Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 November 1893 — TOPICS OF THESE TIMES. [ARTICLE]

TOPICS OF THESE TIMES.

THANKSGIVING. It is a time for prayers and pumpkin pies, for t«rkey and for tears — that flow from too much chow-chow when the pepper’s hot; a time for vain regret that the world is full of good things to eat and_ that the bn- j man stomach holds only a quart; i alas, and a’as, the insurmountable barrier—the utter hopelessless of the task of demolition of the bounteous supplies of earth and air and sea; a time for remorse —remorse that we have made a vain attempt to swallow ■ barrels with the limited capacity of | a tin bucket —or “growler,” so to ■ speak—remorse that the tempting ' viands that did tempt our frosty ■ appetite have with the shortening days grown loathsome and abhor_ent, and that' we no more hone for unlimited supplies of country produce; a time for colds and colic and Columbian souvenirs and cranberries and chrysanthemums galore; a time to heed the sign to “shut the door;” a time to subscribe and quit borrowing your neighbor’s paper; a time for thankfulness and thoughts of charity, and indeed for actual acts of true benevolence, “for be- | hold the poor ye have always with i you;” a time for church festivals and progressive euchre parties, for oyster so p and theatrical “supes,” and gorgeous bill boards that lie and lie and “stick” to it day after day with a persistency worthy of a Silver Senator; a time for joy and rest and hope, and calm contemplation of the ever coming future and tearful retrospection of the fast receding past; a time to gather round the hearthstone all remaining earthly treasures; a time for clasping hands with friends both true, and tried and gathering into fellowship all the new found and congenial spirits that the year has brought; a time to bury animosities, to forgive injuries, to confer favors, to invoke benedictions; a time for good-will and a fuller realization of the paramount fact that “all men are brothers,” heir to a common fate, a common destiny and a common hope of ■ greater joys beyond; yea, it is a time i for thanksgiving for all blessings > yet received; for thanksgiving that ■ we can still hope for human joys; for , thanksgiving that we are indeed the 1 favored children of the Great Father of all, still basking in the light of His benignant f-m”e.

THE VANISHING CITY. The one great absorbing and vitally interesting topic of newspaper discussion and private conversation throughout the great Northwest, and in a less degree throughout the United States, during 1893, has been the World’s Columbian Exposition ' which officially ceased to exist on the evening of Oct. 30. So absorbed j have our people become in all that . pertains to Jackson Park and all its ] architectural and material wonders, j so dear are the memories connected ' therewith to all the fortunate mortals who have passed its common- ■ place portals into that ethereal and ' enchanted realm that lay beyond, ' where mind and soul and art and song held carnival for half a year — where all the higher attributes of man sprang full-fledged and strong as never before on earth, that it seemed a paradise indeed that, for the time, almost disenthralled the human mind from earthly cares — that all are loth to give it up, and are prone to follow the fortunes of the great exhibition to the last. Knowing this, we shall print all such news, either editorially or as regular news, as shall, from time to time, develop. Already disintegration, disorder, change and demolition have commenced their ungrateful task, but the prospects are that the most striking architectural features will be preserved for an indefinite period—a consummation to be devoutly wished for. The Columbian Museum will doubtless be the legatee of the great Exposition, and Chicago enterprise will no doubt prove a worthy guardian and executor. The various State buildings will, of.course, be removed at an early date. Indiana’s building has not been disposed of, a: d it would seem that patriotic Hoosiers are rather backward in taking proper measures for its preservation. The California Building has been dismantled, and will doubtless soon be removed. The Midway was promptly closed, but the Ferris wheel continued to revolve to a small audience, the principal object in continuing business being to pile up imaginary damages against the management as a basis for a lawsuit which will shortly be forthcoming. The New Hampshire Building will be taken back to its native hills. The West Virginia Building is to be removed to Charleston, W. Va., where it will be re-erected as a State Museum with its contents intact. The Nsw Jersey Building has been presented to the State militia of that

State and will be moved to Seagirt. | Toe Connecticut Building was sold for $3,000 to a Mr. Richards, of Hyde Park; who will rebuild it on the lake shore, just below the Fair grounds. The New York Building has been placed in the hands of trus- . tees for a woman’s museum. The j Chicago Naval Academy fell heir to i the Pennsylvania Building, but it is said to be a “white elephant.” Germany’s building will probably be removed to Lincoln Park, or to a private site in that neighborhood. A project is on foot to move the great ■ Manufacturers’ Building to a site on j the lake front, north of the Art In- ■ stitute, and make it as solid as any ; building in Chicago, to be used as a ! People’s Palace and Labor Exchange, similar to institutions now in operation in London and Paris. This will hardly be done while it can be made presentable on its present site. THE CRANK. There are numerous kinds of cranks. There is the crank of our boyhood -that was always fast to the axle of a grindstone, or persisted in coming off, and thereby increasing the obnoxious labor. There is the I pedal crank of the bicycle upon i which a youth will expend a hundred times the energy that he would on necessary labor with delight and satisfaction and without any object save his own amusement. The crank of the locomotive and steamship move the world, and mechanical cranks of all descriptions are an important factor of civilization. There are, however, a vast number of human “cranks” whose presence could be dispensed with. Many of them are harmless if useless, but many are quite otherwise and are prone to revolve in a given circle laid down for them by some ambitious fellowcrank, to the great detriment of the peace and g o 1 order of the commonwealth. Of late the development of this species of crank has produced murderers whose example has led to a well-founded alarm in official circles. Public men have been greatly annoyed since the murder of Mayor Harrison by the Prendergast crank, and ambitious cranks in all parts of the country seem determined to rush into notoriety by means of the press or the hangman’s noose, if need be. They have grown

from a nuisance to a menace to society. The crank must be abolished. Science and civilization can not yet afford to be imperilled by the ravings of these unfortunates whose shallow brains are lashed to fury by fancied wrongs like a duck-pond by a thunder storm. Great trouble and possibly many lives might be saved by the prompt locking up of all such characters on the first exhibition of a tendency to violence in any degree. Some high authorities want to leave this problem for the twentieth century to solve, but if ever a “condition and not a theory confronted us” it is the crank problem of the hour that is crying for solution at our hands and will not brook delay. The cold water treatment has been suggested, and it would no doubt prove efficacious in & majority of cases. Anything that will change the course of thought for the embryo lunatic will answer, but in this, as in most cases, delays are dangerous.

MORE ABOUT SILVER. The manufacturers of silverware were unanimously in favor of the repeal of the Sherman law, thinking that it would result in a decline of the market value of that metal. That such has not been the case is regarded as phenomenal in financial and trade centers. Silver has alwajs>bc<n considered a precious metal, but its abundance and comparative cheapness has of late years led to its use in many departments of manufacture that formerly employed the baser metals. Sterling silverware has replaced the plated ware of former times to a great degree. Silver has followed the example of steel. Low prices have marvelously increased consumption. Even should silver lose its rank as a money metal, the future of our Western silver mines is by no means ruined. Cheaper processes and increased demand will probably keep the price at the present standard unless some unforeseen production from foreign countries shall change the situation. Even with an increased foreign output our mines must continue to bold the ascendency in the markets of the world because of our mechanical resources and superior transportation facilities. J. L. Hamilton, Jr., of Hoopeston, 111., won the first prize in rhe guessing contest as to tne number of paid admissions to the World’s Fair on Chicago Day. The number was 716,881, and Mr. Hamilton guessed 716,845. The second best guess was that of Miss Clara McDonald, of Independence, lowa, 716,821. The highest.guess was 1,265,000, and the majority ranged between 300,000 and 400,000.