Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1888 — NOTE AND COMMENT. [ARTICLE]

NOTE AND COMMENT.

Stockton, in St. Nic holas, enpoliteness With which a travtfPpMte in some parts of Europe, A person wiftd|£t unfreqtt«»tly accompany a stranger #i|hout pay to assist him in finding strew*,. «tores, etc., and to aid in the selection of articles to be purchased. The habit is' growing on yodng Americans not to be w3t|dg to do anything without a cash compensation. Courtesy is not a national characteristic. It should enter into our system oY training. The amenities of civilization are no less important than the enterprises. It is not althogether the accu- - mutations that contribute wealth, but the ability to use our accumulations for peace and comfort. We have two great lessons to learn: Econ omy of the Chinese and courtesy of the French.

The American Statesman series shows no more interesting data than the comparative wealth of the Presidents of the United States on leaving office. Washington left office worth SBOO,OOO, tut no one ever accused him of either parsimony or dishonorable methods. John Adams had but little property, although by no means poor. Jefferson was absolutely impoverished, and was obliged to beg of Congress to relieve him by buying his books. Madison was well off, but Monroe, like Jefferson? was poor. John Quincy Adams was, for those days, wealthy, and Jackson was at least comfortably fixed. Yan-Buren and Polk were in moderate circumstances, and Taylor was worth $150,000. Filmore left a fine estate in Buffalo, which was quickly scattered. Pierce was worth $45,000; Buchanan, $200,000; Lincoln, $50,000, and Johnson the same. The times considered, Washington was the wealthiest. Grant’s circumstances are well known.

The population the United Stages over 10 years of age was, in 1880, nearly 37,000,000. Of these 5,000,000 could not read and over 6,000,000 could not write. Of this vast mass of illiteracy, and,under circumstances, of positively degrading ignorance, over 5;000,000 were our own native-born citizens, about half and half divided between the blacks and the whites. The States o‘s Louisiana and South Carolina and Mississippi have about half of their population unable to read or write, and not over one-thirds of the population of Virginia can read. It is no longer a relief to these figures to say that they consist largely of negroes, for our negroes are now voters and law makers. Possibly the common school may not be all that is needed, but our lower classes, without education, arc incapable of comprehending free institutions. We mußt educate.

There are three things every one should attend to who has a dwellingventilation, pure water and unadulterated food. Difficult as the food question is, with care it can be mastered. Pure air, also, can be measurably secured, even if the residence be in a malarial district. But the problem of all most difficult is how to be sure of pure water. The bacterial germs that produce malignant diseases are most easily introduced into the system by means of apparently pure water. New York City is amazed to find its Croton Lake system is now receiving the sewerage of 25,000 people, the largest condensed milk factory in the world, 10,000 cows, 1,200 horses, 15,000 hogs and forty factories. The absolute selfishness and heedlessness of many people is shown in nothing more than their readiness to pollute streams used or liable to be used for drinking by human beings. Probably a good deep well free from possible contamination of sewerage, is our safest resort.

The matter of moment in the amendment of our laws concerning immigration is, not to exclude any class of honest laborers, but to so restrict the ' inflow that every man landed on our shoreß shall be able to earn his living, and willing to so. It is all well enough to fall back on general philanthropy, and argue in favor.of America as a home of the oppressed; the question now is shall it be made a poor house for the world’s paupers, a jail for its criminal and a refuge for its non-producing rabble. The thorough rousing of popular sentiment on this subject is due to the anarchists, who have thus accomplished one good; though precisely the good they did net intend. There is no longer a question as to the duty of Congress to legislate effectively on this subject, so that we shall no longer be subject to the trouble, expense and excitemeht of trying and hanging foreign criminals.

It looks no was if our American farmers would not be in a hurry to emigrate to Australia. The rabbit pest is now supplemented by a mice plague. These rodents are worse than rabbits, because they gg v to the roots of things. The soft climate enables them to breed with astonishing rapidity, and already they overrun houses and lands. In some places they are so thick that, in order to get the stock properly fed, men have to* stand guard over the provender after it is placed in the mangers. To kill the rabbits they advertised for Yankee inventions; they will now need to import a ship load .of the blarsted Yankees themselves. There seems to have been more than one good reason why Australia was; for so many ages, behind ail the rest of creation. It is styled in a recent

review article “The Fossil Continent.” Ancient man there signally failed in his struggle; will modern man come out The problem is not quite settled. ; ,—_i:-