Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-01

The rainbow pictures of conditions in
Ireland drawn by correspondents and re-
turning tourists is accompanied by a
shadow visible about once a year. The
shadow is compressed in the annual stats
tics OF emigration. While there we're more
births than deaths in the country during
1909 the emigration Of 1876 persons ex-
ceeded the gain and made a net loss of
population for the year. The net loss was
but few hundred, which would not be
worth attention were IL a rarity But the
persistent annual loss despite equally per-
sistent efforts to check II. is a source of
encouragement 20 the most hopeful. Con
ditions OF life have greatly improved in
ireland and will undoubtedly continue to
improve as land ownership by actual TIL
lers increases. In other directions cond-
tons are lettering steadily. The uplift
on ell sides is most encouraging, and
should be a source of contentment as we'll
as a spur to enterprise. But the lure OF the
United States permeates the island and
overshsdows all efforts to check emigra-
ton. The home coming excursions from
the United states to Ireland during the
last summer, though well mentioned and
doubtless financially beneficial to the old
country, served to intensity the desire for
home in the land of liberty. To argue
that the men and women of Ireland are
better off at home and have greater OPP
portunities for advancement is a waste
of breath, while hundreds OF prosperous
visitors more or less boastful of their sue
cess are touring the country. There is
hardly a home in all Ireland without a
member or relative In the United States
Every one of them who is even reason
ably successful unconsciously perhaps,
fires the ambition of those at home to seek
the new world. Much more progress must
be made and a greater variety of oppor-
tunlties provided before the lure OF the
United States ceases to impress itself on
the emigration statistics OF Ireland.
The question OF race preservation COM
mands increasing attention in Europe. Ef-
forts are being made in several countries
to encourage married couples to have large
! families. France is considering a bill for
paying cash bonuses to government en-
ployes with children, and the German Dor
ouEh of Schoneberg, which comprises a
large part Of south and southwest Berlin.
pays premiums to municipal employees who
have more than two children. The in
creased cost of living has produced
marked tendency toward the two-child
standard in German towns. Schoneberg
will henceforth pay $3.50 a month to every
| employee, married or widower, who has
three children, g a month for four children,
1915 for five, s4.a6 for six, and IS for fami-
| lies OF more than six.
Official regulation of the large and small
affairs of life is carried to amazing ex-
tremes in Germany. Two recent instances
Of official red tape are typical. A business
man in Berlin found key on the sidewalk.
He informed the first policeman he met
and was instructed to deliver it to the
city department of lost and found arti-
cles, five miles distant and opposite the
direction In which the business man was
going. Instead Of obeying orders the
citizen returned the key to the place he
found II and was about TO duck response
bility when another officer appeared and
gave him the alternative of delivering the
key to the lost department or suffer arrest
and fine He chose the former course.
abe widow of a man killed in railroad
accident has received from tht provincial
authorities a demand for 50 for time and
labor expended in removing the blood
stains from the railroad premises. Unless
the widow pays the bill prosecution will
follow.
There are some interesting episodes in
the life of Sir Charles Euan-Smith, who
died in England recently. Once in the
market place Of an Afghanistan town, he
was fired at by q native. He lodged a
complaint with the ameer, who appeared
to take no notice of the incident, merely
remarking, That's all right" Sir Charles
complained again, and met with the same
reply. He still thought that the ameer
was treating a serious matter with less
consideration than it deserved, but thought
It advisable to say no more on the sub
ject. About week afterwards he was
invited by the ameer TO ride with him.
They rode for some distance outside the
town, and they passed gibbet after gibbet
At length Sir Charles said, your highness
has been busy OF late" "Oh, no." replied
the ameer, they are your little lot" He
had seized all the members Of the would
, be assassin's family and hanged every
one of them.
Heligoland has undergone a wonderful
/ transformation since Great Britain handed
, it over to Germany. twenty years ago.
i Vast sums have been spent in protecting
E it from the destructive assaults of the
sea- Massive ramparts of granite con-
+ structed at cost of 5000 OOO confront the
4 waves on the southwest Three other
e great seawals have been built, and in
{ time practically the whole island will be
[ incased in granite. In places where the
porous red rock has been eaten away by
s the sea, the corrosion has been arrested
Y by the wholesale use Of cement. The
e waves have been robbed of their prey, and
Heligoand, instead of disappearing alto
gether, as once seemed probable has be-
come a fortress which is comparable to
| Gibraltar. 1t is armed with the most
| powerful guns, contains huge stores of
munitions of war, and is provisioned
against a long siege. Its garrison is com
plete, and, should an enemy succeed in
q sllencing its batteries the difficulty of seal
y ing the rock would be almost insuperable
recent traveller through the orient ex-
presses the belief that China, now awak.
enng, will rise superior to Japan, already
= | awake He bases this view upon the rela'
= | tive honesty and morals Of the two peo-
: pies To the Chinese he accords high
:. praise, but from the Japanese withholds
all that savors OF commentator. He may
. speak with the voice OF prejudice, but Il
So the prejudice is shared by many per
sons whose chances of observation have