The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-26
KANSAS COAAENT
INDIsCRIMINATE. READING-

INDISCRIMINATE READING.
An Enporia man was roasted by his
pastor the other day for reading trashy
novels. The minister caught him with
a ripsnorting detective story in his
severity.
1t is a shameful waste of time"
SAID the divine. who is slow to anger.
will corrupt your morals. peryert your
taste, stunt your growth cause ingrow-
ing nails, and make you bald before
your time Cut them out. and get down
Josephus"
The Emporia man was greatly abash-
cd, and went into the cellar. and sat
tnere all day, and the minister threw
CABBAGE heads at him through the cei-
lar WINDOW. Yet he was really guilty
which was SO bitterly denounced by the
olvine, wasn't even trif1ing. The chief
justice of the United States supreme
court has passionate fondness for de-
tectiVe stories, and nobody will accuse
him of being frivolous. The great Glib
bon. the most solemn Of historians, read
all the silly ballads of his day, and
knew them by heart; MacauIay, whose
eruoltlon was the wonder of his age,
was happlest when reading stories of
mysterious crimes and hangings.
Preachers and writer's would all do
peter work if they would read every
thlng that comes along, instead of con-
ming their attention to the things they
are specially interested in, or to books
tnar they consider instructive. If you
would preach or write well, you should
nave a wide range of knowledge. The
heavy books may point out the broad
road Of knowledge. but you will miss
the quiet lanes and the hooks and cor
ners: unless you make independent ex-
cursions- You will never know the
value OF literature unless you know the
contrasts OF literature. If you read
Shakespeare continuously for year.
you will enjoy few days with Nick
Carter, and will then return to Shake
speare with renewed enthusiasm and
appreciation. If your diet is sir1oip
steak every day, it will seem a relief to
have fried liver for a change.
The man who sticks to one line of
I.ea wearies his braip. and derives
little benefit from it. If He browses far
and wide in the green fields of Itera-
ture his brain is not wearied, but slim
ulated; the stuff worth remembering is
remembered, and the stuff worth for
getting is forgotten.
Laura Jean Libbey, please.-Emporia
Gazette.
THE PAYMENT OF PENSIONS
For the year ending June 80, 1909,
the government paid in pensions to
spanish wars and their widows the
sum of 1852, 100000, less some seventy
thousand dollars Six years ago the
sum paid for the same purpose was
s13S, 100000. The pension appropria-
ton is constantly growing, although
the death rate among those who draw
pensions is continually heavier, fifty
thousand veterans passing away last
year. The increase is due to new PEN
sion laws, particularly the McCumber
act, known also as the age law and the
new widows pension act, which gives
all widows of veterans a fiat rate of s12
per month. In addition to this is the
item of increase of disabilities of SER
vice origin among those who were
pensioned under the original acts
PASSED Immediately after the Civil
war. ne
Other countries are adopting old age
pensions. pensions for superannuated
government employees and the like. The
United States hit upon the right idea
in the matter of pensions, to extend to
those who bore arms for it and de-
Tended 1t against it's enemies, recogni-
ton in the form of a pension, paid
from its abundant store, store that
was made possible only through the
services of the men who fought the
nations battles-Wichita Eagle