davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-09-13
The Second Rate Man i'm Politics.

Under the above title, Meredith
Nicholson, the Indiana novelist,
makes an interesting and non-parti-
san contribution to political discus
sion in the August Atlantic Monthly.
Mr.. Nicholson takes the position that
our public Offices are largely filled
by men of inferior ability. He calls
upon all patriotic and intelligent
Americans to work for higher stan
dards of fitness.
1t is easier to reach conclusions of
this kind than it is to announce any
remedy. For one thing, there is too
little interest in public affairs. You
are more apt to hear men ON the
train discussing base ball than poll
tics. Political primaries come at the
most but few times year, but it
is hard to get out to them the atten-
dance that assemblies in the movie
theaters on any night.
Years ago there was not this in
0AASA ShSS' az SNCiy SoihSi 6ioSCly
the village wiseacres debated the ins
and outs of politics. The doings of
their public men passed under mi
croscopic scrutiny. Men talked poll
tics as they worked side by side in
the field. This rustic debate is now
looked back upon as an absurd
waste of time, but it served it's ends
Today in club and society circles,
one feels almost ashamed to intro
duce these subjects. Most men
would rather talk about money max
ing or sport. Politics is looked on as
a hopeless mess. from which sensible
business men keep aloof.
This aloofness is sufficient cause
for the inferior standards of which
Mr.. Nicholson complains. Wherefore
let the patriotic citizen not refrain
from starting political discussion
among his circles of intimates. The
more people talk about public af-
fairs, the more they get interested in
them. If someone in every group
of people this fall could start a red
hot political debate, there would be
fewer stay-at-homes next November.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-09-13
j. Nj. SpilIman Sells Out.

Yesterday afternoon, in about
three minutes, j. M. Spillman and
Ben Boyle closed deal whereby the
latter became the owner of Mr.. Spill
mans restaurant and pool hall, in
Guiding the building, the deal III
volving about 100000 we are told.
Mr. Boyle will undoubtedly conduct
the business in the future and we
wish him success. Just what Mr..
Spillman will do we have not learn
ed.-Ossian Bee.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-09-13

New York City,
Sept. 3. Pastor
Russell gave a
very able dis
course this even
ing to a large and
attentive a u d i
ence at the New
York City Tenn
pie, w. 63d St.,
near Broadway.
His text was =
Timothy /: Z -
God hath not
given us the spir-
it of fear. but OF
power, and Of
love and OF a
sound mind"
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-09-13

No more home canning. Save
money, labor and worry by using
California Growers brand Of canned
fruits. Hutchinson Grocery, Distri-
butors. Sept.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-09-13
LOVE VS.. FEAR AS
C0NSTRA|N|NG POWER
The Chain With Which Satan
Binds Millions to Keep
Them From God.

Whole World in Bondage to Fear
All Nations More Or Less DOmin-
ated by Evil Spirits-GOds and
DemigOds of Mythology-Bible
Teaching on This Subject-LOve
Not Fear, the Drawing Power
Bible Alone Presents God of
Love-Bible Long Misunderstood
Through Satan's Scheming. Now
Being Seen In All Its Beauty.
Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-09-13
Chickens at Large Are Put in Animal
Glass.

Troubles of Hampton residents
because of poultry running at large,
have resulted in an amendment to
the city ordinances. Poultry is now
listed in the same class as horses and
cattle and are subject to be dis
trained and impounded."
The sun., 1916-09-03
rowed the So.

