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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1911)
Nrarinmarrr ARREST OF GENERAL REYES lwKW !o'.'n,u,.ic.u.n I III II l I ll P lli Is IWIII Mill' ;;..;n - mm linn i 111 I I HBI 0JC9v Tl.T. ttiA chlldram tm 1925 have Christmas trees? TIiIb question is being asked by thousands o people throughout the United States. Indl- ' cations point to tho supposition that within tho text IB V", years the supply of the evergreen tr'ees with which we deik our living grooms annually at tho. feast of St. ' "NlchOlaR will hn in pnmlt fl.of fnlV Jin tho ordinary walks of life will not 'bo able to afford a tree. 'f Year after year the forests have been denuded. New England, a gener ation ago, was thought to have an almost Inexhaustible Bupply. Today her hills are bare Nearly all her im mense forests of spruce and fir have been sacrificed to tho sentiment of YuleUde. Tho middlo states havo been ran sacked for their treasures. The farm er, although he receives but two cents aploce for the trees, is afraid to look the future In tho faco and wait until tho troo is full Kfown. Nolther does he show any discretion In cutting, but every year he rushes to the woods and cuta everything that he can lay nis bands on In order that somo one may have a nlght'B pleasure by defacing nature's work with cheap tinsel and candles. After that, what would have been the forest of the future Is discarded forever, beyond tho power of man to restore and the work of nature for years to re place. Tho bulk of the trees now como from Canada. Mora than 300.000 are used nnntinllv In Phllnrinl. phla alono. New York, Chicago, Baltlmoro nnd a hundred towna between them uso three times that number ovory year. In the wild hills of the Canadian provlnces.tho trees aro still plentiful. But it 1b only a ques tion of a few years time, with the Increased de mand for them, when their prico will sour. No attempt is made, apparently, to rejuvenate tho for ests. In a few scattered places throughout tho coun try, it Is truo, one or two men have started nurs eries In Christmas trees. Intelligent planting and cutting within threo Generations maynCako them -useful patches from which to glean hardy trees. But elsowhore, in spite of tho talk of conserva tion which we hear so much about nowadays, the trees are stripped ruthlessly from the bills and valleys and no attempt Is made by tho greedy markotor to replace them. This has resulted in the present dearth of the . much-desired spruce trees. Vermont already charges an additional stumpago of Ave cents, upon trees' which aro shipped out of tho state. Let us consider the Christmas tree situation in "Philadelphia. Each year more than 1,000 flat freight cars, loaded with, tho trees, which, aro piled In doublo tiers, reach the city. The capacity ' of the flat car averages 300 tr.oes. Therefore, approximately 300,000 trees are used In Philadelphia annually. Sentimentality apart, this is an enormous wasto of material, when it la recalled that the trees sorve no economlo pur poso, and the majority of them furnish fuol for bonfires on vacant lots two weeks after tho hol iday. It Is an oxpenslvp proposition considered in any light. First comcB iho cost of Bending men Into regions whero the treeB grow. They are experts. Thoy aro able to size up tho marketable value of a patch of woods after a day's tramp through them. Then comes tho cost of cutting, stump age, hauling and shipping to destination. After that, it Is mainly a matter for the retail dealers, who buy- trees either as they stand in the for ests, or at the freight yards in tho cities to which they aro consigned. The small dealer must make his profit Hd tacks on an extra price which the consumer .roust pay. Thon comes the expense of docorating the greenwood with tinsel and glistening ornaments. This costs a Uttlo fortuno in itself. Finally, it is usual to pay the ashman to cart the tree away, after the holidays aro over. It has been estimated that from first to last, from v, . the tlrao that the seedling Is plant- h e"d In the soft, friable soil, to the mo ment It returns to its primal olement, the dust, as a handful of.cinbera on tho city lot, aChristmaa trco rep resents a money valuation of $25. This is a total expenditure of ?7. 