Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1904-03-26

the amount of time and thought she |
must give to her clothes may gather
cheer from the innocent pleasure SO |
genuine a nature as Miss Austens |
found in the simple task of making a !
gown happy to go anywhere" The |
woman who has comprised the art of |
making that kind of gown has done |
herself a large service and the world |!
no small one. We should have lad. |
mired" to see Miss Austen attired in |
the lilac sarsenet with the black satin
ribbon. We may be sure that not only
was the gown happy to go anywhere.
but that the wearer was happy in 1t,
and that the company was happy TO
have her. a gentle word. u charitable
act. u difficult sacrifice are each more
easy In a well.fitting and becoming
dress. Perhaps 1t my he a sign of our
servtude to earth that this should he
so: but while we live here we are
hound to look facts In the face, and
cherish the ideal Of the "happy"
gown.
| Cotton Is king was once familiar
saying; but in the realm of business
which the great white staple was sup.
posed to govern there rose rival
claimant. u pretender It may be. but
at any rate a strong one, and then 1t
was proclaimed that Iron Is king
A writer in New York newspaper. I'm
reviewing the business situation and
presenting some figures of the interna-
tionnl commerce of the United States,
declares that neither cotton nor iron
Is king. but that the real, the great
monarch, is agriculture. The annual re-
port of Secretary Wilson shows how
true this Is. 1t is only casually that
the Secretary calls attention to the fact
that the people of the United States
eighty millions of thcm-not only srs-
tanned themselves last year, but con-
tributed food and the raw materials for
manufactures by which many other
millions of people in foreign countries
were sustained. He quickly passes to
la consideration of the sO-called "bal-
nnce of trade" This. as he shows, eN.
hibits popularity which ''scems tn
have escaped the attention Of the pub.
lic," namely. that It is always farm
er's balance of trade. During the year
1908 the imports of the United States,
other than Of agricultural products,
exceeded the exports by ifty.six mill
ion dollars. That Is, there was n bal.
ance of trade unfavorable to the Uni.
ted States to that amount. But when
the traffic In agricultural products Il
included. how different Is the story.
Instead Of a balance Of ffty.six mill
ions against the United States, the Zig.
ures become three hundred and sixty.
seven millions in favor. As II these
figures were not impressive enough.
Secretary Wilson goes on to give those
for the last fourteen years. In lump
sums. Were agricultural products
omitted, the nation during that time
would have had an unfavOrable bal.
ance of eight hundred and siXty.five
millions. The farmers not only wiped
that out. but brought In surplus of
nearly four billion dollars. "These fig
ures," Secretary Wilson adds. "terseiy
express the immense national reserve.
sustaining power Of the farmers OF the
country. 1t IL the farmers who have
= paid the foreign bondholders."
81 1t seems that Secretary Shaw Is not
merely II financler. but sociologist
and u lover OF his kind. He talked to
an assemblage of Washington women
not long ago on boys; subject that
used to be able to speak for itself and
IL SO still In those ranks of society
where the mothers do not belong to
clubs and have neither the education
nor the means to give a fair chance t.
: the boys whom they bring INTO the
world 80 plentifully. Secretary Shaw
said that the boy was altogether the
most valuable product Of society, and
yet that society to-day. and the home
rs we'll, made no adequate place for thu
/, boy to grow In and become the usefu
| citizen which he ought to be. That II
! all because the boy Is noisy, rude and
: destructive: all forms of expression fol
! that energy without which the hoy
3 would not be worth raising. The gen
!. eral welfare Of society upon the boy
!, began with the crOwdlng into cities
{ This movement has cut of the boy,
. free play grounds and those broad
spaces In which he can let of his Ell
thusinsm In all sorts of noise without
disturbing his elders. The cities have
Just begun to turn around and make
|, Fairgrounds for boys, as well as park,
for their elders. but that move IL mere
~ In Its infancy yet. These play
grounds, however. are a resource chief
~ for the boys Of the crowded tene
ment sections. They are needed there
:. and ought to he multiplied The boy
who IL In the greatest danger Is the boy
from well-to-do home whose father
gives him too much money to spend
and whose father ana mother shunt
him Off into the streets to spend it
The homes that such boys come from
are usually handsome. They have
beautiful furniture. which the boy and
g his friends must not mar or soil by
= playing In the house. Not one In q
!. hundred of them has for the boy q
+ gymnasium, n carpenter shop, bill
y lard room or even just n plain den
}. where he can entertain his friends. re
$ arrange the furniture and decoration
q to his own taste. or drive nails II h,
q wishes to. All OF the natural expires
S slOns of the energy which Is to max,