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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 24, 1916)
THE 8EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA, RURAL S WO Mi BEN JOHNSON AND MANDY OiUDL eniLDRtN sam i iptt the Cook County, N Illinois, schools they learn arithmetic, marketing, household chemistry, dairying and other important studies by working out practical problems in everyday life. Opportunity for our children. (y CCfYKWHT By WESTERN KCWAPIR UNION HEN llttlo Johnnio Jones of Nllca Center, Cook county, 111., renchoa tlio llttlo red school liouso theso flno mornings ho does not place a big red apple on tlio desk of dear teacher. In stead, Johnnio takes a couplo of fresh eggs from each packet of his coat. Behind n tablo at tha front of tho schoolroom tlio secretary of the boy's egg club Is waiting. On each egg, as It Is brought In, Is written tho number of its owner and the dato It was laid. And during each mcbool day tho eggB aro packod and sent by par col post to ono of tho club's customers in Chi Icago. Tho arithmetic lesson In soveral of tho Cook icounty rural schools now consists In kooplng jbooks on tho receipts nnd Bales of fresh eggs by jmembers of tho egg clubB. Onco a weok, Instead of tho old-fashioned re view of loBsons, in which tho pupils had not tho slightest intorest, tho weekly romtttanco for egg 8hlpmontB is received and divided by tho boys (among themselves In proportion to tho numbor of eggs each has contributed. To them tho study lof arithmetic has become a very real, important ana interesting matter. All through tho 1G0 rural nchools of Cook county tho samo now spirit of ilfo has been put into tho dry bones of study. Boys and girls aro studying botany, for 'in stance by testing tho sood corn which tholr fa thors aro planning to plant next spring; that brings in again tho Btudy of norcontnen. An,i when fathor 1b shown that, on tho avorago, only 63 per cent of his proposed sood corn will actu ally germinate, ho is likely to got a now idea of land a now intorest In tho country nchool. Thoro aro fow things of which Chicago has a igroator right to bo proud than that tho rural ischools of tho county in which it la located aro tprobably tho most advanced and progrcsslvo country schools In tho United Statos. Tho di vision of theso schools Into five districts, with a trained toachor. who i-t also a graduato of an ag. irlcultural collogb, at tho head of each as director of rural llfo and of schools, has proved a tro mondous stop in advance. 1 County Suporlntondont of Schools Tobln, who persuaded tho county board to vnako nn appro priation of $10,000 to covor tho salaries of tho (flvo rural llfo directors for th'o yoar, has Just irocolved tho reports of theso directors covorlng ttho work dono during tho fall and early winter ImonthB. To road them is to wish that ono might 'bo again a country-school boy going down tho long road ovory morning to tho llttlo rod school Jiouso. Almost ovory schoolhouso has boon a social conter for tho rural community of which It Is tho center. Gas and wood ranges havo boon put In many schools and tho girl pupils proparo Itot lunches ovory day for all tho pupils. Thoy lomoiiBtrato tholr skill In household chemistry, also, by preparing nnd sorvlng on special occa sions dinners at which tholr parents aro tho KUCBtB of honor. Day aftor day tho boys nnd girls bring sam ples of milk to school and test thorn with a milk tester for rlchnoss In buttorfat. Aftor a Borlcs of Biich toBtB thoy aro ablo to holp tholr fathers decldo which cows aro worth kooplng and which ae only unprofltablo "boardorB." In many neighborhoods tho parents of tho pu pils havo been organlzod Into agricultural clubs and havo begun to tnko nn nctlvo nnd eager In terest In nil tho work of tho school. On tho long winter ovonlngs tho parents and pupils havo fre quently met In ono of tho srhoolhouBos to tnko part In and watch an old-fnshloned spelling boo, baBcd on lists of COO common wordR sent' out at tho beginning of tho year by tho county super intendent. Especially Interesting and lmportnnt Is tho plnn to keep tho schools or at least tho school