500,000 annually. Of course, this flguro ia purely Imaginary. The trees do not actually causo that amount of money to change hands In a sim ple buying and selling transaction. But there is actually that much loss to tho regions which supply trees. If all the trees In an average load ed flat car wero to be stood upon their butts. In the natural way in which they would grow, they would ' cover a ten-acro lot. Multiply this by 1,000 ahd the amount of timber stripped annually from the hills will become apparent at once. Just at this time of tho year the Christmas tree Industry is In Its most flourishing condition. All of the trees for this year's market have been cqt. Many of them are In transit, but some of them are even now stand ing in the freight yards of the rail roads, waiting for tho retail dealers to purchase them. Dealers are gradually awakening to the fact that it is butter to ship their trees early, sell thorn all at a low price, and save the trouble and expense of remaining a long time In J . the city bartering their wares. The dealers in Christmas trees ore t " types, They are all queer characters. You cannot pick out one that has not some peculiarity. As in all trades, ;. there are tricks to the business ot buying and selling Christmas trees. You would think that the disposal of a car load of railroad ties, with a layer of trees plied on top, to an un wary customer, would bar the deal- zrrraNG riffrw?r ers from coming again to tho spot where they had practiced such deception. Yet It neyer does. Year aftor year they practice tho most dis honest tricks upon their patrons. One man last year got high price for 20 of the finest trees ever seen In Philadelphia. He told the buyer that the rest of the car on which the 20 wero loaded was Just llko them, but when thoy wero unloaded and plnced for Bale, thoy proved to bo small and scrubby, many of them being utterly unfit for uso. Deal ers such aa these are rare, It Is truo; the major ity of them aro honest To tho dealers, whom tho railroads designate as the consignees, come the little follows, the traders. These also represent almost every phase of hu man character. Many save up a few hundred dol lars and visit the freight yards with their teams, buying the trees In less than carload lots. In this way they can see just what they are 'getting. Most of them are1 shrewd fellowB, and drlvo a hard bargain. Your upcountryraan is otttimes na shrewd, howeyeiy.as the "piker' dealor, and many amusing hours 'may bo spent frequenting the freight yards in (he railroads whero the trees are stacked or exhibited for sale. Each year there nro many new additions to tho company of dealers. Tho luro of the adven ture, tho chanco to realize monoy upon an Invest ment that Is practically certain to bring a 60 per cent return, attracts many to the business. Trees can bo purchased In half carload lots, or even in hundred lots for about 0 cents apiece. If they can bo sold for a dollar, or perhaps more, the chance to make money quickly" 1b irresistible to many investors. Not always docs tho investor succeed. His fingers are sometimes pretty badly burned, The market may be glutted, he may have a rival on the next corner, or perhaps bis trees are not sufficient ly attractive to cause tho public to patronize him. Perhaps he has held off, waiting for better prices, till tho last moment, and finds himself with half a hundred spruce on his hands, which he must dispose of as best ho may, Usually, however, tho business is lucrative. The wise, dealor buys trees In hundred lots, peddles them out quickly, and comes back' for moro. He does not wait for high prices, but sells his trees for what ho can get ivwr mil do roi? mo ctw& As you pass somo windy corner one of those blustery nights before Christmas Eve and see the long rows ot evergreens laid hgalnst the, wall, or Ignobly lying prone upon the ground, bethink you of tho place In which they first bhw the light The kindly bills, Bnow-covered engirdling valleys fragrant with spicy odor; picture them bare, Ut tered with tbo waste of cuttings, nnd the unsightly stumps ot trees Picture the brooding of tboso troes as they grew. It took them 20 years to reach an age and size where they might prove marketable. No moro will the wind moan and sough through their branches. Tho hills aro bare. Tho snow will melt in the spring, and thp soil will not absorb It water will run into tho streams and tho streams becomo floods, and the floods breed calamities. The trees, noble fallows all of them, will have their tops hacked off to accommodate them to the stufflnesa ot our Uttlo box-like homes. Aa tho heat ot our rooms dries up their sap, their lives will go out, slowly, day by day. Thoy will end on the bonfire. Yes, buy a troe. Buy .one and take it homo to your children. Whon it is bravely decked out in all Its gala finery, gather your family about Its spreading branches, which nro exhaling their last breaths for you. and (ell them the story ot the ilfe and death of tho trco. THE SPIRIT OF THE DAY. ji V Heap on more woodl the wind Is chill. But let It whistle aa It will, Wo'll keep our Christmas merry stllL Each age has deern'J the newborn year Tho Attest time for festal cheer; And well our Christian sires