davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13
Wedding Superstitions.

Though popular superstitions may
lack reason or reasonable explanation,
they must have an origin, and this
has formed the basis of quite an in
teresting book by T. Sharper Knowl-
son.
The question of the wedding ring
and why it should be placed on the
fourth finger of the left hand he
traces back to writer in the British
Apollo, 1908.
There is nothing more in this" it
is stated, than that the custom was
handed down to the present age from
the practice of our ancestors, who
found the left hand more convenient
for such ornaments than the right,
in that it is ever less employed; for
the same reason they chose the fourth
finger, which is not only less used than
either of the rest, but is more capable
of preserving a ring from bruises,
having this one quality peculiar to it
company with some other finger,
whereas the rest may be singly
stretched to their full length and
straightness."
The old-fashioned notion that shoe
should bring luck at a wedding is an
other superstition curious to explain.
1T was in the sense of confirming
a sale or exchange that the Jews un-
derstood the removal and giving of a
shoe or sandal. When the kinsman of
oOdZ cOnSeLI6Q TO waive MS claim
upon the parcel of land which Naomi
would sell in favor of Boaz, he drew
off his Shoe for this was a testimony
in Israel
In different sense the removal of
shoe marks the winding up of ne
gotiations among the laws and or
dinances given in the book of Deuter-
onomy, where the widow who is re-
fused marriage by her husbands sur
viving brother is directed to come I'M
to him in the presence of the elders,
and loose his shoe from off his foot,
thus asserting her independence, and
heaping upon him the blame for fail
ure to comply with the law.
When the Emperor Vladimar pro-
posed marriage to the daughter of
Reginald, she refused him with the
words:
will not take off my shoe to the
son of a slave.
I'm Anglo-Saxon marriages the
brides father delivered her shoe to
the bridegroom, who touched her on
the head with 1t in token of his au-
thority.'-London Daily Mail.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR
[From the New York Press.l

LFrom the New York Press-1
A first-cla way to make love to
girl is to follow her lead.
The average person tries to save
street car fares by riding in taxicabs.
A man is so crazy TO win bet he'd
want to do it il it killed him.
No matter how seasick woman is
she can enjoy sailing If she has a
yachting costume on and the other
women haven't.
All the money in the world couldn't
mean as much to a woman as her
husband knowing how to write her a
love letter after they had been mar
rfed i've years.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

had. and he was going on to tell OF
the awful majesty when Miss Sally In
terrupted him to ask:
Deacon, do you believe that later
bugs bore into cucumbe ?"
Then back came Mr.. Simms. With
out any previous warning he drove
up in a one horse wagon, handed Sal
ly another package of spruce gum and
said:
1--WE are going over to Scottsville
to the circus
Sally got ready without a word.
On the six mile drive hardly word
was spoken. She chewed gum and he
whistled the air of hymn. When
they arrived in the town he bought
gingerbread and root beer. In the
menagerie they walked from cage to
cage, and Mr.. Simms briefly explained:
Lion here
This is a Bengal tiger
Blamed hyena here"
elephants over there
While witnessing the circus per-
Torrance they had peanuts and lem
onade. The clown was funny, but
Mr.. Simms and Sally sat there as
solemn as owls. The riding and tum-
bling were good, but they made no
comments. When the circus was out
Mr.. Simms handed over some more
spruce to replace the "cud" thrown
logged home Two weeks passed.
and Mr.. Simms called at the house to
say:
''Sally, shall get the preacher next
week.
She didn't reply for minute, and
then said:
William, them hyenas was aw-
full
"Yep."
But the peanuts was fine.''
Next week. Sally"
And Sally Plum was wooed and
won. Any one could have got her and
her $4,000 had they studied her. She
was different, you know.-(Copyrigh
ed 1910 by Associated Literary Press.)
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

It's about time that the Topeka
school board placed the ban on the i'll
legal practice of purchasing school
supplies and materials from members
of the board. or from firms in which
members of the board are interested.
Evidence has been accommodating for
some time that the voters of the city
made no mistake when they over
hauled the personnel of this board at
the last local election
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

