The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-09-04

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the Time of Storm" 1t is not gem
orally known that Sankey's early
training was for civil engineering and
architecture, in which he was engaged
for several years before his interest
in music and the number of his COM
positions warranted abandoning engi-
neering for singing and the publishing
of music In late years Sankey visited
the Holy Land and wrote several ar
ticles about it. OF course, his life
long connection with Moody was the
force which switched him from engi-
neering to gospel singing and the pub
fishing of gospel songs. For this rea-
son the memorial in the Moody church
had uncommon significance.
Surviving "49-ers," argonauts in the
stampede fifty-nine years ago to Cal
ifornia, are to be guests of honor at
a dinner September twelfth, under the
auspices of the California Society of
Chicago, and the Preparations promise
realism, even to a prairie schooner.
In fact the handful of men who
crossed the plains or rounded Cape
Horn are to NE conveyed from their
hotel to the banquet in prairie
schooner, with banners, as of old, pro-
claiming ''Off to the Gold Fields of
California" taking the risks of thirst,
famine, and savage street cars, as the
same men dared hardship and Indians
to 60 to the primative Frisco. Now
the wealth of the 100000 people of
California is over three billion dollars,
railroads alone having an investment
in the state of S350,694,OOO, as COM
pared with Illinois, where $S05, 057 900
is the total railroad Investment, in
Guiding the greatest railway center in
the world, at Chicago. In the Frisco
of today, the bank deposits are two
per cent of the deposits in all the
banks of the United States, and the
largest of any city of its population
in the United States, except Pitts
burg. The city bqilded by the Argo-
nauts of forty-nine and later, has
grown until its bank clearings were in
1907 over $2OOOOOO,OOO; those of other
cities of its class being Kansas City,
ST $40, l75,Ol3; Minneapolis, $l,l5S, 462,-
$50; Cincinnati, $l,36l ,s79,95O; Bal
timore, $l,472,9ll ,2O7; New Orleans,
$956,53S,295; Pitsburg, $2,74357O,4S4;
Cleveland, 1897, l7O,7s4; Detroit, SILL
6l0,404
The two-ceiit "a mile law in Illinois
worked out badly for at least one
railroad, though it stimulated travel
enormously, the increase shown by the
Chicago & Alton for 1907 being
twelve per cent, 366,766 more passen-
ers carried. The railroads of course,
opposed the law vigorously, but vainly
declaring it would prove hardship to
them, but the answer generally was:
your traffic will increase SO much
that you will make money by the re-
duction." Theory was disproved by
fact, it seems. The figures compiled
by the Alton in getting at the result
the average passenger rate per mile
for local and through business was re-
duced from $.O2O6 to $.OlS5, which ex-
planned reduction of $208,7S3 in net
earnings. 1t is the opinion of railway
officials that two-cent fares have come
to stay and they hope now to in
crease travel and decrease expenses,
so that passenger business will become
a profitable branch of railroading, in
stead of a necessary evil" In the
more sparsely settled states. even, it
has been proposed that passenger fares
be reduced, but that was during the
heat of the argument concerning the
authority properly delegated to the in
terstate Commerce commission in the
matter of rates, which resulted in the
Hepburn bill. The effect of that bill,
it is now known, was more beneficial
to the railroads than to the shippers,
stopped. This is peculiarly interest
ing in view OF the uproar made by the
railroads concerning that bill, and the
dire predictions their executives made.
The predictions served to scare inves
tors and bring about conditions more
expensive to the roads than they said
the law would be- One effect has been
a general and liberal increase in
railway taxation in different states,
which in many cases is regarded as
more retaliatory than just. The rail
way tax commissioners will find their
hands full for the next ten years. -
German methods of teaching may
find a place in Chicago schools as re-
suit of recent trip to Europe of Ed
win G. Cody, superintendent of
schools. Mr.. Cody made an extensive
investigator of educational methods in
Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Dresden, Mum !
ich and Liepsie, as well as in Paris
and London, and came back enthusiast
tic over some of the up-todate feat
ures of the old world education. The
continuation schools" of Germany came
in for especial commendation. "These