away the best coffee In the world
could be obtained al exactly the salnc
price.
1.-THE trouble. as I was saying. with
the professional bohemians OF this
neighborhood is that their whole lives,
from sleep to sleep, Is subjective.
whereas the bohemianism OF Murger
was artlessly artful and wholesome
simply because 1t was a~rtless. They
stick snakes on the OF their
posters on the walls here because they
think there is something devilishly
uncanny and ugly about a make. II
some one batted into their heads that
almost all snakes are harmless. that n
snake IL one OF the cleanest creatures
living. that q snake IL beautiful In
color in the same way that "A pleas
ants wing or Whistler's Battersca is
beautiful in color. II that a snake
could not be ungraceful in form X il
actually tricd--.f these obvious facts
about snakes were driven into their
heads snakes would disappear from
the borders of their posters.
To write we'll ur ~ draw we'll means
that one has worked hard 10 learn
ones technique. Working hard means
hard work. This crew around here
eve worked hard In their lives. They
v worked. therefore they are not
doing and never vii. do anything
worth a continental damn. SD"
"Oli. well. IL you're going to curse
The sun., 1916-09-03
HINDENBURG, CERM1ANY'S HOPE

lie never played cards or drank cX-
~cess.vely ana he hardly ever smoked.
H.ndenburg never speaks OF fate yr
luck. lie does not talk about genius.
but he believes that God helped him.
God helped me To gain a victory ana
the Kaiser gave me the soldiers. he
mad me commander. he trusted me.
BE grateful 4 God and the Kaiser.
do not thank me-" Is what lie tod tile
Poop. Of East Prussia when they came
10 thank and praise HIM as their de-
liverer.
As professor Of tho "l<ricgs Aka
damio" i>rnt there Hv the order pf
the General Staff, H~!ud,uhurS found
the best occasion 10 educate the young
officers in the most important subject
applied military tactics" l'rcdcri,k
the Great invented for the benefit Of
his army officers the 'kricGs Sp.cl'
(war game, and lIindenhurg followed
In the footsteps OF the I'russian King
hy improving this war game. 1t Is
a peculiar coincidence that he once
worked ont with his pupils hoy TO de-
feat an invading army near tho Ma
zur!an lakes. exactly the location
where he achieved his great victory
ovc IN" Russians.
The friends and admirers OF linden
burg point ont that Il" las been for
years "A memh,r Of the great General
staff. that H. was ch!ef of tho Depart
ment uf the East, and that tho General
STAFF could not do without HIN" u r.
"A fact hat Won lI~indouhurg did great
The sun., 1916-09-03
GERM THAT DEFIES QUARANTINE

his children and that he himself
changes his clothes twice on his way
home on his yacht so that those OF his
household may not contract infantile
paralysis!
Surely what could be more extreme
than precautions such as this, IN view
OF the fact that there Is not on record
a saiSle authenticated case of the dis
order being transmitted from Il per-
son TO another.
Poliomyelit!s is communicated by mi
mute germs floating in the air which
find their way into the system 10y way
Of the nasal passages. One cannot put
the yellow nag upon all the atmos
phcre. The means by which the infec-
ton Is conveyed may be varied enough,
but the present measures do not have
q sound scientific basis.
There IL far more evidence than
has been generally supposed for the
theory that tho fly has much to do
with the spread OF the infection. The
Department Of Health does well to is
sue orders that all windows be screened
and that food be protected from tho
dangerous insects. That flies carry
germs OF other diseases, like typhoid.
which enter the stomach through
water and food. has been we'll demon
strated. The germs VI such ills have
even been identified from cultures made
from substances found on the feet Of
these pestiferous carriers.
There is at least color for the belief
that flies bred In tho new subways
The sun., 1916-09-03

oped In the nine years between the two
epidemics. and no doubt many de-
rangements which were formerly re-
ported under other names are included
In present reports. Counting the So
called a,ypical and trivial cases which
are now always enumerated. and re-
lures now SO extensively employed in
diagnosis. were then not employed at
all. I believe that there were really no
more cases this season than there were
In the last epidemic.
at Is about as Intelligent to quaran-
tine against ~infantile paralysis AS 1t Is
to quarantine against pneumonia or to
stone an ambulance n which a scarlet
fever case ID being taken to a hospital.
Precautions dictated by mere frenzy
should have no place in any civilized
country. Would this city be justified
In closing all the schools because there
was an epidemic Of pneumonia? And
yet We have the spectacle Of the mu-
uicipal authorities here keeping the
schools shut because Of the presence
of q disease within the limits Of New
York which In not even shown def
initely to be contagious. That infantile
paralysis IL q germ disease may DO &C.
cepted without question. yet 1t can
not be guarded against by herdins hu-
man beings into prescribed areas.
We read in the newspapers that a man
who owns an extensive estate on Long
Island has dismissed fifty servants and
gardeners 90 As to reduce the risk to
The sun., 1916-09-03
Continued from Third Page.

