The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-16
ON SECOND THOUGHT
By JAY z. HOUSE
Iron RAiIaaslphia Public Lsdgss.)


Henry Ford" writes Wilbur For
est. who interviewed him recently,
docs not impress one as a dreamer.
His gaze does not wander off into
ethereal space as he unfolds plans for
gigantic enterprise" We imagine
Mr.. Forest is right about it. No
dreamer would have dreamed the hood
which adorns the motorcar bearing
Mr.. Ford's name.
Our own reaction to Mr.. Ford. and
We are entirely willing to submit the
matter to amendment and debate, is
that he is a moderately useful citizen
who has "kidded" himself into the
belief that he is great man.
The complaint that Mr.. Harding's
tentative cabinet does not contain a
sufficient number of progressives falls
upon deaf ears so far as this column
is concerned. That, we go On to say,
is one blow We can Withstand with
out wincing.
We have been little concerned as
to Mr.. Harding's cabinet. We have
gone along on the assumption that he
would select for it gentlemen who are
friendly to him and to Lis admins
| tration. If he doesn't do it, he is
what the New York World pretends
to think he is.
Mechanical Department Is "Bawled
OUT
Sir-I am a reader of your column
and notice you lay particular stress
upon the unimportant. One of the
unimportant things to which I wish
to call your attention is that in all
well-regulated newspapers of the pres
ent day the three little asterisks have
long ago been displaced by dashes.
The dash is not only cleaner and
| neater appearing, but is much more
modern way of separating different
items under one head. If you want
your column to be up to the minute,
l would advise that you make the
necessary changes. ID. S.
1t probably will amaze d. D. S. to
learn that We merely write the col
umn; We do not put it in type. With
all of the problems of the world. par
ticularly those of central Europe, de-
pendent upon our judgment. we have
very little time TO devote to the me-
| chanical department of this news
paper. If we could spend three or
four hours a day in the composing
room we might make a few minor
changes in the typography of the col
umn. Probably we should reset its
box head in .Caslon old style, discard
ing the Gothic letter now employed
for that purpose. But we are not sure
about that The typography of this
newspaper suits US pretty well. About
all one can say for it. geographically
speaking, is that it is the best thing
of its kind in the world.
| And We project still another point OF
view in the connection. We are blamed
lucky to be writing a column for a
newspaper. Worrying about its typo
graphical appearance after it got into
| print would be RratuitOuS.
! And that reminds US we promised
| George Horace Lorimer, who is chair
man of the presidents committee OF
the China Famine Fund, that we'd say
something about this very worthy an6
wholly philanthropic enterprise. Mr.
Lorimer is an editor to whom we &C.
casionally sell a little stuff for which
! he pays spot cash. At the moment we
have in process OF Incubation a little
story which we hope to sell to dim
1t is only fair that we speak well Of
| his enterprise. asA
Relatively speaking. however, -th,
| question as to whether the story SELL
is unimportant. We can live withou
it. The point is that a good man!
| thousands of wholly inoffensive hu
man beings who had the misfortun,
to be born in China are slowly starv
| ing to DEATH Two dollars will keel
one of them alive for another month
Give the hat-check girl a dime instead
| of quarter and save enough in &
month to restore a starving Chinamar
to health and physical activity and
keep him in bodily comfort for six
The hat-check girl doesn't care wheth-
err you give her dime or quarter; she
doesn't get any of it. 7g
Or. cut the walters tip to 10 pei
| cent Of the bill, which is all he really
expects from the sophisticated, and
which is all he fairly is entitled to re-
ceive. and devote the amount thus
saved to the restoration of a human
| life.
! Give a married man his choice of
soothing potions and he will select the
one guaranteed to keep him from
talking in his sleep.
| The country is doing a little better
than we had expected. Knowing the
national tendency to weep at the slight