The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-03
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY E. HOUSE
tFrom Philadelphia Public LedgerJ

1t will go far toward relieving this
government of the contempt in which
Mr.. Debs and his friends hold it.
Mr.. Debs cannot, of course, forget.
But he, apparently. has forgiven. Any
body can remember, but only the
larger natures forgive.
Mr. Ziegfeld is going to quit in 1924.
The debacle is two years deferred, but
when it comes it will fall heaviest on
| those least able to sustain it. We re-
fer, of course, to those who, having no
| resources within themselves, are conn
PEELED to lean upon Mr.. Ziegfeld for
entertainment.
And that, we go on to say, is a
large and, in point of numbers, inn
pressive company
The Easy Marks Confessional.
Str-I have often read of your the
alter experiences. Here is one I think
never happened before.
came from the country last Thurs
Gay, called the agency that always
| has seats for all the theaterS' and or
dered four seats for a local show. 1t
wasn't the show I wanted to see, but
the show the agency wanted to, sell.
Today 1 called for my seats. Two
were in one row, one in another, and
the fourth was "only two rows back"
1t wasn't so bad for a theater party,
as it gave US an opportunity to talk
| loudly, as all theater parties do. I
| laid down $50 bill and received two
dimes il. change. 1 was provoked, but
went on my way, as we insult all go to
| the theater on a holiday. However,
| called my friends and told them of the
| location of the seats. They agreed
we could go some other evening, and
L went back to the agency for my
money. They gave me $3.50 and I
kicked, because am from the coun-
| try. After considerable kicking L got
my $3.50 back. The printed price
per seat was $3.50, the service charge,
apparently. being $3.50.
Suffice it to say, I nearly got stung.
But 1 wore a neat overcoat, dark
necktie and was dressed just like a
"city feller." Probably that was the
reason. What is the column going to
do about this outrage?
Come Again.
What is the column going to do? 1t
is going to laugh its head off. Every
time an Easy Mark permits a ticket
agency to sting him the column rolls
on the floor in a delirium of laughter
and howls from sheer glee.
We reason it out in this wise: If
there were no Easy Marks there would
be no ticket agencies. Every time an
Easy Mark is pronged the cause of
| legitimate theatrical merchandising is
advanced exactly in proportion to the
| intelligence of the Mark and his ca
pacity to resent that sort of treat
ment.
What did we get for Christmas
| Well, for one thing, we got loungine
/ robe. We mention it for the reason
that it gives US opportunity to project
| in, nd oh cf
vein.
The Christmas gew-gaws were under
the inspection of a neighbor. The
"ballyhoo" had progressed to the
point at which the garment was
What will he do with a lounging
robe?" said Adelaide; "he never is al
home long enough to put it on
Adelaide's chief complaint is that in
the hypothetical conversations which
worst Of it. For once, therefore, we
take pleasure in presenting her III
happy vein.
| Newspaper headlines carry the in
formation th9t "Debs is to seek the
| freedom of al convicts. 1t is a grand
project, but we trust the column is not
to be robbed Of its share in it. TEe
fact is the column beat Mr.. Debs tC
| the open expression of the idea by g
| considerable margin. Weeks ago il
suggested that all convictS be imme.
| diately released from imprisonment.
|
We want Mr.. Debs to have full cred
it for his share in the enterprise. In
the nature of things, he will have tc
do most of the work. Under obliga-
| ton, as we are, to earn a living. we
| q hI "a n a
ton to it. We may be able to devote
| some time to the working out of the
details of the project; beyond that we
| cannot go. The point we stress is that
while Mr.. Debs WIN do the actual
work of getting the boys out of their
cubicles, the idea was ours.
Already some of the details to which
we have referred leap and frolic in
mind. One concerns the future of the
boys If they are released and forced
back into open competition with the
honest, Woodworking citizenry of the
country the strain may be too great
for them; they may fall again. The
thing to do is to safeguard their fu-
lture, and that, as we view 1t, is a task
for the government. Our notion OF
it is that the government should put
| every convict, male and female. on
the payroll at a salary Of, say, 5000
a year. That would, to some exten-.
| relieve them of the temptation to fan
again and thus save them to society
Other details bearing on the future
welfare of the convicts will be set
down herein as they occur to US.
| We are indebted to Hugh Merr for
the first satisfactory definition of the
word "highbrow'' to cross our field of
| vision. "a highbrow,'' observes Mr.
Merr in a letter bearing mostly on
other topics, lis one who has been
educated beyond his intelligence"
Likely the definition is not original
! with Mr.. Merr. He sets up no claim
to it. But it is plenty good enough
to be.
We often have expressed the notion
and we still believe if the Victor peo-
ple-or, since we wish to play no IA
| Yorites. any other concern in that line