And the coal miners strike in Illi-
nois cost the miners $12,000.00O in
wages. The loss to the operators is
placed at $4,000. 900 and the resultant
shortage in the coal output of that
state will be 100000 tons for this
year. These facts and fiugres present
almost unanswerable arguments in
favor of compulsory arbitration of diff
ferences between capital and labor
which they are unable to settle be-
tween themselves
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

Many of the merchants and business
men of the city appear to be a little
slow in decorating their places of
business in honor of the state fair. 1t
is not too late yet to make the city
take on more OF a gala appearance.
There are still three more big days
of the fair, when there will be crowds
of visitors from out of town. Why
not show them that Topekan's are
Vyide-aWalxe1
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

President MeIlen of the New York,
New Haven & Hartford Railroad COM
pany thinks it is all right for public
authority to hold the railroads to their
full duty. And there can be no dis
agreement on this proposition But
the trouble is that many of the railroad
baiters OF the land seem to want the
railroads to do more than their duty.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

One brand of whisky is now made
from kaffir corn, and because much
of the corn used is raised in Kansas
the whisky has been called RAINIER
Korn." Many of the ardent prohibit
tionists in the state will be likely to
insist that this is a grievous insult to
Kansas The idea of a whisky being
named after a prohibition state and
one of its products. Was anything
ever quite so preposterous? Think.
too, of the wrath this name will cause
among the pun-haters
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

Any doubt which may have existed
as to the high financial status OF the
gentlemen engaged in areoplaning has
been removed. Those who are going
to take part in some of the events at
the Boston aviation meet have made
the necessary arrangements to drop
real fresh eggs on targets.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

The New Jersey State Association of
EmbaImers passed resolutions the 9TH
err day protesting against burials at
sea as being "a practice too barbarous
for this twentieth century, Inas-
much as many of the large transact
lantic steamship companies which ar
give at the port of New York have
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

The deposits in the Kansas state
and private banks increased more
than $4,000, 900 during the dull bust
ness months of the summer. Is it any
wonder that the people hereabouts
laugh at the pessimistic views express
ed in other parts of the country to the
effect that times are hard?
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13
KANSAS COAAENT
THE ANNUAL asACRIFICE.

THE ANNUAL SACRIFICE.
The season of the stained juvenile
dudS is at hand. With the first cool
weather after the beginning Of school
the first thing that is absolutely ne
cessary to the existence of the Ameri-
can boy Is run and kick at a foot
pan. There is no substitute for it.
Neither work nor any other form OF
exercise will take the place of the
football scrimmage, at least in the
boys mind.
The preliminaries are just now be-
ing enacted The grade boys have
purchased their fan books and are just
now organizing a corporation for the
purchase of a football AS soon as
the lads choose a treasurer to collect
the dimes and pay for the football
the game will begin after school
hours. -~
And then, mothers. you might just
as well make up your minds to see a
few soiled garments hanging on the
foot of the bed when the boy turns in
for the night. He couldn't wait until
he got his football clothes on and of
course, someone has to fall on the
grass. so it was an unavoidable acci-
dent, purely.
Don't growl at the kid if his hair
isn't combed when he comes home at
night. He is undergoing the prelim-
mary process of becoming a man. If
he don't play football his chances are
good for becoming "sissy" and don't
ever dllOW your KID TO De a SISSY
even if you have to whip it out of
him. Even in this day of specialties
there is no place in the world for a
Sissy. OTTAWA Herald.
OLD BIBLES FOR NEW.
We are just old fashioned enough 10
take no stock in he modernized Bible
which is shortly to appear, "couched
in everyday language, with Obsolete
words and phrases eliminated" The
King James Bible has done more to
preserve the good old Saxon words and
style, which are the best English liter
allure has produced, than anything else.
Instead of a movement to get US fur
Their away from that vigorous simple
classic style, and in the interest of
establishing the finest literary Ideals
possible to people destined to use the
curious hybrid which the English Ian
guage has become, it would be more
sensible to frown upon all efforts to
improve on the King James Bible. 1t Is
the greatest treasure house, inspiration
and teacher of good English that we
possess.-Newton neutrality-suspicious..
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

