The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1907-11-01
Copyright, 1906, Bobbs- Merrill Coz
CHAPTER |,

1t is rather difficult in these DAYS fo
man who takes such scant interes
IN foreign affairS-truSt a WhilOn
diplomat for that!-tO follow the con
tinual geographical disturbances Of
european surfaces. Thus, l can not
distinctly recall the exact location OF
the Grand Duchy of Barscheit or OF
the neighboring principality of Dop.
pelklnn. 1t meets my needs and pur-
poses, however, to say that Berlin and
vienna were easily accessible, and
that three hours journey would
bring you under the shadow of the
Carpathian range, where, in my diplo-
matlc days, | used often to hunt the
bear that walks like man"
Barscheit was known among her sis
ter states as the meddler," the
maker of trouble" and the duke as
odd Grumpy "-Brummbar To use a
familiar Yankee expression, Barscheit
mad finger in every pie. Whenever
there was a political broth making.
whether in Italy, Germany or Austria,
Barsceit would snatch I'D a ladIe and
start in. She took care of her own
aHalrs SO easily that she had plenty of
time to concern herself with the af.
falrs of her neighbors. This is not
TO advance the opinion that Barscheit
was wholly modern; far from it. The
Iault OF BarScheit may be traced back
10 certain historical pillar of salt,
easily recalled by all those who at.
tended Sunday school. "Rubbering"
is a vulgar phrase, and l disdain to
use it.
When a woman looks around it is
invariably pOrtent of trouble; the
man forgetS his important engage
ment' and runs amuck,, knocking over
people, principles and principalities.
II Aspasia had not observed Pericles
tnat memorable day; if there had not
oeen an oblique slant to Calypso's
eyes as Ulysses passed her way: if
the eager Delilah had not offered ia.
Vorable comment on Samson's ring
lets; IN fact, if all the women in his
tory and romance had gone about their
AFFAIRS as they should have done, what
undressing reading history would
be today
Now, this is a story of a woman who
looked around, and of man who did
not Keep his appointment on time.
out OF a grain of sand, mountain. OF
course there might have been other
causes, but with these I'm not famil.
lar
This Duchy of Barscheit is worth
looking into. Imagine a country with
telegraph and telephone and medieval
customs, country with electric lights
railways, surface cars, hotel elevators
ana ancient laws! Something of the
customs of the duchy must be told in
the passing, though, for my part I am
against explanatory pss.
Sages IN stories of action. BarschAit
with militarism; the little
mar, always initiates the big ono hu+
lacks the big mans excuses Mil.
5arlsm entered into and oversbadowod
The civic laws. W m
ihere were three things you might al
20 without offenSe: you might battle sc
eat ana sleep, only you must not sleen pc
'ut loud The citizen of Barscbeit was l
iemmed In by set of laws which W;
lao their birth in the dark dungeons
i the Inqulsition. They CONCEALED the in
'lood OF man born and bred in sill
commercial country. If you broke q tel
aW' you We're relentlessly punished. clt
lere was no mercy. In America we 20
lake laws and then hide them in dn1. sh
'oklng volumes which the public have WI
either the time nor the inclination TO CO
sad. IN this duchy of mine it was la1
iHerent; you ran into law on every fol
'rner' In every park, in every public mi
Hiding: little oblong signs enamaIod hu
hich told you that you could not do a
methlng or other" Forbidden!" The see
'auty of German laws is that when
u learn all the things that Won can sta
u do. you begin to find out that the ide
ings you can do are not worth a lik
ng In the doing. bile
AS soon as person learned to read ger
or she began life by reading these usr
VS.. If you could not read, so much ron
worse for you; you had to paw a up
lde who charged you almost as cou
Ich as the full cost of the fine. fus
Phe opposition political party in the 7
tied States is always nowling mill. ner
ism, without the slightest idea of nr,,
at militarism really is. One side mes
ase, in Barscheit, when an officer VIII,
aes along, or take the consequences. tall
you carelessly bumped into him han
were knocked down. If you OBJ. ible
ted, you were arrested. II Won wor
lex back, ten to one you received 60
ting with the fiat OF a saber, And az
er, never mistake the soIdiery for had
police; that is to say, never ask Mis-,
officer to direct you to any place. Cou
Is regarded in the light of an in. indi