The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-30
KANSAS COMNENT
STORY FINDINGS.


Fashions in fiction change, even as
the ideas of the n1illiner. And the
latest styles of polite prevarication
are something OF a hardship to our
old friends, the hero and the heroine
Time was. in the days of Laura Jean
Libbey and others of her kind, when,
no matter how great the trials. virtue
was sure to triumph, and "fnis'' was
written just after the head of the
heroine had crushed the pink carna-
ton in the lapel of the triumphant
heros coat, and the villain was prop
erly disgraced. And those old heroes
were worth while, being noble, rich
and good looking, while the heroine
was thing of beauty and JOY to
the last chapter.
1t is different now. Three stories
picked at random provide the follow
ing unsatisfactory endings: In one.
the nero, who had married the heroine
and left her to become a tramp, re-
pented and went back to her to find
her dead, leaving a baby for him to
care for. In another, the hero, who
was a bald-headed assistant editor,
with an enormous Adams apple,
committed suicide, while his wife, the
nearest to heroine the story afford
ed, was feeding a mangle in a laun-
dry when the curtain went down. In
the third, which was the best ending
of all, the hero was washed into the
sea, which he richly deserved, being
the meanest man in the tale. There
isn't much satisfaction in being
story hero or heroine these days. Is
this an era OF realistic writing?-
Atchison Globe.
HORSE VALUES.
Just before the automobile ushered
in the "horseless sra," fairly re-
spectacle horse could hardly be given
away, and good roadsters, draft and
saddle animals could be purchased for
song of something less than Caruso
value. Horse stealing lacked the adj
vantage of profit, and was little in
dulged in. Now the theft of horses
is d common thing, and every state
has special societies to aid the law In
bounding the thieves. In fact, the
price of horses was hardly ever better
than 1t is at present, and the demand
never so large. The lid for the racing
game may have limited the demand
for thoroughbreds. but the ordinary
Serviceab1e animal was never of
greater worth. Still, there is a quar-
ter of billion dollars invested in auto
mobiles in the country, and this is
being increased every month. Two
situations which show that this Is a
big country, and prosperous: there Is
car, and money to pay for BOTH
Atchison Globe.
SAME OLD FALSE ARGUMENTS.
Through the kindness Of the Nation
al Model License league, we are in re-
ceipt of information and misinforma-
ton about the failure Of the prohibit
tory law. The case under special
consideration is Georgia, and the only
thing that the distillers can find to
"cite'' to prove that the law is fall
ure is that the negroes are all turning
bootleggers, and that there are just
as many arrests now as there were
when the saloons were running. AS
to the first statement that the negroes
are turning bootleggers, We don't be-
lieve there is enough truth in the
charge to hurt anybody, even the ne
groes. And concerning the time worn
argument that arrests are more nu-
merous for drunkenness now than
ever, we may simply state that the
breweries have been holding Salina UP
as horrible example of the failure
of prohibition on just the same kind
of evidence, and hence we know the
claim is fraud, cooked UP with
malice and intent to deceive.-Salina
Journal