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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1917)
THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. f hat Thanks otvmo 1 . V L4J VC mm: zmmmmmm rmsm -the Boys hOur to Of course there will be a "real feed," with turkey and everything, wherever it's' possible on land or sea. And at the naval training stations there will be special doings to help the lonely lads forget to be homesick By RliYS G, THACKWELL avV More than 300 ymn ngn John Alilrn mill liln lit tlr band of l'urltnn follower In New Knglaml inril n terrible jmr of famine nnd ulrknrtm that nearly ulied out (lie colony. II lit the pendulum ttvutiR. llrulth condition Imurotrd. Clearing tvrre rnlnricrd. The droutli hroke. Good crop were ruined. A bountiful tmrvrat warn ulnrrU agalnm the vrlnler. And then llie I'll grim turned their thouihts to God. Their heart welled In srratefulneia. lhey nppolnted n dnr for puoua iiiunK'KiviDK, r.very 7enr kinee. wnrn i liarvmt haa hern Rulliered, tile people of the United Htntea bnve obnerved ThnkIvlnjc day glnce 1R0B on I lie lnt Thursday tn November. The following article roncrrnlnr the observance of the day In the navy thla year waa. prepured by a direct defendant at o John Alden. Alt from their homes, perhaps for tho first tlmo In their young lives, many thousands of young Amerlcnn sailors will forget on Thanksgiving day all of the serious business of wr. Thoughts will bo of home. It will be a day of meditation for tho men of the great fleets which aro aiding tho nl I led nations In ex terminating Pmsslanlsm from the earth. It will bo America's first Thanksgiving in this great world war. At tho training stations, on tho ships which patrol tho coast lines, In tho submarines which movo about a hundred feet below the surfnee of the water, and on tho great battleships on tho high sens Thanksgiving day is to bo observed as It novcr IP lll know tliut this country Is aiding tho allied nations In exterminating so-called "kultur" and In estab lishing peaco on earth for centuries at least. Tho boys will glvo thanks because they have been privileged to glvo their services, their money for before has been by tho boys and men who aro - Lberty V)0(ls nnd thclP VM ,f ncCe8Rary, to 4ill.r.llH. A mn fin's nnilun Tfr will . . . ... ' - dodlcntlnir their lives to America's cause. It will not bo merely a day of sensuous pleasures, of stuffing oneself with foods to please tho taato; rather it will bo n day of mental Inspiration, of ja spiritual gratification, of thoughts of homo and .those who aro dear. In n general way tho stories of how Thanksgiv ing is observed in tho two branches of tho Amor llcnn fighting forces do not differ. Soldiers who aro yet in this country will perhaps bo given fur lloughs no that they can bo with their families or 'other relatives on Thanksgiving day. Sailors and purines who ore detailed to tho training Htatlons mny he Invited out for tho day or they may gather lln tho big mess halls for a program. But tho lads 'who aro far away from their loved ones, thoso iwho aro on tho high seas, will experience a feel ing entirely new to them. And It Is going to hnvo a tremendously Important Influence, too. Per haps you havo wondered somo tlmo or other why the tight-fitting blouse, tho black handkerchief, nnd his saucy little white cap seem to glvo tho Jackie a more youthful nppenrtinco than tho khaki or ollvo drab do to tho soldier. It is not a deception resulting rrom a marked difference In tho uniforms. Rather this apparent boyish appearance of tho Jnckles In comparison .with tho soldiers is n reality. Tho Jackles aro flust boys tho brightest youth of America, who, before they havo attained their manhood, are offering their lives to make this country secure from Prusslanlsm and to establish peaco through out tho world; 1 A spirit of youth permeates the United States 5avy an atmosphere which perhaps Is not to be ound In the army. Most of tho boys, who are being trained to man tho battleships, and the majority of Uiose who already havo met the Gcr Winn fleet in sea battles, aro scarcely out of their jtcens. There Is a fascination for tho sen, for tho exporlcnco of moving about on tho waters and be ing constantly in danger of attack from beneath (the sea or by hostile ships a something which holds a peculiar charm for American youth. And too it la that the American navy. Is composed of ja great host of young men youth who seek ad ienture, thoso who aro eager to avengo tho ter iiblo atrocities wrought by Germany. 