davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
The Christmas Mail.

New York postoffice authorities re-
port an extraordinarily heavy ship
ment of mail matter on the trans
atlantic steamships outward bound,
while the incoming foreign mail bags
beat the record also. The employees
of the foreign department of the New
York postoffice have been working
night and day to dispose of the large
accumulations. On two recent days
$4,000 pieces of registered matter left
New York on two steamers for Europe
and on another day one steamer took
34,97S pieces Of registered matter for
Europe, and another steamer, on the
same day.. took 9,459 pieces of regis
tered matter for England and Ire
land.
THESE operations are, this year,
more than ordinarily heavy ~ The
coming of the Christmastide is the
cause of it. In years of dull business
this Christmas mail indicates the con-
dition by the decrease of it's bulk. In
| times of prosperity citizens with for
eign relations remember "the old folks
at home" The registered letters con-
tain all the way from SIS to $500 or
more. The Christmas mail involves
big outgo of money, but the outgo
influences the coming of new thou
sands of immigrants bringing, each,
more or less money, to take their
| chances in this wonderful land where
so many who have preceded them have
thrived and achieved bank accounts
and check books.
Thus the earth, along it's whole
periphery in the Christmastide vi
| brates with multilingual Christmas
greetings and the song that the angels
sang when the Holy Babe was born in
| the little town of Bethlehem is echoed
! wherever there is Christian church.
chapel or mission station, round the
earth. The Christmas mail is a bond
which links the earth's Christian zone
| together. It denotes fellowship be-
tween man and man based upon the
Christian doctrine of the incarnation
Good manifest in the 1esh''-not an
| unknowable Coda meaningless alb
| straction. The spirit of giving is a
! joyous recognition of the truth that
we cannot live rightly if we live for
ourselves alone. The Christmas mail
embodies a strong expression of this
| belief. The sordid, unmoved soul is
an alien and out of tune, note of dis
cord in the gift giving season.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
AT THE THEATRES
------
tropoIitan-HMr, PjckuIck. ~

Last week we. had a musical fantasy''
at the Metropolitan; this week, by way of
change of bill, we get musical pro
fduction.' AS a similar variety has char
acterized the whole season, Z it is not
strange that even the revered De Wolf
Hopper saw vacant chairs in the audito-
rum last night and beheld many q suppos-
edly slde-splitting feature of lis musical
production Of "Mr. Pickwick' received
with resignation 1t il a tribute to Mr..
H II Iee1, unfailing POI alariity and mex
times Of. loud, even fbIntic, applause for
him. It Should not understood that
other members of the Company were over
looked. On the contrary, the audience was
critical and rewarded, meritorious perfor-
ymances tho with preciseness which in
dicated more elaboration than sponta-
neous appreciation.
This truly modern mixture of Dickens
characters with songs operate choruses
and the usual appurtenances of burlesques
is really delightful piece of NONSENSE to
those to whom the kind as we'll as this
particular piece are new. "Picl>wick'' is
about the best of its kind. and is pre-
scented by an excellent company. Frank H.
Belcher was a most amusing Tony Weller,
and D1gby Bell was truly funny as Sam
Weller. Louis Payne was very successful
in the part Of Jingle. Florine Murray was
a winsome and bewitching Polly Laura
Joyce Bell was a trif1e too energetic as
Mrs. Bardell.
OF the songs. the familiar ''Boys Will Be
Boys and "The Lay of the Merry Ha
Ha,' ELECTED the most applause. Mr..
Jacques Kinsbergen's violin solos between
the acts were highly appreciated, and
were worthy of the good measure of APP
plause they received.
OF course, Mr.. Hopper had to make a
speech. It is difficult to recall lust what
he said, but it must have been good, for
the audience laughed long and loud.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
TIME GONE TO THE DOGS

There are in Manhattan alone among
families of the better sort fully 1000 dogs,
which require to be exercised at least
three times day. low average would
be twenty minutes each trip. That woula
give 1000 hours daily gone to the dogs, or
eighty three and one-third days. This
makes a grand total of eighty-three years,
one hundred and twenty -one days and six
teen years devoted to the dog in the
course of one year in Manhattan alone
The figures for Brooklyn should add at
least forty years to this total, and the
Bronx another ten years. the low figures in
these boroughs being due to the fact that
land is more plentiful and many Of the
dogs are given the run Of a yard, and so
acquire exercise without the attendance
Of a chaperon.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
Another misrepresentation.

