The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-02
ON SECOND THOUGHT


Much of our admiration for Mr..
Harding has been based on the promise
that he is, shall we say, typical Com
ing, as he does, from a small town In
the heart of the middle west. he SEEM
ed to US to typify the great middle
class upon which this country leans.
A closer study of Mr.. Harding indi-
Gates that he no longer typifies either
the middle west or the middle class.
He lags behind both. On his recent
fishing trip he appeared in a number
of pictures wearing suspenders and
belt coincsdentally.
There was a time when the middle
west, coupling prudence with comfort,
was addicted to both the belt and the
suspender and wore them jointly. But
that was long ago. West of the AL
leghenies the suspender is almost
passe. The middle westerner no long
er discards his belt when he shakes"
his flannels and his homespuns. He
retains 1t thru the winter months and
employs It in girding his cheviots and
serges. He frequently enlists 1t in the
service of his evening pants. The wan
ing hours OF every dancing party in the
middle west disclose trouser bands
sagging a couple of inches below pique
and lowered waistcoats and sustained
only by a strip of leather. We, there
fore, suggest that the procession halt
until Mr.. Harding again gets in touch
with it.
The sartorial sign manual of the
middle west is blue serge coat and
trousers, the latter cemented to the
person Of the wearer by a yellow belt
The haberdashery worn in connection
consists of a striped silk shirt. a red
cravat, buttoned half-shoes, tan in
color and rampant as to toe, purple
socks and a gray outing cap. Mr..
Harding waQders far afleld.
Readers of the column probably
were surprised at our readiness and
willingness to accept Will H. Hays as
the hero of the campaign. We did it
on the hypothesis that one hero is
about as satisfactory as another and
that none of them lasts long. And
SO 1t comes as no particular shock to
us that Mr.. Harding already had dis
| closed. his vulnerable point. We ex-
| pected him to do SO.
F. S. Hammett<writes that he sus-
poets James Branch Cabe1l of being a
nut" Personally. we have no taste
of battle. But we know where Mr.
Hammett can match fight. and we
shall take pleasure in putting him in
touch with Norman Jeffries at his
convenience.
Not all of the superlative dancing
performances are given by Russian
opponents of the art who drift to oul
shores. In the current number of Nc
| Cures Walter Jones lifts seventeen
year-old boob who had never seen g
| dancing floor from the suburban com.
munity in which his life had been cast
and wins a cup with him in a. couple
months. y
| why pirate of Pavlowa? 1t is much
less expensive to watch the native tai
ent perform in the pages of McClure's
| The supreme court Of Massachu.
sets spurns our seldom Quiescent curl.
osity. The court has decided that I'M
less Jamaica ginger is sold as bever-
age it is not to be considered as in
toxicating liquor.
T. OF course. in a way, the court is
right about it. Except when used as
a beverage, Jamaica ginger is not in
toxicating. The theory that one car
pass from low" to high" merely by
inhaling the aroma of the liquid is al
| erroneous one. 1t is possible, perhaps
to gid ones headlight, but nobod,
could achieve a 'sosh'' in that way.
The point we make. however, is thai
nobody buys Jamaica ginger just to OF
a Henry.
At the recent election. by the way
Massachusetts, voted for beer and light
wines. We wish Massachusetts luck
but in doing so we are merely observ'
ing a formality.
! It is assumed that the. Anti-SalooT
League will base its crusade for the
Puritan Sabbath on the ground that IL
will greatly diminish if it does not en-
tirely wipe out crime. That, as we
now recall 1t. was the chief argument
for prohibition.
| Not that we particularly object to
the Puritan Sababth. 1t would not
affect us in any way We seldom fin
ish the writing of Mondays column
before 8 or 4 o'clock Sunday after
noon. BY that time we are too tired
to think of crime, much less commit
! IL. In the year and a half that we
! have done, Sunday work we do not re-
| call having committed a single crime
| on that day; nor have we felt the dis
| position to do SO. Our favorite day