The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-17
FRON OTHER PENS
WAR ON THE SPARROW.


The English sparrow has had many
bitter things said of him, in the United
States particularly, and war has been
declared against him so often that the
declaration causes no more stir than
Tolstoi edict against the Russian gov
eminent. America became heartily
sick of this alien nuisance years ago,
fought the pest intermittently for a
time, but in recent years appears to
have settled down to the unpleasant
conviction that nothing could be done.
Now comes Rider Haggard, the
writer and thinker, to propose ma
tfonal movement in England to ex-
terminate the sparrow. He brings
sweeping indictment against this
enemy of the farmer. the bird that
enemies of mankind as do most other
birds. This writer suggests that local
antisparrow leagues be formed
throughout and amalgamated into
national organization for greater eff
ficiency. Such local organizations were
once common in this country and for 4
time a bounty was paid by the state
for the killing of the sparrow. The
T1aggard suggestion is timely, no.
alone in his own country, but in Amer
lea as well.-Cleveland Plain Dealer.
EDUCATION AND HAUSFRAU.
"Hausfrau" as a term means more
in Germany than is implied in a literal
translation to the English housewife.
1t stands for an institution of ages, a
glory of the empire. 1t expresses the
old German idea of woman's place in
the economy of affairs. 1t explains
the elation of the land in the posses
sion of an Empress who has declared
her devotion to Kinder, Kirche und
Kuche.'
No ordinary national thrill is that
accompanying the fear that the haus-
frau ideal Is threatened by the new
German decree granting to women
equal opportunities with men for the
higher scholastic education.
A little knowledge may be anywhere
a dangerous thing. A liberal education
anywhere should be a preparation, an
equipment the means to a desirable
ing should imply a purpose of useful
ness. Granting such a purpose, one
really comedies the whole case against
which apprehensive Germany protests.
1t is ridiculous to maintain that wo-
man with the new ambitions of the
age should school herself inflexibly to
the role of a tame cat by the sitting
room fire. But 1t is mischievous when
a girl comes out of her college career,
aimless, idle-handed, convinced chiefly
that by culture and association she
has acquired the superiority of class
New York World.
%
THE BRITISH NAVY.
The maintenance of the British navy
on the two-power standard is a policy
which faces no dissent in any party,
but the increasing competition in the
size of fleets and the growing cost of
the larger battleships are elements in
the situation which will sooner or later
produce a crisis. The Liberals are
pledged to a costly program of social
reform, of which the old-age pension
law is an evidence, and hitherto they
have professed to be able to finance
their schemes of social betterment
without economizing on the navy or
importing free trade. The protection
lists. or tariff reformers. have main
tanned that it would be impossible to
raise revenue enough for the needs of
war preparation. and social reform
schemes without levying the duties
they desire on imports from foreign
countries; the unionist free traders
have declared that the governme nt's
social program was impossible finan-
cially, as we'll as obnoxious in prin-
ciple, because carrying it out would
wreck the present fiscal system, to
which they are devoted. But the gov
eminent revenues have declined owing
to commercial depression. and the
exchequer has frankly admitted that
the problem of ways and means had
suddenly grown much more severe
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