Mr.. Hearst's New York American
devoted a whole page recently to an
editorial on the fertilization Of the
Panama canal. The caption for the
editorial was 1.-The right to fortify the
Panama canal was secured after long
fight by the New York American, and
It will be fortified" If there had been
room the words "by the American"
would probably have been added to
the caption.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

1.-THE registry Of an earthquake $500
miles away by a seismograph at Wash
ington must be regarded" says the
New York World. "as the record in
wireless communication. Nature still
holds some secrets that man has not
yet been able to wrest from her con-
fro1
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

Gloomy weather should not keep
the crowds away from the great fair
1t is much more pleasant at the fair
grounds when the sun is not intense
" hot, and If it rains little there is
plenty of good shelter at every hand.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

Colonel Roosevelt would not sit at
the same banquet table with Senator
Lorimer of Illinois, but he greeted
Boss Cox, of Cincinnati, warmly
when they met at the reception given
in honor of the colonel by Nick Long
worth.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

their docks along the New Jersey
shore it may be barely possible that
the "barbarism" of burying the dead at
sea may have been suggested to the
undertakers of that state bye their de-
sires for a little more business.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

WhiSkerS and tomato can.
Did it ever occur to you tht the Eng
lish language CLASHES old people with
inanimate things? The opposite OF old
man Is young man." but the opposite
of old house is not young house" In
the descriptive of age, there is no diff
ference made, whether in speaking or
a man or other living creature. or In
speaking or a house or joke. "Old
describes them all. But in youth, a
difference is made. Living things are
spoken of as young" while inanimate
pears that the early linguists who
the aged living beings as over SO per
cent dead, and did not take the trouble
to establish a method of expressing
partially animate
We're sure to meet him at the F'air,-
No chance at all to miss him there.
Go to the cattle shed: you find
This person letting off his mind
About the autocratic cows;
They bawl for help when he ALLOWS
He has killed better ones for beef.
And then you sigh with great relief
And beat it thence,-a vain retreat
At every turn this pest you meet.
The grandstand sees him up in front
Where he performs his little stunt.
He stands and waves his fiippers to
Obstruct some other persons view.
The race is on: In accents loud
This sucker notifies the crowd
That every skate upon the track
Is on the Fritz and cant come back.
Then with his hammer in his mitt
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13
FULL LEASED WIRE REPORT
OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Because her husband would not stay
home nights. a Wisconsin woman COM
mitted suicide and thereby deprived
herself of her husbands society In the
daytime. Assuredly some folk haven't
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13
FRON OTHER PENS

ENTERTAINING THE PROFESSION
When criticism wishes to blanket a
fabricator of verses with faint praise
it calls him poets poet" In the
same way a f1ctionist who runs chiefly
to technique is likely to be labeled
"novelists' novelist" The assumption.
in both cases, is that the writer is not
for the general public and could bard
ly be successful with 1t.
Is the same rule to apply to thar
prestidigitator who has just assembled
his fellow practitioners and has as
tonished and mystified them by his
inexplicable '.stunts?" Is he to be call
ed a mere "magicians' magician" and
is his comparative failure with the
general run of amusement-goers to
be assumed? That depends. A success
full sleight-of-hand artist relies on
more than technique and dexterity. He
gets help from his stage setting, his
costume, his way and from COM
prehensive repertofy Of fiourishes, I'D
dle-faddle and f1ubdub. An audience
of fellow professionals takes an artist
on his bare merits. The careless crowd,
on the other hand, is apt to be in
f1uenced unduly by the nonessential
and the extraneous.
So with literature and art. Snowy
humbug succeeds. The legitimate,
reached by straight" means, is like
ly to bore. Moral: Humor the public.
Chicago Record-Herald.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13
POPLAR AILMENT.

