I HE IRRIGATION AGE. 



The The recent flood in Texas was 



"Galveston the most devastating catastro- 

 Horror phe which has occurred in the 

 history of the country. In 

 1889 people were horrified at the awful 

 disaster at Johnstown, when it is estimated, 

 over 2,000 person's perished; more recent 

 was the cyclone at St. Louis, with its 

 awful destruction of property and the loss 

 of over 700 lives; but the Gulf storm was 

 far greater than either of these in the 

 appaling loss of life and property. It is 

 estimated that in Galveston alone at least 

 3,000 perished, while the total loss of life 

 in the storm center will probably reach 

 10,000. Many of the citizens of Galveston 

 realized for years the inadequency of the 

 protection against the ocean storms, and 

 often spoke of the probability of a calam- 

 ity happening, but regarded it as a far off 

 contingency, as we do death. It came 

 upon them almost without warning, and 

 the city is now a vast ruin. Doubtless the 

 same American pluck and energy which 

 made it possible to rear a newer and bet- 

 ter Chicago on the ruins of the old in 1871, 

 will rebuild Galveston and put about it 

 such protection from the ocean as the 

 recent disaster has shown is needed. In 

 the horror of this tragedy there is one 

 bright spot, and that is the willingness 

 nay eagerness, shown on the part of other 

 cities to give aid to Texas. Johnstown in 

 her tln of trouble received $2,000 from 

 Texas and now offers to pay this sum back 

 with interest, $5,000 being the amount 

 contributed. Chicago, New York, Indian- 

 apolis, St. Louis all were ready with 

 money and provisions as soon as possible, 

 while the railroad companies showed their 



generosity by offering to transport freight 

 free of charge to the sufferers. There was 

 no red tape, no delay, but a prompt offer 

 of help. 



Fitz and Col. Robt. Fitzsimmons, who 

 The has announced his intention of 



Cigarette retiring permanently from the 

 ring, recently gave utterance 

 to sentiments regarding the cigarette, 

 which should receive wide publicity. A 

 word from a great pugilist will carry more 

 weight with the average small boy. who 

 looks up to him as a hero to be admired 

 and emulated, than will the lectures of 

 instructors or the tears of mothers. Fitz- 

 simmons attributes his health and strengtn 

 in his accumulating years to temperate 

 living. He says: "Drink, late hours, cig- 

 arettes in youth those things make men 

 old. I would as soon learn to crochet as to 

 smoke a cigarette. If a man criticised me 

 for crocheting I could give him some kind 

 of an answer, or at least give him a punch 

 for criticising. But if he caught me smok- 

 ing a cigarette, I'd have to confess that I 

 had gone wrong." If the boys could read 

 this and be taught that cigarette smoking 

 is something contemtible; that it is de- 

 spised by "manly" men, perhaps there 

 would be fewer stunted old-young men, 

 who are victims of this pernicious habit. 

 To compare cigarette smoking with cro- 

 cheting is to make it savor of weakness, 

 and therefore to be despised by young 

 Americans whose aim is to do "what the 

 men do." Fitzsimmons should receive a 

 vote of thanks for thus boldly denning his 

 position on the question and giving his 

 influence against the little "coffin-nails." 



