The Logan County News (Crescent, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 6, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 20, 1917 Page: 2 of 10
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War Record of Railroads Strong
Argument for Private Ownership
By HOWARD ELLIOTT. Member of Rsilioadi' War Beard
; Little Problems I
' gfcTVlarriedLife ;
j=— |
» By J
| WILLIAM GEORGE tORDAN \
(Copyright)
THE TYRANNY OF TOO TIGHT A
REIGN.
Tyranny In a nation can transform
the freest people that over breathed
Into hopeless slaves, numbly sublnls-
The movement of putting all the railroads in the
country under the eo-called war board is of interest
in another way than simply in its as|>ect of giving a
higher efficiency for the use of the people of the I nitcd
States.
Some say that the putting together of the rail-
roads the way we have this year is an argument in spiritless, or scheming rebels
fuvor of government ownership. with a smile on their lips but hate In
n (I„f T 41,;,,l- it means that th,'ir hearts os they dream their gold-
I do not agree with that. I think it means that ^ drpan)g „f 80Cri,t revoit and a bold
the tplendid initiative of the American business man, bn.nk f()r nberty.-There is a brand of
that has huilt up this great transportation system bosslsm In married life, of petty ty-
, . ,i l _ j; 1 \ ovi.ri runny In the home that duplicates In
that today is doing 20 to 25 per cent more than it ever did hi >re, e nilnluture this dilemma of results. It
under the complicated conditions that confront us—it means that the snps the am5jtion, courage and vitality
initiative of the \merican business man, if not too much fettered by small of husbands and wives, and transforms
and nagging Action* «n do more for the exp«uio» of Amen,.,, tt» SSTtS
business and the expansion of the country than we could possibly obtain ni(.t,kly lt trains them persistently fa
under government ownership. smiling hyprocrlsy, trickery, deceit, ly
I say this be
will develop out of
portation system are the men who will have to help decide that great tho tlinld. suppressed type,
question by stu b views as OongTeee gets from its constituents all over the ways answers his wife's call with"yes,
United States.
it ownership. smiling oyproensy, irmurj, .j
,h.t i. .no of th. |~t proMom. tl.at very likely «-g
of this war, and those who depend on a successful trans jiave you ever met the husband, of
who al-
History Is Taught Wrong End Foremost
in Schools of United States
By GARRETT P. SERVISS
from
The problem of education is taking more and more possession of
the public mind. People are studying as perhaps they have never done
hitherto the effects produced upon their children by the instruction that
they get, in the schools of all kinds. Is it the right kind of education? Btream
Almost a hundred years ago Do Tocqueville, in one of the wisest
books ever written, his "Democracy in America," made two significant
remarks which are applicable to an extremely important side of this prob-
lem. One of these remarks is to the effect that America iB the only coun-
try in which the starting point of a great people has been clearly observ-
able, and the other, literally, is this: "It is by the attention it pays to
public education that the original character of American civilization
is at once placed in the clearest light!
Putting these two things together—the absolutely new start made
by the people of this republic and the tendency which they showed from
the beginning to make popular intelligence the basis of their common-
wealth—what was the natural course for them to pursue with regard to
public education, as far as that education related to instruction in
tory and the principles of society and government?
Surely it was to put American ideals and American history,
the American viewpoint, foremost. It was a duty they owed themselves
and their descendants to cultivate with extreme care the spirit in which
their new institutions had been started.
Manifestly the very best means of such cultivation was offered by
the schools. And for a long time the duty was performed and American
children came forth from American schools indomitably rooted in tho
faith of American ideals. They believed the fathers of their country wire mnm)s, he threatens, he forbid* hels-
rtglit, that the American Revolution needed no vindication, and this new
nation owed no excuses to European monarchies for having rejected their
system. . ,
But do the schools teach such doctrine with equal strength today f
One fault of our educational method is that history is taught wrong end
foremost. We begin with English kings, European autocrats, the feudal
system and the struggles of "divine right dynasties.
These things take up so much time that there is little left in which
to study what our forefathers did. Teach the young American first the
history and the principles of his own country, then he will know where
ho stands in the world and what he stands for. After that give him the
story of the Old World, which he will then be in a position to value at its
true worth.
my dear," "no, my dear," or "Just In a
moment, my dear." It is never the
sweet "dear" that drops gently into a
sentence like a caress. His "my dear"
with Its monotonous iteration of a
phonograph record seems a continuous
jilirase of placating. It Is not affec-
tion, it is Just fear; it seems a pleading
deprecatory gesture of the voice ns if
trying to dodge a rebuke or a lecture
as one involuntarily wards off an at-
tack with the upraised arm. You
somehow feel that you should take him
Into a cozy corner and soothe him,
and tell him not to be afraid, that you
will protect him.
