The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-05
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

so. Now there is much anxiety in Kan sas over school prospects for this year. So many teachers have married during the summer time, when lovemaking was not interfered with by a room full of curious youngsters. that the force is greatly decreased and many schools can not open until new teachers are obtained. Men can make more money working on farms than teaching. so the work is left entirely to women. A recent canvas has revealed the fact that thirty-one coun- ties in the state require 174 teachers be- fore schools can open in all the districts. The state of affairs is very bad but those knowing gentlemen of the boards should have thought twice before attempting to buck against the Kansas school marm when she gets a chance to marry.
 It is announced that the cobblers of Bogota have declared a boycott against American-made shoes, and well they may, for the products of our great fac tories prove disastrous in competition. Although American shoes sell for $4 and S6 in Colombia they have largely driven out of the market goods of other Euro pean countries. The annual volume of trade is not very large, however, and our advantage is of little importance to the big manufacturers whose sales reach an enormous figure during the course of year. New England is pre-eminently the home of shoe manufacture in this country Great factories are found everywhere and constitute an important part of our manufacturing. In shoe manufacture as in many other indus tries we have made our influence felt among old world producers who have come to look upon us with healthy fear.
 A rumor has originated somewhere that we may have a uniform system of divorce laws in the near future. The announcement will be hailed with delight by certain reformers and will cause grave anxiety in other quarters. The Dakotas will in that case lose their pres tige as refuge for mismated couples and will sink into that mediocrity which charaeterizes all the other states. It has been objected that while a uniform sys- tenn of divorce laws might suit very well in some states in others 1t would prove highly disagreeable. Divorce is conceded in some quarters to be a very good thing when moderately restrained. but if the new law contemplates making separation comparatively easy in all parts of the country it would prove disastrous. On the other hand if the law is more rigor- ous than any we now have in force cer- tain lawyers now doing a thriving busi- ness would have to look elsewhere for clients There is no doubt that a great many married people ought to be separ- ated, while others who desire a separa- ton should remain tied up in mutual misery for the remainder of their lives.
 We are doing very well in Porto Rico and Uncle Sans wards should feel proud of his patronage. During last week twelve hundred schools with sixty thous- and pupils and one college with about one hundred students were opened on the island From this 1t Is easy to see that the cause of education will not be neglected. No such condition of affairs existed under Spanish rule and the dons should take a lesson from the fine ex- ample set them by America. Although for a time it seemed that America re- garded her new colonies with scant favor our government has now made a good start toward developing them into pros- porous provinces In education more than anything else Uncle Sam has shown oommendable desire to improve the condition of his new subjects In such matters as tariff and free trade he has not been so liberal. but that may come in the course of time. At present our kind hearted soldiers seem to have killed sufficient number of Filipinos to bring about harmony in the islands, and we may expect similar encouraging state of affairs to prevail there in a short time. P. c.