The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-23
KANSAS COMMENT
THE BURDENS OF SOCIETY.


A couple of years ago some railway
Work was IN progress at Frankfort,
ana a part OF 1t was being done by
two rival contractors who held Bit
Ter grudge against each other because
OF private Quarre1s. They were drunk
en-, dtsreputable, worthless individuals,
VINO had disguised that quiet and de-
cent town by their brawling for some
| time.
One day one of them primed him
,, self with booze and went hunting for
the other, and found him. Murder
was committed on the main street of
the town, in broad daylight. in the
sight of scores of people. The MUIR
derer had one trial a year ago, and
now is having another, and it is drag
glng along slowly as though there was
any doubt about the guilt of the ac-
cused- The costs are piling up as time
goes on, and the county will have to
stand it. The lawabidinR taxpayers
OF that county will have to liquidate
bill CT several thousand dollars be-
cause reckless and worthless ruffian
filled his skin with whisky and went
cunning.
A Frankfort paper utters a loud
protest. 1t sees no justice in the fact
that certain community must stand
the expense and WEAKNESS and hu-
initiation of such a trial, merely be-
cause the murderer happened to make
that community the scene of his
crime. Both the murderer and his
victim were strangers in the town, and
had no interests there. and no friends.
Why should Marshall county have to
foot the bills in the case?
Such protest does no good, how
ever. Society everywhere has its un-
just burdens. All over this country
bills for those who, defy the law
Emporia Gazette.
THE ART OF DINING.
If there are any Kansans who still
inhale their soup, or mistake knife
for a shovel and their mouth for a
bin, or who have other discrepancies
of table manners, they may now go to
school and learn better, although
Higher Education should hardly be
necessary to teach one that gentle
manners are as much to be desired as
a gentle voice. The Kansas Agricul-
tura1 college, which is responsible for
a number of sensible notions, is teach
ing the art of dining among other
things in varied and practical cur
| riculum. And it might teach any
number of less important subjects
No need to make table etiquette
hobby, and carry it to foolish ex-
tremes which use up most of your
mental energy keeping the forks and
spoons properly catalogued. But, on
the other hand. there is still less
excuse for tackling your repast as if
you were used to taking 1t in a hurry
and from a trough. Good manners
are as essential to polfteness, or near
ly so. as the proprieties of speech,
and they should come easily for one
who has consideration for others.
But this art of dining suggests a
far wider field than merely instruct
ing the young idea which fork to use,
and not to drink up the contents of
, the finger bowls or pour tea in
saucer. There might also be some
instruction in what to eat, how much
and when. These are more important
matters than the mere rules of ETH
quette of the table, for they touch
| with great force that most important
of all topics: health. And there are
fewer subjects which are so disre-
garded. Kansans,.~ the people of
other fat states, eat~too much. Many
of them eat too rapidly. and use little
| judgment in selecting the articles Of
diet Until these things are taught,
and the teaching observed, the public
health will not approach the stand
ard it should. The art of dining
should not be confined to the Agri-
cultural college, or technical learning;
| it should find a place in every school
from the kindergarten to the uni
versity.-Atchison Globe.