Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-01-15

the IdllTOauS nave been increasing
their earnings with a prospect that
Will also increase their orders for cars
and other equipment. The offset that
will to some considerable extent neu-
traliZe this marked upward tendency
is the increasing cost of labor and
materials. The American people will
do well to sail close to the wind and
realize that high prices in war time
means prosperity only to those who
are extremely prudent and hold on to
everything they can.
ON EDUCATION.
Last week | was busy guest in a
party of gentlemen when the subject
turned to education. A man who had
been state senator at the time the
first large appropriation was made for
the Illinois State University, and who
is now a lawyer of prominence in
nelghboring state, propounded the
rather surprising doctrine that, given
his way, he would abolish all private
institutions of learning, and compel
those who got good education at all,
to get it in the public schools and
state universities. His enthusiasm
over the University of Illinois and it's
achievements was not marred by any
knowledge that there was a greater
than his in the neighboring state of
AiSnnnOip ord I 6 10 81
reflected its as yet unspoken ambi-
lions. The doctrine of universal and
exclusive public education did not go
unchallenged. Another lawyer in the
party, who still lives in Illinois took
a shot, and said that he regarded the
bad tendencies toward broad public
assistance in education as one of the
tendencies of the time. From his
point of view, the boy or girl or the
man or woman who got too much for
nothing, valued it little. was mere
visitor and listener at the table
when these two extremes of the edu-
cational problem provoked a very
animated discussion, and was great
ly impressed with the wide distance
between the two propositions. Both
men were middle aged men, not much
If any, over forty years old, so that
neither was expressing the ideas of an
effete past. If had had part in this
discussion, | should have added to
the argument of the gentleman who
was oppose to unlimited and univer-
sal state domination of education, the
further argument that all the tenden-
| cies in that direction are toward teach
ing, too many things and teaching too
few of them thoroughly and well.
BRYAN, WILSON, ROOSEVELT.
In the smoking room of the Pull
man car the other day, encountered
a very bright and intelligent young
man from Galveston, Texas, with
whom | fell into conversation. He
turned the talk along political lines
by saying that Mr.. Bryan in his OPP
inion had been losing strength in the
south for some years. He felt too,
that the manner of Mr.. Bryan's re-
tirement from the cabinet was such
an affrOnt to the administrator and
the party, as we'll as TO the country,
that many of his former friends were
most deeply wounded by it. He had
heard one of Mr.. Bryan's peace lee
lures since his retirement, and sum-
med it up by saying that Mr.. Bryan
merely made verbal flower pots bloom
to wither in ones presence. He sum-
med up his opinion of him by calling
him shallow. But the thing that
struck me as significant in this young
man his statement that the young men
of the south who were getting into
business activities that took thene=
about the country, were inclined to
depart from the old custom of voting
just as their father had always done
before them. He seemed to be SYM
pathetic toward the president but
when the name of Roosevelt was
mentioned, he remarked, Don't |
think he has left the public field. He
has host of followers all over the |
country" While he did not say so,
it was evident that RoOsevelt's milit- |
ant attitude was attractive, and while |
l think he would vote for Wilson if |
the electie=sl would occur tomorrow, a
very small thing might turn him to
TEDDY" if he happened to be the OPP
posing candidate He seemed to think !
that the Republicans were in such |
condition that it would be difficult for /
them to unite on any one else. | am
not going to attempt to draw any |
moral from a single incident of this
kind l merely mention it because it
seemed to me highly significant and |
not unlikely 20 be very important. If
any large number ct young men in
the country are feeifng as this young
man from Texas does, Mr.. Wilson'gi
war horse will have to prance some to