ot old Loved when the year Its course had roll'd And brought blltho Christmas back again, With all his hospitable train. Domestic and religious rite Gave honor to the holy night; -On Christmas eve tho balls were rung; On Christmas eve the mass was sung: That only night In all the year Saw the stoled priest tho challa rear. The damsel donn'd her klrtle sheen, The hall was dress'd with holly green; Forth to tho wood did merry men go To gather In the mistletoe. Then open'd wide the baron's hall To vassal, tenant, serf and all; Power laid his rod of .Mile asldo And Ceremony dolt'd his pride. The heir, with roses In his shoes, That night might village partner choose; The lord, undorogntlng, share The vulgar game of "post and pair,' All holl'd, with uncontrolled delight And general voice, the happy night, That to the cottage as the crown Brought tidings of salvation down. The nre, with well-dried logs supplied, Went roaring up the chimney wide; Tho hugo hall table's oaken face, Bcrubb'd till It shone, the day to grace, Bore thon upon Its massive board No mark to part tho squire and lord, Then was brought In the lusty brawn By old blue-coated scrying man; Then tho grim boar's head grown'd on high, Crested with bays and rosemary. Well can tho green-garb'd ranger tell How, when' nnd where the monster fell, What dogs beforo his death ho tore And all the batting of the boar. -The wassail round. In good brown bowls Qarnlsh'd with ribbons, bllthcrly trowls. There the huge sirloin rflclt'd;, bard by Plum porridge stood and Christmas plo; Nor fall'd old Scotland to produce At such high tldo her savory goose. Then camo tho merry maskers In, And carols roar.'d, with blithesome din; It unmelodlous was the song. It was a hearty note and strong. Who lists may In their mumming sea Traces ot ancient mystery Whlto shirts supplied the masquerade And smutted cheeks the visors made: But, Ol what maskers, richly dlght. Can boast of bosoms half so light! England was merry England, when Old Christmas brought his sports again. 'Twos Christmas broach'd the mightiest ale; Twaa Christmas told the merriest tale; A Christmas gambol oft could cheer The poor man's heart through half the year, . -Bir WaHer Scott Have you time for a little sormonT It will take but' a few minutes, and today, if ever, our thoughts should be turned toward, inward to the heart of things. To you, whose hands rock the cradles of humanity nnd Indirectly rulo the world, let us nsk a question: Aro you forgetting the real spirit of the dayf Gift giving on this anni versary ot tho Nativity is in danger ot losing Its loving purpose It has degenerated In many cases to a mer cenary exchange a gift for a gift Tho spirit is frequently absent m This should not bo. Women rep resent tho groatcr number ot gift givorB. Let us then roycrt to the underlying love and roverence that prompted tho Wise Men to lay their offerings at tho feet of the Holy Baby. Let ub glvo a little of our hearts with each present, and if we cannot give a tnnglblo expression ot our love, let us glvo a heart's wish Instead, In your hands lies great powor for good or for. evil. A woman influences thought and action. It is your duty, then, to discountenance the hcartloss offer and to smllo your approval of the spirit of tho day. Then, indeed, Christmas will mean all that ho would approve. The guiding star of lovo and good will that shone so clearly in tho bluo night long ago should never bo lost In our minds, nnd tho lovo tooyhlch It pointed should opltoraizo our ef forts to honor this great day, The arrest by United Stated Feder al authorities of (leu. Bernard. Keyes, H former member of the Dia regime in Moxlco, on tho charge of yio4.tlnr the neutrality lawa of the United States ha brought prominently be foro the public the efforts which are, being made by Mexican refugees in' this country to preeleUftte eivll war, aeroes the border. Kver since Gen.; and President Madero succeeded In ridding Mexico of Disss and ending the close corporation which stood around him and which had been exploiting tho country for Its own interest there has been it conspiracy en foot to oust Madero and restore the old DUu rcgimo to power. The center 'of thin conspiracy ap parently hoa bcon in El Paso, Tex., whllo another Junta was established in San Antonio, where Gen, Keyed had taken up his quarters and where ho was placed under arrest Soldiers ot fortune gathered In these pieces, dynamite In large quantities was purchased and stores of arms and ammuni tion accumulated. It haa been a well-known fact that a plot against Madero ban been brewing and that an attack upon Juares was contemplated, ; The arrest of Gen, Reyes, who, however, asserts that he is not concerned, in the movement, has aroused tho Mexican government