The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-05
-. People and Things !.

The fact that Boston has organized
a "pure literature league" might be
misleading to those who have always
believed that there was not any litera-
ture in Boston that was not pure, and
indeed that Boston had a corner on all
the pure literature in the world, not to
mention pure food, much of which
any miserable mortal who has ever
been to a pure food show and obliged
to sample 1T, or who has been so I'M
lucky as to attend shredded wheat
banquet, the thought of the pure litera-
ture league Of Boston is far from
cheering, as it might be literature with
the SuStenance removed and only the
hulls offered for consumption. 1t is
well to be pure, but if pure literature
is anything like pure food, we must
firmly but respectfully decline.
This is an age when art and utility
can be gracefully and pleasingly COM
blned and nobody's feelings hurt. The
other day when the dressmakers of
New York got together and called the
ParlS mod1SteS mean old things, one
woman who knows what's what said.
If you haven't got good teeth, buy
some; If you haven't pretty hair, get
some; II your figure is poor, go and get
good one" That woman is not only
sensible, but she is philosopher; she
knows this is an age when everything
is for sale and she merely advises
women in friendly way to go and get
what they need.
There is one man in Minneapolis who
is misunderstood. He was in the po-
lice court for striking his wife on the
head with an iron bar, and the Judge
asked him if he had anything to say
in his own defense, which was very
noble in the judge and gave the poor
man chance to make an explanatory
statement. He said the case was not
understood, that he did not strike his
wife with an iron bar, but hit her very
gently on the head with plank. Now
1t would seem to be apparent to all rea-
sonable beings that there is a great
difference between plank and an iron
bar, and that any wife who might have
been struck by the iron, must have
felt greatly relieved to be gently hit
on the head with a plank, which we all
known is not much Of a weapon. But
the judge who did not seem to be a
man Of any Northumberland prob
ably was not sentenced the
poor fellow to ninety days. They evil
IDENTIFY have very rigid laws on the Min
neapolis statute books If a man can't
even strike his own wife gently with a
plank.
There is great agitation going on in
certain ministerial circles in the East
over putting the word obey In the
marriage service. This agitation, it is
noticed, has not been participated in
to any large extent, by women. They
know 1t Is not necessary to worry. But
the ministers are evidently much exer-
cised over the matter and are having
themselves interviewed in regard to it.
One minister said that no woman
should be asked to make this promise
unless the husband made a like one,
though he did not explain how they
were to obey each other, and he further
said that If you make woman promise
to obey she is sure to break her prom
Use. Tut! tut! That man may be a
good preacher but he Is lacking in
courtesy toward his mother; as he has
evidently suffered he may be allowed
to go with reprimand. The word obey
might just as we'll be let alone; every
one knows who really obeys.
A distinguished st. Paul man who
not long ago published his first book,
has been receiving congratulatory let
ters from his friends, and after reading
these epistles over and over again he
cannot make UP his mind whether his
book has impressed favorably or not.
One wrote him:
The story is immortal. my friend!
For he who reads it to no end.
Another wrote him that he would lose
no time reading it," still another that
it was the finest book he had ever
written" Now he is wondering