DREAMS AND CRANKS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12856, 16 December 1912, Page 8

DREAMS AND CRANKS.

John Mammang Sehrank, the man concerned in the comic shooting of Mr Roosevelt awhile ago, has made a confession. He says that he followed Mr Roosevelt about and finally shot him ■under instructions from ex-President McKinley. McKinley Jias been these many years dead, but he appeared to Schrank -in a dream. He prabably knew that Schrank was just the sort ot idiot for the job. I don't know what ■will happen- to Schrank, (because even in America the shooting of Roosevelt is regarded as a humourous incident. 1 do know that Roosevelt made adyertie r ing caipital'out of the shooting in the most indecent and unheard-of way. Nobody appears to be sorry that JMr Roosevelt lost that election. Truth^to tell the world has got very tired ot the very mention of the name of Roosevelt. For years past we've had Roosevelt ad nauseam. We had Roosevelt as President, always rpojsing for the camera; Roosevelt as author, exuding opiatitudee; Roosevelt as sportsman, shootin°- down scared lions driven in procession : and finally we had Mr Rooseveltposturing in the limelight as the false friend of Mr Taft. We are all (heartily sick of Mr Roosevelt. He is at once too tawdry and too thin, too <3heiap and too vulgar. He has brought the tricks of the circus into the decent plaices of diplomacy. He has paraded the amlbitions of a, clown and the manners of ta ibarber. He has posed as pretty well everything on earth: he never ©eases posing. If Schrank ,Wad (pleaded _ that he shot .Roosevelt 'because he simply couldn't help it, (millions of people would have sympathized with hgp. But when Sohnank brings in this silly dream business we_want to have him electrocuted soon1. None the leas,-some of the entries from Schrank's diary are very amusing. As, for instance-—----"September. 15, 1912, 1.30 .a.m.— In a dream I saw President McKinley

set up in a Monk's attire in which I ' recognized Theodore Roosevelt. The President aaid: 'This is my murderer ; avenge my death.' "September 12, 1912, 1.30 a.m.— While writing a poem someone tapped nle on the shoulder and said: 'Let not a. murderer take the Presidential chaw. Avenge my death.' "I could plainly see Mr MoKinley's features. . "(Before the Almighty iGod I swear this above writing is nothing (but the truth." . , Needless to say, this stuff has plainly been " readied-up" after the shooting. But an American' criminal trial is not a -process of law, as a. rule: it's an inde--cent exposure. ■ • And the simple chi'lddsh America** people expect this sort of stuff, land love it. For Americans are all children— good or naughty. They never grow up to dignified age.

Mind you, the Americans are no mor© superstitious thian the rest of us. Ninety women out o£ every hundred attach some significance to dreams. When I have «.' peculiarly wretched or unusual dream, I sbmetimes find myself iwondering what it means or signifies. I Suppose tharfj the seed of this stupidity its in all of us, however much our intellects may revolt, against it.