The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-12
KANSAS COMAENT
A PLEASANT STORY.


So many stories of suffering and
crime appear in the newspapers from
day to day, that it is a pleasure to
chronicle pleasing narrative once In
While; and SO many people believe
that human nature is all to the bad,
that it Is refreshing to offer evidence to
the contrary.
At Leboa lives an old man and wife
who found themselves very poor, upon
approaching the bottom of the slope of
LIES weary hill. 1t was through no
fault Of their own that they were poor;
the old man had been a soldier, and was
crippled; they had experienced much
sickness and evil fortune; and SO, as
the fftieth anniversary approached
they, being very old, and very weary.
looked forward to. the occasion with
tears rather than with hope.
And SO the anniversary came. and
found them in their little home, sad
and forsaken with the rain beating
drearily upon the roof as it had beat
en- drearily into their lives. The noon
hour came, and the old wife set about
preparing the meager anniversary
meal; and just as they sat down to
their table, there came a rapping at
the door. and a neighbor came in bear
ing pie; and the good neighbor gave
them the pie with her blessing, and
with many cheering words, and went
her way. A pie isn't much of a dona-
ton upon the fifieth anniversary of
your wedding; but look you, 1t Is the
spirit that prompts gift, and not the
gift itself, that loosens the frozen
springs OF emotion; SO the tears came
to the eyes Of these old people as the
kind woman went her way.
And when the other viands were dis
posed of. the old man took his knife
and essayed to cut the pie; but it was
queer pie; the knife made but little
impression upon it; so the wife took a
hand. and lifted the lid off that pie;
and 10! it was full Of silver money! The
good people Of the village had not for
gotten or forsaken the old people, and
had contributed gladly to the making
OF that pie.
And the old people looked through
mist into each others eyes; and love
and happiness were shining there;
and they embraced as they had en-
braced fifty years ago, when the
world was young and beautiful. and
the future seemed a vista of blue skies
and summer dreams.-Emporia Gazette.
TEsETOTALISM IS RIGHT.
AS good a workman as this town has
ever seen in his line lost his job the
past week because he could not let
liquor alone A lot of buns lived off
him. They waited around for Saturday
night to come to help him spend his
money. The poor man thought it was
good fellowship and spent freely What
did he get out of it? He lost in every
struggle He put up a fight against
booze that was good at first but weak
and puerile afterward He finally quit
resisting and got to getting drunk dur
ing the week. Why do men do this
thing? Liquor is the enemy of every
man. the friend of no man. It has
never stood the friend of any man. 1t
has stood the enemy Of every man. 1t
Is the enemy of decency, the enemy of
the home and the enemy of all good
thoughts. All over the country corpor-
atoms are demanding that men restrain
their appetites. They do 1T as a bust
ness proposition. From a business
standpoint no man can drink. And he
cannot from any other standpoint. Tee
tota.lism is the only. safe way. 1t is
right.-Lawrence Journal.