has right to determine what
shall be done, and it is at least debat-
able If the government is not bound
to see that interruption of the supply
Of this public necessity shall not be
allowed to seriously affect the people,
even to the extent OF taking temporary
possession of the property. 1t will be
remembered that on a certain occasion
when a railroad in Iowa temporarily
abandoned service on one of its
branches because of long continued
and severe snow storms making the
cost of operation greatly in excess of
it's possible earnings, the people locat-
ed on the line in their distress appeal
ed to the governor of the state for aid.
He in turn requested the railroad to
resume operations, setting forth the
necessities of the people located there
on, but the railroad company declined
to comply with his suggestion. The
answer Of the governor was vigorous
and to the point. He said, eff you do
not open that line within twenty-four
hours, I WILL" and the line was opened.
It should be understood, however,
that all Of the obligations in connec-
ton with this question does not rest
upon the operators. The miners, al
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

= T IS the habit Of the politician
who desires to put on an appear
ance of patriotism to denounce
greed and commercialism as II
they were synonymous terms,
and to hold up for emulation the career
of the soldier as one Of the highest
merit and renown. 1t is the custom Of
the preacher who has little knowledge
of affairs to denounce commercialism
as of the world, the flesh, and the
devil" and to hold up the man who
gives away all that he gets in charity,
as if that were the best use Of wealth
the world, the flesh, and the devil be-
Ing held by the preacher to be alike
evil. The man who devotes himself to
trade is called upon to separate relig-
ion and life by giving his. Sundays to
devout purposes so as to atone for the
pursuit Of gain during the week days.
He is asked to prepare for future life
in the next world, in which 1t is as
sumed there will be no work to do, by
,diScrediting his work in this world.
The emblem of perfection put before
him is the cherub, with head and wings
put without any organs of digestion,
and without any conceivable way Of
sitting down for a quiet rest, there
fore possessing no material wants to be
supplied by trade.
What is this commercialism which is
so often held up to present scorn as if
the pursuit of wealth had not been the
motive of action in former days? The
effort Of autocrats, the motive Of feu-
daliSm and militarism, the motive of
the modern jingo and of the warfare
which he promotes upon feeble states
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

You want to be an editor? Well, why
| not try it? If you want to be in the
! condition Of trying to please everybody,
| and of succeeding in pleasing nobody,
| there is nothing better for you.
Everybody finds fault with the news
| papers. The taste of all creation is to
be catered to; and we are got up on
such a plan that what is one mans
meat is another mans poison" in lit
erary as well as literal sense.
One man likes political intelligence;
and if there is anything said against
his party, he calls the editor a liar, and
wishes he could meet him out where
he could get a chance to give him
piece Of his mind.
Then, there are other men who care
for only the financial intelligence, and
they want to know who has failed and
who is sound; and If the paper gives
the firm of Brown & Co. as solvent to-
day, and Brown & Co. fail next week,
then the editor of that paper is held re-
sponsible, and his Veracity is called
in question-just as If a newspaper ed
itor knew who was going to fail next
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

inflicted upon him by people who want
to be writers" 1t is a very widely
conceived idea that 1t is the easiest
thing in the world to write for the pa
pers, and everybody entertains a pri-
vate opinion that if he should try he
could write as well as anybody.
And to the distress Of the editor, a
great many do try, and, Of course, are
put on the list Of Declined with
thanks" and If there is anything in the
world which will make an embryo
Shakespeare, or Dickens, indignant, it
is to have his gushing maiden attempts
Declined with thanks"
He looks upon the editor who does it
as conceited idiot, who is afraid of a
rival, and he feels savage enough to-
ward him to cut his throat. fgurative-
ly, or smother him under a pile of con-
tributions Declined with thanks"
We might spin this article out in
definitely, for an editor has many other
tribulations not mentioned here, but
we fOrbear.
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26
By Eate Thorn