When you are alone with him he
may talk easily, cleverly and well; the
of his conversation runs
smooth and free like a mountain brook
but it suddenly trickles Into irrelevant
commonplaces when his wife enters
the room, the whole atmosphere seems
changed, and you vaguely wonder who
shut off the water supply. You do not
like the surreptitious way he covers his
lighted cigar with his hat; it seems too
much like a child caught with its hand
In the sugar bowl. He can never tell
you definitely whether he can go out
tomorrow night; he will let you know
later and you feel that he has already
begun to plan how he can secure his
wife's countersign to his pass. Even
when he is doing what is absolutely
his- right and harmless he becomes wonder-
ously fertile in lying excuses, those
conversational capsules to sweeten tho
breath of suspicion. His ill-concealed
Joy when his wife has to go out of
town for a day or two Is not a mere
confession; lt Is a condensed biog-
raphy.
Sometimes lt is the husband. In
domineering assertion of authority,
who plays the poor, petty role of do-
mestic tyrant. lie dictates, he de-
soon shut him from her sight. And
she had struggled so long and faith-
fully to hold back the ebbing tide of
her love for him and love had gone and
carried respect with it, and she, grown
hard, "ind bitter nd rebellious, had
lost the best ot life and so ' ad he. |
Sometimes a wife may unwisely seek
to keep the love, loyalty and constancy
of her nusband uy holding him with a
Xght rein, by restrictions and limita-
tions that fretted and chafed, by petty
exactions and tyrannies to keep htm
close by her side. Have you ever held
a butterfly in the prison of your palm,
with ;he slightly-parted, arched finger#
ns bars, and, fearing lt might escape,
press Inadvertently c little too tightly
and then be suddenly conscious that
the fluttering whirr had ceased
and, opening the bars and peering in,
find that the beautiful wings were
stilled forever and that the butterfly
was dead?
There are men and women who thus
kill love carelessly; they may have a
great love secure, right in their hands,
but there Is a pressure of doubt, ty-
ranny, distrust or compulsion and the
life of that love may die. Love grows
strong with freedom, confidence and
trust. Love that needs constant watch- |
ing Is not worth watching, and no i
guarding through fear of Its honor will
ever keep lt from straying. Its
strength must be In Itself and in the
Inspiration that comes from realiza-
tion, recognition and response.
There are homes that are over-gov- j
erned. They have as many laws, rules
and regulations as an Institution. They
remind you of these closely printed
charts for conduct tacked on the Inner
side of doors in hotel rooms. In these j
homes you move about gingerly for
fear of stepping Inadvertently on a
don't." No Individual Is big enough,
nor wise enough, nor great enough to
dare to live the life of another, not
with him, but for hltn. If he were all
these his reverence for the individual
YUCATAN'S
BUSY CAPITA
The Federal Palace, Merida.
s
AILING Into a foreign port at
the break of day appears to be
a favorite custom with the av-
erage sea captain, and the occa-
sion to which we write was no excep-
tion. For several hours our ship's
course had been guided by flashes from
the friendly lighthouse, and the latter
we knew stood on the Yucatan shore
at Progreso. The morning broke calm
and peacefully over the tropical wa-
ters of the gulf, and soon the move-
ment of anchor chains automatically
announced that the limit had been
reached—the limit of deep water—and
five miles away lay Progreso, one of
the world's most important shipping
rights of others would make It lrnpos- o{ henuque„ or hemp.
sible for him to usurp their sacred
privilege of freedom in living their own
lives, fully, freely, frankly, at their
best.
Tills domestic tyranny rules In thou-
sands of homes. It means the wrong
of two—the one who Inflicts It and tho
one who bears lt. We hear much of
the grace of patience and the beauty
of long suffering. .They are virtues
when it means self-sacrifice for the
right, vices when for the wrong. Tol-
erating injustice meekly without pro-
test and a mighty effort to overthrow
lt when no good cause Is served, no
noble purpose promoted Is not moral
bravery, lt Is sheer cowardice. It is
the fear of an unpleasant half-hour
that may save years of suffering. The
one who bears meekly Is doing Injus-
tice to herself or to himself and—to
the other. It means weakening and
wronging self and feeding the evil In
another's nature by inaction.
1 The wife may say "he would flare up
in an awful temper If I said a word.
Let him flare, but let him understand
that you will not be a party to lt.
