Life — November 4, 1897 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

How He Met Her. HE was the very sweetest girl I ever ran across, But how to make apologies I really am at loss. I struck her coasting down a hill, My wheel the maid did toss— She was the very sweetest girl I ever ran across. McLandburgh Wilson, Some Private Correspond- ence. Y DEAR COLLIS: You need not take the trouble to reply to this, as I know you are a busy man, not having leisure enough even to visit some of your numerous friends on Fifth Avenue. This is not sur- prising, however, when the present political situation is such that for you to absent yourself from the boys, even to the extent of overseeing some of the pending excavations, might be fatal to the welfare of our great and glorious city. No one knows better than yourself that, politically, every- thing would be dead if you should drop out of the game, and your pa- triotism in keeping in it is commend- able. What if a few paltry thousands of citizens are suffering losses in their business, getting deadly germs into their systems, and undergoing any amount of personal discomfort, while the grand work of rehabilitating our streets is dragging its slow length along? It is, of course, much better that they should all be neglected than that ‘politics ” should lose the temporary services of such an able lieutenant as your esteemed self. It is true that you have been quite severely criticised by many, some of your critics even asserting that they knew what they were talking about, and it has been stated that the work you have in charge might not only be better done, but much more ex- peditiously. Instances have been given, by these experts, of work on the city streets that has been pushed through rapidly enough, when the consideration behind was worth while. It has been suggested, also, that you have not kept to the terms *LIFE: of your contract, and one reputable firm, more presumptuous than others, has gone so far as to bring suit for aconsiderable amount. All this, of course, is extremely annoying, par- ticularly to one of your supersensi- tive temperament, But believe me, you should not allow yourself to be disturbed in the least. These few notes of discord have only been started by non-residents, or by those amateurs who should know better, but who are deluded with the idea that they have any rights. The main body of intelligent ww Yorkers know that they are living in one of the worst governed cities in the world, and the habit of submitting to all sorts of wrongs has become so firmly fixed among them that any sudden change for the better would not be appreciated. They naturally expect that when it becomes neces- sary to tear up our streets it will take a certain number of years to do the job, so that everyone on the in- side may be rewarded according to his lights. They don’t pretend to know all of the internal political mechanism that governs these mat- ters, or in what manner or degree the wires are pulled. But being an uncomplaining, long-suffering lot, and used to it, they may be relied upon to suffer in silence. LiFe. OLLEGE MAXIM: Initiation is the sincerest flattery, A Plea for Non - Voters. HIS question was put to the Ottawa (Canada) Women's Hu- mane Society : Would it not be better for the Society to_devote its time and means to poor and afflicted persons, and to children ? And this was the answer. Man is only one out of about three huo- dred and twenty thousand kinds of living creatures that God has created in this world; and while in the city of Ottawa alone there are so many organizations supported by pri- vate benevolence for the protection of human beings, there are only two societies, with meagre support and little sympathy, for the protection of dumb animals. Good! And this applies equally well to almost every town of importance in the United States. 379 Custom-Made Anecdotes. NTHONY COMSTOCK was one day talking with a friend about a certain book that was havinga large sale because the critics had all con- demned it, and which he claimed con- tained matter unfit for publication. “But are you sure,” inquired his friend, ‘‘that you are right?” “I ought to be,” replied Anthony, tartly; ‘' 1 have read it four times.” And his friend borrowed the book immediately, TOMASIO - | c CATERER DINNER A LACART COLO DISHES ATALLHOURS. RAGOUTS, 1 SOUP *. FISH i A SPECIALTY = POPULAR PRICE: th SCENTRAL AVE. Hi HA ror esTION TAKE ino! De KIDSLAYERS SURE comicbooks.com