PRESERVING RECORDS OF THE SIGNING
OF THE DECLARA TION OF INDEPENDENCE
Thomas Jefferson was the father of
thm declaration of Independence.
John Hancock was the first man to
•Igrn that document.
Charles Thomson-*»
Who was he, you ask? Why con
wrt him with the declaration?
Because
"To Thomson we owe the preserva
tion of all the records of the continental
••ogress. Not alone the Journals, of
which there are seven, practically all
in his handwriting, but ulso the frag
ttrenrs of that congress. Ho saved the
original motions, committee reports and
•Jl the other little odds and ends that
today form so precious a part of the
records of that great body. If it had
not been for Thomson's painstaking
care a large part of these might never
have been preserved, and thus one of
the most interesting, as well as valu
able. sources of information regarding
the proceedings of the congress would
have been lost for all time.”
• • •
The man who said that was Theo
dore F. ©wight. Previous to removing
the records of the continental congress
to the Congressional library, where
they are now, they were kept In the
library of the state department. Mr.
Dwight was the chief of the bureau of
rolls and library of that department at
that time, and his statement was based
upon a full knowledge of the complete
ness of those records.
And then, too, the declaration of In
dependence of which we usually think
was the engrossed copy signed by the
members of the continental congress
August 2. 1776. The first declaration,
•lgncd July 4. 1776, had but two names
on It. Tills is proven by an entry In
Thomson’s journal. Under dato of
July 4, 1776, he wrote this, after having
recorded the fact that the declaration
had been adopted: "Signed by order
. And in behalf of congress. John Han
cock. president. Attest: Charles Tom- |
•on, secretary.”
bo t naries Thomson was the second
to sign the declaration. He did nut,
however, sign tho engrossed copy.
Yet Charles Tomson, generally speak
ing, is practically unknown. To histor
ians Thomson Is the secretary of the
continental congress, to be quoted when
necessary, to be Bpoken of when occa
•lon demands. But Charles Thomson
«n« of the most Interesting figures of
his time, a time, too, which produced
•ome of the greatest men this country
has ever had, has faded Into a blur.
He has suffered the fate of so many
•non, that of fading into tho hack
ftound of a brilliant event In history.
Yet, even In addition to his achieve
ment as secretary of the continental
congress, Tomson has a right to prom
inence. Starting life with unusual
Handicaps, lie fought his way to the
top of the ladder, a battle of which any
man might well be proud. At the age
«f 14 he was an orphan In a strange
country, friendless and penniless. As
• grown man John Adams spoke of
him as "the Sam Adams of Phlladel
the life of the cause of liberty,"
and Abbe Robin, Roehambcau’s chap
lain, said of him: "He was the soul
Of that political body."
Thomson's life was full of Just such
contrasts.
• • •
Born In Makhera, County Derry
Ureland, November, 1724. his father!
John Thomson, wus one of the 20,000
Protestants who, a few years later left
Ulster to seek religious freedom In
America. It was In 1739 that Thomson,
a widower, started for this country
with his six children, Charles being
the fourth. Philadelphia, the goal of
■ao many of those Ulster Immigrants,
th© destination, however, when
within sight of land the father was
taken violently ill and died ulmost Im
mediately, being buried at sea. The
•children were thus thrown upon the
mercies of the captain of the boat, who
If history Is correct. proved little
worthy of that trust. After embezzl
ing all the remaining money possessed
by the boys he landed them at New
Castle, Del., without friends or funds
Here the boys separated, to go their
own way and earn a livelihood as
they mlgrht. Charles remained at
Hew tTastle, where he was taken into
the family of a blacksmith. To a boy
of Charles' temperament on existence
■uch as he lived under this roof was al
most unendurable, no matter how well
moaning the people might have been
'toward .him. Then, to cap the climax
“THE AMERICAN FLAG”
1C A PROSE ^POEM. I
BY SECRETARY FRANKLIN K. LANE.
a--..---.__
This morning, as I passed Into the
land office, the flag dropped on me as
most cordial salutation, and from Its
rippling folds I heard It say; 'Good
morning. Mr. Flag Maker.'
"1 beg your pardon, Old Glory,” I
■aid. “you are mistaken. I am not the
president of the United States, nor the
vice president, nor a member of con
gress. nor even a general In tho army.
1 am only a government clerk."
'•Well, you helped to clear that pat
ant for the hopeful Inventor In New
York or pushed the opening of that
new ditch in Colorado or made that
mine In Illinois more safe, or brought
relief to the old soldier In Wyoming.
