The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-13

efeller is modest and retiring and
I,sCHGM extremely averse TO publicity is
- certainly edifying and valuable
news Among those who had not previously
suspected IL is a certain young woman OF
this city who last summer attended the re-
ligious services held on the campus of Chi
cago University On the printed programme
of these services, wherever the words uni
versity of Chicago appeared. they were
followed by this modest and retiring and
verse-to-publicity parenthesis, Grounded
by John d. Rockefeller"
Probably the modest and retiring char
acter so often observed with Gin certain
Chicago University professors is modelled
on that of their great founder.
I = +
The Brownstown man who secured a di-
vorce from his wife without her knowledge
by giving a false address to which to send
her the notification and writing her affec-
tomato letters every week up to the time
when he informed her that he was divorced
may pass for about as low-down as they
make them; but. after all, he does not COM
pare in ingenious meanness with a man in
our sister State of Illinois.
The Illnoisan was a middle-aged farmer
who had acquired by years of toll and econ
omy, comfortable property. The heaviest
emo OF the ldDOr ana the prlNatlOn ndd Deen
carried by his wife. as usual. Having worn
herself out in his service, she was no longer
as pretty and lively and attractive as she
had been when he married her. He was
awakened to this fact by meeting a hand
some and dashing young woman who haG
no objection to receiving his attentions. He
gave these attentions quite publicly though
not where his wife could observe them, and
allowed himself to be frequently seen driv-
ing dining with his charmer in the eoun-
ty town.
hon, ha had sniff IN,
his wife's name. AS she the person
asking for the divorce, of course she was
not notified of 1.-THE was the one notified.
At the trial he had evidence introduced on
her behalf, proving the pronounced atten-
lions he had been showing TO the young
woman and made no defense on his own ac-
count Therefore the decree was granted:
also, as the wife had asked for no alimony
or division of property, none was given her.
the courtroom and listened to the proceed
ings with open-mouthed amaZement. Re-
turning home, he told his wife the aston
fishing news that their neighbors, who had
apparently living in anity, were divorced.
His wife ran over to see her divorced neigh
Dor. The woman met her calmly, but with
a slightly worried look
Il can't see why my husband don't come
home from town." she said I've been
keeping supper warm for hour and I'm
afraid it will be spoiled when he gets here"
Your husband! gasped the neighboT,
startled beyond all discretion Don't you
know you haven't any husband?"
'Ohi Is he kllled! cried the poor woman.
Then the truth came out and the faith
full and unsuspecting wife was Frustrated
by the cruel blow.
Sometimes it seems as if the one lesson
that churches and schools and all good
agencies should seek to enforce more than
all others is that poverty is no disgrace;
that only wrong-doing is shameful The
two young German army officers who re-
children because they had been living be-
yond their means are only a dramatic in
stance of what we see around us every day
A large share of the suffering. worry and
strain of life comes from trying to appear
to have more money than We. really do
have, and nearly all the crime among the
noncrimjnal classes, among people who
might be valuable citizens If they had not
yielded TO some great temptation, comes
from the desire TO keep up appearances.
1t is distressing to see how even the little
children are saturated with the idea that
poverty is Disgrace The deepest insult one
child can offer TO another is to call him
poor. The greatest ambition of tots is TO
make successful pretense of riches
In neighborhood on the East Side the
favorite game among the little girls just
now Is playing with paper dolls. In addi-
ton TO the regulation article they cut gor-
geous ladies and children out of the colOred
plates in old fashion magazines and cloth
last years autographs of styles, from which
elegant gentlemen and boys. of suitable size
TO accompany the ladies, are procured
Each little girl will have several families
of these paper people, and all manner of
social and domestic dramas are carried out
with them. II is pretty play. but the idea
of the paramount worth of riches comes
in even here.
Mamma" said weeping little maid
en- 'Margie Tyler and Myrtle Calvert have
named their doilies the GOulds and Wander
bits and Rockefellers. and they say my
dollies can't be near rich as theirs be-
cause there isn't anybody else that is so
rich"
But why name them after rich people at
ALP said her mother. why not name
yours after really great people? Why not
call them Lincoln and Longfellow and Me-
Kinley, and such names as those? Then
they will be so much greater and more i'm
portant than the rich dolles that the rich
ones can't even be compared TO them
The nttle girl got some private consola-
ton out of this idea, but she had no sue
cess in convincing her playmates that poets
and Presidents were worthy 10 be compared
to railroad and oil magnates.