The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-28
GOALS FROM THE FIELD

Make your New Years resolutions
early. This is as good a maxim as the
one about your Christmas shopping or
the other about registering. Many peo-
pie leave their New Years resolutions
until the last minute and then find that
many OF the shops have run out, or that
the counters are sd crowded that the
late conner cannot get near them. Think
OF the aggravation Of seeing fine New
Years resolution to stop swearing just
out OF your reach, and not clerk in
sight to tell you the price or make
change for you. Imagine yours dismay
when, on rushing into shop on Mon
day night, your mind fixed on asresolution
to stop smoking. to- have the ladye
clerkess squeak in silvery accents, 1--WE
haven't got a single one of them left -
and then have to go on smoking another
twelve months, simply because you neg
lected your shopping. i do not see why
temporary stores are not opened on the
walks and in vacant lots, like the Christ
mas tree emporiums, where good resolu-
lions are sold at reasonable prices, with
prompt attention to customers guaran-
teed. Il@
President Roosevelt is said to be OPP
posed to the Christmas tree, because Of
his steadfast devotion to forestry. Christ
mas results in the annual demolition Of
several million young trees which have
W1thstood the ravages of six or seven
winters and which in ten years more
would be fourishing examples of what
one generation can do to repair the
wrongs its necessities have done to the
next. In Vermont alone it is estimated
that not less than a million and half
of young, trees We're cut for this win
ter's Christmas festivities. The farmers
and their children who cut them received
cents apiece for what would in few
years become invaluable as timber. The
same thing happened in New York, Maine,
New Hampshire and in the pine bearing
states OF the west. The trees which sold
for cents apiece at the farm became
worth from dollar to 81 in the cities.
Their cheapness at the place Of harvest
and the uncertainty of the market re-
suited in overstocking. the cities by thou
sands, and the consequent waste proved
one the sharpest commentaries on the
| system. In Minneapolis alone thousands
mas to fill holes or were utilized for
frewood. . ] =
Mark Twain, In his autobiography, tells
OF a time when he was employed on a
California paper as city editor. City edit
ing he found easy, tho exciting, because
something was everlastingly Happening.
But one day the editor went off on a
| jaunt and left Mark as editor in chief
| Mark thought it would be a snap, having
| only one editorial to write, but the snap
| was not apparent when he sat down to
write and found he had nothing to write
about Biting the pencil did no good,
| and looking out of the window suggested
| nothing. Turning to his inner conscious
ness, he found that also void of offense
and Of ideas. In despair he turned to
| the almanac and found that day in his
| tory. 1t was April 22aand seemed to be
celebrated as the birthday of shakspere.
| Il looked up Shakspere, found out who
he was and what he had DONE" says
Mark, land wrote about him." But the
next day nothing seemed to have hap
pened in history or elsewhere, SO he was
| obliged to fall back upon the familiar
device Of abusing the opposition editor
This produced a duel, People ought to
| remember that when editors fall to cuff
ing one another they may not have it
| in for one another. Perhaps nothing has
happened in history. But. there is less
| excuse for this kind Of editing than
there was formerly. = Roosevelt makes
! history, taking hot batch from the
oven every fifteen minutes. 49," =.
james Gray.