cigars for his brother and q rubber
ball for his sister.
When lie went 10 public school in
Glogau he WAS not considered a
brilliant student. He chatted too much
and failed in arithmetic. When lie
left public school and entered the
military school in Walstadt he wrote
his last will and left his toys and books
his brother Paul TO do as he had done
and give his lunch. which consisted OF
II roll. to "A poor boy, lie wrote 20 his
parents asking them permission to
take home during his vacation some
Of his poorest comrades. lie made IA
list OF the Christmas presents he
wanted; first "a paint box. second 4
p~ocketknife. third an interesting
story book. fourth a large diary and
an album. alongside Of which he put
three question marks. thinking that
he might be asking too much.
Some Of tho great character traits
Of lIindcnburg ARE his piety. his love
for the fatherland and his faithfulness
I q tho Kaiser. When he WAS n young
lieutenant he used TO carry the New
Testament in his breast pocket. This
saved his life during the Franco
German war. A bullet struck the
book but did not penetrate all the
pages, II is Il well known fact that In
the church Of G.auwitz II%!ndcnhurg
prayed aloud FOR victory. linden
burg's private life Is absolutely clean
The sun., 1916-09-03

and swear and everything" h re-
porter, who had entered "the Village"
hopeful Of spending a quiet evening.
interrupted, we might as well pay the
tab and eat it. Let's so UT town and
get a regular meal"
The hour was early. so carly that IN
We walked out into the Square and
crossed toward the lovelincss OF tho
arch which stanford White penciled
the painted girls in n piece gowns
and their aupmic escorts who think
the Village is the Real Thing were
sti.l coming southwark TO lean against
the sounds and smells Of seamy back
yard kitchens.
And We could not help thinking of
md talking aloUt-those other days
OF the N...Isc' when there were nc
mighty persons living IN IL" ucighbor-
hood cNCcvt such commonplace folk
as n. l.. =" who was a visitor in
Mrs. schuyler Van Eonssolarr's house
in Washington square after lie had
written "TreaSrge Island and was on
his way 10 Samoa; and tho pcut,e bred
Dr. Glider and John Gi,mcr Speed, and
the lie InuIStgUpS ana Nl..am ord
way p~drtr.dgcs aud the utl,i- of COM
parativcly later days. now gtU alas
therefore d.d not measure Np at all 10
tho Villages" prescr. ;Iot az "a pro-
:e.s.ondl "bohcmIa' Wherein the pres
ence o. a man with own WIFE
causes rigsly laughter.
The sun., 1916-09-03

Differences Between the Geniuses Of the Mining Camp
Restaurants About Washington Square and
Those of Murger's Paris Carrots

ming clothes who surround him Jack
gives the impression Of being all
dressed up like a broken arm.
And I want to tell you something
else along the same lines" the Com
panion continued. '"This whole alleged
bohemia around the Square and
Greenwich Village 10 the bunk be-
cause It's self conscious. For IN
stance: on the way over to this dump
we passed q little corner building Ia
belled 'Bruno's Garrett in ostentatious
letters. Bruno is by way Of speaking
the Hank Murger Of this neighbour
hood. Bruno gets out a weekly paper
which " nominally the organ OF the
district.
but Bruno and Hanks stun are
different for a lot Of eason One of
the important differences Is that
Murger wrote his stun In a garnet be-
cause a garnet was the best he could
get, whereas Bruno elects to work in
a garnet and advertises the fact. II
Murger could have got q suite Of
The sun., 1916-09-03