These home bosses are always bullies
and bullies are always cowards. They
do not stand out long against a bold
Going ashore at Progreso Is rather
an exciting novelty if not a dangerous
experience, writes William A. Held in
the Bulletin of the Pan-American
Union. The sea Is alive with sharks,
and they are darting here and there
about the big ship, to the consterna-
tion of the stranger. The clear waters
which bathe this shore seem to accen-
tuate the size of these monsters, and
while the visitor shudders the boat-
men on the ship's tender, as we are
bounding shoreward, announce that
arrangements may then and there be
made for a shark-fishing excursion
later In the day.
Progreso from the sea presents long
rows of houses flanked on either end
by miles of sandy beaches, while a
tall lighthouse about the center of the
port dominates the surroundings. The
general appearance is attractive, and
even more so when we notice tidy
buildings and the cleanly clothing of
even the laboring class. The time was
August when we arrived in Progreso—
about the very worst season of the
year for the foreign visitor In Yuca-
tan; but business matters do not wait
for the1 most propitious occasions. As
a matter of fact, the winter season In
Economic Boycott Necessary After War
Unless Germany Is Democratized
By E. A. F1LENE of Boston
By rufusiii" to buv from Germany, the allied nations could so hamper
her economic recuperation that her ability to arm would bo restricted.
And the less Germany is able to arm, the less the allied nations will need
to arm. In addition, the allied nations could gain from such a common
economic understanding and action the funds they will need for rapid
restoration and defensive armament against a threatening Germany.
Therefore, unless Germany is democratize
ver, by a bust-
the allied nations
have everything to gain, both in safety and in economic powc
liess boycott of Germany. . „ ,
All sincere lovers of peace, therefore, as a part of their planning tc
prevent a next war, will be obliged to favor an economic war against a
Germany whose autocratic leaders could not be trusted to keep the peace
their ambitions counseled conquest
alize that every dollar
ains that, as an emergency measure, it j,rove costly. He la worse than wrong
for the
if revolution were pressing at home or
In such a situation Americans would come to re
given in trade to Germany would bo helping Germany pi e up armament
that sooner or later might be turned against the I nited States.
It will do no good to argue that such a boycott is bad economic theory
so long as the stubborn fact rem;
will limit Germany's ability to arm, thereby reducing the necessity
rest of the world to arm so much, and will furnish the allied nations wit
funds for rapid restoration and defensive arming.
This statement is not made to approve or urge an economic war a
a good business policy, but instead to emphasize how undametv^
democratization of Germany is to the durable peace of the wo Id™ d
de*l to the future economic welfare of Germany herself. It w
in the fervent hope that tho liberalization of Germany may be hastened
and thereby a situation created in which the nations of the wo Id Get*
numy included, may join in the establishment of a peacephased as ha
president puts it, on justice and fairness and the common rights of
Qrind.
sues his orders as ultimatums In n
manner that would be unwarranted
even were he a pirate captain haran-
guing his crew. He forgets that mar-
riage means partnership not proprie-
torship, freedom of both in tho best
Interests of both, not slavery of either.
Ills assaults on her rights when he
crosses the dead line of intolerance
nnd despotically demands obedience
may not be received as submissively,
as uncomplainingly nnd ns finally, as
he in his blind conceit believes.
He may secure an outward sem-
blance of submission but nctually con-
temptuous rebellion. Rrought to bay,
her bitter protest of opposition may
make her dangerously ingenious In out-
witting him. When In a moment of
pique at some act of her family he
dares to order her never to see them
i>r write them or hear from them, she
feels tho cruel Injustice flf this cutting
of the ties of love and tenderness she
may resort to subterfuge, intrigue,
evasion and systematic deception and
defy Mm behind his back while she
seems sweetly and serenely resigned lr,
his presence. She may drift unknow-
ingly into a course of action normally
repugnant ns she surrenders to a tide
of conditions of constant despotic in-
justice. Tyranny needs n hundred
watch dogs—trustful love, none.
When she finds n quarantine or-
dered against some of her dearest nnd
best friends coming to the house, her
self-respect blushes at the plausible
lies she writes or "speaks to prevent
their knowing the real reason. When
she fears to tell him of some misdeed
of one of the children because of the
cruel punishment his anger may pre-
scribe, he is slamming the door on her
confidence nnd giving n bonus of new
license to the little rebel in the nur
s<*y. When she gives false statistics
as to the price of some simple article
she has bought, Just to avoid a "scene,"
he Is giving her unwise post-graduate
courses In duplicity which mny late-
defiance that shows no fear. At the tJle united States furnishes the best
first manifestation of this variety of Ume c|lmaticany for visiting Yucatan,
performance, let husband or wife state Few sighta t0 See ln Progreso.
positively that no encores will be per- , .
mltted. At a quiet, dignified session, Sightseeing In Progreso (lm a
with no shade of anger but Just a detain the visitor. But the port^ with
calm, cool ultlmntum that while tho Its (5,000 people Is usually a busj one.