Congressman Gardner of the sixth
Massachusetts district, delivered "a
speech in congress the other
day in which he professed to
speak for all New England
in his opposition to reciprocity
with Canada. In some quarters his
profession has been taken at it's face
value. But New England is not
among them. There are, it is true,
that are opposed to reciprocity with
Canada, but outside of Maine and Mr..
Gardeners own district, which includes
the fishing city of Gloucester, public
opinion in that part Of the. country is
strongly in favor of reciprocity. The
Boston Herald, therefore, performs Ia
timely service in calling the attention
of the country to the exact dimensions
of what Mr.. Gardner represents. It
says:
A man placed as Congressman Gardner
is, representing a district in which public
opinion may be divided, cannot be said to
represent the state, and on this ground he
could we'll have justified himself in keep
lib Ills mouth smut. unless compelled by
the demands of legislation to say some
thing upon the subject.
In this instance no such demand was
made, for Mr.. Gardeners speech was en-
tirely gratuitous, growing out of. so to
speak. a full heart, but unfortunately, an
empty head. 1t was, so far as he was
concerned. a direct misrepresentation OF
| the general sentiments Of the state OF
Massachusetts, and what is more, was
based upon Grass ignorance of industrial
conditions here and In Canada, or upon a
| foolish belief that entirely unfounded as
sertions could pass muster for facts
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK.
People who have things to say to the pub
lie that ought to be said, are Invited to
use this column. But the space Is Tim
tied, and all communications must be
"boIIed down" as much as possible.
Three hundreds words is safe limit.
Toronto chIldren's Aid Society.

To the Editor Of The Journal
With your permission desire to have
short talk thru your columns with ma
tives of the city of Toronto-and of the
province of Ontario generally-who are
now living and prospecting in the United
States and who may read this letter.
1t is to the needs of one of the most de-
serving and far reaching Of the chldren's
institutions IN Toronto / wish to draw
their attention, and to the appropriate
ness OF giving 1t generous help at this
Christmas season. The society stands as
the helper and defender of all abused or
neglected children, and also appears in
court as the friend Of all children who are
brought to the police court. The cases Of
over $4,000 children have already received
attention, and as the city grows, the work
grows. 4.t
Owing to the growth of the work the
financial needs have increased. while the
revenue has not increased, and in conse-
quence. there Is at present a bank over
draft of $500 which we are now making
strenuous effort to extinguish. We APP
peal to our friends to give US generous
| lift with this burden t3
The growth of the work and its necessi-
| ties have been so constant that the society
tet 1t must move out of the rented prem
ises it had occupied for eight years and
into a larger building which would be. it's
own property. This move was made last
year, and the building our old Toronto
friends will know when we say it is the
residence Of the late chief justice, Sir
John Hagarey, on Simcoe street. To&pay
for this and extensive improvements neces-
sary, the society has already received two
subscriptions of $1,000, four of $500, and
smaller ones to the amount of about $500
There is still an indebtedness on this &C
count Of 1890, the interest on which will
be burden on the society's finances until
I the amount is paid off. make a strong
appeal to the Canadian friends in the
United States for generous aid now to-
wards both these funds, and have a strong
feeling that my appeal will not be in vain
j. Stuart Coleman
Secretary Chidren's Aid Society.
229 Simcoe ST., Toronto. Ontario, Can.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
A NOTED MULE
Detroit Tribune,

noted Hoxieville (Wexford county,
mule, "Old JOSH is, doing what he can
to uphold the honor and glory of his race
If mule has any. race. During his long
career he has always been conspicuous
His owners have always had to put the
harness on him with a poe and get in
and out at the hind end Of the wagon,
and to more than one person who lacked
reserve in his presence has he afforded
bird's-eye view of Wexford county and
Perry f. Powers. He was recently re-
ported to have killed himself eating ruta-
bagas. This turned out to be a. lie, circu-
lated for political purposes; but it is not
denied that he has lost leg. However.
the fact that last week one of his remain
ing hoofs visited the stomach of a Mr.
Morgan with such earnestness and evident
good faith as to render that gentleman
unconscious is proof that ''Old Josh. is
still making an impression on the com
munity where he resides Il,
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
Hea dwinds for Reyes.

