Jan. 27, 1907 (Sunday)

'SALOME' OPERA COMES UNDER FIRE IN NYC: The directors of the Metropolitan Opera and Real Estate Co. sent word yesterday to Herr Direktor Conried that the current production of "Salome" is "objectionable and detrimental to the best interests of the Metropolitan Opera House." They want it to STOP. Despite the recent comments about the daring Strauss-Wilde show -- and its racy Dance of the Seven Veils and the kissing of John the Baptist's head (right), this move is quite unexpected, according to today's New York Times. The paper devoted about three entire columns of type to the story. The cartoon above was in today's Times -- indicating that the show has hit both the love-hate buttons for audience members.


MARRIOTT MAY RECOVER: Automobile racer Fred Marriott (above) is making strong progress after his accident Jan. 25 on the beach at Daytona. He's bruised from head to foot, according to The Washington Post. F.E. Stanley, who owns the steamer car that Marriott crashed, says he's thinking of a new design. Here's what he said: "The accident of yesterday has convinced me that the cigar-shaped style of racing machine is not as fully under steering control, when going at a rate of 120 mph, as would a car built on the lines of a fish -- that is, with a blunt, round prow and a sharp tail."

FINALLY, A HINT OF WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SHIP HURONIAN: On Feb. 11, 1902, the ship Huronian left Glasgow Scotland for Canada. That was the last anyone not on board saw of the craft, which was operated by the Montreal Ocean Steam Ship Co. (also known as the Allan Line). Recently, a bottle with a message inside was found on the northern coast of Ireland. It said: Huronian sinking fast. Top heavy. One side under water. Good-by, mother and sister -- Charles McFall This clue seems to shed light on one of England's great ocean tragedies. The books of the Allan Line show a Huronian crewman named Charles McFall, who was a fireman. A search is now under way to find hi smother and sister. This strengthens the belief of officials at the Allan Line that the ship went down in a storm.

Jan. 26, 1907 (Saturday)

AN 'OH MY!!!' DECISION IN OMAHA: Courts in Omaha, Neb., have declared that paintings by masters such as Sir Anthony van Dyke are Peter Paul Rubens are positively indecent. Reproductions of their work, including Rubens' "Judgment of Paris" (above) are NOT TO BE SOLD in stores in that city. A dealer named John Greenberg was fined yesterday. He was warned that a further offense would lead to time in jail. Greenberg had been selling copies of the picture shown above. The article also mentions something called "Diana and the Golden Rain of Jupiter" by van Dyck, which is probably similar to the painting on the right. (The Washington Post spells it "Diana and the Golden Reign of Jupiter.")
A police sergeant confiscated the pictures, saying they were "indecent."
You can bet the visits to the "evidence room" at the Omaha police station probably rose.
(Hmmmm. There's no problem selling them 100 years later.)

BURNING IT UP AT DAYTONA, FLA.: While zipping along the sands at Daytona Beach -- at about 120 mph -- driver Fred Marriott and his cigar-shaped steam racer suffered an amazing crash. While trying for a world record, he covered a mile in 29 and 2-5 seconds. Then he hit a slight depression in the hard sand. The bump sent the car flying into the air. An article in today's Post-Standard described it this way: "The framework of the car splintered in fragments, the machinery was twisted out of all resemblance to anything and the boiler was hurled fully fifty yards down the beach." Marriott was badly hurt, but he will likely survive, according to news accounts.

Jan. 25, 1907 (Friday)

A MURDER IN LONDON: London was in an uproar yesterday when one of the city's most widely known businessmen, William Whiteley (left), was shot and killed by a man who claimed to be Whiteley's illegitimate son. Whiteley is the man who built a store (above) that bears his name. He said he could supply anything "from a needle to an elephant." He was known as the "Universal Provider." Retailers in the area at one time were so mad at him that they burned his effigy in public, according to an article in today's Washington Post. The same article says Whiteley was a "short stout man, clean shaven on the upper lip, and wearing whiskers of the fashion of half a century ago." His was a life that might make for an interesting read.

BEFORE HIS BODY IS BURIED, SEN. ALGER TAKES A SHOT AT PRESIDENT McKINLEY: Michigan Sen. Russell Alger died last night. With the death of the man who was secretary of war during the Spanish-American War, a story about President McKinley was allowed to come to the surface. He died yesterday morning. The Milwaukee Journal then dutifully printed an interview that Alger had given on March 4, 1900, but forbade its use until his death. In the interview, he said he offered to resign THREE TIMES as Secretary of War because of criticism heaped on him, but that President McKinley refused to accept it.
The Journal correspondent asked Alger for an evaluation of President McKinley. Alger's reply:
He has many lovable qualities, but he LACKS BACKBONE -- and NOTHING can make up for the lack of backbone."