No matter, whichever one of these ben
eficent Individuals you may happen to
be. 1 give you greeting, Mr. Flag Ma
ker.
“Yesterday the congress spoke a
word which will open the door of Alas
ka. hut a mother In Michigan worked
from sunrise far Into the night to give
ker boy an education. She, too, is mak
ing the flag. Yesterday, we made a
new law to prevent financial panic;
yesterday, no doubt, a school teacher
In Ohio taught his first letters to a
boy who will write a song that will !
give cheer to the millions of our ruco.
We. are all making the flag."
“But." 1 said Impatiently, "these peo
ple were only working."
Then, came a great shout about the
flag
“Let me tell you who 1 am. The I
work that we do is the making of the i
real flag
“1 am not the flag, not at all. 1 am !
but its shadow.
"I am whatever you make me. noth
tag more
“I am your belief in yourself, your
kreara of what a people may become. ;
“I live a changing life, a life of moods !
■Dd passions, of heartbreaks and tired
muscles.
"Sometimes I am strong with pride,
wben men do an honest work, fitting
tbe rails together truly.
“Sometimes I droop, for then purpose
baa gone from me and cynically I play
the coward.
"Sometimes I am loud, garish and
tall of that ego that blasts Judgment.
“But always I am all that you hope
fiB be and have the courage to try tor.
“I am strength and fear, struggle and
panic, and ennobling hope.
“1 asn the day’s work of the weakest
man and the largest dream of the
most daring.
“I am the constitution and the courts.
Mslscl. ■ ■. \ v. ■
he overheard them one evening plan
ning to apprentice him to the old man.
All this desire for "book" learning
flooded Charles’ mind, and this, con
trasted with a future made up of an
* xistence spent before the forge of a
blacksmith's shop, soon decided him.
In tlie dead of night he fled, running
away from New Castle as fast as his
energetic legs would carry him.
Fortunately, these legs carried him
in the safe direction with a lady trav
eling to her home on the outskirts of
New Castle. Upon seeing such haste
manifested by a boy of about 15, she
inquired into the cause. Charles had
no hesitancy in telling her the whole
story, whereupon she asked him if a
blacksmith’s life was so distasteful
what he would choose for himself. The
answer came promptly and emphatical
ly. Ho would choose for himself the.
; life of a scholar one who made his way
by brain and pen.
So delighted was the lady with this
reply that she took the boy home with
her and later sent him to school. This
was the turning point in the life of
Charles Thomson, the point where ills
career flowed from the brook and man
ual labor Into the broad stream of an
intellectual future. It was this which
was the beginning the end of which was
to be Charles Thomson, secretary of the
continental congress.
• • •
And Thomson overlooked no oppor
tunity in the way of gaining knowledge.
It is said of him that coming across a
few stray pages of the Spectator, he
was so charmed with them that he de
cided that lie must own the volume.
To do this, however, necessitated a trip
to Philadelphia, which he made, walk
ing there and back by night in order
that he would not be late at school the
following morning. On another occa
sion it is said of him thut he went
a considerable distance to visit a man
he was not acquainted with in order
to ask If lie might borrow certain
Greek and Latin books in his library.
His education was obtained at the
New London Academy, under Dr.
Francis Allison, who was Induced to ac
cept him as a pupil, the tutor of so
muny men who afterward left their im
press upon the events of that time. It
seems a pity that the lady who thus
gave Thomson such an opportunity for
realizing his dreams should receive
only little credit, but no record has been
found, so far as is known, giving her
name.
me jnpw London academy Thom
son specialized on Greek and Latin,
for which he developed an abnormal
ove, although his brightness along all
lines soon won him the respect of Dr.
Allison. It was here, too, that he be
came acquainted with Benjamin Frank
lin, an acquaintance which soon ripened
Into friendship, as attested by the fact
that upon leaving the academy it was
upon Franklin's recommendation that
Thomson secured a professorship of '
Greek and Latin in a Friends' school.