General Reyes, Colombia's special
commissioner at Washington, is ap-
parently in a. very trying position.
Coming to Washington with high
sounding menaces of a speedy march
: of Il great Colombian army over the
Darien Sierras into Panama to whip
that seeded department back into
fealty to the central government at
. Bogota, he found our government
z could not be bulldozed into any re-
treat from it's attitude as to the main
tenance of the free and unembarrassed
transit of the isthmus "a legitimate
attitude bulwarked by international
law and treaty obligation, involving
the protection of the new republic OF
Panama from hostile invasion and the
disorders of war.
General Reyes found it necessary to
notify the Bogota government that 1t
should sedulously avoid aggression
upon Panama, because such action
would be disastrous to Colombia her
self.
In spite of this excellent advice and
the request of Reyes that the negotia-
etions be prolonged at Washington, the
Bogota government has sent forward
troops by sea and has occupied an is
land off the coast of Panama. Reyes,
a leading military man himself, and
supposed to have strong influence over
Z the army, has not been able to hold
:. his government or the army in check
/ and Colombia has, by the recent ag-
gression, taken the first step toward
z fdefying our government by the inva-
sion of Panama.
tl~, Reyes would like the matter re-
ferred to The Hague tribunal but this
is not a question for such reference.
Panama has declared her independ-
ence and her independence is favored
and sustained by the United States
under the written law of a perpetual
treaty obligation to maintain the free
and unembarrassed transit Of the
isthmus. Europe recognizes the obli-
CATION. The leading European nations
have notified General Reyes that, If
Colombia engages in a war with the
United States, she will receive no SYM
patty from them. She must bear the
consequences of her own folly. And
5this, because the United States is the
warden Of the isthmus and free tran.
sit, and is preparing to enter upon the
work Of constructing the ship canal
talked of since the sixteenth century
sand undertaken in solemn earnest frs
5sb.' the United States. European mari
s#time nations want the use of the Pan.
ssama canal which, as President Roose.
welt says, is '.to alter the geography OF
"a continent and the trade routes Of the
world" and embodies .swell-nigh in:
II calculable possibilities for the good O.
g this country and of the nations o.
stmankind.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
HE WON'T EXPERIMENT. AGAIN,

District Attorney Haymaker of Pfttsburg
had a. scare the other evening that he will
remember for some time. He had been
calling on friends and on his way home
walked down a railroad track for some dis
lance. Hearing a train approaching, he
remembered that in days gone by he and
his boy companions Used to try to, walk
down a track and let train pass them
without turning around. BY way of test
ing his nerve he kept on walking until the
strain became terrible Perspira ton
poured down his face. and at length he
could no longer resist looking back. 1t
was web that he did SO, for the train was
on the same track with him. something
that had never occurred to him ais pos
sible Mr.. Haymaker Just had time to
dashed by It is the last experiment OF the
kind he will ever undertake. II & !
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
Law or No Law

] Chief Of Police O'Neill Of Chicago
is thoroly aroused by the inhumanity
displayed by the striking livery driv-
ers of that city in seeking to attain
6their ends by harrassing funerals. He
has determined to stop picketing
around the homes from which flu
Enerals are being held. The chiefs
is praiseworthy and is
shared by every warm-hearted man
and woman in the country. But. he
goes too far Stops over, in fact, when
he says:
! Law OF no law, picketing of any kind
saround these houses will have to stop ]
4shall take my chances with the courts on
sthe question, if my conduct is questioned
Gin any court. :,
4 Law or no law'1that Is the
trouble with Chicago to-day 1t has
too many people, some of them the
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
BOOKS RECEIVED

