CORTLAND CRIPPLES JUMP FOR JOY!

Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, February 5, 1897.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

Suggestions for Story Writers.

   E. F. Andrews writes for The Cosmopolitan some useful hints for the great American army of persons young and old who would like to be successful novel writers. It is certain there is a need just now of somebody who can write novels. The ranks of the authors whose fame is already made are thinning rapidly, and thus far there appears none to take their places.

   To begin, Mr. Andrews mentions the two classes in to which works of fiction are divided—the romantic and the realistic. The realistic school of novelists depicts life as it is, or thinks it does. The romantic school paints life as it may be. To this we on our own account would like to add a third class—that which represents life as it ought to be. The novelist who should successfully do this would be sure of immediate and lasting fame. Humanity is dead tired of the repulsive and painful scenes which so called "realistic" writers paint for us. It is likewise dead tired of that kind of romance on which the 16-year-old girl is so fond of feeding her silly and morbid imagination. The great success of Bellamy's "Looking Backward" and one or two other stories with a like motif is proof that the race wants, even in fiction, something happier, brighter and better than it has known.

   Mr. Andrews tells us that the three principal ingredients of a novel are plot, incident and character. Of these the most important is character. The novelist must have every one of the personages wrought out into a character of his own. It will not at all do for a writer to follow the mere type in this matter, as a typical old maid or a typical politician. He must struggle with his mind and produce a type of his own. Thackeray and Dickens were the most successful character painters.

   Furthermore, the novelist must not follow real life too closely in his character painting or in his incidents, says Mr. Andrews. And he is quite correct. We have observed that the most successful characters in a story are not those who really have existed, but who might exist almost anywhere. The most successful incidents are not those which really have happened, but those which might happen. Mr. Andrews says one theme never wears out—that of love between the sexes. And yet the most successful novels recently have been those in which either occult or economic questions have first place in importance.

   ◘ In the sixth century of the Christian era a chronologist named Dionysus established a system of dating the years and centuries which has been followed ever since. He was the first to systematize the reckoning of time from the birth of Christ. Later investigations, however, and more accurate ones, demonstrated that he had fixed the birth of Christ four years later than he should have done. In the textbooks of chronology therefore, the curious fact is recorded that Christ was born four years before Christ—that is, four years before the commencement of the Christian era. Teachers do not always stop to explain that this happens because Dionysus made a mistake in his dates. That being the case, The Outlook points out that we are actually already living in the twentieth century. Instead of being the year 1897 of the Christian era, this is really 1901 of that era.

Salvation Army.

   Jeremiah, the colored prophet, will conduct special services at the W. C. T. U. rooms to-night at 8 o'clock, also to-morrow night at 8 o'clock and Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock and evening at 8 o'clock. All are welcome.

Hanged Another Negro.

   BOWLING GREEN, Ky., Feb. 5.—Near Rockfield, a little station on the Louisville and Nashville 10 miles from this city, a negro, Robert Morton, was hanged. Morton wrote an insulting and insinuating note to Miss Tommie Johnson, a white woman, and when it became known a posse went to arrest him. He ran away, and they gave chase, capturing him after shooting him several times.

   While the officers were guarding Morton a mob overpowered them and took the prisoner out of their custody and, carrying him three miles from town, hanged him.

REMOVED BY CLEVELAND.

Colonel Crofton Retired From the Army Under the Age Limit Law.

   WASHINGTON. Feb. 5.—Colonel Robert B. Crofton, Fifteenth Infantry, was arbitrarily retired by order of the president. It has been the desire of the war department that this officer should leave the active service and efforts have been made during the past two years to attain this end, first through intimations to the friends of Colonel Crofton that his retirement would be granted if applied for, and this failing, through that law which obliges an officer to retire if found physically unfit for service by a medical board. This last course was adopted about nine months ago, but also without success, the board finding that the officer was in good condition physically.

   Finally recourse has been had to the law which permits the president to retire an officer arbitrarily when he shall have reached 62 years of age. Colonel Crofton passed this mile stone last month and the law has been applied to his case.

   This is a most unusual proceeding, the last instance of a forced retirement being in the ease of General Carr, who was forced out in order to permit of the promotion of officers below him in rank.

   Colonel Crofton was in command of the Fifteenth infantry while the organization was stationed at Fort Sheridan near Chicago, and was, with or without just ground, held responsible for the many incidents in the history of the occupation of the post that furnished matter for the courts.

   Colonel Crofton had a good war record. He was not a native American, being born in Ireland. He was breveted major and colonel for gallant service at Shiloh and Chickamauga.

NAVAL DISPLAY.

Admiral Bunce Massing His Fleet Off Charleston.

   WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.—Admiral Bunce's squadron sailed from Hampton Roads to begin a new set of manouvers and drills, the most interesting feature of which will be a mock blockade of the port of Charleston, reproducing in some measure the conditions that existed there during a period in the last war.

   The vessels which followed the flagship New York out of the Roads were the battleship Indiana, the armored cruiser Maine, the turret ship Amphitrite, the cruiser Columbia and the dispatch boat Fern.

   The admiral telegraphed the fact of his departure to the navy department and added that the Marble Head, which is somewhere outside, would be ordered to fall in line if sighted. The double turreted monitors Puritan and Terror are expected to join the squadron.

"South Before the War."

   Manager Rood will present at the [Cortland] Opera House on Thursday night, Feb. 11, Harry Martell's grand southern production the "South Before the War," a most excellent attraction that has commanded the best audiences wherever produced. A large company numbering fifty people, new scenery and other improvements forms one of the best shows on the stage to be seen this season, and should without doubt play to the capacity of the house. The opening scene which pictures the return of an old slave to the plantation, introducing the entire company, together with interesting episodes of slave life, darkey amusements of antebellum days, buck and wind dancing, jubilee singing of the meritorious kind.

    The pastime on the levee introduces the realistic landing of that famous old Mississippi steamboat, Robert E. Lee, the scene in this particular is most interesting. The camp meeting on Frog Island and the Cake Walk are also two very attractive features, and the pickaninny band of seventeen little darkies are highly amusing. There will be a big street parade in which the entire company will be seen.

THE RAINES LAW

Alleged to Have Been Violated by Daniel Kernan.

   On Wednesday Justice of the Peace J. H. Kelly issued a warrant for the arrest of Daniel Kernan of the North Cortland House, on complaint of Frank A. Clock, charging him with violation of that section of the Raines liquor tax law relative selling liquor on Sunday. The warrant was served by Deputy Sheriff James E. Edwards. When arraigned Mr. Kernan pleaded not guilty to the charge and gave bail, the examination being set down for Feb. 13.

C. A. A. Ball To-night.

   The first annual ball of the Cortland Athletic association occurs in the large hall of the association in the Taylor hall block to-night. Every arrangement for the convenience and pleasure of the guests has been made. A large number of invitations have been issued. Great care will be taken by the reception and floor committees to see that no objectionable persons of either sex gain admission, and if any such do secure entrance, they will be quietly invited to retire from the hall. Arrangements have been made for those who care, to secure refreshments at the Brunswick and European restaurants and the Kittrick and Bosworth cafes.

BREVITIES.

   —New advertisements to-day are—Warner Rood, "South Before the War," page 5; Dr. Vito, Cripples Jump for Joy, page 8.

   —O. V. Eldridge is having a Kelsey furnace placed in his residence to-day.

   —The regular Friday evening service at Grace church will be omitted this evening.

   —About seventy-five families in Ithaca are now dependent upon the town for support.—Ithaca.

   —One "Wandering Willie," claiming to be John Thayer of Norwich, was a lodger at the police station last night.

   —The total registration at the Normal is about 500, over fifty of whom are new students. The registration for the year is 635 [two terms].

   —The Adlake club meets in John L. Lewis lodge rooms Monday evening instead of on Wednesday evening. It will be a reception party.

   —Geo. Synder, who for some months back has been employed in Cortland, was down shipping his goods to that place yesterday, preparatory to housekeeping.—Whitney Point Reporter.

   —The class in the Congregational Sunday-school taught by A. W. Angel enjoyed a very pleasant social season at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Philo Meade, 8 Copeland-ave., Wednesday evening. Forty-three persons were present.

   —It is announced that the round trip rate of $51 has been secured from Boston to San Francisco for the Christian Endeavor convention this year. The convention will be held July 7 to 12. Tickets will be good returning till August 15 with certain stop-over privileges and delegates may choose their own routes.

   —Mr. Ernest M. Hornbeck of Slaterville Springs and Miss Margaret L. Scott were united in marriage yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the home of the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Scott, about two miles west of the village, by Rev. John T. Stone, pastor of the Presbyterian church of Cortland. Only the immediate relatives and friends of the contracting parties were in attendance.

   —The Bible class of the First Baptist church of Syracuse celebrated its seventieth anniversary last Sunday, and the occasion was made memorable by an address delivered by one of the state's "grand old men," ex-Lieutenant Governor Thomas G. Alvord. In another column will be found an abstract of the venerable speaker's remarks, which possess that power to entertain characterizing all that comes from "Old Salt's" tongue or pen. There is no man in the state or country who possesses a more remarkable fund of reminiscence, humor and good, sound sense, and no one is better able to give expression to his thoughts on men and things, past and present. The conditions which the governor describes as existing in Onondaga county in his boyhood were much the same as in this vicinity.