activi tiesIn ovidonco all through tho summor months. With thai end in vlow, a largo numbor of gnrdon clubs wero organized a year ago, on a basis which would koop tho children interested, onnhlo thorn to apply tholr nowly acquired knowlcdgo, and put a moro or less definite financial roward up for thorn to try for. Each mcmbor of ono of tho country school gnr rton clubs rontcd from his parents Inst spring, at ibo regular rato provalllng In tho neighborhood, t small ploco of land for cultivation of which ho was to bo ontlroly responsible All tho monoy resulting from tho snlo of garden products grown on that pleco of land -was to belong to him. By way of adding additional zest to tho compe tition Among tho schools and among tho Individ ual pupils, a series of prizes wero awnrded ro- I ceutly for thu garden club work donu last sum mor. Thoro wero flvo prizes of $100 In gold each, ono awarded to that school In each of tho llvo divisions which stood first In tho progress It had made- In agricultural education and in tho re sults of its agricultural work. This monoy will bo spont In tho purchnso of an agricultural li brary, a Babcock toster, a vegetablo canning out lit, or some other agricultural apparatus which Is to bocomo a part of tho permanent oqulpmont of tho school. Thoro wero also awarded llvo silver cups, ono for tho pupil, boy or girl, In onch of tho llvo di visions who socurod tho boBt and biggest results In tho actual agricultural work undertaken as pnrt of tho school course. It Ib a striking ovi donco of tho cosmopolitan charnctor of tho popu lation of Chicago and Cook county that tho indi vidual prize winners among tho rural school pu pils for tho yoar 1915 should bo, respectively, of Gorman, Italian, Dutch, and Hungarian parent age. Thoro Is not a Yankeo nmong tho lot. Tho prlzo rural school of tho wholo county la undoubtedly that In Nllos township. Every pupil in this school, which was taught by Soth Shep herd, individually planted and took enro of a garden or raised a Hold crop of somo kind. Each -z?? GROSS ZH&UVcS, 7dAZZ5JZZS pupil also kept an exact account of his expenses, Including rent for tho land occupied, and. aftor selling his product, figured his gross receipts and net profits. Tho twcnty-nlno pupils of this school, whoso nges rango between ton and fourteen years, earned between them a net profit of $1,185.25, with total expenses of $191. Tho largest amounts earned by Individuals woro $105.10 and $102.16, and It Is noteworthy that In each case the suc cessful pupil was a girl. Llttlo Alma Kutz, thirteen years of ago. tho first prlzo winner, made her monoy from the salo of tomatoes and astors grown on onoolghth of nn aero. All tho work of planting nnd harvesting tho crops sho did herself, with tho excoptlon of tho first plowing of tho land early lh tho spring. Sho prepared hotbeds for her tomato plants, and mado a covorlng of window glass for thom. Next sho bought 200 small flowerpots, and whon tho tomato plants woro well up transplanted them Into tho pots. While tho plants woro growing sho marked oft tho plat Into rows thirty Inches apart, and a short tlmo lator transplanted tho tomato plants from tho pots to tho plat. Tho next fow weeks oho was busy cultivating tho plants, keeping tho rows entirely freo of weeds. When tho plants had spread out so much that sho could not hoo thom any moro she went botwocn tho rows nnd pulled out tho woods with hor hands. About tho twentieth of Juno thoro wero many nlco rlpo torantoes on tho vines and sho gathered hor first box, which sho sold for $1. As fast as tho tomatoes ripened sho picked them and packed them carefully into crates, and every day hor fathor carried thom In to tho Chicago market along with products from his own truck garden. In all sho gathored 225 boxes of tomatoes, which brought hor $113. On a part of hor plat sho planted astors lato In tho season and from tho Balo of theso sho realized $9, finding a ready markot for all sho could offer to tho florlBt shops of Chicago. Tho flowers were shipped In fresh by parcel post each evening. Her total expenses woro $16.90 for the two crops, thus leaving her a not profit of $105.10. This monoy she has loaned to hor fathor at 6 per cont Interest, and she expects next season to doublo tho amount of her land and her Income. ..M. ..