and troops aro being' massed to deal with tho revolution should it break out. What Mexico chiefly nccda is rest nnd it will bo tho aim of tho United States to heed off any rev olution which seeks to establish a base on American soil. MOVER IN A NEW SHIP LINE Ab & result ot II. O. Hnugan's trip to Norway last summer, from which he returned to Chicago recently, the first steamship company to run a line of ships botweon Norway and the United States wnn organized, At a banquet ot ship owners In Chrlstlanla some tlm.o ago Mr. Hatignn showed so plainly the profits that could be made by such a steamship lino as the Norwegian-American Steamship company, with a capital of $2,700,000, was organ ized, Mr. llaugan's family always haa been actlro in Norwegian affairs, His brother, II. A, Haughan, former presi dent, of tho Stato Bank of Chicago, was mndb a knight of tho Order ot St Olaf, tho highest order ot Knighthood in Norway, tihortly beforo his death In 1009. Tho formation of a shipping com pany to take car ot the trado be tween the Scandinavian countries and tho United States without the vexa tious transshipping at an English or German port had been under considera tion for a long time. It needed only the Indorsement of Mr. Haugan, whose experience as n railroad official gavo his opinion wolgh, to make the company & fact. Many of tho foremoat men in official circles In Norway are financially inter-, estod In tho company. The prlmo minister of the kingdom, Gunnar Knudsen, jmd .Christian Mlchaclson, ex-prlino minister, ,are among the largest stock jwners. . -.. ,. Mr. Haugan, while not nominally in control, has consented to take charge. it tho affairs ot the new steamship lino in this country, and will devote his time largely to this, A SURPRISE BOX. Somothlng which would delight any Uttlo invalid is a "surprise box." This may bo planned to last a weok or any length of time one wishoB and should contain a package for each day, with the date on which it is to bo opened written plainly on each ono, Dolls, toys, books and many other things doar to the child ish heart may be put in these pack ages andJJie little one will surely re joice to bavo his "Merry Christmas" last so many days. LATE DOMINICAN PRESIDENT The assassination of President Ra mon Caceres of the Dominican lies public by political malcontents In San Domingo city as be was leaving the house of a friend where he had made a call, is the climax to a series, ot political tragedies with which he' had been intimately connected. The first of theso occurred in 1884, when Caceres' father was put to deatk by the order of President Heureaux be cause of hlSBupposed sympathy with political dissenters. Caceres, then a boy of ton, vowed vengeanco. His father left a large estate and, with unlimited means at his disposal, young Caceres ccrne to tho United States, where he attended and 'graduated from the Rensselaer' Polytechnic InBtituto, at Troy, Ni Y. Hero he met nnd married Lillian, the adopted daughtor ot Mr, and Mrs. James Hakes, of that city. Upon the death of Mr, and Mrs. Hakes, a few years later, Mrs. Cacoros converted, the property left by her parents into cash and accompanied her husband; to Santo Domingo. Tho political career of Caceres began when he avenged tho death ot his father by assassinating President Heureaux on July 28, 1899. He was a partisan-of-Gen. Jimener. and by killing Heureaux made it pos8tbl6 for Jim-: cnoz to obtain tho presidency. Later Caceres became vice-president under President Morales nnd in 190D, when Morales fled the country, Caceres was installed in the presidency. . ' PRESENT VICEROY OF INDIA J Lord Hardingo, tho prosont viceroy of India, belug tho direct representa tive of the crown in tho eastern em pire with his young nnd charm ing wlfo, took rank nex.t to their ma jesties In tho splendid ceremonleH and festivities which graced tho coronn tlon celebration at tho Dolbl Durbar. Tho whole of hla active career has been Bpont in tho diplomatic service He was born In 1859, became n for eign ofllco clerk In 1880, and three yVmrfl afterward was appointed third secretary at Madrid. Ho served five years in St Petersburg, to which court ho was appointed in 1885, Aft er two years at Constantinople, he was for a tlmo chargo d'affaires at Bucharest. Ho saw further service at Cairo and Zanzibar, nnd was min ister at Teheran from 1900 to 190C. From Teheran ho went to Brussels, and from thero was appointed viceroy la succession to tho Earl of Minto, Ho went to India with tho prestige of a great name, being a descendant of a former governor general under the East India company, who was rewarded by a viscounty and a handsome pen sion for most distinguished services in the Great Sikh war. I im u rrrrrn Si..V Itfci .... iiVJ.