NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
t
Grow
armer s
Friend and Foe
"Twice as Good as He Is Bad,"
Writer Saws of Persecuted
Bird.
IS BACKED BY UNCLE SAM
Kills Young Chickens , and Destroys
Eggs, of Other Birds, But on
Other Hand He Kills Field
Mice and Insects.
Washington. Tho United States hi
ologlcnl survey sends out n Inillotln
about Hip crow. It snys Hint the big,
tilnek follow Is the farmer's friend ami
should not ho exterminated, and It
goes on to assort that many crows re
cently examined were found to eat .'IS
per cent grain and (12 per cent May
hectics. tussock moths, grasshoppers,
gypsy moths, army worms, chlnchbugs
lind brown moths. So lie Is about twice
as good us he Is had.
Hut the crow also kills young chick
ens and destroys tlio eggs t other
birds, (leorgo V. Hurha writes In the
Columbus Dispatch. Charge that up
tigulifst him along with the 38 per cent
grain which lie eats. Then on the
other hand, set down a largo number
of Hold mice and cutworms which he
also gets awny with and there la still
a balance In his favor. Hosldes, much
of the grain the crow oats would be
wasted anyway, since ho picks up the
scattered kernels In the field and cats
n lot of very poor corn and wheat that
wouldn't he any account to anybody
else. ,
Hunted Become Intelligent.
The government bulletin Isn't going
to hnve much effect, one way or an
other, however. Everybody takes n
shot at n crow whenever he gets n
chance, but the crows persist. They
have been warred upon ho much that
they have become very Intelligent.
Take note of that anything that Is
warred upon or hunted Incomes Intel
Ilgent. The hunted birds and animals
acquire knowledge and cunning, or
whatever you want to call Jt. Other
wise thoy would disappear.
If crows were stupid and snt nround
on fences when they see a man In the
field with a gun; If they built their
nests where the nests could bo easily
broken up; If they did not help each
other by giving warning of approach'
lug danger, there would he no ctowb,
Hut everyone seems to bo an enemy of
the glossy fellow, nnd ho knows Hint
he must keep nt n safo distance.
lie learns that he must build bis
nest high up In u tree, away from hu
man habitation, nnd wntch out every
moment for somebody or something
that would kill' him. All of this has
mado him what wn call one of the
most Intelligent of birds.
The Crow as a Pet.
And still the crow Is a sociable bird
Ho likes human beings, 'when they
treat him right. He makes n splendid
pet, although a naughty one. In that
ic Is always getting Into trouble. If
you will take u crow when It Is young
and rnlso It it becomes as gentle as a
chicken.
He likes to be around the house,
where there are a lot of boys, but at
every opportunity ho will lly upon the
table and snatch the food, or carry
scissors or thimbles or spools of
thread or Jewelry away and hide them,
lie Is a mischief maker with the hens
and chickens and fusses and quarrels
and wrangles with the dog that sleeps
upon the porch.
Hut ho will not desert the family;
he will remnln with the boy that feeds
him and attends to him, although he
may take a trip occasionally to the'
fields and talk to the other crows, coin
ing back at night to his regular roost.
Girls Beat Boys Spelling.
Tlflln O. Girls In the Seneca county
schools nro better spellers than the
boys. Honors at the county school
spelling and speaking contest held here
went ehlolly to the girls. Miss Oer-
trudo Hertsch of Thompson won the
seventh and eighth grade spelling con
test. Harry Sporow of Hopewell the
fifth nnd sixth and bene Hatton of
Attica the third and fourth. Uosiunond
Shownlter of Attica and Thomas Wat-
sou of Old Fort won In the two divis
ions of the speaking contest.
t
Audience Applauded as
Snake Crushed Trainer
Apphitiso from a large audi
ence resounded In the little thu
liter at Sorhruck, .Switzerland,
while a gigantic python slowly
crushed Its trainer to death.
The trnlner, a Hungarian girl
nnmed Clro, realized her peril
and shrieked for help as the
colls of the serpent closed about
her, but the audience believed
her cries wero part of the on
tcrtnlnuicnt and cheered loud
ly. Eraiiloln Clro's manager rush
ed on the stage and shot the
snake, but not until the young
woman was beyond help. It was
not until after the performance
was over that the people were
apprised, of the fact they had
witnessed a grewsomo tragedy.
1
Now Crows Over the Doctors.
Huntington, W. Va. Marguerite, thq
twonty-inonth-old daughter of E. W,
Stoller mild wife, was slowly wasting
away. Physicians saw no hope of her
recovery. She was seized with n, lit
of coughing and a wntormelon need
she had swallowed Inst September was
disgorged. Now she will get well.
Met Death on Duty.
Lnwrenceburg, lnd Onpt. Weslej
I.. Moore, aged seventy-eight, river pi
lot, often said he hoped be might dl
on the Ohio river. Death came to hlir.
as bo wished. He waa found lifeless
In bis cabin on the Ivory Wood, n ves
sel be operated between Cincinnati
nnd New Orleans.
HEDGED IN BYSUPERSTITION RECOMMENDED TO
THE SEAMSTRESS
Customs of Thoueands of Years
fluence the Dally Lives of Af
rican Natives.
Tell Ships of
Ocean Noises
Xr
Secret Ears to Be Placed on Mer
chant Ships by the Government.
TEST PROVES IT A SUCCESS
Hydrophone, Government Controlled
Invention, Can Explain Many Sea
Mysteries Tried Out on
Destroyer.
New York. In olden times when
Chinese shipbuilders designed and con
structed their lateen-rigged craft for
war or commercial purposes, promi
nent and ofttlmes ferocious "eyes"
wero located on either side of the
bow.
Todny modern America, now the
leading nation In ship construction, Is
proposing to equip her merchant ves
sels with "ears," the' location of which,
I like tho eyes on tho Chinese Junk, uro
Big Freighter Launched Sideways
View of the sideways launching of Hiu steel freighter Minuet, hiillt for the
-Panama canal commission. Tho vessel has a capacity of 10,000 tons.
I did not realize until I was out In
the African bush how complex Is the
life of a savage native, and how com
pletely he Js hedged In by rules and
prohibitions, the breaking of which re
suit often In death, If only by reason
of his entire belief Is the Inviolability
of these rules, writes a Hrltlsh traveler.
On one occnslon a burly, deep-chest-
cd nntlve of mine temporarily lost hi?
voice. Ho came to me and speaking
In a whisper, said : "Hwana I (Master)
My most beautiful child Is dead. My
eldest, hut less beautiful child. Is III.
My wife has run away, taking with
her my best cooking pot., 1 am not
feeling well myself. Is It your will
that I go away to sacrifice one chicken
that the Evil Eye may be averted?"
I laughed at this Idea until 1 re
membered that, according to the eth
nologists, the natives have lived In this
stage of Ignorance for thousands of
years, performing every act of life In
accordance with those rules and prohibitions.
For Instance, there are many strange
customs In connection with Journeys.
Hefore a long Journey Is undertaken
offerings must be made and complicat
ed ceremonies performed. The Journey
must be abandoned or the course al
tered If n hyena has crossed the trail
In a certain way, or If a woodpecker
calls from one side of the road. In
any ense. It Is the custom when cross
ing the first stream to dip the end of
the bow Into the water and plnce It
to the Hps. If a man drinks from n
stream he Is about to cross, be must
retain tho last mouthful and spit It
hack Into the water when he reaches
the far bank.
UTILIZING THAT HALF HOUR
on the ship's hows, hut under Instead
of over the water. While supersti
tion Induced the Chinaman to equip his
ship so It could "see" Its etieinloH and
work Its way Into n safe port through
shonl water, hldilen rocks and through
crowded waterways, science has de
signed tho "ears" for the same pur
pose.
Test Is Made.
With the destroyer Hreckenrldgo
equipped as a demonstration ship, 40
or more representatives of leading'
steamship lines have Just had an op
portunity to seo and, test the etllcacy
of the listening device. It Is now a
government-controlled invention, used
on lighting sldps during the wnr as a
protection against submarines and offi
cially designated by the navy as "the
M. V. type, hydrophone." Its object
Is to disclose In surrounding waters
the presence of other craft, to foretell'
the approach to shoal waters, apprise
tho navigator of the vicinity of light
ships equipped with submarine hell
sltimlliiL' devices. It Is expected also
to disclose with a remarkable degree
of accuracy the depth of water where
in the ship so equipped Is Hunting.
Tells Depth of Water.
The apparatus Includes -18 hydro
phone receivers located In a tank of
water In the bow of the vessel so that
an equal number Is on either side. In
the test the sound of the propellers of
n steamer five miles distant was beard.
The depth of Hie water Is ascertained
by listening to the noise made by tho
propel'ors of the vessel carry fug the
hydrophone as It Is echoed hock from
the bottom of the sea. In depths be
yond 100 fathoms, however, the hydro
phone refuses to record. It was ex
plained, but as a majority of collisions
oacur near a coast line and at con
gested harbor entrances, the Inventors
nnd officers of the navy predict that
Its adoption will remove many of tho
hazards of nnvlgntlon now caused by
fog.
Dr. II. 0. Hayes, formerly of Swarth
more college, sold the device had been
Installed on one transport, Von Steui
ben, and on one occnslon probably
saved the ship from running aground
on the Long Island shore during u
heavy fog. Doctor Hayes also claims
Hint the Invention will ennblo a inur
Iner to locate Icebergs, through tho
reflecting bade to the operator from
tho submerged portion of a dangerous
berg the sound of the operating ship's
own propellers.
Average Person Will Be Surprised at
the Amount of Reading Which
It Can Contain.
What I do venture to press upon
you Is, that It requires no preterhu
man force of will in nny young man
or woinnn unless household circum
stances are more than usually vexa
tious and unfavorable to get at least
half an hour out of n solid busy day
for good and disinterested reading.
Some will sny that this Is too much
to expect, and the first persons to
say It, I venture to predict, will be
those who waste their time most. At
uny rate, If I cannot get half an hour,
I will be content with a quarter. Now,
In half on hour I fancy you can read
15 or 20 pages of Rurkc; or you can
rend one of Wordsworth's master
pieces say the lines on Tlntern; or
say, one-thlrdr If a scholar. In the orig
inal, and If not. In n translation of
book of the Iliad or the Aeneld. I
lo nor think Hint I nin filling the half
our too full. Hut try for yourselves
what you can read tn half an hour.
Then multiply the half hour by 305,
and consider what treasures yon
might hnve laid by at the end of the
ear. Lord Morley.
Man Fell Into Bear Pit;
Arm and Leg Torn Away
August Kubler, a medical stu
dent nt Heme, Switzerland, was
terribly mauled by bears Into
whoso pit at tho zoological gar
dens ho hud fallen while he was
throwing carrots to them. He
was taken to tho hospital In a
serious condition, bis left leg
and left unn bctog entirely
, torn uwny.
NEW REVOLT LOOMS
Outbreak of Junker Army in Pom
erania Feared.
None Dies In This Town.
Cnmmore, Cal. This town asserts
Itself ns tho liealthtest community In
tho state, bnslng Its claim upon tho
fact that tho local cemetery hns not
had n grave dug Rlnco 1803, the date
of tho lust funeral In Craiiinore. Since
that time several residents of the
community have died In other sections
of the state, but It Is a nunarkiiblo
fact Hint not n single death bus oc
o' i community since 1803.
Kapp Supporters Scattered Among Dig
Estates Obviously as Farm
Laborers.
Stettin. Everyono In this section
of Pomeranln will tell you something
Is going to happen, hut thoy do not
know what.
Kormer Minister of War Kolnlujrdt,
who Is trying to find the answer and
to devise a lid for threatening out
breaks, feels tho same way, but ap
parently he Is satisfied there Is no Im
mediate danger. Under his direction
tho headquarters of two Junker outfits
have been raided and closed, and the
militarized police force has been
strengthened. There are no outward
signs, except Hint general unrest Indi
cates n tensity In the situation.
Everybody Is sleeping on his arms,
ono eye open. No confidence Is felt
In the Itelchswehr, which still retains
most of tho officers who supported tho
Kapp forces, and these still have their
arms and nro scattered among tho
big estates, obviously ns farm labor
ers, but In reality more like smnll
bands of mercenaries as bodyguard
for the Junker barons.
The opposing forces nre tho actual
workmen. On tho estates there noml
nally are two organizations, hut
needs only the first hint of n mnnnr
chlst coup when they will he under oni
leadership ready for battle.
Let the Defense Hann Itself.
Noblesvllle. Intl. Mrs. Ito.in J)avs
administratrix, suing the Central I.i
""iiii Hallroad company for tho death
her husband, Charles E. Davis,
.In't have any witnesses, hut on tho
evidence of tho rallrond'B witnesses
.she was. awarded n verdict of $3,QQQ,
ah testimony tor nirs. Davis- wn
brought out on cross-examination.
THE fairly efficient seamstress who
hns what the French call "a sense
of clothes," can take a small allowance
in money and dress much better on It
than richer women who lack good
taste. Also she gets more pleasure
out of her achievements and there are
a good many women In this favored
land who have the knnck of doing
much with little. Thanks to the wide
publicity given by newspapers to all
nintters of dress In centers of fash
ion no American, need ever be behind
the times. In styles.
Two nftornoon gowns shown In the
picture here, may be recommended to
tho seamstress who undertakes to
make her own dresses. They offer a
choice between long, straight lines for
those who admire the slim silhouette
and curved ones for those who are
too slender, or those who llnd un
broken lines unbecoming to them.
Trlcoletto with an open or drop-
stitch stripe, mnkes the handsome
straight line dress. The design Is sim
ple but original, achieving a sleeveless
jacket effect In the body which slip
over an underbodlce carrying the
sleeves. Wide satin -ribbon, in a soft
quality, nuikcs a short crushed band;
across the front, simulating a girdle
and square buttons are set at each
side whore It terminates. The el-r
bow sleeves are finished with turn
(jack cuffs that employ a bnnd of rib
bon and buttons In the same way.
There is a very simple neck with snll
or collar at the back.
A plain satin underskirt nnd bodice
supply the foundation for the attrac
tive frock of georgette, which might
be made of voile. It features the new
neck mode high nt bnck nnd open In
front, nnd very full niching of plaited1
silk with pinked edges, nt the bottom
of n full, short tunic. The girdle Is a
folded length of bins satin.
Little Maids in Silk Attire
"Halcyon Days."
Tho seven days preceding nnd tho
seven days following the winter sol-
tlce. which falls on Dec. 21 or '212. were
tho halcyon days of the old world. In
modern dictionary halcyon has come
to bo a synonym for Idyllic, penceful
or happy, but among the ancients It
was tho name of a bird now called
the kingfisher, and the 14 days nearest
the winter solstice were called halcyon
days because It was at that period that
the bird deposited her eggs on the
rocks by the margin of the sea, or In
tloatlntr nest In the midst of tho
waters. Out of consideration for the
halcyon bird, which was supposed to
be favored by the gods, It was ex
pected that the sea would remain calm,
that tho eggs might not suffer Injury.
The superstition persisted In spite of
tho storms that often prevailed at that
perltxl, some of the ancient writers at
tributing to tho kingfisher tho power
of urrestliig the violence of tho waves.
Experiment In Cross-Breedlng.
A most Interesting experiment has
been going on In the' county of Midi
lothlan. Some years ago Professor
Ewort obtained a line male zebra from
Africa, and crossed him with a pony-'
mnre. The resulting animal, called a
zebrule. Is strong, hardy, very Intelli
gent, and easily broken to saddle anil
harness. The zebrule stands abouf
fourteen hands high, and can easily
enrrv twelve stone. These creatures
are very good trotters, and some hnve
already been sent to India for govern
ment use. It Is quite likely that the
new animal may gradually take the
place of the mule. Exchnngo.
IT IS, or It ought to be. a great occa- j the wnlst Is finished with a frill and
slon for the very little girl when band of the silk, the bnnd having!
t.lwt ......!..,. .1., ...il.wl,.. W.at- .l.w,1. t I. r ll.l
Cake's Two Names.
A Journey-cake Is the same as a
Johnny-cake. A Johnny-cake Is a flat
cake made of Indian corumeal, mixed
with milk or water, salted, nnd baked
on a griddle or toasted. When baked
upon a shingle and placed hefore tho
coals. It was termed Jouniey-cake, so
called because It could be so speedily
prepared. This name has been cor
rupted In mudern times to Johnny cake.
Literary Digest.
she arrives nt the splendor of her first
silk dress. With It she has responsi
bilities thrust upon her; she must bo
taught to be careful to keep It clean
and thus comes the beginning of her
training in neatness and the unfailing
clinnn of dalntinosu. Ensblon decree
fillk conts and frocks for little tniilda
by the time their thltd birthday dawm
and has selected sprightly taffeta as
tho prettiest and most practical of
weaves for. them, although neither
crepe do chine nor georgette nre denied
them. Hpt these setter silks are used
In light colors for drss-up times while
taffeta Is sturdier nnd extends Its use
fulness to coats nnd dresses that wlM
stnnd more wear.
Tnffqtn In dnr Mue makes the
charming little frovk shown In the pic
ture on u little girl of four. It hns
quaint flavor of old times (which it fn
easy to achieve In tnffetn) with Itx
short baby wnlst, round neck and
wide, ruffled collar. The bottom of
slashes In It for a narrow ribbon glr-l
die to slip through. Short ruffled)
sleeves are caught up at the elbow!
and tied with ribbon. White sox nnd!
b"iick slippers are In keeping with
tilts little affair of other days.
Either taffeta or "cotton wjll be sue-;
cessful In the pretty embroidered frock!
shown. It Is scalloped at the bottonv
nnd set on to a narrow yoke also cut'
In wide scallops. A very simple
stltchery like feather or cat stitching
runs parallel with the scallops and
little rose buds nre embroidered above
it. Tho same decoration nppenrs on!
turned bnck cuffs that finish elbow
sleeves and there Is a sash of the
dress material slipped through slashes
cut In the body of the frock.
Not Quite the Same.
Robert's father received this com
munique from his son absent in the
bulls of learning: "Denr Father: 1
um sorry to say that I was mlstnken
wheu I wrote lust week that the pro
fessor had said that my abilities were
mathematical. Ho said that they v.vre
problematical. Affectionately, Rob
ert." New VTork Evening Post,
THAT SPLASH OF COLOR.
Organdie and novelty cotton frocks
nre good looking. Imported embroid
ered voiles dotted in varl-color are
given the splash of Interest by a vivid
snsh of organdie with butterfly loops
nnd trailing sash ends. Another treat
ment which Is very effectively used
In those voltes and In the organdie
frocks Is two-Inch 'nsertlons of shirred
tulle or of tucked organdie In n con
trasting shade, which givos a much
more hand-worked effect thnn the In
sertion of narrow laces. Yellow oi
gandle Is used In this way with gray
organdie and white tulle in tho palo
colored frocks.
Novelty Ribbons.
New novelty ribbons are brilliant al
lies of the woman whoso expenditures
must be restricted, for they may bo
fashloned Into evening bodices of
bright color and rich effect, as welt
ua Into girdles and panels.'