The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-08-27
BY THE WAY
BY HARVEY PARSONS.


There are a few old heads in town
who claim to remember the time
when whiskers ranging from the
throat-latch pattern to the lace cur
tain effect, were considered the proper
stuff when worn by ball players. but
they admit that it was long, long ago.
Mayhap you think such adornment was
worn in spirit of bravado, we has
ten to announce that in them good
old days" there were people who had
the nerve, not only to wear fuzz on
the phiZ, but to endorse the practice.
Tom Thompson, the man who put
the How in Howard, sends this de-
partment relic of ancient literary
effort, to wit: copy of The Southern
Literary Messenger, published in 1858.
The magazine contains roast for
Harriet Beecher Stowe, a number of
fy-specks, poems and other miscel-
lany, and a book review department.
One of the books mentioned, with
number of quotations therefrom, is
'TitcOmb's Letters to Young People,
published by Scribner's for Timothy T.
I1tcomb, Esq, some ancient, FOSSIL
lied Hubbard squash who thought he
knew all about the subject of which
he wrote In his advice to young
men, the editor takes this as a fitting
sample of the hog-waSh in the book:
Il would be unjust to the age were
to omit the mention of a special
point of Physical culture which has
been long neglected. You find as you
come into mans estate that hair has
a tendency to grow upon your face. 1t
is the mark by which the Creator
meant that man and woman should be
distinguished from each other in the
crowd. That hair was placed there in
infinite wisdom, but your fathers have
been cutting it off from their chins in
small crops from 80 to SO years, thus
impugning naturR'S policy, wasting
precious time. drawing a great deal of
precious blood, creating great deal
of bad, and trying to erase from their
faces the difference that was intended
to be maintained between them and
those of women. If you are a man
and have beard, wear it. You know
1t was made to wear. 1t is enough to
make man with decent complement
of information and a common degree
of sensibility (and a handsome beard)
deny his kind, to see these smooth
faced men around the streets, and ac-
tually showing themselves in female
society. Let US have one generation of
Boards"
II is evident that Titcomb. Esq,
thought he had a handsome beard
and went on through life wearing a
cluster of substituting on his map, but
to anyone who ever lamped a young
medical student in the first throes of
raising a whiSker, the attitude of a
public that would let Titcomb's book
run into the fourth edition is incon
ceivable.
pIlIl lilIS IleTeIy u
strengthen our contention that the
movement of our fair land is not re-
dictionary, but forward.
The poor cook who wants to have a
good time and remain on good terms
with the ten commandments at one
and the same time, may suspect that
an "insidious lobby was on the job
when the Mosaic laws We're passed.
For the ten commandments are al
most as hard to observe as the To-
peka ordinances.
Louie @Lipkenfussera who has had
some experience with them. says the
chickefts srIl N. too much to feathers and
gall.
For a while, we feared that Kansas
would not get in on the Thaw get
away, but the fear has vanished. There
is man in Topeka who has been in
SherbroOke, Canada, and his grand
father lived but 40 miles from that
place.
There has. been some talk of our
city parent running for office again.
But. as we understand it, the presi-
dency of the Hunky-Punky Embroid-
cry club will not be available for two
years.
An Atchison youth who was caught
with a marriage license but without
the consent of the girl named therein,
says it was joke. His mistake is in
eXcusab1e. A marriage license is no
Joke.