The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-08
.FREE-HAND COMMENT
ON MEN AND MANNERS
Reasons Advanced fOr Employing IdIs
Men to Clean Ice From Slippery
Roadways and Sidewalks.

And the frost Is hanging pendants In tbs
whiskers Of your pride.
And the rheumatic is counting one By
one your vertebrate,
Then's the time to be an optimist-loolC
on the sunny side,
II there is any.
When you're strolling down the Avenue.
your tile upon your head.
With the sweet thing clinging TO you
that you hope TO make your bride
AND you whisper: Hold me tighter and
III never let you fall
Should she snuggle TO you closer. how
your bosom swells with pridei
Then. should you sit down suddenly
upon the icy pave.
That's the time 10 be an optimist-lOol
on the sunny side.
But there isn't any.
II a complete list were made up OF
the injuries that people have sustained
within the past few days from slipping
and falling on the ice, it would be found
that many of these have been Of a Sc
r.ous nature, while the number of only
painful accidents has been much great
Ell. We read, for instance. Of a frac-
tUred skull, Of a wrenched hip, Of
broken limbs, of ruptured veins. OF
broken noses, and Of decorations and
bruises too numerous 70 mention. The
question arises, was IL not the duty
or the authorities 70 put a gang OF
men at work Immediately breaking up
the ice upon the pavements, and get
ting them In shape 80 that they would
not have been a menace TO life and
limb? All that has been done IN thlS
direction, 50 far as anybody can see,
has been the result OF private enter
prise Citizens have strewn ashes. saw
dust, or fine ShavinRs along the streets
before their residences or places OF bus
ness, making walking safer for whole
blocks, but there have remained many
slippery spaces over which 1t has been
difficult for anyone TO pass and main
tain his equilibrium. There are always
many men without work In cold
snap. and actually suffering for a few
dollars TO buy fuel and food for their
families II really looks as though there
ting together gang 20 clear up the
pavements Immediately, and as though
II should have been done
The lecturers announced for the course
to be given TO teachers in the Central
High School this winter seem 10 have
been well chosen They include the
president of Wellesley College. Commits
sioner of Labor Carroll D. Wright, and
F. Benjamin Andrews. chancellor OF the
university OF Nebraska. The last men,
to say something interesting and peril
nent. Indeed. Mr. Andrews has the fac
ulty of making remarks. on any and
all occasions, that attract general at
tention and keep his name before the
public. His faculty for pregnant utter
ances closely resembles that OF that
other uncurbed Westerner. Col w. J.
Bryan. Mr.. Andrews is one Of those
men who have ideas of their own. He
is noted for his independence OF thought
fearless
Though not more original than Prof
Triggs. Of Chicago, who holds Rookie
teller 10 be a greater genius than
Shakespeare. his inspirations come with
greater frequencS. 1t was he. for in
stance. who took issue recently with
President ROose yelt on the subject OF
race suicide, maintaining that quality
rather than quantity is what the nation
needs in the makeup of its prospective
As superintendent Of the
schools OF Chicago. he was trifie too
thorn in the side Of the board AS chan
cellOr of the University Of Nebraska he
seems to have found a pinnacle from
which he can illuminate without endan-
gering the heads of his associates
The bad boy is figuring entirely too
in the annals Of our police
courts. Only day or two ago a gang
Of juvenile thieves was brought TO book
by the police, one of whom was sent TO
the Reform School. the others being
fined Luckily we have not yet emu
lated Chicago in the matter Of boy MUIR
derers. but boy thieves are bad enough
This matter OF juvenile criminals Is one
that demands a more radical cure than
the fiaing now and then OF youthful
The wreck on the Rock Island Rail-
road, near Topeka in which seventeen
people lost their lives. seems 10 have
been due to the engineers failure TO
obey orders. He had received instruc-
tons to wait at a certain station for
the passing OF stock train. but passed
on at a high rate OF speed. mistahng a
freight on a siding for the train which
he had been told 70 look out for. Had
he wai.,s3 as ordered and an accident
had occurred. his skirts would have been
free from blame There IS a salutarN
lesson in this for subordinates and en-
ployes generally.
What a nuisance it must have beer
for Santa Claus to come away back
from his palace at the North Pole to
the Christmas festivities
held on Wednesday evening at the Rus
sian embassy His complaints. however.
II he makes any, viii not be echoed by
those little boys and girls who have
had two Christmases instead of one. 1t
seems strange TO us in this country
that Russia, or, more generally speak
lllbr the A-dSleEn CAlL[nr SEuu4Q sun aQ-
here 10 the Old Style calendar. The rea-
son Is largely founded in popular preiu-
dice, the same feeling that caused Great
Britain and various states of Europe
to resist for many years the introduce
ton of the new reckoning. People who
actually believe that they are cele-
brating the date of Christs birth are
not easily induced to accept another
date, which would have no significance
TO them. Moreover, in the sO-calied
Orthodox church, there is strong dis
trust Of anything of Catholic origin,
and deep prejudice against it. The Rus
sian and Greek peasantry, for example,
believe that they are members of the
true church, whose dates. festivals and
are historically descended
from the early Christian congregations,
and TO ask them to observe a new date
tor Christmas might shake their belief
in more vital matters.
1t is not strange that the gallant per-
Torrance Of Leo Loeb. whose wild ride
at ManitOu. Col. saved the lives OF 1900
people by warning them that a dam had
burst, should appeal TO such a man as
Mr.. Roosevelt. who is himself a cour-
ageous man. and an equestrian OF no
mean prowess. Loeb fell from his horse
and was seriously injured, but remount-
ID and continued his ride. He IS now
In a hospital at Chicago. but as soon
as he regains his health. will take q
position offered him by the President.
In commenting on the Chicago theater