S, metimes they are threatened with
cowkidings, and we have known Of one
editor who was treated to a coat of tar
and feathers, simply because he said
in his paper that Dir. So-andSo, the
leader of the opposition party, was
liar, gambler and drunkard! And
it was just as true as anything you can
find in Holy Writ, only, perhaps, it was
one of those cases where ''the truth is
not to be spoken at all times"
Editors are expected to give free
copies Of their papers to all friends who
drop in. "a paper is nothing, Of course
might as well give them away as to
sell them for old paper! An editor
ought to be pleased to think anybody
wants one"
So you might argue about a dealer in
anything else. You might go into a
hatter's and ask him for a hat; he
ought to be pleased to think you no
ticed him enough to want one Of his
hats.
But the most trials an editor has are
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

she must go back to the best, and read
them again and keep reading them,
and them only. This was counsel
meant to give her with respect to the
history, biography, and criticism which
far more pertinent in respect to imag
inative literature. No one really hears
an opera at the first hearing; it is at
the second, third, tenth or twentieth
hearing that one begins to hear it;
and the case is much the same with
any work of art. When You first see
a picture, statue, edifice, you do not
see it; you have only looked at it;
and you have not read a great novel at
the first reading. If it is a great novel,
it will make you wish to read it again;
though this is not the prime test of a
great novel. If it has been written in
sympathetic ink, as q novel always
should be, the warmth of your liking in
repeated perusals can alone bring out
the lines and colors of character and
situation and design; and it is better
to read a great novel many times than
to read many novels, even good nov
els.
The common notion Is that books are
the right sort of reading for girls, who
are allowed also the modified form of
books which we know as magazines,
but are not expected to read news
papers. This notion is 80 prevalent
and so penetrant that I detected it in
my own moral and mental substance,
the other day. when I saw a pretty
and prettily dressed girl in the elevat-
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

ness. Under the American policy they
are permitted in the first instance to
determine what this shall be, and the
people will accept their conclusions up
to the point, and often beyond that
point, where it becomes excessive and
burdensome. They have, however,
gone further than this and elected to
decide what compensation the miner
shall receive for his part Of the work,
and thus determine what is the ulti-
mate cost to the consumer. Herein lies
an opportunity for a grave error.
Suppose, in the first place, the operator
was to charge for use of his capital,
his brains and his time, only such an
amount as he would be able to justify
before any competent tribunal, and
then add to such a sum whatever may
be demanded by the miner for his
work, what would happen? Certainly
coal would at the outset cost the con-
sumner more than ordinarily is the case,
but if it could be demonstrated that
the extra cost was on the one hand
excessive, and on the other more than
the miner was entitled to, it would not
be long before that part Of the total
cost would be readjusted. 1t certainly
is indisputable that the miner has the
same right to determine what he shall
receive for himself as has the operator
for himself, and it is more than ques-
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26
Ownership Of Public Necessities

his own mining. He is entitled to so
much of the supply as he requires for
his use, but because of attendant So
cial conditions he must employ some
one to get it out and deliver it in the
form and place suited for his purpose.
The right to do this is all the mine
owners obtained when they purchased
the property. Should they attempt to
close down the mines and stop the
supply Of coal under the plea that as
belonging to them they had the right
to keep their property, they would soon
discover their mistake 1t is at this
point that individual rights become
subservient to public welfare. The OBJ
legations implied in the purchase of
the control Of the property must be
fulfilled.
If our premises are correct, the cost
to the consumer of this commodity
should be such a sum as will afford
adequate return for the labor involved
to all concerned. The mine owner is
entitled to his share because of in
vested capital and supervisory en-
ployment; the miner to his share for
the labor in getting out the coal; the
owner Of transportation facilities to
his share for delivering it at the place
Of consumption, and each of these pro-
portions because Of the public charac-
ter of the article in question is prop
The Saint Paul globe., 1902-10-26

week!
Again, there is a class who want to
read about crimes and murders; and
what is the poor editor to do when
murders are not perpetrated? Though,
to be sure, there is an epidemic of them
most of the time.
Then some people want to read col
umns about the coal miners strike, and
how they continue to exist on air and
glory while the mine owners eat big
dinners, and discuss methods of starv-
ing the poor miners into submission.
tSuch dull paper!" said a neighbor
to us, the other day, finging down one
Of our dailies; mot a single murder or
scandal Of any description in it! I
guess I'll pay $6 a year for such a pa
per rs that!"
We ventured to suggest that perhaps
nothing of the kind had occurred for
the editor to chronicle, and our neigh
bor looked at us with ill-concea1ed con-
tempt, and snarled out:
'WeIl, he might pitch into Pierpont
Morgan and give him rats for en-
deavcring to control the affairs Of the