The Topeka state journal., 1906-02-17

times been superstitious. The Celestial
keeps his cofhned parent for years. and
serves him with meals, as il he were
still alive. to propitiate his ghost. In
China, not only are the dead treated as
still alive, but as also capable of being
promoted by imperial degree, to high
er rank. Curious examples Of this ap-
pear from time to time in the Pekin
Gazette, the oldest newspaper in the
world; this paper frequently prints inn
perial commands that certain men long
dead be honored with additional titiess
the modern church does the same thing
in canonizing the more distinguished
defenders of the faith centuries after
their death. The Chinese believe the
dead exist among the spirits and can
"conjure" the living unless they are
honored. But no such attention is
paid the aged, by any race. the first
savages hated the old. because they
were in the way, and, in this respect,
civilized man is not much better.
From the barbarous savage to
Shakesp peare, man was in the process
of making; from scratching on stones
to the paintings Of Raphael, there is
an interval of millions of years: as
long perhaps, as from signs to imita-
tive sounds to the present rich vocab-
ulary: as long as from spiritualism to
science.
But just as the lower organisms re-
main as they were from the beginning
SO the races which have reached a
certain stage, and have never passed
beyond it. far Outnumber those above
them. Progress is u modern idea: a.
western idea. The Orientals. from
whom we may now except the Japa-
nese hate it. The Mohammedan hates
it; so do the Africans and Chinese. The
progressive state is rare and occa-
sional exception There are hundreds
of races today, who have all the habits
Of the earliest type of man: the Hot
tentOts never wash themselves from
birth to death, live on raw flesh and
ra1 4 h1~. l,rtr h
arrow joints in hunting and fishing:
and today, III London, there is a factory
supplying fints for flint-lock guns for
export to Africa.
And modern civilization is not SO
very old: think of the state of France
before the revolution, of the Russia Of
today. Go back a century and a half
a very brief time, considering the age
Of the WOrld-and that which we call
modern civilization almost entirely dis
appears.
We are back to the old system OF
five meals a day, and Cookies pills and
aperient waters. Little wonder trav-
elers return home with ruined stOm-
achs. and dispositions. Friends will
start out to make a tour together, and
quarrel before their return. In the
smoking room today man said:
We'll. I am going to Burma The
friend he had been travelling with said
snappishly: " ou can go tC the devil,
if you want to; am going straight
through India So they will separa to
at Calcutta. They talk about each
other TO me, each saying the other has
no considera ton, and no fairness.
When they return home they VIII not
speak
The young lady who quarreled with
her party at Colombo, and threatened
to go on with US, is on board: her
friends we're not ready to leave COlOn1-
+ bo, but came along to avoid an open
rupture. They also talk" about each
other. Whether the young woman VIII
break with her friends at Calcutta, and
I accompany US to Egypt, 1 do not know
] The tutor is still in a row with his four
pupils. one of the boys has not
Z spoken" to any other member Of the
I party since arriving at Colombo. This
party has had a peculiar experience
/ The boys started out on a ship widely
world with educational features. There
were 10 boys on the ship. Before it
: started. the managers Quarreled. and
/ one OF them placed the venture IN the
! hands of a receiver The boys lost
/ 81 500 Of the money they had advanced.
Then one Of the instructors offered to
complete the trip. the boys paying
81. 30n each. So thew took new start
and are again in trouble. The boys are
in open revolt. and abuse the tutor to
/ anvone Who viii listen Before start
j ing on trim. be careful of the COM
many you select; probabl-- the hest way
is to 60 alone z. ". H
NelI-JaelS is s--fnIiv near-sighte9. fFe
took me for nv elder sister the other day
j RelIp-That's nothing. He took me for a
Mate nf ice cream last night hllaoet-
phia Record