The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-12-14
!. BY THE WAY
BY HARVEY PARSONS.

Readers of this colyum will remem-
Der one Ponce who, in time past
contributed at frequent intervals. For
two years after Ponce" began to
come through with his bright rhymes,
and stick an occasional oasis in this
Sahara of Sentiment, the parent of this
colyum was totally ignorant of the
Whereabouts of Ponce. The letters
were in plain envelopes, and the post
mark was always dim. No name ex-
cept Ponce" was at any time signed
to the notes and rhymes. Detective
work was resorted to, but after a year
of pussy-footing, We gave it up. AND
THEN
an up-country editor dropped in and
coyly admitted that he knew Ponce
and his right name. Ponce" was-and
is, Leon Howe, the local and long
distance genius who writes the Walt
masonesque rhymes for the University
Daily Kansan. AS a side-line he writes
catchy music, and is the author and
composer of the coming K. U. oper-
eta, "Blue Rose Diamond" which Will
be given at the Bowersock opera house
this winter. Sociologists who have
made a study of this Ponce, pronounce
him musical freak" and a second
Ben King" Here's hoping the young
genius who donated some of his best
work,-post paid,-to this department,
will get a lot OF fun and remuneration
out of his natural talents.
In telling story in Washington the
other day, Mayor Gaynor, of New
York, put across the word "spissi-
tudinous." If Thavis hadn't vouched
for it, we would never believe that
word like that could be pushed through
a full beard.
The Missouri Pacific announces that
it will give all wreck news to re-
porters- How railroads, as we'll as
times, do change! About eight years
ago, the writer of this light literature
started on a vacation. A few miles
out of town, the train he was riding
Con a pass) met a freight train which
was trying to find it's way into To-
peka. AS the meeting occurred On a
single track, the result was rather
disquieting. The freight was spread
from fence to fence, and 80 people
near-scribe. Next morning a tired,
dirty reporter fell into his office and
scooped every paper in the country
simply because of the policy of the
railroad. Reporters from rival papers
attempted to reach the wreck by the
only medium,-the relief train. Some
of them were kicked off the steps, but
one rode the train to the yard limits,
where he was discovered and kicked
off the pilot of the engine. Knowing
the policy of the road,-and all rail-
roads at that time, the reporter on the
job refrained from disclosing his iden-
tity, and got his information by lis
tening to the talk of others. Had he
shown his hand, the chances are good
that he would have been tossed off
the returning relief train.
But times-and railroads,-have
changed. For many years, the fairest
of all corporations has been the rail-
road 1t is not necessary for a re-
porter to get to the scene of a wreck
before he can get the truth. The old
fashioned spectacular stunt of riding
the trucks or stealing a hand-car to
get on the job, is no longer a part
of the news writer's duty. He gets the
first hint of accident or other railroad
news from the company itself, and, If
he wants a closer view, is shown ev-
ery courtesy by the railway officials.
And, as result, the railroads get bet
ter treatment from the papers.
Stubbs, it is reported, considers going
on the lecture platform. 1t is a move
that will meet with hearty endorsement
from those who feel that salt risin'
bread has not been properly exploited.
A few American women, when they
go to England, are presented at court,
and get three colyums in the home
paper English women, when they are
presented at court, seem to get from
so days to three years for rioting.
We passed our unlucky day,-F'riday
having brick fall on
our sacred COCO. But outside of that, |
it was just as unlucky as any other |
day.