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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (June 29, 1911)
GREETING THE FLAG. education Is Necessary to Instill “Lovs of Country.” It has been said with much appar ent truthfulness that love of country beyond that commonly entertained tor local habitations and their Imme diate environments Is an artificial emotion created by educational pro cesses. This proposition seents to find con firmation In the history of all com munities removed from the active Influences of the governments under which they live. The sentiments of patriotism exhibited by the Inhabitants of the isolated mountain regions of West Virginia at the beginning of the war of the rebellion afford a striking Illustration of the truth of these ob servations. As a class, these people displayed small concern, apparently In the affairs of the nation when the war began, and gave scant welcome to both the federal and confederate forces that came among them. Their love of country appeared to be limited to the Immediate region In which they found their homes, due doubtless to the mea ger Information they possessed at the time of the great world about them. When the federal troops first reached Sutton, a picturesque little village on the Bilk river, a few professed “union men" came down to the town from their 111 tie "clearings” In the moun tains. accessible only by unfrequented bridle paths, to see the union troops and the great four-wheeled wagons that carried their supplies. The wagons and the tents, the cooking utensils, the entrenching tools, and the arms of the soldiers, all In their turn attracted the attention of the visitors. The visitors came at last to the tent of the commanding officer, where the national tlag floated lazily from Its staff in the breeze, and stopping there for awhile, watched it curiously. “She's purty,” said a gray-haired member of the group. “Say, Bill," he continued, addressing a young man at his side, "ask 'em what she’s for.” The soldiers who heard the earnest Inquiry of the old mountaineer smiled at his question and wondered at the ignorance It displayed. But, after all. how many among the Illiterate of our people In our northern cities and towns could Intelligently answer (tie ques tion ? This education, fortunately, may be Imparted by common methods or ob tained as the result of personal experi ences. Many soldiers of the union who entered the federal service had at the time but little thought of duty and love of country as they subse quently learned to comprehend this emotion. Probably no better Illustration of this fact can be found in tlie annals of the war than Is afforded by an inci dent that occurred at Vicksburg not long after the fall of that confederate stronghold. Several hundred paroled prisoners of war who had been con fined in the confederate stockades at Meridian and elsewhere In the interior reached the federal lines one day soon after their liberation and marched In to the city through one of the eastern sally-ports of the practleally impreg nable works which (he union forces had erected on the land side of the place after its surrender. A turn In the highway followed by the ragged, emaciated soldiers returning from their captivity, suddenly brought them into view of a large national flag flying from the top of a staff not far away. At the first view of tire flag every head in the column wns uncovered, and then, as If with one impulse, ev ery hand that held a hat or cap was stretched out towards the flag in mute expression of fealty and devotion. A moment later the poor, paroled cap tives gave vent to their feelings In pro longed cheers for the flag, and Ineries of thankfulness for their liberation. This incident was pathetic in the ex treme. and impressed those who wit nessed it as one worthy of commemo ration. H. II. Rrlnkerhoff, Lieut. Col., II. g. A., ltetired. I ..- - - Old Abe, Famoui War Eagle. For centuries the eagle haa been the emblem of liberty, the Inspiration of potto and the terror of his feathered friends. The king of birds has fur nish'd the story writer with countless Incidents, from aerial battles to child Hteullng, One of Victor Hugo's great est poems begins: 'TValgle—e’est le genic—Olseau de la cherche le plus bant falte." The poet parallels the struggles of genius with the battle of the eagle for existence, til] both spread their wings In the plentttude of power. These are the fanciful way of look ing at the bird of freedom, and It was doubtless similar Ideas that Induced the boys of the Kighth Wisconsin In fantry to adopt Old Abe, the celebrated war eagle as their mascot in the civil war. Abe's public career began in 1861. He had the true spirit the poets sung of. Perched on his stick Abe fearlessly watched the horrors of twenty-seven severe.battles and as many skirmished. When his company was mustered out the eagle entered civil life with the grace he had shown In war. He was exhibited through the country at sol diers' reunions, attended the sanitary fair at Chicago, occupied a prominent place at the Philadelphia centennial, and was the means of raising funds for many a good cause. Abe gave the alarm of a Are at the capital, which broke out near his cage, and when he was rescued It was found the smoke had Injured his lungs. He died March 26. 