The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-08-13
THE SIGNS.

street or In the cars,
ana place IN your reluctant hands Con-
When rustice bellies and village swells al
placidly on porches,
meath dim dripping torches;
Wnen candidates hunt handy dates to
use in thrilling speeches
concerning how the banner waves, ana
how the eagle screeches:
when lawyers haul the farmers and that
The ina 6E 81 beasts , the steer p..,den-
king. can do no wrong,
And you are told it's thievish by the
next that comes along;
When persons classed as scoundrels,
thieves. and knaves on Tuesday last,
Address you from the rostrum ere fleet
ing week has passed
assuring you in turn that they are clad
in virtues mail:
But that the other robbers gang all
ought to be in jail;
Don't hasten to hive up at home, or seek
police protection
The nation merely writhes in its quadren-
nal election.
When to the massed end maddinS marts
the weightiest statesmen come
TO tell the honest plumber It's a noble
When cory fights make glad the nights
and various ARRAYS
With gun and knife give zest to Life
through the succeeding days;
When every man observes You lie"
unto his human brother,
You're another!'
Take no alarm. for that's the charm OF
our great government
when We set out with club and shout to
choose a President!
James j. Montague in the New York
American.
Queer Marriage Markets.
The mn rrfo ga -, rxax (or fairl which
was held recently at Ecaussines, In
Belgium. has many counterparts else
wehre.
In several of the more remote Swiss
cantons, for example, there is held
what is known as the feast of the gar
lands. The manageable maidens as
semble at sunset, sing. dance, and
make merry. Each wearsa chaplet OF
flowers on her forehead, and carries a
nosegay, tied with bright-colored rib
bon, in her hands.
If a lad is attracted by a maid he
plucks a flower from her bunch. She
pretends not to notice, but when the
merrymaking breaks up at dawn she
will, if she reciprocates his feelings. tie
the entire bouquet by the ribbon to
the handle of the door of the cabin
wherein he resides, or, alternatively,
fling it through the open easement Of
his bed chamber.
The famous Tunis marriage mart, OF
which SO much has been written, is
held twice a year. in the spring and
the autumn. The Tunisian girls at
tend in their hundreds, each with her
dowry, in coin and jewelry, disposed
about her person. The golden girdle
of maidenhood" encircles her waist.
and in 1t is an unsheathed dagger.
When this is gently removed by n
passing gallant, and presently return
ed, it means that a proposal has been
made.
A prefer custom prevails amongst
the Ooraon maiden, who, at stated In
tervals, assemble in the market place.
In front Of each is a lighted lamp, en-
blem of conjugal fidelity. A young
man feels attracted? He gently blows
upon the flame. extinguishing 1t. The
girl relights it; 1t Is a rejection. II
she leaves it alone, the implied OFFER is
acceptable.
kets arenot unknown although they are
not openly acknowledged as such. One
has been held on St. Martha's hill,
Surrey on each recurring Good Friday,
during some centuries. And the
statute and mop fairs that are still
celebrated in various rural localities
are marriage marts in all but name
Pearson's Weekly.
Profitless Burglaries.
A new record as regards the SMALL
ness of the booty captured has been
established by a burglar who broke
into a warehouse in North London the
other day. He obtained access to the
place through the roof, and came pro-
vided with coll of new rope which he
utilized to Chamber down to the ground
from fourth story window after hav-
ing gone through the premises. He
found one farthing which had been ac-
cidentally left in a drawer by the CASH
ier And he had to leave behind him
his coil of rope, worth one sovereign.
Hardly more fortunate were the two
thieves who burgled St. Michaefs
church, Lichfeld, a few weeks back,
using nitroglycerin to blow open the
safe in the vestry. Ordinarily, this
contained much valuable plate; but,
been removed elsewhere a short while
previously, and all the raiders found
was one halfpenny-
In another recent case reported to
the police, two burglars effected an
entrance into a mansion in Noting
hamshire. They came In a motorcar.
and one watched while the other
burgled.
The latter gathered together a sack
full of silver plate and was preparing
to leave by the scullery window when
he accid entally set going an electric
burglar alarm. This so frightened
him that he dropped his load and fed.
After a while, however, as nobody
seemed to have been aroused, he VEN
tured back. He grabbed what he
thought was the sack of silver. but
which in reality contained nothing
more valuable than a quantity OF old
iron and bottles, which the servants
had collected in readiness for the
weekly visit of rag-and-bone man.
Pearson's Weekly.
Pole Discovery Must Be Proved.
Over their lunch the fishermen, at
ease in the bobbing oat, talked about
Peary.
why doesn't he Just lie about it
come back and say he's reached the
north mole. and let it go at that? 1t
would save a lot of money"
Yes, it would save money, but
Pearv must bring back proof"