"as takins orosrs LOT 1000 from on-
scious persons seated around pare
LADIES' cenva canopy overneao
nut on the Ar n the evening stars.
lnasmuch ~ Jake 10 ene lone walter
IN q BUSY BACK YARD It goes without
saying that AFTER picking UP the dinner
card-lettered n pale purple type
wruing-end pretending to study It
n a time then to point out hmseN
or herself. especially herself. to every
body else. No n consciously pointed
out himsew or nefseiI, OF course;
nevertheless that 10 what al were
The sun., 1916-09-03

something which caused her to become
a minor celebrity in the Square her
self. lie had housed her on one Of the
cross streets in a hoyel with no rooms
in sight except the lone bedroom--and
therefore no bath. In the back yard
restaurants she Ind met girls Of her
own age who at least could boast Of
the use Of q bathroom. The husband
who Is holding out for $50 q week and
therefore is loafing delightfully."- in the
meantime encouraged her to visit these
girls for an hou or so q day after she
had complained again and again that
the absence Of a bath was becoming
~unbearable. Thus she bathed.
About ten days ago she decided that
she could scare the genius into going
to work by having him arrested for
~non-support. Therefore she told him
that he must give her At least 81 be-
fore nightfall or she would leave him.
He went to the alleged Mayor" of
"the Village and borrowed the 81. 80
irsistent b wus. and handed the W.
dollar bill over to her.
Thereupon she used the money to
swear out a warrant for his arrest for
non-support. The genius told bohemia
ruefully how he had borrowed the
money for his wife and what his wife
had lone with the sum. The Square
thought the idea so delicious that the
Square has almost decided to accept
the poor little half starved drab wife
as the coequal Of her eminent husband.
When friend husband fioated into
view the other night he was tenn.
porar!ly wifeless, which Is a phenome-
non no considered a rrightful fault in
the Village" He wore an Impressed
suit. u fioppy cap. a gray flannel shirt
and n flowing Windsor tie. which was
a combination Of clothes--common to
the se!f-conscious behomiankm Of the
~Square-that aroused tho reporters
Companion. just back from roughing
1t In the North Woods. to fruitful OBJ
s%ervation and comment.
His makeup Is typical Of the whole
darn place" said the Companion ele-
gantly. This guy like the weiehty
thinkers Of the Liberal Club around
the corner, think they wear sloppy
suits and soft shirts because the shirts
and suits are a defiance Of the con-
v~entionalities.
But when you come to think II over
this guy and the Liberal Club men think
more OF their makeup than the Fifth
avenue clubman who puts on evening
clothes at shutdown. The Dick Davis
sort OF gentleman changes his clothes
automatically; these guys do 1t on
sciously.
Up in tho woods I wore n flannel
shirt because nobody was looking. This
bird at the next table and the rest OF
his kind wear flannel shirts because
they think everybody is looking. Did
you ever see Jack London coming un-
conventionally 10 the guest table at a
big dinner in a Broadway hotel wear
ing a business suit and a soft shirt
He wants to make you-and himself
think he abhors dressiness. Jack and
his wrinkled collar are the dressies;
things around the whole banquet hal
among the quiet folk wearing eve
The sun., 1916-09-03