Innocent one is willing to do the square ns the bulk of the vast henequen p
thlngTn every relation, and to meet passes via Progreso to world markets
bravely whatever the tides of fate may The smaller ships calling or M
bring nd to suffer for the other, but , mnmtJ^v m^closer. ^
^/Zt^U easy to meet In ! £ .ong-tn.Uof piers are construct-
the beginning nnd it Is then It should
be met ln the right spirit for the good
of both. A single bold stand for the
right Is worth years of cowardly pa-
tience for the wrong.
The greatest trials and sorrows are
those that do not come from outside
the home, but are abso*itely created
within, that are manufactured for one
by the temper or wrong of the other.
They are absolutely preventable and
there should be a kindly helpful spirit
on the part 05. both to remove any
wrong that separates them rather than
ed several miles out Into the roadstead
the handling of the country's com-
merce will be greatly facilitated.
In the shipping season the town
presents unusually active scenes with
its trucks, mules, and men. One might
imagine himself amid the cotton bales
at New Orleans, so much do henequen
and cotton resemble each other in the
m«thod of shipment and size of bales.
By and by the day grows warmer,
and one is glad to board tlie train for
Merida, 30 miles southward. Travel-
ing on this three-foot gauge road Is
cheap, being only about two cents a
to Intensify the reign of the wrong by mj|e fnt. J ]1(, hest accommodation of-
weak and meekly bearing. It is not
selfishness, but the reckless assertion
of individuality, but the consecrated
wisdom that seeks to cure what it can-
not endure and to endure what lt can-
not cure.
Love nnd sweet conference smooths
out so many of these problems. Let
there be but one boss nnd that one—
the two. Let them unite ln loving com-
fered. Slowly through the suburbs of
Progreso our train steams, but soon
we are moving rapidly over a level
country with a dry and parched ap-
pearance, abounding ln shrubs, cacti,
and coarse grasses; but to this condi-
tion Yucatan owes Its vast revenue de-
rived from the marvelous little maguey
plant nnd Its product. Here and there
are breaks in the barrenness and we
radeship and fine co-operation, each do- (,.ltch 0f swamps with lilies ami
Ing the best without thought of com- otller wuter plants, a relief to look
petition or conquest nnd then even the upon-
wish of one become the will of both, 0U|> train proceeds, with stops
in union and unit}', with no tyranny little stations en route, the cars
but that of love, love of right, love of nre better uued, and at the same time
pence, love of Justice and love of each 0pp0rtunltles are afforded for getting
other. close glimpses of the henequen work-
ers and their fields of maguey plants
that lie ln view from the car window.
I.ong before sighting Merida the land-
scape becomes dotted with windmills,
and when finally the capital city is
reached one can almost imagine him-
self In old Holland or Barbados, about
the only difference being that Yucatan
has the modern-style mill. These wlnd-
—he Is foolish.
lie Is paying a big price for his
tyranny when the song dies away on
her lips as she hears his key click ln
the lock in the evening nnd she draws
a long breath of relief when he leaves
home in the morning. Then she may
remember with a sigh and a little dim-
ming of the eyes the sweet early days
of their married life when, not satisfied
with the mere good morning kiss she
used to stand 011 the porch and follow
him with her eyes and semaphore love
with her fluttering little wisp of a
handkerchief n« he looked back in the
O.ushlne at the her d of the road that
Women Best Prevaricators.
"Women are better liars than men,
but God bless them Just the same,"
said Police Magistrate J. M. Fitzgerald
of the Omaha police court.
"Women come Into court nnd llo
right along, under onth. Their lies do
not show on their faces, either, but I -
can tell thev nre lying because their mills explain that Merida, like other
stories contradict those of reliable wit- 1 regions of the country, must pump »
i ter from beneath tho surface, so few
nesses.
"When men lie they hesitate, turn
red, swallow, etc. One can tell they're
lying Just by watching their faces and
necks.
"Put yon can't tell lt on a woman.
They lie outrageously and stick to
their stories ln the face of everything.
They know Just the right time to de-
viate from the truth, too. Their lies
always count In the outcome of their
trials—If they nre believed. Men
linven't the same knack at the art that
women police court characters have."
are the lakes and streams.
