Omaha daily bee., 1917-07-29
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by Victor Rosewster

THIS HAS surely been a real hot spell, even
/ though the thermometer may not have avi-
ated to former record flights. 1t is strange
how we remember exceptional seasons, but 1ail 10
measure the lapse OF time Coming INTO the Duildi
ing was accosted by DR.. Merriam with the ques-
ton OF what year it was that the thermometer
showed 107 degrees on the 5th day of July. He
felt certain that the particular time he had in mind
was ten or twelve years ago. l hnally hxed 1t
definitely as July six years ago by recalling an
accompanying incident. An uncle OF mine was
visiting us from the east and we entertained him
on the 4th of July at the Field club. Unable to
withstand the oppressive heat in the downtown
hotel where he was stopping, he got up and
dressed again at 2:30 in the morning, called
taxi and had himself driven back to the Field
club. where he spent the remainder of the night
lying out on the grass as the most promising way
to keep COOL We have had, of course, other hot
eras the most famous being the two visitations
OF hot winds that destroyed the corn crop in 1898
and in 1894 The trouble then was that there was
nothing but corn grown in Nebraska-or rather
very little else--which defect has been happily
and forever remedied by diversihcation irriga-
tion and dry farming.
Speaking of things "dry," notice the effect
upon newspapers and periodicals of the new law
barring the use of the mails to carry advertise
ments of wet" goods in the dry" states. News
papers in the big cities are making up different
editions for different mail territory and so, like
wise, are certain weekly publications. For exam
pie, copies of Life" coming here are plainly
marked "Dry States Edition" On one page of a
recent number may be found clever comic rep
resenting two disguised readers carrying this dia-
logue: ,,,. 49,. -
in Life that in other editions is occupied by-l .
"She-How dreadfull 49,.
And the publisher adds: "The mystery Of this
page will never be explained except to the initi-
ated."
A copy of the London illustrated News, picked
up at random, discloses one advertising square
skillfully blacked over, if it were one OF George
Kennons articles on Siberian Prisons caught
in the good old days by lynx-eyed Russian cen
sor. So II you get magazine or weekly picture
paper dishgured with big inky blotches you will
know what is back of them. e -. Wv
Another oddityl Talking with Sergeant
Breckenridge the other evening about his expert
ences in the trenches in France along with the
Canadian regiment of which he is one OF seven
survivors, he told me he had never seen dead
body until he had gotten over into the war zone,
II was never able to nerve myself up enough
to 20 to funeral" said he, "and never happened
to see anyone killed. tell you, though, saw
enough dead soldiers the very first day / was in
action to make up for all the previous years and
all the years to come" .
l. d
me as specially appropriate to the hour. 1t is
captioned "The Message of the Flag" and is writ
ten by w. H. Walsh: #
II am the Flag that waves for you
Thou weakest man of all that work;
am your largest dreams come rruc,
Oh, daring minda who never shirk
The constitution am l., too,
The courts and statutes pursue
Ger statute makers / have power,
Der soldiers, sailors, every hours
Ger farmer, counselor and clerk,
| Ger all who strive in freedoms work.
Der dreadnoughts, batteships and feet,
| Der merchant ships that sail the deep,
! am the victory OF today.
The awful rout of yesterday. .. e..
am the mystry OF life, ...
The glory of the nations strife;
My stars and stripes are all for you,
Your hopes, your dreams, and prayers, too;
Your one best hope, when dangers Nigh
Columbia's soul in truth am IT,