OCR Text |
Show side, which is a cooler to most men, and the inside is made up of dry 'details, from which, nojpossible enthusiasm en-thusiasm can be awakened. Why should not the Government Gov-ernment keep an editor to receive from the different I States"1 accounts of the condition of agriculture in those States, with pictures of live stock, of . the triumphs tri-umphs of irrigation in the old arid West, pictures of the fish in the hatcheries, pictures of landscapes on model farms, and have a book' that will be, in an agricultural agri-cultural way, a classic t Then advertise that enough will be charged for the book' to pay for the extra work, and the sale would be something immense. Farmers are rich in the country and a great many farmers would like to know exactly whether the farmers of other States are better farmers than they, whether they raise better stock, or more grain or more sugar beets, and they would buy that book, and keep it on the center table in the parlor. At least many of them would,, and it would ornament the center table. It would be interesting reading for the children, aud might induce many a boy, who now is dreaming of going the vagrant ways of the world, the mastering master-ing of some profession and living exposed to the temptations of the cities, to conclude that after all the farm was the best place and that fanning is the very noblest of earthly occupations and accomplishments. accom-plishments. By the way, we had an editorial of this kind some months ago, and if President Roosevelt saw it and got his idea about having the isthmus ditch and its environments placed before the Nation in a way that people generally would understand it, he is welcome to it. Had he been a careful reader of THE TELEGRAM TELE-GRAM during the' last year he would have been saved several pitfalls into which hp has stumbled. 1 V - A REPORT OFFERED FOR SALE. From the Federal Superintendent of Documents, the New York Sun has received and published with hilarious indorsements, the following advertisement: "BOOSEVELT ON PANAMA CANAL. "President Roosevelt 'i speeial message to Congress eoncerninjr the Panama canal has been issued in an illustrated illus-trated edition, which may be procured from the Superintendent Superin-tendent of Documents, Government Printing office, Washington, Wash-ington, P. C, for 50 cents per copy. "The exhaustive manner in wnicn this subject has been treated in this message, with the addition of seven appendixes ap-pendixes and twenty-six full Pge illustrations, makes the pnbUcVtion veritable text 6oo on this subject of world Interest." Now, our idea is that that is a departure which should be encouraged. Nearly all the newspapers make their illustrations a feature, why should not Government documents be illuminated the same 1 way? For instance, every year the Government sends out an agricultural report. It is not much read, be- cause it has' the old Government binding on the out-J |