-tt. American Patience Tried Tho friendship of tho United Stntos Is ono of tho grcntcst assets of tho British, according 'o Sir Qllbort Pnrkor, who in tho courso of n recent Intorvlow had much pralso for tho American gov ernment and tho policy It has adoptod In tho present war. IIo said In part: "Thoro has novor boon a war In modern times when n 'neutral nation did not challenge- a belllgnrunt nation bocauso of Its tntorforonco with noutrnl rights. Tho United Stutcs hns cer tainly boon grontly tried by our orders in council. Thoro hns been, indeed, a scries of difficulties. In this business of neutral rights tho American peoplo havo boon called tho podnnts. Thero muy bo pedants nmong thom, but beneath all Is a doop-scatod respect for International law, for tho kooplng of treaties, for a perfect obBurvnnco of tho rules of civilization. "From tho beginning I havo thought that tho United Stntos took n course almost Inevitable in her position. Hero Is a conglomerate popu lation. Tho war wns a European business. Whnt did wo do In 1870 when Franco, our then friend, was set upon by Germany? Tho American pepplo loatho war; bo far they havo stood out; only an overpowering boiibo of duty would drlvo thom Into war. "Wo havo sensationalized our own shortcom ings; wo havo ovoiomphnslzod our own stolidity; wo havo had our family Jirs In public; wo havo, to paraphrase a mordant oplgram, wheeled our council tnblo Into tho street apparently Indiffer ent to tho fact that noutial nations llko tho Unit- Representative Johnson ot Ken tucky, tall of llguro and solemn of countenance, furnished nmusement for a lot of people in tho Union station at Washington recently. Ho stood by tho big gato whoro most of tho passon gors wero coming from a train, nnd ovcry fow moments remarked, In a tono of authority, to nobody In partic ular: "Itight this way, Mandy; I'll take caro of you." Now, thoro wasn't anybody named Mnndy thero, you understand, and everybody wondered why a congress man should bo standing thero saying over and over again. "Itight this way, Mandy; I'll tako caro of you." What aenso was there to a man doing such a thing as that? After ho had said it many times, Johnson went away, but in a couplo of hours ho was back again, repeating tho samo lino, with tho samo calm dignity as before. People wero puzzled. Yet It was nil simple enough. Tho Johnsons had sent to Kentucky for a cook, yclopt Mandy. They knew her name, but that was all; they didn't oven know for Euro which train would bring her. But, according to reports, sho was a wondorful cook who could play culinary selections on a gas stove Just by ear, producing southern dishes of rare quality and fragrance. And that was tho reason why tho dignified Congressman went to nil tho trains and cried out, every time ho saw an able-bodied colored woman: "Right this way, Mandy; I'll tako caro of you!" RUCKER COURTED TROUBLE Willi I When Representative Rucker of Missouri tho other day asked the house to authorize tho secretary of war to donate to tho city of Trenton, in Grun dy county, Missouri, four iron cannon there were many smiles in the cham ber. Tho humor of tho situation later was explained. Last session a membor of tho Now York delegation introduced a similar bill. It was passed and In duo tlmo the cannon wero delivered. Subse quently tho house was asked to ap provo a claim bill of $1,000 filed by a railroad company which had shipped tho field pieces. When the freight charges woro presented to tho citizens of tho town thoy balked and informed tho representative that Uncle Sam could "keep his old cannon." Tho railroad is still domandlng pay for toting tho war relics. Every so often Representative Igoo of St. Louis is asked to obtain cannon for- the Fairground park, on North. Grand avenuo. Invariably Mr. Igoo has answered that he will get the cannon if anyone will guarantee to pay the freight Thus far no ono has como for ward with tho pledge. od States woro being Influenced against ub by ovidonco