During tho time he was a teacher he
also wrote article on various subjects,
tho majority of which were printed In
Franklin's paper. In this way Thom
son's learning and ublllty began to bo
known among tho people of Philadel
phia. Principal among the topics with 1
which he dealt in his articles wore
those on the Indians. His interest in
the welfare of tho Indians was marked
and tho Just and truthful manner In
which he dealt with them led to his '
adoption by the Delawares In 175G
lhey gave him tho name of "Man of '
Truth.” This interest and knowledge
concerning the Indians luter led to his
appointment aa a commissioner among
them. *
Thomson remained a tutor of Lntln
?re<sk in the Friends’ school until
I7if>. having been there five yeurs. He
returned to similar work, however
after a couple of years, becoming an In
structor in what was later known ns
the William Penn Charter Bchool In
Philadelphia. He gnve up this posl- '
tlon In 1760 and entered the mercantile !
business, becoming an Importer of huts
and other weurlng apparel.
• • •
It was during this time that the '
stamp act went Into effect, and feeling j
Its influence upon his trade, lie be
came more than ever a believer In the
freedom of tho colonies. He also took
an active Interest in preventing John i
Hughes, the newly appointed stump ,
collector from entering upon his dutieB
in Philadelphia. Hughes was waited <
upon by a committee, of which Thom- <
f
statutes and statutemakers, soldier
and dreadnought, drayman and street '
sweeper, cook, counselor and clerk.
“I am the battle of yesterday and the
mistake of tomorrow.
i * ,aF* ^e mystery of the men who !
do without knowing why.
"I am the clutch of an Idea and the
reasoned purpose of resolution.
"1 ant no more than what you believe
me to lie and I am all that you believe ,
1 cun be.
"1 am what you make me, nothing
more. “
"I swing before your eyes as a bright 1
gleam of color, a symbol of yourself i
the pictured suggestion of that big
thing which makes this nation Mv
Stars and my stripes are your dream's
and your labors They are bright with
cheer, brilliant with courage firm with
Mith. because you have made them so
out ot your hearts, for you are the mak
ers of the flag and It is well that you
glory In the making.”
INDEPENDENCE DAY. X
4 Daniel Webster. +
f This anniversary gladdens 4
4 and unites all American hearts 4
4 On other days of the year we 4
4 may be party men. Indulge in 4
4 controversies more or less im- 4
4 portant to the public good. We 4
4 may have likes and dislikes, and 4
4 we may maintain our political 4
4 differences, often with warm 4
4 and sometimes with angry feol- 4
4 ings Hut todac we are Atneri- 4
4 cans all. and all nothing but 4
4 Americans. Kvery man's heart 4
4 swells within him. every man's 4
4 port and bearing become some- 4
4 what more proud and lofty ns be 4
4 remembers that the great in- 41
4 herltance of liberty is still his— 4j
4 ids. undiminished and unim- 4:
4 paired. Ids in all its original 4
4 glory; Ills to enjoy, his to pro- 4
4 tec t and bis to transmit to fu- 4
4 ture generations. 4
tt MHtMmtHHt 4 *
The Injury.
From Tlt-Blts.
“While I was abroad I witnessed a
duel in France."
“Anybody hurt?"
“Yes; one of the principals had a rib
broken embracing the other after the
combat was over.
i
son was a member, and asked to resign.
Hughes then being 111 In bed, the com
mittee retired to await results. Thom
son, however, returned to see him ths
following day, and was asked by
Hughes If the committee wsvs serious In
its demand. Thomson replied that
while he would prefer not to speak for
the committee as a whole he could as
sure him that he, personally, was very
much In earnest. The committee the
next day returned, and Hughes tend
ered it his resignation, ulthough pro
testing that it would be productive of
dire results.
On the 3d of October, 1774, Thomson
was elected a member of the Pennsyl
vania assembly, and on the 6th was
made secretary of the first continental
congress. This incident can best bs
told In Thomson’s own words, as re
corded by William Allen.
"I was married to my second wife—
Hannah Harrison—on a Thursday; ths
next Monday I came to town to pay
my respects to my wife's aunt, and the
family; Just as I alighted in Chestnut
street the doorkeeper of congress, then
first met, accosted me with a mes
sage from them, requesting my pres
ence—I followed the messenger to ths
arpenters’ hall, and entered congress,
f walked up the aisle and standing op
posite to the president I bowed, and
told him I awaited his pleasure. He re
plied; 'Congress desires the favor of
vou, sir, to take their minutes.' I
bowed to acquiescence, and took my
seat at the desk. After a short time,
Patrick Henry arose to speak. He ob
served that our public circumstances
were like those of a man in deep em
barrassment and trouble, who had
’ailed hla friends together to advise
what wag best to be done for his re
lief—one would propose one thing, and
mother a different one, whilst perhaps
i third would think of something bet
ter suited to his unhappy circum
stances, which he would embrace, and
think no more of the rejected schemes,
with w'hich he would have nothing to
lo. 1 thought this was very good In
struction to me, with respect to the
taking the minutes; what congress
idopted I committed to writing; with
what they rejected, I had nothing fur
ther to do; and even this method led
to some squabbles with the members,
who were desirous of having their
speeches and resolutions, however, put
to rest by the majority, still preserved
jpon the minutes."
• • «
This address of Patrick Henry’s,
aken as a course of procedure for
seeping the minutes of the congress, Is
’('sponsible fur the complete records of
die sessions which are today kept In
be Congressional library, and which
lave won for Charles Thomson tho
lame, of being one of the ablest secre
:aries to one of the greatest bodies ever
lonvencd,
Thomson served ns secretary to con
tress throughout its existence, 16 years.
\t the end of thut time he was appoint
'd by that body to notify George
Washington of his election to the pres
dency of the United States. Thomson
vent to Mount Vernon, where he was
net by General Washington at the
loor, and, after the most friendly of
rreetings, Thomson delivered the mes
mge of congress and Washington ra
llied. The two then went to New York
ogether, from which place Thomson
lottfled congress that he had carried
mt hls commission.
Thomson resigned as secretary of
'(ingress July 26, 1789, and never again
leld public office. He retired to his
lomc, Harriton, and took up the study
if Greek and Gatin where he had been
orced to leave off by the call to con
rress. He devoted his time to a trans
ition of the new testament from the
.reek, and the old testament from the
Jeptuagent. which, It Is said, was the
rst English version of the Septuagent
hat had been published.
At the time of his resignation from
■ongress, In 1780, Charles Thomson was
'0 years old. In I81G, at the age of 87
m was almost deaf. One of several
laralytlc strokes he had about this
line left him practically helpless An
ither followed Inter, and by some
drange chance, left him suddenly re
•overed, so far so, In fact, that he lived
intll August 1G, 1S24. when he died in
.ower Merlon, Montgomery county,
ennsylvania, at the age of 96 AU
hough not outliving all of the signer,
(f the declaration. Thomson, neverthe
ess, lived to he as old as any of them,
harles Carroll of Carrollton being the
inme age at his death
► CORNWALLIS’ SURRENDER. ♦
Sir N. W. Wraxall.
Wraxall asked Lord George Germain
iow North "took the communication."
"As he would have taken a cannon
mil in his breast." replied Lord George*
‘for ho opend his arms, exclaiming
viIdly as he paced up and down the
ipartment during a few minutes. ‘O
iod, it is all over!’ words which he
epoated many times under emotion*
>f the deepest consternation and dlu
res*."
Lord George sent a dispatch to the
ting, who was then at Kew. The king
vrote a calm letter in reply, but it
vas remarked as evidence of unusual
motion that he had omitted to mark
he hour and minute of his writing,
vhlch he was always accustomed to do
vith scrupulous precision. Yet the
landwriting showed composure of
nind.
“Let Us Alone!"
From the Chicago Tribune.
The testimony of Mr. Mellon on the
-Vestohester deal would prove delightful
ootnotes for the standpatters* text book.
VU during the fight for railroad regulation
md especially toward the end of Colonel
toosevelt’s presidency, the cry of the
tundpat press and leadership was "Let
is alone"* Sacred prosperity was threat
en'd by such mad radicalism as vented lt
tclf in the Incendiary and revolutionary
uinciple of Roosevelt’s "square deal for
ill." We were assured by every money
nterest organ and every shellback lory
rum Wall street to Danville. 111., that
‘business was being murderously assault
'd and that all the trouble in the country
\ os being manufactured by muck raker*
vhose only purpose was to earn salary
md make circulation.
M r Mellm has described one of the most
linking cases of "let us alone" in the hls
ory of American "high" finance. Mr.
Morgan was-the urchehampton of "let us
done" and the archoxentplur.
Now. the appeal of the standpatters,
’U't us alone.' was not successful, and th®
all in securities antirecession in business
generally undoubtedly is ascribed by
»tandpatters to that fact.
But there Is a large class of intelligent
'onservatives who are capable of seeing
be folly of the ostrich doctrine of "let
is alone" and of avoiding the standpat
er’s stupidity of mistaking the cure for
[he disease.