DICKENS LONDON. By Francis Miltoun, au-
thor of ''Cathedrals of Northern France
Illustrated. Boston: L. G. Page & Co. Min
neapos: N. Mccarthy. Price 81 go.
THE STAR FAIRIES AND OTHER FAIRY
TALES. BY Edith Ogden Harrison, author of
prince Silverwings.' With Illustrations by
Lucy Fitch Perkins. Chicago: A. C. Nc
Clurg l. Co.
CLASSIC MYTHS. BY Mary Catherine Judd.
Chicago: Rand, AIcNally & Co. Price 81 :25.
THE JUST so SONG BOOK. Being the Songs
from Rudyard l<ipling's Just So Stories. Set to
Music by Edward German. New York: Dou-
bleday, Page & Co. Minneapolis: N. Nc
THE LITTLE COLONEL AT BOARDING
SCHOOL By Annie Fellows Johnston, author
of The Little Colonel Series.' etc. Illustrated
by Z. B. Barry. Boston: L.. C. Page & Co.
Minneapolis N. Mccarthy. Price, 20 net.
A LITTLE PURITAN BOUND GIRL. BY Edith
Robinson, author Of "a Loyal Little Maid, -
ETC. Easy Corner Series. Illustrated by E.
! Il. Barry. Boston: L. c. Page & Co. Mime
| apols: n. Mccarthy. Price 40 cents.
MOTHER NATURES LITTLE ONES. By Fran
ces Margaret Fox. author of Farmer Brown
and the Birds etc. illustrated by E. B.
Barry. Boston: L. c. Page & Co. Price 40
cents.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
When Politics Is Business.

One Of the good signs of the times
is the keen interest that is being dis
played by business organizations in
public affairs, especially those relat-
ing to municipal government.
A circular distributed by the Ma
tional Municipal League contains an
interesting discussion of Business
Bodies and Municipal Reform by
George Durham, Jr., treasurer of the
organization. Mr.. Burnllam shows
that there is a decided tendency for
business bodies to go into municipal
politics on the side Of good govern
ment.
The New York Chamber of Com
merce appointed the committee Of 70
that managed the successful campaign
of William L. Strong for mayor In
1894. In November, 1900, the same
body appointed a committee of Is tc
study certain problems affecting civic
as in their Judgment might be feasible
to put an end to the protection and
the fostering Of vice in this city,
In the first part of the present year
the Boston Chamber of Commerce
the New England Shoe and Leather
association, Associated Board of Trade
Real Estate Exchange, Merchants as
ISOLATION, Fruit and Produce Exchange
and the. Boston Bar association united
to promote municipal reforms. One
of the first things this combination die
was to secure the passage of a legis-
lative act providing for the election
at large of Boston aldermen.
In San Francisco the Merchants as.
ISOLATION has taken an active part il
civic improvements. In Cleveland the
Chamber of Commerce has a specia
committee that has dealt exhaustively
with social conditions in that city.
It may be added that the Mime.
apolis Commercial club has a specia
public affairs committee, with an ac-
tive secretary, which is charged with
the consideration of all sorts Of public
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22

The star fairies are the guardians Of the
children of earth, One of them falls in
love with his mortal ward, and begs the
queen Of the fairies to make him a mortal
SO that he may marry her. The queen
consents, but limits the time that he may
remain on earth as the husband of the
princess, for, of course his love is a prin-
cess. When the twenty years of the limit
are up, the queen of the fairies appears
to see that the further terms Of the agree
ment are carried out. The princess re-
fuses to leave her husband. and is per-
mitted to share his fate, and under the
entertainments of the queen the two be-
come beautiful white birds, the parents of
the bird world. lin which state they must
remain for 1900 years, when they will
enter the fairy world. This is only one
of the many stories in the book.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
EXCELSIOR AS A BREAKFAST FOOD

Up in Franklin, Pa, there is man who
believed a horse and carriage would help
him in his business. He bought an apollo
gy for steed and a box on wheels and
set out to save car fare. A druggist who
knew him offered him a large bunch Of eX-
celsior, thinking that the horse would at
least have a soft bed. About week later
the horse owner came back to the store
and asked: Say, doctor, have you any
more of that curled wood?'' why, no;
but what did you do with the last lot?'
"Oh, the horse ate it," said the unfor-
tunate beasts owner. Unfortunately just
about the time the animal became accus-
toned to the 'curled wood diet it died
and valuable statistics on the operation
Of cheap foods were lost.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
GAMBLING IN HUMAN LIVES

