Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1904-01-02

card appear from time to time. but
nobody has ever succeeded as yet I'm
writing u Presidents message OH one
sheet of foolscap.
"Killcd. 1854: wounded. 45,iT7."
This Is not the report of great bat.
tie, but the report of the United States
interstate commerce commission on the
injuries inflicted by our. railroads for
the fiscal year ended June 3O last.
w. X. Vanderbilt thinks the sal.
aries Of preachers should be reduced.
Mr.. Vanderbilt seems to he rather I'M
grateful. A preacher did him quite u
favor when he wanted to get married
awhile ago ana the laws of the Church
of England almost thwarted him.
~9A
1t may be good plan to elect our
heroes by popular vote and provide
that none OF them shall serve u longer
than four year term.
G
To fish II to prcvaric,,te. The rule
IL invarlable. II Izaak Walton pre-.
sents an apparent exception 1t must
be remembered that he was In reality
but little of a fisherman despite the
clamOr of the fraternity which would
push him forward as Its chiefest aX.
emplar.
There Is far more ,nan mere scnti.
ment in that good old adagn that
'Satan finds some mischief still Tor
idle hands to do" Illustration is found
In the case of Gustav Marx, the young
Chicago desperadO. whose gang has
put eight murders and innumerablc
robberles to its credit In the last six
months. II was just wondering"
Marx said In Jail, whether ! was the
victim of Il criminal mind. inbred. or
whether sheer recklessness was re-
spOnsiblc for my lawlessness. Then
1t dawned upon mo 1t was none of
these. 1t was simple idlencss." No
doubt he has hit the bullseye OF truth.
The mind that IL not occupied with
useful employment will go to the bad.
Just as u garden not cultivated will
grow up In weeds. In the rcformatory
ut Jefferson, Ind, u census taken Of
the last 800 prisoners who entered the
Institution showed that 4Oi had no
trades, GG We're illiterate. 25l had not
reached the third grade of the pub
lie schools and 252 were out of cn-
ployment at the time the crime was
committed. The daily grind In any
court of crime Is but II continued story
of idieness--nOt wanton idleness, but
lack of knowledge of how to pro-
ducc something. When the habit OF
idleness is once acquired, means are
found, legitimate or otherwise to pur-
sue 1t. Its followers take what they
have not earned; they have nothing
healthy to think about, no wholesome
aspirations, no good Incentives. and
petty things are found over which 10
quarrel, and unnatural things secure
the retention OF the mind. 1t Is labor
which sets MS in right relations to our
fellows. 1t Is labor which fits us into
our niche In life. 1t Is labor which
brings us into real sympathy with the
spirit of humankind. Labor Is at once
the mainsail and the compass in the
voyage of life. Labor Is as necessary
to healthy morals as 1t Is to u healthy
mind. 1t gives us moral perspective
while prOpelling us onward and up
ward. Labor Is the best moral and
mental tonic that there is 1t devel'
ops, strengthens and contents. 1t
stimulates purpose and generates hope.
1t puts the powers and qualities of
man to their intended use and makes
him a part of universal harmony. La
Dor Is life. Idleness Is death.
There Is much interest in Iowa over
the question of race suicide, because
of the recent array of suicidal statis-
ties with which the State has been fur
nishcd. The superintendent of schools
for Polk County has published a re-
port which shows that there has been
a falling Off in the school population
of Des MOines. This was followed by
a report from the State Board Of
Health which indicated that while
there was an increase of marriages
there was decrease of births, and