The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-04-16
AS MAN TO MAN.

Mister Shakespeare placed in Cardi-
nal Wolsey's mouth these words:
Put not thy trust in princes or their
favors." And Shakespeare was sure
some judge of men. The newspaper
man sometimes thinks he has lot of
friends. But this is vanity. He hasn't
any more friends than a last years
birds nest. The warm weather came
along this week about a month behind
time and with its coming every other
man in town got out his automobile
and poured a quart or two of machine
oil into its vitals and fed 1t with gaso-
line and footed his horn and sailed off
In cloud Of dust. But did a single
one of these false friends in sleeps
clothing come around and take the
newspaper man a ride? Did they?
Well. not a great deal.
The air has been choked with auto
mobiles all week. They come by like
procession. They infest the streets.
the hills and valleys. Every color and
every size and every speed. Their own
ers sit In pride to mock the fallen.
They bring to pass that prophecy, the
wicked shall flourish like a green bay
tree while the righteous shall walk in
the dust Of the road
These plutOcrats that own cars, they
do not call for the newspaper man. No,
they do not even stop when he lifts
his voice to the high blue Skies Tired
CT waiting for the call that never
came, he went out yesterday and tried
to stop one Of these vehicles Of a mod
ern Babylon. He used a flag, a ges-
ture, shout and a prayer. But these
drivers only fed little more gasoline
into the friction shuttle and increased
their speed. He could not have
stopped them with a process of law or
a special dispensation from the pope
at Rome.
And these men, these drivers, these
special vested gentry; in the cold days
of winter and the stormy days of
spring. they spoke the newspaper
man fair and accepted his free
advertisements and his word of
greeting and he pointed with pride
to this one and the other and
called them friends. They talked with
him and took his hand and did him
much honor In public places. yea. they
were even wont to slap him on the
back in familiar fashion when within
the walls of home.
The newspaper man was puffed up
about it and talked of the long list of
his friends. Doctor. lawyer. merchant.
them but to praise. Forty of 'em-
count 'em-forty. = He walked with
them and believed to his soul that this
was fine world to live in.
+ COmeth then a fair day with sun
shine and a light blue sky. and this
newspaper man rubs McShane's lini-
ment on his joints and cuts his corns
and gets his shoes half-soled and girds
up his loins with a new fifty-cent belt
and walks his weary way down this
vale of tears by a path that is worn
with the tires Of countless automobiles
and lighted by many new-fangled head
lights and haunted by the mirth and
laughter Of those who toll not neither
do they spin.
And while this newspaper man walks
this path big cars with offensive horns
come along and frighten him with
their loud noise and confuse him with
their speed and run over his feet with
their front tires. And having passed
by they spit smoke and fire out behind
them even as the dragon did that John
saw on his little island in the long ago.
Friendship ia shadow that the
summer sunshine frightens away.
Friendships gown in winter will not
bloom in the spring. He that walks in,
the snow shall walk in the dust. He
that goeth on foot In an overcoat shall
go the same way in a linen buster also.
And may the Lord have mercy on his
soul c.