The Washington times., 1903-11-18
Free-Hand Comment
On Men and Manners

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To witness dear PATHS farewell
All. the tears ran down his Innocent
cheeks
As there at the opera sat ne.
And he sobbed fun sore as the curtain
fell.
"Oh. fare you well. dear Patti.
Farewell. Fareweli!"
Two decades later. a middle-aged man
To the opera went again.
And gazed on the stage while the big
tears ran
Down his bearded face like rain.
For the same old sorrow wrenched his
heart
As there in his swailow-tail natty.
He sat once more in an opera box
And bade farewell to Patti.
Farewell. FAREWELL
And yester-week a toothless wight.
CTor he's young, alas, no more)
To the opera went on a stormy night.
In the city of Baltimore.
Oh. his joints were twisted with rheu-
matiz
And his looks were thin and ratty.
But she was as young as when, long ago,
He had sobbed Farewell TO Patti.
Farewell. FAREWELL"
One is always safe in looking for in
tellectual scintillations and words OF
wisdom from Indiana, that breeding
place Of statesmen and poets II was
Mr.. Robinson. from Indiana, who arose
in the House a day or two ago. and
brought home to the Republicans the
dread responsibility OF having created a
surplus Without a surplus piled up in
the Treasury. said Mr.. Robinson, there
would have been no Postofice scandal,
no scandal in the Indian service, nor
frauds in the public land service Mr.
Robinson is. Of course. right There Is
no greater menace to honesty than a
good fat surplus. and the surest method
Of preventing theft Is to have nothing
IN sight that practical patriots can lay
their hands on.
But was ever more savage or cynical
thrust al poor human nature than this
same ingenious remark OF Mr.. Robin
son. which takes for granted that
Americans will steal whenever there's
anything in sight? But. perhaps Mr..
Robinson of Indiana was not so ir-
genuous. Time may develop that he IS
the Dean Swift OF the House
The French paper. la Patrie'' under
the hysterical caption. stop Thief. de-
mands. What shall one think Of a gov
ernment, which. as it cannot pierce Me
aTagua, and cannot obtain the consent
Of Colombia. demoiishes one state and
creates anotherI' That Is one way OF
putting II, yet how swiftly time movesI
The steamer City Of Washington arrived
in New York Harbor yesterday flying
the flag OF the new republic. and the
/ United States cruiser Marblehead sa-
/ luted the same nag in Panama Bay with
| twenty-one guns. Things move with be-
wildering rapidity in South and Central
America. Before the editor Of La Pat
rie'' RECEIVERS from his righteous indis-
nation. Panama will have become an
old-established state. with its origin lost
in the mists OF antiquity.
! Mayor-eIect George B. Mcclellan is a
/ human sort Of chap. without much OF
/ the political wolf IN his makeup. If a
remark made by him the other day IN
the Shoreham is any index OF his char
acter.
! Z need nothing short Of Divine guild
aHce.r he is reported as saying. Il viii
be damned If I do and I will be damned
If I don't"
| BY the way, those who elected Mr..
Mcclellan. taking for granted that
Tammany victory m sant a wide-open
| town. are beginning 10 have misgiv-
/ iags- He will have 70 make concessions
/ to Tammany. Of course, or he viii be
reIegated TO the limbo Of those who
have been found wanting. and that
would be a shame in the case Of
young man with such a brilliant future
/ before him. At present. Mr.. Mcclellan
] seems TO be between the Tiger and the
deep sea of Puritanism-
People who are finding difficulty in
making both ends meet. win be cheer
ed. no doubt. in reading the result Of
an investigation made by the Bureau
Of Labor setting forth that the cost OF
/ living is not proportionately higher now
than ten years ago. Complete data were
secured with regard 70 1857 families.
the only base Of selection being that
the head OF the family must be wage
worker. earning not over 1920 u was
found that there had been an increase
in the price of living in 1902. of 10-9 per
| cent when compared with the average
! Of the ten-year period, 1890 10 1893. This
rate of increase relates to food alone.
representing nearly one-half Of the eX-
| penditures in the families taken as the
basis of the calculation. Now the cheer
ful part Of the report Is derived from
I a bulletin OF the census OllCe. dCEolA-
| ing to which there has been a general
advance in wages in most industries
/ during the last decade. This advance,
! according to the bulletin, has kept pace
with the increased cost of living. and in
some industries. especially the machine
/ trades. has exceeded it. People who
have been having hard luck recently.
who are getting less wages than ten or
FIVE years ago, should get these optimis-
tic reports and read them. A right
minded person can always derive salts
faction from contemplating the good
fortune of MS neighbors. even when
things are not coming his own way
The New Yorker who contracted 10
sell his ear for s.. coo TO be transplanted
on the head OF another. more plentifuIly
Supplied with money than ears, has been
restrained by law. Doubtless the anti
| vivisectionists and the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty 10 Animals are
interesting themselves in this case IS
II not possible that they are caTryins :
their interference TO the point of perse-
cution2 man with s.. 600 in his pocket