Life — March 24, 1898 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

“While there is Life the VOL. XXXL MARCH 24, 1898, 19 West Tuinry-Finst St., ed every Thursday. $:.00 year in advance, to foreign countries in the Postal Union, $1.04 ayearextra, Single copies, 10 cents, Rejected contributions will be destroyed un- less accompanied bya stamped and directed envelope The illustrations in Live. are copyrighted, and are not to be reproduced without special arrangement with the publish No, 797, Sew York, HAT busy times these must be for Assist ant Secretary Roosevelt, and was there ever a good man who liked to have something going on who had better luck in ke ing in the thick of activities than he? There seem to be many busy men in Washington just The Presi- dent gives a lyaccurate now. un- usua imitation of a man who is carning his salary. We have faith to believe that the Secretaries of War, the Navy and the Treasury have been working full hours, and perhaps overtime, fur wecks past. One hears of Speaker Reed now and then in connce- tion with measures that imply cc n his part, and those other Maine men who help him to shape legislation aud turn bills into laws must also be thoug But ail these gentlemen, is it conceivable that anyone is half as busy as Mr, Roosevelt? Not Not one! The proof of itis that we hear hardly any- thing of Mr. Roosevelt nowadays. He is too busy. Did ever see one of revolving tubles that tea mer- chants have, which are bordered with teacups containing samples of tea? The merchant this table and tries one sample after another. Imagine Seerctary Roosevelt seated at such a table every morning, sampling powder by the taste. That is only one detail, tand planning action. mong industrious you those sits at > LIFE: and not the most important, of his daily task. It is not necessary to specify all his other labors. Think what the Navy Department has been about, putting all its war material in order for use, buying buying coal, en- listing new men, calling home vessels, sorting out the right men and getting them in the right’ place, ) and then getting readier, so that if neces. sary it will be possible to burn real pow- der in real guns and have them do. busi- ness, and maybe hit somethin; new ships, idea of war is far from agreeable. Folks get hurt in it, ships are sunk, there is the devil to pay, and the cost is enormous. The thought of itissoexcecdingly grave and unwelcome, that all its extenuat- aspects have need to be cultivated. Such an aspect is the thought of Assist ant Roosevelt, making preparations. We may be sorry for the Presid has to think so hard and endure so much anxiety; we may be sorry Long cause he is an elderly and pacitic states- may be overtaxing strength; we may be sorry for Secretary Sherman, that at his stage of longevity he should have such a bustle about him; but we are nota bit sorry for Assistant Sceretary Roosevelt. The thought of him is one of the cheerfulest thou He must be having the time of his life. dd now to have it all happen as it did. If there had been peace in the Police Board of New York, or even if Dr. Low had been elected, Mr. Roosevelt might still have been here instead of being, as he is, the round pe 08 $ Secretary his nt, because he for Secretary be- man, and his we have. We are reconci in the round hole for once. $ So U NCLE SAM intends to have peact and has got the money to pay for it. Some foiks find ple: out that the presence of the money in the Treasury is due to the bond saies of sure in pointing the late Administration. That may not be vitally important, but it is true, and worth remembering. The sentiment that the more we hustle and the readier we get the less likely it is that we will have to fight, has a basis of reason under it, so that the thriftiest of us may watch Uncle Sam’s doilars fly, with a consoling realization that his disbursements are all in the interest of economy. It takes, traditionally, not less thar three movings to do as much damage as atire, How many preparations can tn managed at the cost of one war depends of course, on the size of the war, and that is something no fellow can tell Veforchand. Certainly, however, this present preparation recommends itself to approval as timely and wise. ji ees — Peano - IFES London correspondent learns L from Berlin that Emperor Wil liam IL “has again been expe privately with a new explo he claims to have invented, and which he proposes to call ‘rexite.’” The Em peror’s experiments are understood to have aroused interest and very hopeful feclings in Germany. It is possible, of course, that results might suddenly follow from them which would q great relief to Germany, and make for the peace of mind of all Europe. Lirt would rejoice to learn that analogous rescarches had engaged the aspiriny mind of our Mr. William Hearst. mentiny ve which S REPARATION for peace by the provision of war material is n the only thing that is going on in the world. Lent is reported to be still in season; the spring in these latitudes is perceptibly gaining strength; some pleas. ing feminine hats have already appeared in the streets; our fragile fellow citizens who went south two months ago are beginning to work their way north a; robins abound in the country ; the bicycle trade is brisk and the bicyclists ure Nature hereabouts can hardly be said to be awake yet, but she stirs ina way that shows how close she is to waking. The new shapes in carriages are out, and are the most pleasing that have been nin years, Of course it is with riages as with all other things that fash ion dominates. There isa best shape, but the necessity for constant variety forbids that the best shape should continue fash- ionable beyond a moderate length of time. There is a prospect now that the most graceful shape for carriages will have another innings, as anyone may notice who walks up Fifth Avenue on a sunny afternoon. everywhere