1 Months have passed since many of these young tfacklcs, transformed tn an incredibly short tlmo from schoolboys to fighting men-o'-warB'-men, left iShelr mothers and helr fathers to join other youths In protecting our country from tho rav ages of a barbarian foe. Their activities have boon bo strenuous that few havo had tho tlmo or tJio inclination to meditate nbout their homes. Uut U of these boys havo been separated from their own people long enough to give them n sincere tanging to visit again hometown and to see mother. Men of the army aro better nblo to combat a feeling of homesickness than tho Jackles can bo oauso tho soldiers have come, as a general nil, from tho ofllccs, from tho cares of business, from colleges, nnd from situations which have, In their cry nature, separated tho men, more or less, from their family Interests. Should this stnte went sound exaggerated and falso let mo amend H soraowhat Tho soldiers probably aro moro accustomed to absence from homo than are tho allor boy most of whom came directly from tho pofluence of their molhers and who are all by iUemRelvea for tho first tlmo in their careers, con fronting some of tho bigger problems of life. And Bo It Is that this Thanksgiving tho mnny thousands of American boys who are flgbtlng In ie first lino of defenso arc going to experience a Kreut mental awakening a spiritual chnngo, nyhlch might not have como to them under normal conditions until they wero much older In years jnd experience. It will be pcrhnps their first Thanksgiving day on which they havo actually ikcn tho tlmo to meditate over tho blessings for Srhlch they should glvo thanks. ' Tho boyn probably have not previously hud oc icaslon to npprccluto tho homo Influence. They lw.111 rejoice In tho knowledgo that tho United jfljates now has a navy which measures up to tho ejit In the world. They will bo glad because they bring to n close this worst struggle of all the ages. At tho navnl stntlons elaborate programs hao been prepared. Mrs. William A. Moffett, wife of the commnndnnt of Oreat Lakes naval training station, early conceived tho Idea of giving n big Thanksgiving dinner to tho 20,000 boys now train ing there. Actuated by her splendid mother spirit, Mrs. Moffett confided her wIbIi to some of her friends. "Can't wo do something to bring home a little closer to the hoys for Just one day?" Mrs. Moffett asked. "Many of the young boys nctunlly need to pnss Thanksgiving In a real home they hnve been separated from their own people so.long that their hearts are calling out for a glimpse Into n homo where thero Is a mother, father, some noisy children and homo-cooked food." Mrs. Moffett's lden quickly became popular. A committee was formed to secure the boys who wero to accept the scores of Invitations from Chi cagoans nnd other hospltnblo peoplo nlong tho north shore of Lake Michigan who showed n de sire to entertain the jackles on Thnnksglvlng day. Chaplain Chnrlcs W. Mooro lent his aid In select ing the boys for the Invitations. Moro thnn 1,000 young men wero granted liberty to visit the homes where they aro guests of honor for a real Thanks giving dinner, Most of the boys uro to bu taken to church services before the dinner. Automobile rides and other forms of entertainment constitute the nftenwon program. Probably every boy will feel an impulse to write a message to mother. What Is being donettt Great Lakes, where the largest naval training station of the world Is lo cated, Is typical of the programs at the other training stations. On every battleship guarding our, coast llncs In every submarine craft which bears American sailors, or every other ship manned by the blue Jackets at least a portion of Thanksgiving day will bo devoted to meditation. Religious services will bo held on mnny of the ships. Turkey dinners with several courses, topped off with Ice cream or other delicacies, aro to bo served to nil of tho navy men. And ns they eat tho boys will appreciate as never before the sig nificance of Thanksgiving and tho turkey dinner. Thoy will better understand the hardships which tho Pilgrims endured In order that they might establish a peoplo who should be at liberty to worship as they saw fit. And as they think of the fortitude of tho men who fought hunger, nnd cold, nnd disease, nnd death In order thnt somewhere there should be a country where people could bo assured of liberty, the Jackles sincerely offer up their gratitude to the power which has made It possible for them to nld In preserving this nntlon from the loss of thnt priceless liberty. WHAT WAR DID TO ROME Rome In tho days of Augustus was a city of more thnn 1,000,000 persons, nnd It did not have a single hospital. Tho dry was built mainly of brick, with nnrrow, tortuous streets. Rut it had some broad and well-paved thoroughfares, .tho fashionable nvenuo being the famous Applan way, which was tho metropolitan terminus, go to spenk, of ono of tho great military roads that radiated from Rome as a center to all parts of tho empire. The houses of tho rich, and oven thoso of tho fnlrly well-to-do, were supplied with running wa ter. No modern system of aqueducts surpassed that of ancient Rome, and the water wns dis tributed to dwellings by underground pipes thnt furnished tho fluid through lead pipe connections to tanks elevated on pillars at regular intervals along tho street. From theso tnnks lead pipes carried tho wnter to the houses on either side, which were provided with fnucets and basins like our houses of todny. This In Itself Is a very Interesting fnct, becnuso oven two centuries ngo thero wns no such ade quate system of water Biipply for cities anywhere In tho civilized world. In respect of this Import ant item of clvtllzntlon, the destruction of Rome by wnr put tho world back about 1,800 years. When Julius Caesar first visited Alexandria In Egypt, tho occasion on which ho wns captured by the Greek charms of Cleopatra, ho found there so completo an underground wnter-supply system that the city seemed "hollow underneath." Tho aqueducts of ancient Rome, substantial ro mains of which atlll exist, supplied numerous street fountains, at which tho peoplo drank, nnd, much moro Important, the enormous bath build ings, erected nnd maintained at fabulous expense by vnrlous emperors. There wero no street lamps. Soldiers employed as policemen carried torches through tho streets. It wns n method corresponding nearly to that In use In European cities n couple of centuries ago. Stoves were unknown and dwellings were bent cd with braziers of charcoal. Ollvo oil lamps and candles of tnllow and wax furnished domestic II lumlnnttou, House furniture sofas, chairs, bead steads and what not much resembled In pattern what wo have today, and for tho rich was no less luxurious. Grain wns ground by wntennllls and windmills. Routs on ttio Tiber carried mill wheels that wero driven by tho current of the river. Chickens were hutched by Incubators on a great scale for market. Ice obtained from mountain heights wns stored in summer time for Winter use. A big book might be written about tho "modern conveniences" enjoyed by the nnclent Romans. They wero wiped out, together with nearly every' thing thnt was worth while In the way of clvlllzn tlon, by barbnrous tribes, whoso notion of war fare was "frlghtfulness" carried to tho ultimata extent. These tribes were largely the ancestors of the present-day Germans. What they are to day they were then. And whnt they did to Rome and to the elvlllz.ntlcn of which Rome was ilia dominant center put back tho progress of the world just about eighteen centuries. An Odd Fish The Sea Horse If mermaids were no bigger than some fairies, they might have horses to ride. The sen horses are creatures familiar enough, though most people have never seen ono nllve. Summer visitors at the seashore find them for sale very dead, and dried at shops that specialize In murine curios. The sen horso (naturalists say) is ono of tho most nnclent of fishes. It Is ono of nature's oddest Imltntlons n "camouflage," so to spenk. It has a horsellke head, and Its body Is so shaped m to resemble the neck of that quadra pcd. Rut really, when ono comes to cxamlno It, - tho thing It counterfeits Is tho "knight" p!co of the chessboard. The seu horse has a tubelike snout, at the end of which are the mouth nnd Jaws. Its head Is topped by a sort of coronet. Clnd in a completo suit of armor plates, It cannot flex its body llko other Ashes, nnd Its flnless tail Is of no use for locomotion. It feeds on small shrimps and other crusta cenns. Occasionally, uncoiling its tall from tho supporting plant, It swims slowly, not like other fishes, but always in a vertical position, Its bnck fin vibrating rapidly. Like other fishes, the sen horso possesses an alr-blnddcr, which Is always distended by n qunn tlty of gas so exactly adjusted for equilibrium that, If a slnglo bubble no larger thnn tho bend of a small pin be extracted, tho creature falls to the bottom and must crawl about until the wound Is healed and n fresh supply of gas has been secreted. Rut the most remarkable point nbout the sen horso Is that tho malo Is provided with an ex ternal fltomnch-pouch, In which, at the mating sen pod. the female deposits her eggs. Tho lining membrane of tho pouch secretes a nutritious fluid on which the young, when hatched, aro fed. When they are big enough to take care of themselves, tho fnthe' sen horse rubs his stomach ngnlnst n winkle shell or some other convenient object, and by this means forces them out Into tho water. PBOJTS BY LAPSED APPROPRIATIONS STATE TREASURY IS BENEFI CIARY OF UNUSED MONEY NEWS FROM STATE CAPITAL Items of Varied Interest Gathered from Reliable Sources at the State ' House State Auditor W. II. Smith has given out a statement which ho' has prepared for his blonnlal report, show ing tho state treasury Is enriched ?1G4,952 by appropriations which woro made by tho legislature of 1915 and which wero not used. The appro priations lapsed into tho treasury and can bo usod to tldo over tho stato's general fund, which has beon growing low, until new taxes begin to pour In. Tho largest appropriation to lapso was for 150,000, mado to indemnify tho owners of llvo stock who lost stock through tke inroads of tho foot and mouth disease, which was causing alarm over tho country at that timo. The foot and mouth disease outbreak did not extend to Nebraska. Over $32,000 of tho sum appropri ated for state-aid bridges lapsed into the treasury, and tho Btato superin tendent allowod $13,318 of his funds to lapso. Tho superintendent's funds for tho present blennlum aro largo enough to pormlt him to pay out for tho purpose which the 1915 appropria tion was mado. Following Is tho Hat of the larger appropriations and tho amount which lapsed : Annronrlatlori Lansed Legislative expenses.. .$112,000 $ 2,432.00 uovernors onice....... .z.asu Auditor's ofllce 39,630 Attorney general 25,000 Land commissioner.... 23.CS0 Stnte superintendent.. 203.280 Supreme court 110.7S0 Itallwny commission... 96,920 Hoard of health 19,760 Live stock commission 65,160 Printing bureau....!.. 31,700 Labor bureau 14,180 State library 18,000 Stato-ald brldeo 1E0 000 Historical society 30,000 uanKing ooaru tz.bw Prevention of foot and mouth disease to, 000 Stato farm paving 30,000 1.748.00 3,771.00 2,901.00 .75 15,318.00 1.83 1,489.00 1,954.00 8,617.00 2.C62.00 2,711.00 3,043.00 32,827.00 2.36S.00 3,441.00 To Promote Vocational Education Stato Superintendent Clommons, A members of tho board created by tho laat loglBlature, has Issued a statomont showing how tho Bum of $1,100,000 will bo distributed among public schools of Nobraska during the next ton yoara to promoto vocational education. Under tho Smith-Hughes act of con gross, provision is mado for educa tion in trades, industrial or manual training, home economics and agricul ture. Nebraska boing an agricultural stato, the most monoy will bo spont along these lines. Country schools, especially tho con solidated and rural high schools, will rccelvo strong Bupport In all branchos mentioned except trades, which bolong moro particularly to tho sphoro of city schools. For ovcry dollar tho United Statos government contributes to tho main tenance of such instruction and train ing, the state must furnish an equal amount. For agricultural education tho total amount to bo oxponded is ?G17,000; for trades, manual training and homo eco nomics, $258,180, and for vocational subjects, $230,000. Board of mediation.... 500 Pump irrigation 15,000 50,000.00 2,367.00 000.00 2,703.00 Alleges Defrauding of State In a letter to Attorney General Wil lis E. Reod, Governor Neville calls at tepUon to the alleged defrauding of the stato in the sum of about $1,000 by padding the record of meals furnish ed companies of tho Nebraska National Guard during tho mobilization last spring. The proprietor of a Lincoln restau rant is named by the governor as tho man said to havo thus defrauded the stato. Tho man is already under ar rest by federal authorities, and await ing trial in federal court, on the charge' of defrauding tho government in tho same way after the state troops wore mustered into United Statos service. Threo vouchers' aro said by Gover nor Neville to have been issued for amounts in excess of tho price of meals actually furnished certain com panies of the Sixth Nebraska whon those units wero being hold in Lin coln for the muster. The total fraud ulent excess is alleged to bo $1,000. No Special Thanksgiving Menu Thero will bo no special Thanks giving dinners for some 10,000 in mates of tho fifteen stato institutions under tho direction of tho .Btato board of control, it has beon announced, as a measure of war economy. With prices of foodstuffs going higher and some of the institutlona facing deficit because of the coat of living, Commissioner Mayfield, writing to all of tho superintendents of tho in stitutions, notifies the heads that no warrants will bo approved for custom ary Thanksgiving delicacies. Not only will tho board taboo tho usual Thanksgiving dinner, it is stated In tho letter, but thero is a possibility that tho uaual Christmas festlvitioa will havo to bo eliminated this year. Must Give Registration Number Owners of automobiles may on and after Novembor 24 pay Hconso fees to county treasurers if a plan evolved by Secretary of Stato Pool is carriod into effect. Mr. Pool has written county treasurers as folIowB: "You may be occasionally requested to take license monoy for 1918 autdmobllo plates be fore the present year closeB. In order to assist you and at the same tlmo ac commodate thoso who desire to pay early, I have thought best to advise all county treasurers that beginning No vember 24 you may send to this ofllco the 1918 applications but thoy must bo Inclosed in a soparato envelope which is plainly marked on tho outside. "For 1918'." Do not send any to us prev iously to November 24 as wo will not bo prepared to handlo them. Also, In ovcry Instance you must glvo the reg istration number that is to bo renewed, otherwiso tho application will bo re turned to you. If you will tako up tho question of dealer plates Immediately with the dealers and have them renew and you will send their applications to us in a separate envelope as soon as you receive thorn, it will assist us ma terially in being ready to send out tho dealer plates 'by the first of tho year. Be suro to make your ordors for 1918 specific." State Exempt from the Tax A certificate to bo used by stato of ficers and employes for presentation to railroad ticket agents Is being printed. Tho certificate states that tho ticket was bought for tho use of tho stato of Nebraska and not for private purposes, and is exempt from the tax imposed by the federal act of October 3, 1917. Theso certificates will be usod later by the railroad companies to explain to federal inspectors why a rovonuo tax was not collected on tho sale of railroad ticket. Tho federal law im poses a war tax of 8 per cont upon tickets for transportation by rail and a tax of 10 por cont upon sleeping car tickets. Five thousand printed certifi cates of this nature aro to bo printed for tho use of stato officers and em ployes traveling on stato business. Color blindness, which impairs tho vision of a railroad man to such an ex tent that ho can not distinguish the correct tints of lantern and flag sig nals used in the movement of tra'n locomotives, is declared by tho Ne braska Supremo court to constitute total loss of sight in both eyes, entit ling tho afflicted workman to full re covery under tho disability clause of an Insurance policy. Urgent-Need for Firemen Tho radio branch of tho navy at Lin coln is about to closo up. Naval Re cruiting Officer Brady has received word that none neod apply for enlist ment in this dopartmont unless thoy aro exceptionally woll qualified for this branch of Borvlce. A largo num ber of studonts who wished to receive the experience in this branch enlisted In tho radio service and tho branch was not long In filling up. Officer Brady, of tho naval station, aowover, says that thero Is an urgent need for 2,000 firemen In the navy. Scabies Quarantine Lifted Owing to the world sliortago of meats and tho national food admin istration's 3oslro to encourage tho pro duction of beef and pork animal, the Nebraska llvo ctock sanitary board has called off the scabies quarantine for cattle which haB boon in effect in tho oorthweatorn part of tho stato for ten years. Cattle may now bo shipped rcoly from the territory referred to. The stato veterinarian's office says thla Is a war measure along the lines recommended by federal authorities Issues State Mineral Leases At a recent meotlng of the state board of educational lands and funds thirty-one mineral leases woro issued to applicanta. Most of theso coot tho applicants a fee of $3, of which $1 la tho fee necessary to obtain a mineral lease to an entire section of stato land. Although all these lands are under prior leasea, the stato board alleces it has power to issuo other leases cov- orlng tho subsoil on these same tracts. i ne greater portion of the leasoa wero Issued to persons who hono to snncn- lato in tho chances of finding oil on atato lands, and tho balance aro given to potash speculators. Fuel for State Institutions Heavy shipments of coal, suffldont to guard agalnat any poaslblo shortage, aro now on their way to state institu tions, according to word whlnii thn board of control haa received from E. is. HowMl of Omaha, tho stato pur chasing agent Tho shlpment8 includo state penitentiary, 27 cars; Lincoln Insane hospital, 17 cars; Boatrice in atltute for tho foeblo-minded, 10 cars; Omaha school for tho dear, 5 cars; Nebraska City achool for tho blind, 5 cara; Orthopedic hospital and homo for dopendont children, 3 cara; girl's industrial school, 3 cars; Milford homo for women, 3 cara; Milford aoldlora' homo, 3 cara. War Courses at State University "War courses" will bo introduced by tho University of Nobraska aa a moan8 of giving tho boy and girl back homo a chanco to work on the farm and keep up thoir school work at tho same time. Beginning Decombor 3 a Bpoclal se mester of school will open in practi cally every department. Thla aomos tor will dismiss early In tho spring be fore planting operations and ovory atudont who complotea the course will receive credit for ono semester, or one half of an entiro year's work. At tho same time comes tho an nouncement that tho Christmas vaca tion at the Btato university will ba shortened ono week, and other vaca tions proportionately, cutting oft two weeks at tho end ot tho university year. Tho special Bemestor will bo indo pondont of the regular school yoar and will laat seventeen weekB, closing ear ly In April. Tho school of agriculture at tho state farm will hold a special sossion at tho same time but It will last thirteen weeks, closing early in March.