have had their part In the spread OF
the epidemic. The artificial inocula-
ton of monkeys with the virus Of In
fantiie paralysi conveyed By the stable
i!y's bite Is an experiment which
throws light on insect transmission.
There seems to have been an unusually
large number of flies in the city this
summer. AS Is illustrated 10y the
swarms OF their natural enemies the
dragons nles-which are seer circling
through the streets. especially N the
rc!ghhorhooi OF excavations,
1t has been scientifically demon
strated that the germs Of the disease
can be conveyed in the dust OF IA room
IN which there has been a patient suf-
fcring from poliumyelitis. The death
OF Il young woman Of a vel known
family ~ Garden City. l.. l., did much
10 add impetus to the panic. AS all
physicians know, there are every year
sporadic instances OF adults dying from
the disorder. Under ordinary condi-
t!ons and In the absence OF any popular
excitement such cases would have been
referred to as acute ascending paraly-
sis. which begins in the lower spine and
goes up until It attacks the nerves
controlling respiration II 80 causes
death.
Most adults develop in their systems
certain ant!-bodics or natural antIdotcs
OF tie blood which prevent their con-
tracing tho malady. Occasionally,
however. there Is found a person who
through some peculiarly OF constitu-
ton has not built up thi. resistance.
The sun., 1916-09-03

against the affection II c~onvincingly
shown by the fact that serum pre-
pared from their blood Is used in COM
batting !nfant.ie paralysis. Serums
have also been prepared from the blood
Of patients who had made a recovery
from pol!omyeiltis. Their fight against
the inroads of the germs had in itse,!
developed in the vital fluids the re-
quired anti-bodies.
In view Of these plain facts Il Is fool
!sh for any community or any officials
10 resort TO such measures as have
been used in connection with the pres
ent excitement. surely II can hardly be
expected that universities nnd colleges
presided over by learned faculties
should lend themselves to the panic
and bar their doors against students.
II seems Ia me that the people Of his
country should use that intelligence
which links man with Coz and deal
with this matter on the broad plane OF
common sense
The germ Of infantlle paralysis II
not confined to great lines OF traffic
nor does it exist only In congested GEN.
tres Of population. 1t Is as likely to
develop in The wilds OF Maine as In the
heart OF Manhattan. Some OF the worst
epidemics OF II. IN fact. were in the
bleak and sparsely settled regions OF
Norway and Sweden.
This epidemic Will soon pass. II a
conservative policy for the future he
developed by pubic officials and the
medical profession for the prevention
OF such reigns Of terror there viii To-
suit al incalculable service to human
! tt,.
The sun., 1916-09-03
b. JoSEPH COLLINS, M. D.,

~ =
rhys'c'an 70 the Ns"'o'0sse' 4"
st'tute
CHEER imbecility Is at the root OK
the present infanti,e paralysis
n,r,c uh,cb "a alarming the
- .....,u
people OK MS couh'f' anu O'
their intcllects. 1t Is high time that an
enlightened public opinion called q halt
q, mi. xave ~ quarantine by hysteria
II .... a.. I-,,..a
"'' """ '"ep' 80,
Rates aihicted miii'ohs Win o"iu'
unrca soning fear. Now that the time
frau. ncar for thousands OF families
..,rn
""o nave oee' :" :"
70 their homes ana 10 orihs '"e'r e".
eren with tnein' ana as IL 10 neeesA'
10 open schoo n 10 oesin Tue ous
ness OF the winter ana 10 eco'e rum
Madness ~ 10 ven "
sider the present s'tuAt'oh IN = se"''
DO Manner
one cannot 90 IN any "...'A
Mh miles OF the Guy H"h..S " vow
York IN an automop'ie w''nout oe'ns
'.opped' II might DO sa'o' AZ tno p'n"'
OF sun' II ne 10 he'o M
areh win MIN. Ihose VINO 'rsNe1 nav
"pay TINS Toll OF terror. Co"nl'un'..cs
o''y q iew miles apart Hoo'H''o
AGAINST each otneT. O"o e""'ot ..
''om n 10 sno'her "1'"ou'
encounterlng some meo'e'si 'csu'A-
uoh' II Is no WONDER that parents e,e
N . e'a,e OF ~oeWi!oernneht anu peA'c
cecaose OF n action OK oo&Ios VI
hes'th h'ch can ! no 5easoh Ut
'~us'!hcatlon Tor such acuons.
IN q New England resort wheTo !
spent a week or SO TINS summer
young physician was even indignant
because "a woman who Ia been on a
Two days trip to New York had. on
her return. refused TO go Into quaran-
Nne for W weeks. There are places
Nner" the stranger. on his arrival Is
ordered to scrub himself all over
tnainpoo his head. spray his nose
farg'e his throat. disinfect his clothes
o. better still. burn them.
All this Is not justified. As a ply
slc.an vino has for many years com
n contact with cases Of p~oliomyelitis, !
protest against the policy now being
pursued with regard to this epidemic.
Children under sixteen years Old should
10, be treated as par!ahs.
The sun., 1916-09-03
D FRANK WARD O'MALLEY.