The annual convention of the Nation
al Hay Fever association, which has
just been held at Bethlehem, N. H,
was most successful, both from the
standpoint of the number of delegates
in attendance and the interest and en-
thusiasm they displayed. 1t is appar-
ent that, despite reports to the contrary,
the popularity of hay fever is as firm
ly entrenched as ever. Time was when
it looked as if appendicitis might sup
plant hay fever as the ailment of aris-
tocracy. Then nervous prostration
threatened to displace the favorite- But
hay fever has one powerful advantage
over either of these rival maladies; its
Victims or devotees, are ordered to
take that pleasant prescription, change
of scene. True, the nervous prostra-
ton patient may be advised to take a
trip, but oftener he is kept at home
for the rest cure. But the person fortu-
nate enough to present a full hedged
case Of hay fever is invariably told to
travel to Michigan, Canada, the White
Mountains or other remote locality
where the fishing and golfing are good
and luxurious hotels are waiting to
welcome the coming. bleed the parting
guest. Once arrived in the region OF
the blest, the hay fever disappears as
If by magic.-Pittsburg Gazette-Times.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13
[:G
= es7s:Iy

Some popular mistakes: The idea
that the average barber talks too
much: That a hobo always wears
whiskers and q tomato can.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13
THE INDISPENSABLE MAN.

Now and then a government clerk
dies in a secondary position and little
note is taken of his death beyond the
bare comment that he served virtually
a lifetime in a certain capacity. In a
way this may be a reflection on his
usefulness. Probably men like Thomas
P. Cleaves. who was clerk of the SEN
ate. committee on appropriations for
81 years, find their relative obscurity
pleasant. He began work as clerk of
the committee in 1873. when Senator
Morrill, of Vermont was its chairman,
and continued to the end of Senator
Aldrich's chosen time for retirement.
He saw new senators come and veteran
senators go, and alike he outstayed
them. They had the honors and the
victories and the fame, but he was in
dispensable. The sense of knowledge
and authority over his superiors which
such a man possessed, aloof from po-
litical changes. was perhaps his best
reward. He was neither an accident
nor a great statesman, but a plain
necessity. In the various departments
of the government such men are not
infrequent. They are unknown to the
public, their services attract no atten-
ton outside their sphere, but they are
the infallible parts of the machinery
when administrations change. 1t Is
often harder to fill their places than to
stop a gap in the cabinet.-New York
World.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

THAT actress is undergoing tremen-
new role?" mo. Trying to decide wheth-
err she will get more advertising as suf-
fragette or as an opponent of votes for
women. PUCK
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13
HUNOR or THE Day

Stranger Ito conductor of village choir)-
But why are you practicing out here In
the street? $50 that Hubermichel up there
can join in. His wife has forbidden him
to go out. "-Fliegende Blaetter.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-13

Sometimes you have to hit a man to
make him keep quiet, so that you can
save him from drowning" YES replied
the abrupt person; 1.-The time to do 1t Is
when he first begins to rock the boat
Washington Star.
The Prescott daily news., 1910-07-16
A BURNING ERUPTION FROM
 HEAD TO FEET

-Four years ago I suffered severely with terrible eczema, being mass of sores from head to feet and for six weeks confined to my bed During that time I suffered continual torture from itching and burning. After being given up by my doctor I was advised to try Cuticura Remedies. After the first bath with Cuticura Soap and ap- plication of Cuticura Ointment l en- joyed the first good sleep during my entire illness. l also used Cuticura Resolvent and the treatment was con- tinued for about three weeks. At the end of that time 1 was able to be about the house, entirely cured, and have felt no i'll effects since I would advise any person suffering from any form of skin trouble to try the Cuti- cura Remedies, as 1 know what they did for me. Mrs. Edward Nenning, 1112 Salina St., Watertown, N. Y., Apr. Il, 1909."
The Prescott daily news., 1910-07-16
The MiScr of SaG Harbor.

Economy" said Daniel w. Field, the millionaire shoe manufacturer of Boston, who at the age of forty five has entered Harvard, "economy Is es- sential to wealth, but by economy don't mean niggardliness.
 Two many men fail to attain to wealth because they practise a cheeseparing and mean economy that gets everybody down on them.
 They practise, in fact, an economy like that of old William Brewster of Sag Harbor. William, you know, would never buy oysters because he couldn't eat shells and all"
The Prescott daily news., 1910-07-16
Well. Wasn't He Riaht?