An extraordinary story was told in the
police court at Blackburn. Eng. the other
day concerning woman who held over
forty policies on the lives of men she had
never seen. paying for these policies pre-
miums to the amount of 25 shillings a
week. This was the story Of her husband,
and the woman herself admitted that
she paid IA shillings a week, and that she
insured the lives of all her dodgers. This
gambling in the lives of human beings APP
pears to be recognized feature in the
economy of certain classes; as rule, how
ever, it is reserved to the lives of the chill
dren of each particular household
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
ANSW Erred
London Tid-Bits,

The Squire's Pretty Daughter (examin-
ing the village schooD-Now, children, can
you tell me what miracle is?
The children looked at one another, but
remained silent.
Can no one answer this question: the
new >curate asked. who was standing be-
hind the squires daughter.
A little girl was suddenly struck with a
brilliant idea. She held UP her hand ex-
citedly.
well, Nellie?'' the squire's daughter
asked. smiling approval.
please, miss the small child replied
breathlessly, mother says twill be mir
acle if you don't marry the new curate.'
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
TUESDAY EVENING,

predatory rich, some of them the un-
scrupulous labor leaders, some of
them little better than professional
criminals, who will have their way,
Flaw or no law,
The livery drivers purpose to at
tain their ends, law or no law" It
is not calculated to lead them to mend
their ways to have the chief of police,
the very impersonation of law and or
der, declare that he will stop GER
tain practices of theirs, law or no
law" Chicago has had far too much
mo law What it needs is law.
If the chief thinks that he has a
legal right to prevent picketing, it is
perfectly proper for him to undertake
to do it. But it is wholly wrong for
him to undertake it If he knows he
has no legal right and in any event
it is most reprehensible for him, in
the face of a lawless environment, to
speak Of doing certain things without
regard to the law.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
Drafts In Theaters.

Being an old resident of this city and a
patron of our theaters, I would like to
say few words about the state of af-
fairs existing in some of our first -class
playhouses. 1t seems that the managers Of
these resorts have very little consideration
for the comfort of their patrons. All they
are after is the almighty, dollar. It is
almost impossible to enjoy a performance
in them on account of the continual drafts
existing therein, and you are almost
certain of having contracted a severe cold
before you leave them I do not under
stand that other patrons submit to this
state Of affairs so quietly, but I am sure
that the majority feel as do about it, and
that there is no reason why these things
should not be altered. A Patron.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22

Some papers are worrying over the fear
that there may be war with Great Brit
ain and that before we realize it the
Great Lakes will be filled with British
warships brought up the st. Lawrence and
thru the Welland canal. Therefore, they
demand, the United States must denounce
the Rush Bagot agreement and put a fleet
of war vessels on the lakes. Some PEG
pie will worry over almost anything. For
our part. we prefer to worry over the
prediction that several thousands of years
from now Chicago will be at the bottom
of Lake Michigan.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
IN NATURES TRUTH

On him the light of star and moon
Shall fall with purer radiance down;
All consultations of the sky
Shed their virtue thru his eye.
Him Nature giveth for defense
His formidable innocence;
The mounting sap, the shells. the sea,
All spheres. all stones, his helpers be;
He shall meet the speeding year,
Without wailing. without fear.
He shall be happy in his love,
Like to like shall joyful prove;
He shall be happy whilst he woos:
Muse-bori, a daughter of the Muse
But il with gold she bind her hair,
And deck her breast with diamond,
q Take off thine eyes, thy heart forbear,
Tho thou lie alone on the ground
Emerson, Wood Notes"
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-22
AUSTRALIANS BIG WOOL CROP

It is estimated that SO,ooOOOo sheep will
be shorn during the present shearing in
New South Wales. Last years total shorn
numbered 26,000,0OO. Thus in twelve
months the flocks of the state have ma
turally increased by 100000. A prosper
Gus lambing is predicted, with large
proportion of double lambing. 1t is evil
dent that with the return of good seasons
the pastoral industry in the state is max
ing quick recovery, and that few years
will see the effects of the recent drouth
totally remedied.