The chronicle=news., 1913-02-18
STRAY TOPICS FROM
LITTLE 0LD NEW YORK

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4 New York, Feb. l".-COnsiderin X
| the fact that the Americans have II
universal reputation for being guild
cd in their actions by considera tions
and motives OF the most practical and
matter Of fact character. IL is surpris-
ins what lot of sentiment IL wasted
Iupan a man like General Sicklcs.
who. after n brilliant and honorable
career In the service OF HIS country.
suIitIficd himself by disgracing and
ldishOnorlns himself for the sake OF q
womnn-not even his wife. II Is
ldlfficuit to understand the causes OF
deterioration which hny" marrcd the
life OF the general. Students OF hu-
man nature are wondering whether
there had always been yellow
streak In the generals character or
whether II developed only when
,cniiiiy began 10 weaken his power
of resistance. However that may
have been. General SickIs succeeded
In making II horrible mess Of II. No
amount OF charitable disposition
toward the old man could ever oblIt-
crai. the fact that ne wa. guilty Of
fiaerani dishonesty when h" m!sap-
Ipropiintcd u large sum Of money
which had been entrusted TO him.
What makes his sin even blackcr Is
the fac, that by committing IL he
betrayed the trust placed In him by
| those who mad believed In him and
had hQnorcd him for the faithful ser.
vices which he had rendered to his
country
These who are charitabiy inclined
may try TO find excuses for the gem
erals misdc.d and may put the
blame upon his weakness or whatever
they please. hut the fact remains tha,
his act was one OF dishonesty not
alone according To the Interpretation
by the law. but In the judgment OF
all fair-mindcd persons. The viofa-
and those guilty Of II will deserve tho
so wantonly wasted upon General
Sickles.
For long time Il has been fol.
that there was something radically
wrong with the school system OF New
York City. but nobody seemed To he
able to. locate the feat and the cause
OF tho trouble. Finally the board Of
Estimates took tho hull by the horns
and appointed an Investigating com.
mittcc which employed experts to
study the matter with n view Of as-
pertaining tho defects Of tho present
system. The first OF the reports OF
the experts submitted the commit
tee was that or DR.. Edward e. Elliott.
director Of the school OF education Of
1.-THE University Of Wisconsin. The rc-
lport IL undoubtedly interesting and
lcontsina aome valuable pointers. DR.
/ Elliott recommends the abolition oi
1.-THE hoard Of superintcndents and n
number Of changes In the administra-
tive systcm OF the schools. II remains
Ito he seen. however. what the other
|expcrts have TO say upon the SUBJ
Jccts. II would he q decidedly nov
el experience II the experts should
agree In their opinions In this ease. II
Is more likely. however. that each
will find different causes OF the OK
iis,ing defects and will make differ
cut suggestions 80 that, in the end.
the investigating committee will he
practically in the same position "a
now. 1t will know what Il docs now.
that there Is something wrong with
the school system. without having
come a single step nearer to the solu-
iIon Of the problem.
When Judge Rosalasky in general
sessions tho other day sentenced Pas
uuale Polarity to one year In the
pcnitcntiary and fine Of $500 after
the prisoner had pleaded guilty to n
brutal assault upon his stepchild. a
boy about one year old. he expressed
regret that the law did not deal more
severely with such brutes as the pris-
oncr. He emphatically voiced the
sentiments OF everyone present in the
court room. Testimony showed that
the prisoner had been In the hablt OF
.bcating the baby with the buckle OF
heavy belt whenever the little fel.
lew cried and that on one occasion
he had even bitten the check OF the
little fellow.
n John L. Borne, a former mem.
her Of the produce exchange and tho
consolidated exchange OF this city
had died six hours later than he did
lhis widow would have been made
poorer by siO.lsO. Borne died Jul!
N. 1910. at 1880 a. m.. at the Gar
den City hotel in Garden City, l.. I
Abont six hours later Governo,
Hughes signed a bill which material
ly changed the Inheritance tnN laws
As Borne died before the new Law
ii hn,o,no offocfivo thu pO,trtC decIdSf