Life — April 20, 1899 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

Marfa: DAR'® A PARSON MOVED OBER TER FINE HOLLER, RasTCe. DEY 64Y UE's POW'FUL REASONABLE "ROUT CUAROES. HE's JIsT J*INED A COUPLE FO’ A BASKET OR “TATERS. CYARN'T YER DEVISE SOMPFIN? Rastus: an WOULD, MARPA, ON'Y All AIN'T GOT No ‘raTERS, Major! A man’s discretion is sometimes known by the company he keops, and again by the company he keeps out of. . 8 F wo can believe what we read in the newspapers about tho behavior of the Gerry agents to magistrates and other citizens, we must consider that it is time for bumane persons to get together and start the Society for the Prevention of Prevention, The Gerry mon, as wo read about them, seem to be very arrogant officers, and Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Gerry’s bead man, seems truly to bo a particularly despotic character. Inasmuch as the Gerry Society isa very important branch of the government of New York, wo must hope that some of the stories about the manners of its agents have another side to them which would also be worth hearing. But where there is so much smoke there must be more or less fire, and it seems not too much to say that if our honored fellow-citizen and his Gerry men all could contrive, without detri- ment to their lawful aims, to be a little less bossy in the transac- 347 tion of their business, the public relief would be con- siderablo and the public gratitude proportionately great, * . . HE same folks who were grateful to the Presi- dent for appointing Herbert Putnam librarian of the Congressional Library have been scolding bim hard for making William R. Merriam director of tho twelfth census. They like Mr, Putnam's appoint- ment because Mr. Putnam is belteved to be tha lead~ ing librarian of the country. They have objected to the appointment of Mr. Merriam becanse taking a census is skilled labor and best done by some ono who understands it, whereas Mr. Merriam is not known to bave had any experience as a census-taker or statistician, He was a banker in Minnesota, or thereabouts, who didn’t get on well in the banking business, and lost bis job. He was also a politician, and bis appointment seoms to be duo solely to politi- cal considerations. He has anpounced that civil service rules will not govern bis appointments, but that he will take “practical men” on the recom- mendation of Members of Congress. Woe all know what that means, It was illustrated when the last census was taken. It means bad work, slow work, and a big waste of money. It is @ pity the Major did not feel that he could afford to have the census + taken properly. But He Took the Trick. «¢CILAS,” said Mrs. Boozle, ‘this bere Mr. <7 Depew that was made Senator, isn’t he in the machine? I don’t see the papers talking about his bossing anything.” “ Well, it’s this way, Maria,” said Mr. Boozle. , ‘He really doesn’t belong to the pack. He’s the First Filipino: wwat's THE MATTER? Second Filipino: BREN TAKIN’ ANOTRER OF THOSE BLAMED Lessons IN THE PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION.