THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. ML A Valentine ARTHUK GUITERMAN with Jrawlnst tf JOHN WOLCOTT ADAMS A If &1I be true that wise men lay Of good St Valentine his day, Oh, then above the melting snow The Snowdrops bashful kisses blow; The silver Trout of lake and linn Do swim together fin-to-fin; The furry Hares of heath and thaw Do make their gambols, paw-tc-pAw; The Birds their mating carols sing And fly together, wing-andwing. And all about the wakening land Go Youths and Maidens, hand-ln-hand. Then, Ever-Dearest, hear my plea And wander hand-in-hand with me, From Good Houstketping. CUPID STILL RULE Cynics Who Decry Power of St. Valentine Are Unable to Prove Their Case. AOTNIO onco remarked that the two most Irritating days on the calendar wero those con secrated to Saints Swlthln Und Valentino, because, salri ho, the first often brought with It a stretch of train and the second a v7.etch of a Strain ; for, of all strains lr. tho world, lie argued, the worst was that Imposed Iby having to read a silly A of foot less and useless valentines. Tho cynic probably does not stand Hlono In his opinion of Saint Yalen stine's day. There are thousands of men llko him who bcllevo that the day las degenerated ; that, where onco Cu ipld conquered hearts through loving missives sent on February 14, ho now merely yawns and falls to heed. But does ho? Have tho old vnlen ,tlncs, as lovo messages, really lost ,thelr power? Or hnvo new kinds of valentines succeeded the flimsy lace kind of other years? And aro they at all effective? Tho printed chronicles of Uie last several years reveal numerous cases fthnt go to dlsprpvo tho statement of ithe cynic and his followers. On Saint Valentine's day, 1008, Ar thur Trumbull of Oswego, N. Y sent young woman named Alice Cayvan, "whom ho had been courting with In different success for several years, a largo heart fashioned out of crimson fCardboard. Through the heart he had stuck a papier macho arrow. On it lo had written the single interrogatory .word "Hopeless?" Tho next day the heart was returned to him by mull; but tho arrow had been removed and the hole in the center had been patched up with a bit of white paper on which Miss Cayvan had written a clearly legible "Yes." They were married soon after. Not less productive of result wus the effort of Albert Hildrummel of Topeka, Kan., who, according to an article printed in Western newspapers, sent the young woman ho loved, Clara Sedgwick, a blank niarrlugo certificate on last Valentine's day with these verses on the back: This Is my Idea of a valentine, Practical, Indeed, but true. If you'll write your name In It, It will bo a valentine for two. It is Interesting to note that tho re cipient did as directed. An odd vulentlne was that sent two years ifgo by Francis Everlln of Chi cago to Sarah Collins of Toledo, O. Everlln had asked tho latter to marry him on numerous occasions; but tho young wotunn had always usked him to refrain from regarding her otherwise than "a sister." Everlln had no such Intention, however, ami, biding his time till Valentine's day, sent her a valentine mado up to resemble n bal lot such cs Is used in municipal elec tions. At the top of tho ballot was a pen and Ink picture of a house, and beneath appeared Everlln's name op posite all tho offices to bo voted for, viz., rentpayer, bundle carrier, loving husband, and so on. A slip was ap pended asking the voter to vote the' straight ticket Whether it was tho humor of It or something else is un known ; but the fact remains that Miss Collins put tho matrimonial X under the house. Tho "missing-lino" puzzlo cnizo gave Herbert Randall of San Fran Cisco his valentine cuo in 1007. To his sweetheart. Vera Sallson of tho samo city, ho sent this Incomplete stanza, asking her to fill out tho last line. The verso ran: "It might have been" are saddest words In world of woo and love and strife; For thee, theso are the gladdest words: The stanza was returned the lollowi lng day with this lino: "Yes, dear, I now will bo your wife." t Ono of the most peculiar valentines on record wn8 the ono sent a year ago by Allen Straw of Pittsburgh to Louiso Itovnyer of Erie. It was nothing moro or less than a largo roll of white silk, bearing tho words: "'This Is for a. wedding dress. Please valentine mo with a 'yes.'" Tho silken valentlno was effective. On Valentine's day three years ago two men sent their sweethearts rail road timetables to Niagara Falls, and another man sent his lady lovo a trunk tied with white ribbons and strewn1 Inside with rico. John Thomas Ray ot Omaha won n wlfo through a valentlno sent to a' young woman living in St Louis. Ray's Valentino took tho form of n, big red apple, to the stem of which ho' had attached a card reading: "Lovo me and a world of happiness shall be yours. L.ovo mo not, ana ail mat you will have will be tills apple. It is big and red and pretty, but it will not last any moro than will the semihappl-' ness you bcllovo you aro enjoying wlille Bingle." Tho popular jigsaw puzzles wero used as valentines by several wooers last year. Ono man, named Shaw, of Atlanta, sent ono to his sweetheart In the same city and with it the lines: "Pvo puzzled my brain to guess your answer. Won't you put me in shape again with a Yes?" The girl sent the valentlno puzzle back with a note that read : "I do not want this puzzlo. I'll glvo you myself. I have been n puz zle, I admit; but I'm going to solvo myself for you." Another man, Stanley Lemoyno ol Denver, sent one of the puzzles as q valentine to Rhea Knowles of th? snmo town, with tho note: "This will help pass away the dull hours for you in case you rofuso to marry me." The girl married him. Odd valentines, theso, Indeed; but odder still tho valentlno sent In 1000 by Reynolds Touhey of New York td May LIndstrom of Brooklyn, n volen tlno that succeeded In lending tho lat ter to tho altar. Touhey's valcntlm was a Dresden doll baby, and nttachej to It was a card reading: "Imaging having nothing more real than this all your life I" Tho Sunday Magazine. Lincoln's Fine Tribute to Bereaved Mother AT this time, above all iimcs, when our thoughts revert tp the man by many considered the greatest president that our country has had, wo arc proud to publish a letter written by him to a bereaved ynothcr. It went from the heart to the heart, and its message still stirs tho soul of motherhood. Tho letter was this: v & ?w tf&Jj, GtvU. fihM4, SJJJt, UfU&C ja OjfctiUj' ' -&9MJiL jrvi X Is it any wonder that this famous letter is still hanging on the walls ef Brasenose college, Oxford university, England, as a model of pure and exquisite English and as a compelling expression of a great heart and mind? WOMEN LOVED BY LINCOLN EBP pose of One of Them In Early Youth Cast a Lifelong Shadow Across His Heart. Thero was a wild rose slip of a girl In a bluo sunbonnet, with whom ho walked tho lanes of his homcsDun days. There was a clever, cultured woman, whoso brilliant intellect lighted his nscendlng way In the Illi nois legislature And thero was tho bello of the gay social set at Spring field, who fluttered across his pathway as it led to Washington. Ono ho loved, and ono ho tried to, and ono ho married. These were tho women that ho courted. They loved Lincoln. To them tho greatest American was far nearer than a lofty figure on a high pedestal. They heard his heart bcatl These were tho women that loved Lincoln. Ono of them today lies near tho banks of tho Sangamon where he loved her. To the last thero was with him tho long, long sorrow of her loss that cast its shadow across his heart In youth. As late as 1804 ho pushed aside state papers in tho executivo mansion at Washington to talk of her lato in the night to a friend who had como from back home. Ono rests peacefully in n little cemetery at Pleasant Ridge, Rl. Tho mother of five children, her tombstone reads : "Mary Owens Vineyard." Ono lies at his sldo in the great mausoleum In Springfield, where the state keeps her bier and his heaped with fresh, fra grant flowers. When an assassin's bul let took his life, the American peo ple mourned a great president. Sho mourned a great husband. Delineator. HASTENED TO INFORM WIFE "Mary, Wo Ara Elected," Was Lin coin's Form of Telling Helpmeet the Good News. Perhaps one of tho most character istic of tho Lincoln anecdotes may bo revived with timeliness. On tho night of his first election the little "frnrao" homo of tho LIncolns in Springfield, III., wbb thronged with eager neigh bors and friends. Reports for a whllo cumc In early and favorably. Then they wero less promising. Tho crowd dwindled. Then camo the news that Lincoln had carried tho country. Tho rest of tho story will better bo told by that great man himself. "When there was no longer any doubt or reason for doubt," he related after ward, "I went up to my bedroom and found my wlfo asleep. I gently touch ed her shoulder and said, 'Mary I' Shd mado no answer. 'I spoko again a lit tle louder, saying, 'Mary I Mary I wo aro elected 1" The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself every way he can, never sus pecting that anybody wishes to hinder him. Lincoln. Election Incident. Lincoln was a clever politician and never hesitated when president to play trumps in n crisis. Colonel A. K. McCIuro said that ho told Lincoln he couldn't carry Pennsyl vania in 1804 on the homo vote unless ho furloughed 10,000 Pennsylvania sol diers and sent them back hero to vote. Lincoln hesitated only a moment nnd then requested both Meade and Sher idan to send 0,000 troops Into Pennsyl vania for the election, which was done. McClure'a prediction was evidently correct ns Lincoln, even with tho 10,000 troops voting here, carried Pennsylvania by only 5,712. To this plurality was added some 14,000 as tho result of Pennsylvania soldiers voting in the field. Philadelphia Ledger. Lincoln's 8torles. - It seems probable that somo of Lin coln's stories, genuine though wo may ,belIevo them to be, were current before his time; for Instance, tho ono with tho Kentucky flavor referring to the brand of whisky which General Grant's enemies protested ho used with too much freedom. Lincoln dis claimed this story in my hearing, stating that King Georgo III. of Eng land was said to havo remarked, when ho was told that General Wolfe, then In command of tho English army In Canada, wob mnd, that ho wished Wolfe would blto some of his other generals. From "Lincoln in tho Tele graph Office." Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong. Lincoln. PERFECT SERVICE At rir-Njl When Abraham Lincoln, us a boy, 11 rat came In contact with the Institution of slavory, he remarked: "If I ever cet a chance I am Rolne to knock that thing:, and knock It hard.' To one of station lowly And far removed from famt In early youth a holy Prophetic vision came. He cherished well Vie vision That nursed the germ of truth In spite of men's derision; In spite of waning youth. When sacrifice was needed He gave, nor grudged the gift; And as the years receded He saw the darkness lift. The fogs that clouded reason Were scattered by the light And what before was treason Orew sacred in men's sight. His memory, without equal, Lies in our hearts enshrined; For he, so runs the sequel, Serves best, who serves mankind. Helping the Meat and Milk Supply (Bpcclal Information Son-Ice, U. S. Department of ARrleulturo.) MAKE CITY DAIRY REGULATIONS'rEGULATE Legislation Properly Drafted and Enforced Will Promote Milk Production Under Sanitary Conditions. ' jENFORClBUE MILK LAWS FOR TOWNS First See That They Meet Local Conditions, Say Specialists. RECOMMEND THREE GRADES Impossible to Frame One Ordinance That Will Be Suitable for All Com munltles Form Prepared Which Will Assist. Milk laws should meet local condt- Slons. Ordinances governing tho dairy ndustry must bo prepared with caro nnd be enforced. Officials of tho XJnlrcd Stntes department of agri culture say that It would not bo wlso to attempt to draft n milk ordlnnnco. kvlth its standards, grades, and rc- nulrcmcnts, without a special study of local dairy conditions as well as tho purposes of such an ordinance. Ono pf tho most important considerations must no mo rensonamcness or tno Inw. A law which works au unneces sary hnrdshlp on a legitimate Industry Is not reasonable, nnd a law so strin gent that it cannot readily bo en forced will defeat Its own ends. Form Prepared to Assist. ' In strict senso It is Impossible to frame ono milk ordlnnnco thnt will bo OUIIIILSIU xiri till VUlllllllflllllbili bureau of animal Industry nnd the burcnu of chemistry of tho depart-, ment, however, responding to a con stant demand by municipal authori ties ior somo rorm oi miiK ordinance hat will best meet tho requirements and which enn bo used ns n guldo, havo prepared n form which It is believed fvould assist in bettering the milk sup ply. Threo Grades Considered. A speclnl feature .of the ordlnnnco Is Iho grading of milk and cream, which s believed to bo of paramount Impor tance. A great sanitary nnd economic question will bo solved, it Is as licrtcd, If practical grading of milk, with tho consequent grading or selling 'price, enn bo enforced. Three grades NFFD HELP ON MILK S '-. LAW? EXPERT8' .ADVICE AVAILABLE, A study of tho milk ordinances of many cities, lnrgo nnd small, shows n groat diversity of opin ion among lawmakers and their advisors aH to what constitutes a proper milk ordinance. A grent lack of uniformity among laws, somo of which aro entire ly out of date, has been noted. Many of them seem to bo tran scripts of ordinances In force In other cities, placed In tho mu- nlclpal series of laws without regard to local conditions, nnd some contain provisions which ', aro unnecessary and unreason- nblo nnd cannot bo enforced. 1 Bulletin f85 of tho department ; of agriculture suggests a form of ordinance which, it is be lieved, will prove to be a satis- ' factory framework upon which tho average town or city can build a finished, prnctlcnblo law ; that, properly enforced, will Im prove tho averago milk supply ; and work toward a desired uni formity of food luwe. are considered "Certlflcd," Grade A, nnd Grado B. Pasteurization Is com pulsory for Grndo B but optional for tho others. Community health depart ments must determine from their own flxpcrleuco tho scoro and bacteria count permitted for Grades A and B, which represent tho largest quantities of milk sold. Grudo A must hu of such quality that there will be no question ps to Its purity and safety. . Grade B can bo of lower grndo than A becnuso pnutourlzatlon Is obligatory. No grade below that of B is recognized. Meat Supply Is Inspected. Every pound of ment or moat prod-, ucts which reaches the mess tables of. Undo Sam's lighting forces Is In spected nt least twice by experts of the United States department of .agri culture first nt tho establishment whero It Is packed or prepared, and finally at tho camps. This extra" pre- cautton Is taken to prevent food inndc' unwholesome by adulteration or through tampering by enemies from reaching American soldiers und sail ors. Laboratory analyses of samples taken from supplies at tho enmps show If tho foods hnvo been mado injurious by tampering. Twenty-six hundred experts of tho meat-Inspection servlco of tho depart ment of ngrlculturo aro stationed throughout the country nt establish ments which prepare meat nnd mean products for Interstate nnd foreign' commerce. Theso Inspectors person ally cxnmlno tho llvo nnlmnls, tho car- casscs, nnd nil parts thereof at the time of slaughter. They continue td inspect nnd to rclnspcct tho ment and meat products throughout tho differ ent stages of preparation. All meat which Is unsold, unhealthy, unwholc-j some, nnd otherwise unfit for food la condemned nnd destroyed In tho pros- enco of tho inspectors. Somo 70 in spectors of this servlco hnvo been de tailed to tho various military nnd naval camps. All meat and meat prod' ucts for tho army and navy nro ob tained only from inspected establish ments, nnd every consignment must! bear tho government stnmp "Inspected nnd Passed." Store Ico to 8ave Ammonia. Every ton of natural ico gathered and stored this winter will help In war-time conservation of nmtr.unln, which Is vitally Important in tho mnv facttiro of fertilizers and oxpluflvcs. Ammonia Is a necessity in tho manu facture of Ice, nnd tho saKs if am monia aro regarded as essential In making certain fertilizers. The man who harvests Ico now and stores it In pits or Ice houses may havo the satis faction next summer of helping out his neighbor who depended on an Ico( plant. In nddltlon to tho saving of; ammonia, conservation of coal is to bo effected through the harvesting of nat ural Ice. Amcrlcnn ice factories and refrigerator plants, according to fig ures of tho United Stntes fuel admin istration, uso annually 15,000,000 tons of coal. President Wilson, by a proclamation signed .Tanunry 4, has required all per sons, firms, corporations itfiid associa tions, except those specifically ex empted by the food control net, en gaged in tho business of Importing, manufacturing, storing, or dlstrlbuti lng ammonia, ammonlnciil liquor or ammonium sulphate, from whatever sourco produced, to secure license on or before Jnnunry 21, 1018, Cheap Source of Protaln. Milk ut 15 cents a quart Is us cheap a sourco of protein ns sirloin steak nt 84.8 .cents u pound or eggs at 41.0 cents a dozen. Milk at the same price Is as cheap a sourco of energy as sir loin steak at 21.2 cents n pound or eggs nt 20 cents a dozen. Protein nud energy are two Important necessities for which wo eat food. Milk contains tho body-bullding materials protein and mineral substans, such ns limn und phosphorus needed to renew body wastes and promote growth by form ing new tissues and fluids; and it also supplies tho energy for carrying on body functions. Tho average perssn in this country uses only a little more than a half pint of milk dnlly. This quantity can bo Increased very profitably when safo mllk Is available. Many persons, think of milk only ns a bovcrage, but If thoy' understood that it Is really a nour ishing food thoy would Increase the al lowance. Economy in tho diet does not always depend on limiting tho use of certain foods', 1ut it is sometimes a question of actually increasing tho use of foods which furnish nutritive materlnl at relntlvely low cost. Milk hi longs to tho latter class and tho housewife would do well to study Its food value and decldo whether her family Is using us much as It should. Man's Part In Dairy, Tho dairy cow cau be depended upou for production, but preservation of the milk Is man's part.