provided by ourselves. Thoy nro not nvorso to their government bringing pressure to boar upon Gront Britain in rognrd to tho bloclsado nnd nil tho quosttona Involved m It; but war ngalnBt Groat Britain has never been In their minds, whllo at tho samo time thoro woro circumstances which might very easily havo drawn thom Into war with Gormnny nftor tho sinking of tho Lusltnnla. Thoy havo not forgotten Mnnlln and what tho British lleet did thoro. In aid of Admiral Dowoy, to dofont Germnn purpoBoa ngalnst tho United States. I think tho governments of both countries hnvo preserved tho very highest traditions of dl plomncy. Nover has dlplomntlc correspondence been maintained on n higher lovol, and never the firm thing said with greater good rcollng on both sides. "Wo hnvo tried our friends In tho United States grontly; wo havo tostod tholr confldonco In us to tho full. "Wo shall do well to remember that tho peoplo of tho United States must, Boonor or lator, bo a vast controlling factor In tho destlnlos of mod ern nations. There Is tho population; thoro Is tho wealth; thoro Is tho character. Tho Civil war showed what that character Ib; whon an occasion ngnlu sets tho test, (t wtll omploy Itself to tho supremo advantago of tho world. It will bo well for us, whllo preserving principle, to remember that friendship with tho United Statos Is ono of tho greatest assets in this tlmo of our trouble and poignant eudoavor." MILENA, MILKMAID QUEEN The fall of Cotlnjo will grlove no ono more than Milena, tho beautiful queen of Montenegro, who came straight from being a milkmaid to rulo her brave people. It is in this small but beloved capital that she has lived since mar riage, nursing her children and at tho samo tlmo showering her mother love upon all hor subjects, with whom she lives in closest touch. A llttlo moro than fifty years ago sho wa3 llttlo Milena Constantlnftvltch, peacefully and contentedly working upon her father's farm amidst the hills and valleys of tho Black mountains. Hor chief caro then was looking after tho cows, and early morning saw hor emorgo from tho house, pall in hand, on tho way to milk tho cows. In those simplo days sho nover dreamed that she would be called upon to wear a crown. In tho strict sense of tho word That Is, there was no falling In love at But In accordanco with tho custom of her country sho was called from her farm work to bo the bride of young Nicholas Potrovltch, tho holr to the throne, because she was the loveliest child In tho land. Sho was only thlrtoon when hor nomination as tho futuro bride took place, and a year later sho was welcomed to Cetlnjo, and there wedded to the eighteen-year-old boy who had been selected by his undo, tho then Prince Danllo, to succeed him on tho throne of Montenegro. Tholr simplo lives and tho strong lovo that has grown between king nnd qucon, are examples which tho Montenegrins boast of with Just pride. hor marriage was not a "lovo affair." first sight, or anything so romantic. DR, FREDERICK G. C0TTRELL According to CharloB D. yalcott, secretary of tho Smithsonian institu tion, and vice prealdent of tho Ro soarch corporation of Now York, tho Research corporation, In tho threo years of its llfo, has earned something moro than $160,000. Tho rato of its earning is on tho Increase Behind this bare statement Is a rcmarknblo story of solf-sacrlfico and devotion to tho comn'on weal. It is tho story or Dr. Frederick Gardnor Cot troll of California, vhoso fame among scientists is great, but who is almost unknown to tho general public. To put It briefly, Doctor Cottroll Is tho inventor nud patenteo of an electrical process to prcclpltato tho solid matter In snio!;e. In many parts of tho country It tias revolutionized tho smoltor industry; it is moving to a point whoro it will mako smoke ridden cities freo of coal dust and dirt. But when tlio commercial success of tho invention had boon assured, Doctor Cottrell assigned his patont rights to tho SmlthBonlan institution, with the solo proviso that tho earnings should be dovoted to tho advancement ot science. Tho Research corporation waa organized in 1912 to bandlo and administer tho fund.