Driving About Merida.
After being made comfortable ln one
of Merida's hotels we start out to view
the city. There Is no lack of vehicles
and the stranger Is literally swamped
with .proffers of a "delightful drive.'
Most of these small carriages, gener-
ally drawn by a single pony, have rub-
ber tires, nnd many are kept conspicu-
ously clean and inviting looking,
despite the dust of the suburban sec-
tions of th> city.
Merida today claims 62,000 people;
nnd among its residents nre numerous
families of wealth which have ac-
quired riches ln connection with the
great Industry, the growing of the
maguey and the production of hene-
quen. Merida, while not as old ns the
port of Sisal, dates from 1542, when a
settlement was founded by Francisco
Montejo on the site of the ancient
Maya city of Tihoo. Today one of the
most Interesting buildings to be seen
In Merida Is the ensa Montejo, still
well preserved after weathering the
sunshine and storms of centuries. An-
other edifice which every visitor
should see Is the cathedral which was
started ln 1561 and not completed for
nearly 40 years.
For those fond of seeing relics of
bygone ages a visit to tho museum
will be full of interest, and especially
so if some of the ancient Yucatan
ruins are to be seen and explored. In
the former one mny Inspect nrticles
nnd curios that have been collected
from the ruins and preserved—really
a link connection the art nnd trade of
past centuries with present peoples.
Merida, commercially, Industrially,
and socially has greatly improved dur-
ing recent years. Streets and avenues
have been paved with asphalt, elec-
tricity has been provided, labor-saving
machinery Introduced, and otherwise
life and conditions have .been modern-
ized.
Climatically, Merida is hot, but
healthful. During the hours of mid-
day the sun's rays are extremely un-
j pleasant and the stranger Is tolil to
I keep ln the shade. Cool breezes from
the surrounding seas, however, often
temper the heat of the whole penin-
sula. The months of March and April
are regarded as especially trying to
the newcomer ln nny part of Yucatan,
winter by far is the best season for
visiting the country, and during theso
months the excursion to the famous
ruins existing in several different
parts of the peninsula can be made
with a fair degree of comfort. Tho
temperature in Merida ranges from
about 75 degrees to 98 degrees Fahren-
heit.
Volan the Popular Vehicle.
The visitor in Merida for the firs;
time will be interested in a native ve-
hicle known as the "volan," which
might be aptly termed a half brother
of the famous calash ot Quebec. The
volan has two big wheels and is usual-
ly drawn by three ponies working
abreast; lt is provided with easy-rid-
ing springs, a thick mattress floor cov-
ering offers a soft seat on the floor o{
the vehicle, while a top with side cur-
tains protects the traveler from the
sun's rays. Highways in Yucatan have
not greatly Improved with the degree
of the prosperity of the land, and tho
volan seems to be a popular method
of cross-country transportation. The
stranger out of curiosity, if for noth-
ing else, usually goes for a ride ln this
rather novel menus of travel.
Mingling with the business men of
Merida provides excellent opportuni-
ties for studying the commercial side
of affairs; and I found many of these
gentlemen willing to talk freely about
Yucatan's future outlook. One of the
first things which seems to have Im-
pressed Itself upon the average resi-
dent is the Improved condition provid-
ed for the laboring classes, such as
higher wages for work and generally
more freedom of action than in for-
mer years. Better wages out on the
lieneduen plantation is of course re-
flected In the business activities of
Merida, for the latter Is not only the
capital of tlie state but a place in
which everything centers. The work-
ing day has been reduced to eight
hours, and for this time the henequen
laborer is paid the equivalent $1.50 to
$3; five days the Yucatecan works
and two days of the week nre reserved
for rest and recreation. On the larger
plantations schools have been opened
at the expense of the landowner, and
numerous Improved sanitary regula-
tions are in force.
If the stranger tnrries ln Merida he
Is likely to have opportunities for
seeing something of the home life of
the people. Even during a stroll along
the best residential streets a glanca
into open-door patios reveals charm-
ing flower gardens nnd a degree of
comfort and refinement not noticeable
from outward appearances of the av-
erage private home. Many of Merida s
citizens nre hospitable to a marked
degree, and when the foreign visitor
finds favor and is invited to the family
circle he Is on the road to many en-
joyable functions.
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Hubbard, Ernest L. The Logan County News (Crescent, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 6, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 20, 1917, newspaper, December 20, 1917; Crescent, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc287365/m1/2/?q=War+of+the+Rebellion.: accessed June 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.