18S1, and his body, handsomely mounted, Is an object of great curiosity in the war museum at Madison, Wls. Artistic. He t'.ew up In the air at the cannon's bombard. But ho fell to the pavement much faster. He Is now laid out In ihe surgical ward, A beautiful study In plaster. The Modern Fourth. The one great trouble with the kid. He makes It come too soon: He takes his squib and pyramid And sets them off In June. New York Tribune: Many mothers who ere zealous nbout the well-being of their children, and who uttend to their dally needs In the way of education, clothing and food, with conscientious care, often neglect til the stress of their strenuous liv ing what Is most essential of all, 1. e., companionship with their boys and girls, which lays the foundation for the friend ship later on between parent and child whlok Is so beautiful and so rare rare be cause. although the latter may love hts father and mother devotedly, he seldom feels the sense of pleasure In their society that he experiences with companions of his own age. This feeling of comrade ship a:.d Intimacy which most parents would give worlds to have exist between their children and themselves When the tattei attain maturity, and yet take so little trouble to firvtr when they ure young, can enly lie acquired In early child hood It Is In the nursery that the moth er must become a playfellow and com panion in order to become a friend in after years; otherwise all she haa done for her children—the self-sacrifice, the struggles, the anxieties-alt go for naught In forming * friendship, however much they may ax «JUs gratitude and affection (Copyright, 1904, by VV. R. Hearst.; The door was torn open and an old, bent woman burst into the drinking room at a rate of speed aurprlsing in any one of her age. The men who had been drinking around one of the tables Jumped to their feet, but a glance from the woman made them sit down again. Once inside the door, she sat down near the fireplace and called out in her shrill voice, ''Christina!" A young woman who waited on the customers came toward her slowly and unwillingly. "Throw some fresh wood on the fire. I am cold." The old woman was the owner of the osterla, and Christina was her step daughter A poor, miserable osterla It was. located In a tumble down cottage »t the foot of Monte Clinto, which throws Its shadow across the valley of Nlslo, into which the Corsican bandltB (lee when they have become outlawed. The osterla had been opened about twenty years before, when Lucia, the old woman, was still young, and mar ried Christina's father, who was then a. widower. Christina grew up between these two Naturally. Tommy—Pupa, who wrote the poem eitltled "Down In the Coal Mine?" Papa Some one of the minor poets, I Buppose. "is it ho that lie’s head over heels In debt ?’’ "Yes. He keeps his clothes In his desk, and his unpaid bills in his ward robe.” Footpa',1 What did you say was your nlsiness? Mr. Trusty—Why, I am a coal dealer. Footpad Here, take back your watch, i don’t rob the profession. ■'I* he a man who Is eaBily discour aged?" "Hardly; he Is going to be married lor the fourth time next week.” people, who abused and Ill-treated her all the time, and who worked her (tom early dawn until long after midnight. When the old woman had somewhat recovered and strengthened herself with a large glass of brandy, she looked at the new customers as if to discover If there was a traitor among them, and then said: "The carabanlerl are In the woods, and there is a prize on Angelo’s head.” If she had thrown a bomb among these men the effect could not have been more startling. Only Christina did not move, though her face had turned pale. "How big is the prize?" she whisper ed. Rut the old woman, afraid she had already said too much, remained silent. The next day was the Sunday of the dead, and while the bells pealed and everybody was kneeling on the grave of some relative, Christina sneaked out of the church and ran towards the woods. She did not stop until she came to a little shanty far away up the side of the mountain. Hesitatingly sha knocked at the door, which was immediately open ed. Three men were sitting in the room around a table playing cards. She looked at them for a nloment and quiet ly said: "I will deliver Angelo into your hands,” and tqld them how they might easily catch him. Her tale came clear and plain, but never once dared to meet their glances of contempt. How could she know that, even if she was fond of gold, she did not be tray the life of this man for love of money, but because she had no other way of carrying out her vendetta. Was It not perfectly right of her to take revenge upon her enemies? • * * Evening had come. The clouds which had concealed the sun from view all day had disappeared, and the moon was shining brightly, Illuminating ev ery nook and corner of the cemetery of the village. A young splendidly built tnan is kneeling down alongside a grave. His hands are folded as If in prayer, but he Is not praying. He Is thinking of the past. He sees himself once more a happy boy In the house of his mother, who loved him better than her life. He sees his mother as she looked when his father had been laid to rest, all In black and crying while clasping him to her bosom. "I thank you, Lord, that I have still my boy left to live for." And he thought of the happy years when she had given her love In full measure to him and his little friend, Christina. Then he shudders when l>e remem bers the day when his playmate had answered him: “You are too poor—there Is some body else who wants to marry me. and who is rich and can give me anything I wish, forget your love of me, Angelo, I am f;oing to marry Pedro.” The same evening Pedro was killed by a bullet which hit him squarely be tween the eyes, and Angelo had lied to the mountains. When Angelo’s mother heard of her son's crime, she dropped dead without a sound. Also for her death Angelo blamed the girl. He hated her, hated her as much as he had loved her be fore, and swore that as long as he lived she should have no man to protect her. Another man wooed her, but was found shot between the eyes as was Pedro, and since then no man had dared to go near her. Angelo's conscience did not trouble hlin because of these murders: his only sorrow was that his crime had killed his mother, and every year on the Sun day of the dead he risks his life to kneel down at his mother's grave and ask her forgiveness. He Is so absorbed In his thoughts that he does not hear a noise in the bushes near the wall behind him. It Is Christina, who is sneaking ahead of the carabinieri, who must soon come to arrest him. And then she will have her gold, heaps of glittering gold, enough to gratify all her wishes for life. She rejoices In the expectation of soon being able to leave the osterla, but when she sees the figure of her childhood's friend kneeling at the grave of his mother, she feels that she Is playing the part of Judas against a man whose only early crime Is that he loved her too much and who must now live the life of a hunted beast. And the thought of the blood money nearly choked her. She jumps to her feet. This time Angelo has hoard and he stands there rifle in hand ready to shoot. His eye, however, recognizes her as a woman and he lets her come nearer. “Angelo,” she cries, “for God's sake Angelo flee. Run away as fast as you can. They are coming." "Who?" "The carabinieri." "How do you know?" , He seizes her hands in a grip of Iron which nearly crushes every bone It it. "Hun Angelo, run," she gasps. “You miserable creature," he hisses between his teeth, and draws Ills «*U etto. "Angelo. Angelo!” is all she ran say, as she sinks down on the grave at his feet. He raises the weapon to thrust it Into her heart. “Angelo, on your mother’s grave”— His hund sinks down. "You are right, you contemptible creature. I will not shed your blood to desecrate this holy spot, but 1 will get revenge- -you shall see." She falls to the ground in a swoon as Ills experienced ear hears the sound'of approaching steps and In one bound he is on the other side of the wall. A few seconds later the carabinieri are In the graveyard. Clouds are again hiding the moon, but In the dim light they are still able to see the figure prostrated on the grave. How Is It possible that he has not heard them. No. he must have heard them long ago, and must have decided to surrender, or maybe he was watch ing Ills chance to shoot them down. “Angelo," the officer In command of the carabinieri shouts, "surrender or we will shoot." No sound. The figure does not stir. "Surrender! there Is no escape, my men are all around you!” He docs not move. For the third time the officer shouts his warning, and when he gets no ans wer he orders hts men to tire. A cry pierces the air, and Christina has paid the penalty of her crime. While the landlady of the Hell Inn at Tot well, England, was at dinner the other day an aerolite crashed through the room and exploded. Though the house was considerably damaged, the landlady escaped. Twenty-three miles of American rail rouds In 1330 expanded to over 200,00ft I miles iu 1004. EVERY DAY IS THE FOURTH THESE DAYS. —Chopin in SL Louis Star. CARRA WAY’S GRAND GEYSER CASCADE A Fourth of July Story. From the Philadelphia Press. “Uncle Major,’’ said Jack as he and Mollie helped the major to remove his hat and coat, 'do you think there’s much danger In little boys having fire crackers and rockets and pinwheels?” “Or In little girls having torpeters?” put in Mollie. "Well, I don’t know,” the major an swered warily. “What does your papa say about it?” 'He thinks we ought to wait until ve are older, but we don’t,' said Jack. “Torpeters never sets nothing afire,*1 said Mollie. "That’s true," said the major kindly; “but, after all, your father is right. Why, do you know what happened to me when 1 was a boy?” "Haven’t an idea,' said Jack. "You burnt your thumb," said Mol lle, ready to make a guess at it. "Well, you get me a cigar, and I'll tell you what happened to me when I was a boy just because my father let me have all the fireworks I wanted, and then perhaps you will see how wise your father is in not doing as you wish him to.” Jack readily found the desired cigar, while Mollie brought the major a natch, after which he settled down comfortably in the hammock and swinging softly to and fro, told his story. “My dear old father,” said he, “was the most indulgent man that ever lived. He'd give me anything in the world that I wanted whether he could afford it or not, only he had an original sys tem of giving which kept him from being ruined by indulgence of Ills chil dren. He gave me a Hudson river steamboat once without costing him a cent. I saw it, wanted It, was liegin ing to cry for It, when he patted me on tlic head and told me I could have it, adding, however, that 1 must never take it away from the river or try to run It myself. That satisfied me. "All I wanted was the happiness of feeling that it was mine, and my dear old daddy gave me permission to feel that way. The same thing happened with reference to the moon. He gave it to me freely and ungrudgingly. He had received it from his father, he said, and he thought he had owned it long enough. Only, he added, us tie laid about the steamboat, I must leave it where It was and let other people look at it whenever they wanted to and not interfere if i found any other little boys or girls playing with its beams, which I promised and have faithfully observed to this day. ’ "Of course from such a parent as this, you may very easily sec. every thing was to be expected on such a day as the Fourth of July. He used to let me have my own way at all times, and it Is a wonder I wasn't spoiled. 1 really can't understand how it is that I have become the man I am considering how I was indulged when 1 was small. "However, like all boys. I was very fond of celebrating the Fourth, and. being a more or less ingenious boy. I usually prepared my own fireworks aiai many things happened which might not otherwise have come to pass if I had been properly looked after, as you are. The first thing that hap pened on the Fourth of July that would a great deal better not have happened was when L was—er—how old are you, Jack "Eight,” said Jack, "going on 9." "That was exactly the ago I was at the time," continued the major bland ly—"lust nine to a day." “Eight," I said," said Jack. "Yes." nodded the major; "just eight, but going on toward nine. My father had given me $10 to spend on noises: but. unlike most boys, I did not care so much for noises us I did for novelties. It didn't give me any particular pleas ure to hear a giant cracker go off with a bang. What 1 wanted to do most of all was to get up some kind of an ex hibition that would please »lie people and that could be seen in daytime in stead of at night, when everybody is tired and sleepy. So Instead of spend ing any money on firecrackers and tor pedoes and rockets I spent $9 of it on powder and $1 on putty blowers. "What I wanted to do was to make one grand effort and provide passersby with a free exhibitions of what I was going to call t'arraway’s Grand Gey ser Cascade.’ To do this properly I set my eye upon a fish pond not far Tom the town hall. It was a very deep pond and about a mile in circum ference. Putty blowers were then sell ing at live for a cent, and powder was cheap us sand, owing to the fact that the powder makers, expecting a war, had made a hundred times as much as was needed, and as their war didn't I come they were willing to take almost | anything they could get for it. The ' onsequence was that the powder I got was sufficient in quantity to fill a rub ber bag as large as five sofa cushions. "This 1 sank in the middle of the pond, without telling anybody what I intended to do, and through the putty blowers, sealed tightly together, end to end, I conducted a fuse which I made myself, from the powder bag to the shore. My idea was that I could touch the thing off. you know, and that about sixty square feet of the pond would fly up in the air and then fall gracefully hack again. If it had worked as I ex pected, everything would have been all right, but it didn't. I had too much powder. For ft second after I had lit the fuse there came a muffled roar, and the whole pond in a solid mass, fish and all. went flying up in the air and disappeared. Everybody was as tonished: not a few more were very much frightened. I was scared to death, but I never let or to anyone that I was the person who had blown the pond off. How high the pond went I don't know, but I do know that for a week there wasn’t any sign of it, and then, most unexpectedly, out of what ap peared to be a clear sky there came the most extraordinary rainstorm you over saw. it literally poured down for two full days, and, what I alone could understand, with it came trout and sunflsh and minnows, and, most singular to all but myself, an old scow that was recognized as the prop erty of the owner of the pond sudden ly appeared in the sky falling toward the earth at a fearful rate of speed. When I saw the scow coming I was more frightened than ever, because I was afraid it might fall upon and kill some of our neighbors. Fortunately, however, this possible disaster was averted, for it came down directly over the sharp point lightning rod on the tower of our public library and stuck there like a piece of paper on a pin. "The rain washed away several acres of cultivated farms, but the loss of crops and fences and so forth was largely reduced by tke fish which came with the storm. One fanner took a rake and caught 300 pounds of trout, forty pounds of sunflsh, eight turtles and a minnow in his potato patch in five minutes. Others were almost as fortunate, but the damage was suffi ciently large to teach me that parents cannot be too careful about what they let their children do on Independence day.” "And weren't you ever punished?” asked Jack. "No, Indeed," said the major. “No body ever knew that I did it, because I never told them—in fact, you are the only two persons who have ever heard about it, and you mustn't tell, because there are still a number of farmers ubout. that region who would sue me for damages In case they knew that 1 was responsible for the accident." July 4 a Slaughter Day. Pearson's for July: That the Fourth has developed Into a day to be feared as much as honored Is a fact realized by the saner men and women of the country. The following table shows the Fourth of July casualties of 1903 and 190-1, the only two years for which statistics have been gathered from the country aa a whole: 1903. 1904. Died of tetanus . 406 91 Died from other causes. 60 92 Total of dead . 466 383 Dost sight of both eyes . 30 19 Dost sight of one eye . 75 61 Dost arms, hands and legs_ 54 61 Dost one or more fingers. 174 208 Other injuries .3.670 3.637 Injured, not fatally .3,983 3.996 Total dead and Injured.4.449 4,369 A Torpedo Hunt. For the torpedo hunt the hostess has J previously opened and hidden twelve pack ages of torpedoes. Kach player receives a belt from which hangs a little cartridge bag made of khaki or duck. A strip of khaki twenty-eight inches long and six inches wide is folded and stitched for the belt. It may be fastened with ball and rocket fasteners. A square hag of the khaki, 7 by 5 inches, is then attached to the right side of the belt. From low limbs of trees, among the roots and shrubs and ledges of the piazza the treasures are gathered and subsequently fired off. Papier Mache Fireworks. Fireworks in papier mache and in bon bons are better than ever and wonderful ly true to life. Pull the fuse of a giant fire cracker and off comes a lid disclosing cost ly bonbons. A box which perfectly repro duces the package In which torpedoes are ‘old opens to disclose sweetmeats done up In trl-colored tissue paper. Just as the giant torpedoes are wrapped. These are oapeolally auiied w children's parties. THE FIRST FOURTH IN THE PHILIPPINES. - 1 “On the Fourth of July, 1899,” writes a soldier who was with General Otis in Ma nila on that day, “the main part of the American troops were away in the interior of the Philippines, strung out on long lines in front of an active enemy. All our out posts were close to the native camps. Not only the men on post and in actual touch with the enemy, but the reserves ae well, were under strict orders to be ready at a minute’s notice to meet an attack, Fourth or no Fourth. These orders were obeyed. By the way, up In San Fernando General Young’s men were treated to a Fourth of July salute from across the lines. The Filipinos opened a fusillade about sun down and outclassed all the fire cracker fiends of Manila iri getting up a celebra tion racket. “However, all over the islands, even In the isolated districts covered by our troops in the Viscayas—that is, in Cebu, Negros and Panay, where the garrisons were but | handfuls in comparison to the natives un • der arms or prepared for war—the holiday I was formally observed. “When the day was officially ushered in by the bugle not^s of the army reveille the regimental bands along the miles and miles of camps, a perfect girdle across Luzon and the Viscayas, played ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ At noon, when the guns of the Sixth artillery tnunderod the national salute on the Luneta at Manila and the warships in the harbor and along the coast echoed in response, the field bat teries of the army all over Luzon swelled the salvos; so, too, in Negros and Panay and in the robber infested mountains of Cebu. And to make the soldiers on routine duty feel that they were Columbia’s chil dren as well as her bodyguard every man had an extra good dinner, served with the best delicacies the camp and the available markets afforded. “The Escolta, which might be called the Broadway of Manila, although it is a very narrow street in point of fact, was alive A with bunting. Every flag that had a 0 mission in the Philippines was In evidence along the Escolta—Old Glory bunting. Every Hag had a mission in the here, there and everywhere, the union jack ditto, then the red, white and black standard of the German fatherland, alternating with and peacefully caressing the tricolor of La Belle France; Spain’s flag was in the display and waved as proudly as ever. There were flags, too, of the. yollows and‘flags of the blacks—all flags but Aguinaldo’s. But If Aguinaldo’s standard was missed by any one on the Escolta that day the disappointed indi vidual didn’t let his neighbor know it. “The Luneta was the scene of the real show. The Luneta of Manila is a crescent shaped plaza overlooking the beach. There the bands play for the populace, and there all the parades and public demonstrations are hold. It was crowded like a country fair ground on prize day. “On the Luneta were held the formal exercises, without which no Fourth of July celebration is complete. School boys in holiday attire gathered around the baiufr stand made the most picturesque feature of the scene. There was a swarm of them, in clothes of variegated hues—Filipinos and Japs and Chinese, trained to sing patriotic songs in English. “At first the school children were timid, like average American children unu;‘ec| to appearing in public. They began with America,’ then struggled through ‘Hail * Columbia* and ‘The Red, White and Blue.* The band played popular airs between the songs. Finally, when the enthusiasm was verging on the bursting point, the little ones gave their masterpiece, ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ Some of the im promptu choruses at home would have been put to the blush by that performance on the Luneta. The soldiers cheered as only soldiers can when 10,000 of them let their lungs loose; flags waved all over the plaza, and even old ocean became patriotic and lashed the beach with great waves like some monster eagle flapping his wings in a frenzy of delight. This was the climax. After that Uncle Sam’s celebra tion dominated Manila. The transplanted holiday was a ‘go!’ ’’ The Republic’s Success. From Daniel Webster’s Address in Con gress, July 4, 1851. I now' do declare, in the face of all the intelligence of the age, that, for the period which has elapsed from the day that Washington laid the foundation of this capltol to the present time, there has been no country upon earth in which life, liber ty and property have been more amply and steadily secured or more freely en joyed than in these United States of America. * • • Who Is there that can stand upon the foundation of facts, ac knowledged or proved, and assert that these our republican institutions have not answered the true ends of government be yond all precedent in human history?