The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-20
SAYS UNCLE CAV

When we are really hard pressed
Tor an excuse for our own pig-headed
Ignorance we are likely to call it the
providence of God. Within the last
few weeks this much-mangned 'provi-
dence" has been responsible, to my
own knowledge, for widespread de-
struction by storms, disastrous floods.
the manning of a hero and the murder
of a workman.
After hearing about all these things
hand-running, I began to think that
there must be some mistake some
where. 1t didn't seem possible that
God had gone pothunting to kill off
a few surplus humans for the sport of
the thing I told this to old Doc
Houser as we sat on the Woodp1le
back of the Puckyhudd1e postoffice
and Doc snorted.
You'd be better off in some home
Cor imbeciles,'' he said.
"Td have lot of company" I re-
torted. a-s
Lots of it," he agreed, ''but it
wouldn't be very elevating society,
even granting that the very best peo-
ole in Puckyhuddle would be there,
which they undoubtedly would
You see,'' he continued after
pause, "the fellow that doesn't know
enough to stage manage a MANNED
horse and double-shoVel plow is
always ready to give advice as to
how this stupendous, Incompatible,
unparalleled and altogether gor-
geous production that we call the uni
verse should be conducted. He knows
all about the inner workings, drop
curtains, spotlights, electrical effects
and the stage business! He may not
know how to make sure that supper
is going to follow dinner, but he's got
the real dope on what the Creator
thinks and does. Whenever he stubs
hi of of ND
his own tarnal carelessness.
"I note that you are considerably
wrought up over the damage done by
that tornado the other day. Now the
people who lost their lives knew that
they lived in the tornado belt. They
also knew, or should have known,
that shell-like houses don't stand up
under the whacks of the tail of a
twister. If they had forgotten the
fact those who survived were re-
minded of it by the appearance Of
the storm area. The solidly, honest
ly-built houses stood up and protected
their inmates. The shoddy stuff col
lapsed and killed everything within
reach. 1t would occur to a man of
intelligence that the thing to do in
idly.
Those Ohio floods are doubtless a |
pretty hard nut for you to crack, but |
the fact remains that there are a few |
thousand men in the United States |
who know all about how to prevent |
floods and who could do away with |
disastrous overflows in a few years |
if we would lend a hand and loosen |
up our pursestrings. Until we do that |
We can't have any kick coming on |
deluges, and it's a little worse than |
to go on neglecting our duty
and attributing the damage to the |
providence of the Creator.
This badly-mashed hero you're |
growing sentimental over is entitled |
to consideration, but he has a right /
to get good and mad over the kind of /
considerat ton you are giving him 1t |
wasn't an accident that MANNED him,
neither was it a whim of the deity. |
1t was cold-blooded negligence upon
the part of the community that al
lowed it's streets to lapse into a dan
gerous condition. The injury of this
man who was trying to save another
was Notwithstanding like it was
bound to happen to somebody. Yet
the public muttered something like
accident and the will of Cod and
continues to neglect it's thorough
fares. Out upon such blasphemyl
THE workman, you say, died be-
that he should. His widow knows
better. She and her martyred hus-
band doubtless talked about the
negligence to provide the
safety appliances required by law. She
says he was murdered, and she
knows"
In the light of old Docs remarks it
appears that we have been in the
habit of laying upon the shoulders
Of deity most of our errors and a
good many of our crimes. 1t also APP
pears that it is bad policy to deity
our mistakes.-(Copyri 1913, byI
the Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.) ]