The minister was addressing tho
 Sunday school Children, I want to talk to you for a few moments about one of the most wonderful one of the most important organs in the whole world he said What is that that throbs away, beats away, never stop ping, never ceasing. whether you wake or sleep, night or day week in and week out, month in and month out, year in and year out, without any volition on your part, hidden away in Che depths, as it were, unseen by you, throbbing, throbbing rhythmically all your life long?" During this pause for oratorical effect a small voice was heard: ''I know. It's the gas meter"
The Prescott daily news., 1910-07-16
A Protection Against the Heat.

When you begin to think it's per sonal matter between you and the sun to see which is the hotter, buy your self a glass or a bottle of Coca-Cola. It is cooling-relieves fatigue and quenches the thirst. Wholesome as the purest water and lots nicer to drink. At soda fountains and car bonated in bottles-5c everywhere. Send Pc stamp for booklet The Truth About Coca-Cola' and the Coca-Cola Baseball Record Book for 1910. The latter contains the famous poem Casey At The Bat, records, schedules for both leagues, and other valuable baseball information compiled by au- thorities. Address The Coca-Cola Co.,, Atlanta, Ga.
The Prescott daily news., 1910-07-16
Statistics Go Lame.

Pears t me thars somethin' wrong with stertisticks," remarked the oldest inhabitant as he dropped into his usual place on the loafers' bench. What's wrong with 'em?" queried the village grocer
 Wall, ercordin' tew 'em," continued the 0. i, we orter hev had a death in teown ev'ry six weeks fer tn past Jew years"
 ''Is that so?" said the grocer.
 ''Yaas,' answered the other, "an' by ginger, we ain't had 'em!"
 Theatrical expense accounts come under the head of play bills.
The Prescott daily news., 1910-07-16

Everything in baseball today Is the signal system. The marvellous per formances of the Cubs. the irresisti- ble rush of the Tigers and the sensa- tional play of other teams owes much Of its brilliance and seeming luck to team signals. Even the umpires find 1t profitable to understand some of the signals while officiating Of course 1t keeps them guessing a lot, because signals often are switched in a game, but they come to know, in a general way, what Is going to be pulled off.
 The authority for this statement is President Tip O'Neill of the Vest ern league, who was once an umpire himself. Understanding signals in general way was often a help to me" said ONeill. For example, the umpire would often be caught mapping on base decision if he didn't know that a steal or hit-and-run signal was given. This enables him to keep one eye on the play and the other on the other angle of the play It has been said that the umpire might give some of the plays to the other team if he knew the signals. That's all bosh. No umpire could do that and retain his l job.
 "Umpiring Is one of the hardest jobs in all creation, and for that req son every little thing helps that aids him in his general all-round work. It is easier in the big league nowadays where there Is man on the bases all the time. That takes away nine tenths of the worry from the man de- ciding the strikes and balls"
The Prescott daily news., 1910-07-16

body into the final swing, and if he hits the ball 1t Is good night" This is the cleanup type. Doubles, triples and home runs often fall to the lot of the leaders in this division. The Cubs have many in their lineup who bat ac cording to this style. Manager Chance is one and Joe Tinker another. Terry Turner of the Maps falls into the same category. and so does Killifer of the Senators.
 Then comes the silent type, best ex- emplified by Frank Schulte of the Cubs To the average fan these bat. ters appear careless. They stand like statue, calm and almost motionless. Perhaps the batter may give one swing before letting go. They stand and eye the pitcher out of counte. nance. Of all the batters, this type is most feared by the pitchers There is grimness in the situation. The batter seems to say, I'm laying for you, old kid"
 Some of the best batters of the decade belong to this classification, In addition to Schulte there Is Speak CT of the Red Sox, one of last year's & sensations, Dougherty of the Sox is another. You can almost imagine they are yawning with ennui as they stand up at the plate. Their position gives them an excellent birdseye view of the ball as 1t turtles through the air, and they have an excellent chance to aim.