To these th* revelations of the New
Haven inquiry, which should be followed
»y Inquiry Into other examples of high
Inunce. the Hock Island reorganization,
ror example, will give occasion for
[bought. Obstruction by selfish and un
scrupulous interests to Intelligent reform
legislation would be nowhere without th*
ill-advised support of the conservativ*
lass which they misrepresent It Is tlm^
therefore, for this class to realize that
financial piracy or even unchecked finan
cial autocracy injures* the conservative*
class more than any other.
JEWS MAKE SUCCESS
OF FARMING VENTURE
Society Formed to Spread Doc
trine of Agriculture
Through Ghettos.
How the Jew. the father of agricul
ture. is going back to the land, is be
ing told by Benjamin Brown, president
of the Jewish Agricultural & Coloni
zation association, of Gunnison, Utah,
in a visit over the country to spread
the gospel of back to the land through
the "ghettos’’ of the large cities. The
colony near Gunnison is one of several
that have been established in western
states, and it is hoped ultimately to
send more than 1,000,000 Jews into the
country.
The Jew. Mr. Brown says, is Just as
good a farmer as a business man, and
pften a much better farmer than his
Christian neighbor. The Gunnison
colony, in Sevier county. Utah, now
comprises 76 families. Each family is
allotted 40 acres, and every family is
making money. The colonization com
pany owns 6,000 acres, so there is still
room there for 74 families. The land is
Irrigated, and the colonists have found
that dairying is most profitable, since
only the finished produce is sold and
nothing is taken away from the land.
Each colonist must have $700 to be
gin with. The company builds a four
room house for the colonist, supplies
‘he original stock, seed, implements
and other necessaries and the land at
cost, the colonist paying for all with
half his yearly crop until the debt is
cancelled. The houses are built at the
corner of each quarter section, so that
the colony is dotted with four-house
villages. This eliminates the loneli
ness of farm life. In the center of the
colony is the synagogue, school and the
supply stores. The buying and selling
Is done through a co-operative com
pany, so that the colonists are able to
buy their supplies very cheaply and
sell their produce at the highest price.
The result Is that by intensive farm
ing methods, most of the colonists will
be free of debt in three years and well
on the road to riches, to say nothing
of more health and happiness than they
ever knew in the crowded cities.
In the American Magazine a former
newspaper man who is now an inmate of
a penitentiary records his experiences
wdth opium. He writes under the title,
“A Modern Opium Eater," and he signs
his article "No. 6fi06." which is his num
ber in the penitentiary where he is con
fined. Following ia an extract from the
article:
‘‘Few’ people in the United States realize
the extent to which opium and kindred
drugs are being used today in this coun
try. You, my reader, may have read of
the federal government’s strict prohibltivf
law against the importation of smoking
opium, and concurred idly and withoul
interest. But do you know tnat the Unit
ed States revenue service has a roster ol
over 3.000 known users of opium in Sao
Francisco alone? Countless other thou
sands are unregistered. Every other great
city in the country has similar rosters
and numbers its ‘fiends* by thousands and
tens of thousands. Hundreds of cans o|
the contraband drug are sold daily in New
York, Chicago. Denver, New Orleans, Sail
Lake, and Portland. The United State!
army posts ha,ve been invaded, and thou
sands of-the wearers of our country’s uni
form are users of opium, morphine, and
cdbalne. The severest penalties have not
seemed even to check the habit.
‘‘Starting at the Presido In San Fran^
cisco with transports returning from th!
orient, the drug habit has spread among
the enlisted men in the army by leap!
and bounds. The reason is easily found
Not one man in 100. once he has tested
the peace, the mind-ease, the soothed
nerves and the surcease from all sorrows,
disappointments, and responsibilities thaf
come from a first use of opium, ever again
has the will-power to deny himself that
delightful nepenthe. Opium Is like the
salary loan shark—a friend today, smooth
ing difficulty and trouble with a free and
easy hand. Tomorrow' it becomes a mas
ter, exacting a toll a hundredfold mors
terrible than the ills it eased.’’
No On© Els© Has Job Like This Man.
In the "Interesting People" department
of the. American Magazine appear a pic
ture and sketch of Owen Eagan, who, as
Inspector of New York’s bureau of com
bustibles, has opened, analyzed and de
stroyed over 5,000 bombs in 1‘* years of
uninterrupted and dangerous duty. H©
receives a salary of $1,500 a year, and
no one has ever offered to succeed him
when he quits. No life insurance com
pany will take a risk on him, and if h©
is injured while opening a bomb he can
not sue the city for damages. Ther©
Isn’t another Job like his in the world.