Jan. 24, 1907 (Thursday)

I HOPE THEY TREATED EACH OTHER POLITELY: It became known yesterday that Bruce Post and Emily Post (right) have been divorced for about a month. She will keep the house in Tuxedo; he will retain the townhouse. Mr. Post, a banker, was a key figure in exposing the blackmail plots of the publication called "Town Topics." Today's Washington Post printed a comment allegedly made by one of the editors of the publication, which accepted money for fawning stories and printed harmful stories to those who refused to pay. Mr. Post said the editor told him, "Let me call your attention, Mr. Post, to the fact that you have in your office some matter you might not like to see printed."

DOLLARS PER DINGERS:Patsy Donovan, manager of the Brooklyn Superbas, is thinking about playing first base for the National League team. This is a possibility because Tim Jordan (left) is holding out. He wants $3,000 DOLLARS for the season!!!! He reportedly thinks that's a decent amount for someone who blasted 12 HOME RUNS last year. That led the league. That's less than $300 per home run. (Following that calculus: Multiply by 20 for 2007 dollar values; that comes to $6,000 per home run; so, someone hitting 60 homeruns in 2007 could demand $360,000.)

SUFFERING GROWS IN THE DAKOTAS: The situation is critical in many communities in the Upper Midwest because of ongoing snowstorms and cold temperatures. A shortage of coal is making life miserable. It's bad in New Rockford, N.D., and its 700 people. Someone named R.M. Kennedy sent a telegram to the Interstate Commerce Commission yesterday. No need to be more eloquent: Must have aid at once. No fuel for ten days; no groceries for three weeks. Cars of fuel on road for six weeks not received. People are suffering.

Jan. 23, 1907 (Wednesday)

SIGNALS COMING TO BASEBALL: National League President Harry Pulliam (left) really wants to move ahead with UMPIRE SIGNALS during games -- so people in the crowd will have some idea of what's going on during an at-bat. As an article in today's Post-Standard explains that a fan has a tough time figuring out what's going on in a game as it is: "If he is too far away -- and in these days of big baseball crowds a majority of spectators are -- to hear the umpire's call, he has to guess at the call on balls and strikes and also often on the important decisions that occur at the home plate." People seem to credit either Bill Klem or Cy Rigler with developing the hand signals that will become common.

IT'S STILL HOT IN JAMAICA: The furor remains over the demand of Jamaica's Gov. Alexander Swettenham that the U.S. Navy abandon its relief efforts. Officials in Britain are waiting for the governor's official report. In Jamaica, many are stunned at the governor's decision. Archbishop Enos Nuttall is quoted in today's paper as saying, "It was merely a result of the dictatorial character of the governor. His imperious manner, his frequent abuse of subordinates, and his discourtesy to citizens have earned him great unpopularity, although otherwise he is regarded as a comparatively conscientious official."

A POSTWOMAN WHO DOES A FIRST-CLASS JOB IN ENGLAND: Some papers printed a report today from the London Tribune that honors a Mrs. Clark, who is postmistress of Newnham, near Baldock, Herts. During the past 15 years, she has WALKED 52,000 MILES to deliver mail in her area. Officials estimate that she has topped 100,000 miles for her entire 35-year career. Her ordinary DAILY ROUND is 11 MILES. Here's a description: "With a large postbag strapped across her shoulders and wearing a little cloth cap and heavy boots she trudges regularly on her rounds in spite of rain or storm or snow."

Jan. 22, 1907 (Tuesday)

BACON IS GETTING FRIED: Acting Secretary of State Robert Bacon (right) has some explaining to do -- in light of his comment in yesterday's papers regarding the departure of the U.S. Navy from its mission of mercy to Jamaica. Yesterday's papers quoted him as saying that the ships had not left Kingston. Since then, according to today's New York Times, he has been trying to explain his denials. The article says, "Mr. Bacon has a different explanation for each hour of the day. His final one was that he would have given out the facts if he had known that the newspapers already had them." This is not a way to endear oneself to the news media. Maybe it's one of those rare cases when no comment" might be the best "comment".


A POETIC LOOK AT LANGUAGE: This poem taken from the Boston Transcript is a humorous look at some of the foibles of the English language. It's title is "Our Terrible Tongue":

You take a swim,
You say you've swum;
Your nails you trim,
But they're not trum;
And milk you skim
Is never skum.

When words you speak,
Those words are spoken;
But a nose you tweak
Is never twoken;
Nor can you seek
And say you've soken.

A top you spin,
The top is spun;
A hare you skin,
Yet 'tis not skun;
Nor can a grin
Be ever grun.

If we forget
Then we've forgotten;
But if we bet
We haven't botten;
No house we let
Is ever lotten;
What we upset
Is not upsotten;
Now don't these prove
Our language rotten?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Today's Post-Standard passes on a line from the Washington Star, which was prompted by the recent earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica: "A single quake of the earth makes the whole world kin." What's missing is that the statement echoes closely one of Shakespeare's lines, who said it better. "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." Of course, an earthquake is a bit more than a MERE TOUCH.