The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-09-03
By JAY E. HOUSE
tFrOm Philadelphia Public Ledger,


on the case for a number of weeks.
They still are divided in opinion as to
whether Ralph Riley is a saphead or
hero.
We horn into the controversy for
the purpose of clearing. it up. The
probabilities are that Ralph Riley is
neither. Likely he is a perfectly nor
NAL citizen. A man will do anything
he will walk on his hands, eat
worms. hide in the sand or abase him
self in any manner she suggests for
the woman who has flouted him. The
man who is flouted by a woman be-
comes her abject slave. The phantasy
that some act of sacrifice on his part
will restore him to her favor is with
remarkable about the Obenchain case.
You'd do-the same thing.
The Decline of the Language.
The editor of the Public Ledger has
received the following letter:
Sir-V1n the column of your Satur-
days editorial page entitled On Sec
ond Thought, 1 noticed a very bad
grammatical mistake, viz: "Where
was you at in the election ?" 1t may
be a misprint, as no doubt it was and
II l had seen a similar mistake in a
paper like the New York Journal I
would have passed it over, but in a
L
couldn't help taking note of it. The
main thing wish to mention concern
ing grammatical misprints is this: A
man who reads the daily papers gen.
orally uses the words he reads in his
every day conversation; and at pres
ent our papers are filled with numer-
Gus mistakes. This. I believe, is one
Of the cardinal reasons of the decline
of the English language.
A READER.
We arc sorry. but it was not no mis-
print. We knew very well when we
sent the copy upstairs that we should
have wrote 1t. Where was you at at
the election" But we forgot to
change it. Anybody knows you can't
be in an election. It was no mistake
of anybody else's. Them was the very
words we wrote.
Such Is Life in Philadelphia,
Sir-The du1lness of this Sunday
afternoon spent in office work of ne
cessity in district of unsavory repu-
tation was enlivened by a mix-up in a
fistic way of some of our craps-shoot-
ing neighbors. resulting in a patrol
wagon call and a load of prisoners. 1t
was to be expected. These fellows
have nothing else to do Sundays save
drink, When they can get it, gamble,
curse their luck. then their neighbors,
with the inevitable result.
Even the kids down here, after
marking them up properly with pen
ellis, shoot craps with the sugar cubes
we sometimes feed them in lieu of
candy. While discussing the above
situation we passed, on our way home,
thru City Hall and we were confronted
by another mob of jeering men and
boys just unloaded from four patrol
wagons, We learned upon inquiry
that their crime was less heinous-
that Of nlaUinp hall n SUNDAY ht1f
nevertheless punishable under our
laws.
Now, honest to goodness, dear
columnist, what are these boys to do
save get into mischief when clean, de-
cent sport is denied them? In a re-
cent letter in your esteemed paper we
read that "home and books and family
ties should take the place of work and
business on the Sabbath" L wish I
could show that woman the filthy
rooming houses, the vile papers and
the class of family which exists
down here and maybe she wouldn't
grudge the lads place in the park
to play as innocent game baseball.
For folk who are denied the common
decencies of life, who are dancing
it recently. the old hymn favored by
blue" law advocates has no appeal:
THE daily round, the common task
will furnish all we ought to ask. Room
to deny ourselves road to lead us
daily nearer God"
wouldn't want to travel a road
leading to that sort of God. Person
ally, such a path would drive me to
the devils of revolution and anarchy.
Fortunately, we have a word from a
teachers greater than these. He said,
God is love" Please preach on this
simple, l-embracing text some day.
Thank~you! M B. r.
We'd love to preach on the text sug-
gested, but we don't .dast do It. We
are wholly unable to preach a. horn
less sermon: inevitably somebody is
gored. Should we preach from the
text suggested the drive to detach Us
from our present employment would
be renewed with great vigor. 1t might
not succeed. Thus far the editor has
stood by the column nobly. but 1t,
would cause him great annoyance and
embarrassment. If 1t failed, those be-
hind the drive could go before the leg
islature and easily secure the passage
of a law abolishing columns and col
umnists. Then where should we be?
You let a man say to any legislature:
'1 represent the great moral forces of
my community; I want this law
passed" and the legislature will do it
for him.
So we prefer instead to suggest
pleasant and helpful ways in which
those who find Sunday dull may make
its leaden hours golden. One could.
as an instance. take a walk BY get
ting up early he could take two walks.
A part OF the afternoon could be de-
voted to reading some good poem.
Counting the number of Henry" cars
that pass given point within a
given time is always an exciting and
interesting occupation. One could>de-
vote couple of hours to counting the
"HenryS'' and the time would pass so
swiftly he would make no note of it.
1t is a diversion, strictly within the
law, to sit on a bench in one of the
numerous little parks in this beautiful
city and wish it were Monday so one