The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-14
MINOR TOPICS.

the Journal, has, for the past year or two,
been the humorous writer of the Baltimore
American. In private letter received since
the fire Mr.. Gillian says:
We have made arrangements to occupy
quarters n little more comfortable than
those in which we first took refuge. and to
nave our printing done here instead Of in
Washington. It's a very pathetic sort Of
situation, but General Agnus is brave,
always. We had just put in Sae most COM
plete Hoe press that can be made, at an ex-
pense Of $4,000, and had built additions to
the building. Everybody is being strong
and CHEEKY, which helps much.
In the American of Wednesday the first
regular issue of the paper after the fire, APP
pears this Song Of the American" by Mr..
Gillian:
One and thirty and an hundred were the years
Voicing aye the public conscience, seeking aye
One and thirty and hundred were the years
that had striven
To deserve the communication that on every hand
One and thirty and an hundred were my years
and In an hour
I was rendered homeless, helpless by the fire
And the men loved, who loved the very
breath they breathed
Wept in warm unselfish sorrow as with flames
they saw me Wrcethed.
One and thirty and an hundred the years
I'd grown in strength.
Each years usefulness and vigor well proper
toned to its length;
One and thirty and an hundred were the years
sought to bring
All that best to those I toll for and whose
little songs / sing
One and thirty and hundred were my years
they viii be more
For the past naught, contrasted with the
life that lies before,
For the loved. who love me as the very
breath they breathe
Once again will rally round me and my brow
with laurels wreathei
Homeless? Nay. for half a million hearts have
made a home for me;
Helpless? Nay. for God is with US. and mighty
help is He;
None IS homeless, is helpless who. with
God and man allied,
Does his best, all uncomplaining, with the
that is supplied.
Though cast down, I'm not forsalen; though
afflicted, not alone;''
See the future bring me glory greater than the
past has known!
through seething hell,
And. like Phoenix, 1 am rising from the ashes
Now that it has officially been decided
that frog is bird" says the Washington
| Times, perhaps some of us will keep frogs
| in cages and listen to their sweet songs"
| That is intended for a funny joke, but it
| isn't such a joke, after all. Evidently the
writer of that paragraph was never lulled
| to sleep, in camp or on the farm, by the
| symphony of the marshes. If he had ever
| listened to the music of one of those won
derful orchestras-monotonous perhaps,
| but harmonious always; with a myriad
| changing notes and tones from the piping
| tuba of the little green batrachian to the
mighty sub-bass of the great full-throated
| bullfrog-if he had ever heard one of these
| nocturnal concerts he would not laugh at
the songs of these birds" Their indi-
vidual voices may be irritating-they are
no soloists; but their ensemble singing is
wonderful.
| lot of silly people have taken up the
| discussion Of the question, lis dimple a
defect?" Now what difference can that
make? 1t may be defect, but by most
people it is looked on as a mark of beauty.
There are many who are not moved by the
! 'icily regular, splendidly null' style of
| statuesque perfection, and to them a dim
| pie is a thing of beauty and a joy forever
| In the cheek of a marble Venus it might
be considered a flaw; on the cheek of a
real fiesh-and- blood girl it often proves the
one irresistible loneliness. After all it is a
question of taste. Among the Persians a
| mole is considered a beauty spot and
many ghazel has Hafiz sung to the mole
on his mistress's chin. So, what difference
does it make whether these things are de-
fects or not?
valentines are in ORDER" says con-
temporary which shall be nameless, (which
is merely another way of saying that GER
tain stationery dealers will make money
out Of youthful public anxious to be held
| up" Now, such dyspeptic cynics as that
should not be allowed to write editorials
| for newspapers. man who has more
sentiment in him than that ought to be
running a trust or working on the Spring
field Republican.
1t is confusing to have Valentine day
come on Sunday. The anxious lover in
some cases purchases his flowers and
sweets on Saturday to make sure; others
forget the occasion till the day arrives, and
then cannot get into the shops to purchase
remembrances and so have to put it off till
Monday. That means three days of extra
hard work for the pOstman. Valentine
day and Christmas should be movable
feasts to avoid the possibility of three
celebrations.
The Minnesota. and North Dakota papers
have one old superStitiOuS saw In common
and the colder the weather the louder they
shout it-"You don't feel the cold up here
its so dry" They sing it and whistle
it and print it and send out missionaries
TO teach it-they are terribly afraid some
body will doubt it. The lady doth protest
too much.
A Wisconsin doctor announces his dis
covery that appendicitis is contagious
Many have suspected this for long time
but the information will not do much good
until somebody discovers the microbe. AnC
all this time have been vilifying the
innocent little grape seed!
Another solar plexus blow from the Uni
versity of Chicago. where a professor has
proclaimed that the Bible is only scrap
book. He probably got that idea from
the Book of Kings, where the wars of tn,
Israelites occupy large proportion of tn,
pages.
The Department OF Agriculture has SEN
specialist in agrostology TO Europe L
study the reclamation OF sand dunes. VIII,
would ever have supposed that a professor
of agrostology would become useful? b,
the way, what's the answer?
The colleges of Indiana are in the mids
; 1