~ FRANK WARD O'MALLEY.
OLLY's and the Mad Hatter's
- tea shop (which is In q cellar
! under . plumbers place and
~ Q capacity limit Of ten wicker
eAaars), the Liberal Club. the Dutch
ON restaurant and the other table
s,othless resorts. where the long
haired males and short haired females
u che Washington Square neighbor-
hood gather Of evenings to put the
~ bag on. are all to and fro just
scw because at last a real genius has
ssdsed himself into the vicinity.
This lad actually 10 gifted! Whether
sr not the idea that over night made
him famous In a neighborhood which
seethes with emotion 10 his own
doesn't matter; what Is OF moment Is
tho fact that all the Square and the
Village" folk who love art and scorn
lucre (which. OF course. includes about
al the Square and 1.-The Village" as
tho Greenwich Village studioists call
their part Of town. are uproariously
spphud!ng his idea and consequently
Alm-applaud!ng SO raucously, in fact,
that the uproar startled Newspaper
Row, far 10 the south. during the past
.cw days 10 the extent Of causing the
Tow to send reporter persons who have
.ropped to the depths Of writing for
money to visit the Square in order to
,ry TO fnd out what all the uproar was
about.
Night had fallt I. Within sound OF
re roller skates Lear Washington
Arch one came in,o a drab back yard.
Jake. who a coatless and sweating.
The sun., 1916-09-03

ing Out For A Salary OF $3.50 a
Week. rather. Hence his fame. When
he came into the Square early this
summer and announced that he would
accept no Job until $50 bucks u week
went with the Job the Square first
gasped at tho audacity Of the an
nouncement and then made much Of
him.
Hes an advertising writer because
M week In Chicago. for an entire
week. he did some sort OF work or
other In the advertising offices Of q de-
partment store. For that week only
his slim wages grew stouter. He used
the surplus to take his wife east and
upon arrival here cast around for a
Job. He had been casting for several
days before the great idea dawned
upon him Of holding out for o salary
Of $50 a week.
During the past few weeks ne has
them paying as high as $40 a week.
He has been told OF several Jobs pay
Ing less. In fact his chief work since
the first week OF last July has been
turning down Job after Job after Job
after job after job after job after job
after Job after job ditto ditto ditto
ditto ditto ct cetera rah rah.
But by doing so he has become the
present great celebrity among WASH
ington Square notables. The notion OF
q table doter who refuses to work be-
cause no can't get his salary OF $3.50
O week. f~ascinatcs the Squares lucre
hAters no much that everybody loves
The sun., 1916-09-03

rooms In a Fifth avenue hotel in
which to live and breakfast and dine
and write he would have given three
rousing cheers-and something tells
me his stun would have been q bit
better. But Bruno selects a garnet
and prints the fact on an outside wall,
when for the same money he could
rent a fiat with an open plumbing
bath tub up in Washington Heights
and spend his spare time going
around the corner listening TO FREQ
lectures at Columbia University
which. naturally. might be beneficial.
The trouble with the professional
bohemlans Of this neighborhood Is
that"
"Oh. chop It. and let's 90 to some
clean place and get some regular
food" came the interruption.
"No-wait q minute" persisted the
Companion, as he stirred his muddy
coffee in q leisurely way that was par
ticularly exasperating when n
stopped TO think that q short distance