The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-19
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY e. HOUSE
tIrom Philadelphia Public Ledger9 :

The disposition to pile responsibility
on the column grows by leaps ana
bounds. T. H. NJ. wakes sarcastic De
cause of our failure TO write in criti-
cal vein of the incubrations of our dis
tinguished fellow colunnist, Mr.. John
Wanamakcr. us it, he sneers. sis It
because you have a charge account!
One charge account more or less
never sways the column. Our attitude
may be expressed in a sentence. 1t is
that those who wish Mr.. Wanamaker' s
column criticised must do it them
selves.
Fluctuations extended to the we'll
known human race and predicated
upon a minimum casualty list from
the effects of poisoned hootch were
premature. In New York alone wood
alcohol last week counted twenty-five
victims. Belief that the bootleggers
finally had mastered the secret of
eliminating the poison from the COM
pound seems to have had no founda-
ton in fact. The feeling OF assurance
that had come to pervade the country
has again been replaced by one of
perturbation.
AS we see it. but one ray of rope IL
lumines a distressing situation. It Is
that, in time, the human system will
become Injured to wood alcohol and
The situation has its drawbacks
and its advanta ges. Tt greatly cir
cumscribes one right highly esteemed
and sedulously guarded by Americas
citizenry. We refer to the practice of
becoming 'soshed' in restaurants and
public places and giving, thereafter,
a free, open-air performance for the
benefit OF the onlookers. Nowadays,
when a man achieves a ''sosh" it usu-
ally is in his own home or that of
friend, and he is denied the privilege
of giving the public exhibition so dear
to the American heart. On the other
hand-and we count that as one of
the advanta ges-the home never
closes and a holiday or festal 'sosh"
may be indefinitely perpetuated with
out interference from the authorities
Another S'gestion.
Sir-Why don't you start a cores
pondence school for intending column
lists? 1 believe there is money in it.
You could publish every letter you
receive, charge your customers ad-
vertising rates and get away with it.
1t would be great and I'd enroll as a
pupil, for. after all, that's the only
reason We write you; on chance that
we may see our names in your column
or some reference to our letters.
C. B.
The, scheme appeals. The fee for
printing C. BIS letter is 81. Remit
lance may be made by check, draft,
money order or registered letter.
Meanwhile, the following schedule
of rates will obtain: Letters abusing
President Harding, So; letters abusing
John Wanamaker, $25; letters abus-
ing Woodrow Wilson, fifty cents; let
ters abusing the Irish, $50; letters
abusing Samuel Gompers, So; letters
r. -.
81; letters abusing the coiumnist, five
cents; letters abusing ticket agencies
and all spectators, free of. charge.
And that reminds us: We want to
spend January 20 in New York. We
wish, if possible, to shirk the drudgery
of writing Monday mornings column
on the previous Friday night. Will
one of those who know how a column
ought to be run kindly send in about
1900 words of bright, amusing stuff
to be used on that date?
We have hitherto referred to the
matter in hand. We recur to it with
the thought of impressing it indelibly
upon the public mind. It is that the
esteemed senate should not, in its
consideration of the Newberry case,
overlook the debt of gratitude the
country owes Mr.. Newberry for de-
feating Mr.. Ford.
We met the late Senator Penrose
but once and profess no competency
to write in judgment of his career.
But he had one quality that enlis. ed
our keenest admiration. That was
his persistent refusal to kiss the public
or caress it in any way.
The man with unusual rental and
physical equipment is not always
found in the front rank, but that is
the place to look for him.
Since the question of plagiarism
undoubtedly will be raised, we frank
1y admit the late Hugh ISeough said
it first. The motive that imDels us is
that every good thing should be per-
petuated
High rates OF exchange are driving Ru-
manian students from French universities
to German schools.