News Notes of the Day by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jan 3, 1911

News Notes of the Day

By Editor

One of the girls whom the late John Huyler employed in his factory wrote to the New York Times: "He was never too busy to have a kind and encouraging word to the humblest of his people. He extended his thoughtfulness even to sending his saleswomen to the best chiropodists to ease their aching feet at his own expense. He offered to all membership in the Y. W. C. A. and the privilege of taking music or any other course they desired free of expense. These," she says, "are only a few of the good deeds of this Godlike man."

Eighty more persons have been added to the 150 who have been wounded in religious riots in Calcutta, India. The Mohammedans have a custom of sacrificing cows during a religious ceremony known as the Bakrid festival. The Hindus, to whom the cow is sacred, attacked the Mohammedans, rescuing several of the beasts from stables where they were confined prior to being sacrificed.

That we may eventually expect to see cheek-splits and nose-rings used as badges of social standing, is the opinion of Prof. E. A. Ross of the University of Wisconsin. He thinks that hobble skirts, tube gowns, and peach-basket hats show a decided decline in the intelligence and good sense of the women who adopt such customs.

The Postal Department of the Government has reduced the $17,500,000 deficit by $11,500,000, and at the same time increased the efficiency of the service. Postmaster-General Hitchcock advises that "the entire postal service should be taken out of politics," and that "presidential postmasters of all grades, from the first class to the third, should be placed in the classified civil service." Good; we wish it might be done.

Excessive Expenditures.—Mr. James J. Hill, the noted railway man, points out that between 1892 and 1896—four years—the expenditures of the United States Government were $1,800,000,000, while between 1904 and 1908—four years—they had increased to $3,600,000,000, an amount twice as great.

"Reclaiming the Wayward Girl," by Rheta Childe Dorr, in January Hampton's, is a sad, instructive article: sad because of the growing numbers of wayward girls this civilization is producing; instructive in its description of intelligent and to some extent successful attempts to deal with the problem scientifically. It certainly is a better way than the general old way, but an intelligent Christian way ought to do better. She tells us the sad fact that of 369 girls examined medically one third were found to be "suffering from dangerous contagious maladies, resulting from immorality." And "this state of affairs is not unique." This was in Chicago. All were under sixteen, some were young as ten. Rightfully, justly, the single standard of morality is demanded by the author for boys and girls, nor should girls be cast aside as hopeless outcasts while boys guilty of the same sins are counted reformable. There are some excellent suggestions offered.

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