The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-24
ON SECOND THOUGHT
By JAY z. HOUSE.
(Tron Philadelphia Public Lsdgsr.)
So Is the saloon, for THAT Matter.

So Is the Saloon, for That Matter.
Strive once owned a dog that
seemed to know everything we said.
When we asked his old master to post
letter, the dog ran to the letter-box.
When we gave the master a basket,
the dog ran ahead to the store. When
We said, Get ice creami" the cog went
to the confectioner's. When the mas
ter got his kettle out to go for beer,
the dog ran to the saloon One day
we needed vinegar in a hurry and
handed an agate kettle to the master
turned with a kettle of beer. sheepishly
saying, The dog didn't hear your
order today, but went by the kettle.
and before knew it I followed him
into the saloon We quickly emptied
the kettle and said to the dog, ''Store."
The dog passed the saloon that time
and went on to the grocery. Master,
dog and Kettle are gone now, but neld
in fond remembrance. S. j.. w.
1t isn't the fellow who never had 1t
who feels the lack of it. It's the fell
low who had it once and lost it.
Notwithstanding the half-column
deprecating the practice. we give it
out flat that we intend to go right on
using the word intriguing as long as
the copy-reader will stand for it.
The Trib, by the way, lays 'intrigu-
ing" on Robert w. Chambers A good
many have depIored its use; but that's
the worst thing said about it yet.
A nurse who once sat by our bed
sue told US story. 1t was about a
farmers family in which she had been
called to practice her profession. She
related the incident of driving up to
a fine, new farmhouse in the farmers
expensive car and finding five typhoid
patients and only two sheets in the
mouse. We used the story to point our
contention that, while the average
farmer is intelligent and well inform
ed, he has never learned how to live
Writing in his magazine, E. w.
howe says we exaggerated the story
in order to drive the point home. On
the contrary, we printed the story ex-
actly as the nurse told it, and she was
a truthful young woman. We now
match 1t with a, personal experience
which is not in the least exaggerated
we stayed one night last winter in the
home of prosperous and wel1-to-do
farmer We slept on a feather bed
There were no sheets, but there was a
pile OF sweet potatoes under the bed
1t das along toward the middle of~the
week. The next morning we perform
ed our abiutions with the aid of a
towel which had been hanging on it's
roller since the Sunday morning previ-
Gus.
The people of this country keep
themselves in an emotional lather
most of the time. They want to do
something for somebody. Their idea
OF doing something for somebody is to
have a congress pass a law Nothing
can be accomplished in that way. But
if all those consecrated to the upIift
should become propagandists of
health, sanitation and bodily comfort
some progress might be made And at
the same time congress could devote
its time to the things that really re-
quire its attention.
The theory of this column is that
not much of anything can be done for
anybody. But, in nine cases out of
ten, the object of attention can be
taught to do it for himself.
Postmaster General Hays has come
out strong for civil service. That is
one of the Oldest political ruses, but
it still fools a great many people.
If the man you hate is prominent
enough you ultimately will attract at
tention and become famous yourself
because of your hatred for him. The
trouble with most of us is that, in
picking out man to hate, we select
some two-by-four of whom the world
never heard. In the past twenty years
a dozen people have become famous in
this country thru hating John d.
Rockefeller, altho SO far as known
Mr.. Rockefeller never did any of them |
any harm. We have spent a good deal i
of time during the past ten or fifteen
years in hating a man named Abel
Knapp. But Abel Knapp is so insg- !
that the exercise has brought |
us neither fame nor distinction.
We hereby announce a change in |
our system. Within the next ten days
We are going to pick out a prominent |
man to hate. We are going to do 1t |
so fiercely and so volubly as to achieve
fame within a year.
Meanwhile, we wish to be dissolved |
from our promise to read the abusive |
letters the single takers are writing us |
We agreed to do it; we will do it Il
the single takers insist. But 1t is n |
tremendous bore to read a letter Of |
foru or five closely written pages. In