Following is an extract from the article:
"The ‘bomb industry’ in New York be
gan to be a serioug menace 10 years ago,
but in those days Eagan had an hour oi
two to himself. Nowadays bombs ar©
coming so fast he calls up the bureau ol
combustibles every half hour to let on©
of the three bosses know where he is,
To show the increasing popularity of
black hand extortion—Eagan handled only
13 bombs in 1908, while last year ther©
were 145 with a property damage esti
mated at $17,430, an increase of 93 ove*
1912.
"And every one of the unexploded
bombs found is capable of blowing Eagan
to ©mithereens were it not for the car©
he takes to safeguard his life. Once ha
has literally picked a bomb apart and
has supplied the police with working
clues, he unconsciously finds himself th©
enemy of the very men who make bombs.
Yet, cognizant of that fact, he carries no
revolver for protection, and the only
means ne uses to elude the vengeful ia
to keep his whereabouts secret. You
won’t find his name, address or telephone
number in any directory, and long ago h©
discarded the use of mail boxes. Should
you call at fire headquarters and ask
where Eagan lives they will puncture
you with 1,000 questions, yet tell you
nothing."
An Emergency Hint.
From Life.
Persons falling out of aeroplanes will
find it quite useless to depend upon any
of the ordinary safety devices, antidotes,
block systems, fire extinguishers, life pre
servers or other similar contrivances, for
though all of them are perfectly good in
their proper time and place, they do not
meet this particular emergency. The
only thing to do when convinced you are
falling is to make a thorough examina
tion of the underlying landscape. For
this purpose it is often well to have
handy a geological chart, or relief map.
When you have thoroughly familiarized
yourself with the topography of the ap
proaching landscape, it is then perfectly
simple, by two or three little bodily ma
neuvers, to pick out a relatively soft spot.
If you have acted wisely in the matter,
there is nothing more to do but lie there
and wait for help.
Man’s Little Day.
First thing a follow knows at morn
He's born;
Then. say. at 10 o'clock, the next
He’s vexed
By readin’. ’ritin’, 'rithmetlc.
Till sick.
At noon he has to go to work,
Or shirk.
Then, 'round bout two. he takes “for Ilfs*
A wife.
From two till time to bring in lights
• lie tights.
And struggles with hU fel*low-men.
And then
He sits around a while and thinks,
And blinks.
And when at last it’s time for bed,
lie’s dead.
—William WaU*4t Whitelock. la the New
York Times.
REAL LIFE IN THE COUNTRY
Fact Is Shown by Man’s Eagerness to
Escape From Congestion of
the Crowded City.
Why is it that railway magnates,
presidents of banks and heads of great
enterprises who must perforce do
business in cities, almost all try to
have homes on farms in the country,
where they develop soils, plant crops
and breed animals? It is because there
is wearisome monotony in piled up
brick and stone. There is confusion
in crowded streets and clanging trol
ley cars and hot smoky railways.
These things man has made, and they
are needful, but they are not life, much
as the farm boy may imagine them to
be.
Life is in the open country. Life is
in the growing grass, the waving fields
of wheat, the springing corn. Life is
in the trees and birds, life is in the
developing animals of the farm.
Any man who works with the land,
who feeds a field and watches the re
sult, gains a real fundamental know
ledge of the underlying foundation on
which rests ail our civilization. It
makes him a sober man, a thoughtful
man, a reverent man, and if he experi
ments wisely a hopeful optimist. Life
is where things are born and live and
grow. On the farm is real life.—Breed
er's Gazette.
Boon to Mankind.
Ignatius Tootle, the renowned au
thority on floral life, who lives near
the quiet village of Yankee Springs,
is at the present time trying to out
burbank Burbank, the wiz., by grow
ing a rectangular watermelon. Mr.
Tootle has noticed for years that ulti
mate consumers have had much trou
ble trying to carry watermelons from
the store, inasmuch as they (the wa
termelons) are of awkward shape and
quite slippery, and after a watermelon
has fallen and has hit the cement side
walk its usefulness may be said to be
over. Mr. Tootle's watermelon will
be long and will have square corners,
one of which corners will lit into the (
bent elbow when the melon is carried
on the inside of the arm. Mr. Tootle |
expects to have his new melon grow
ing and on the market by 1927, if noth
ing happens.—Boston Globe. ;
The Way of Progress.
A dog barking at a passing automo
bile is generally supposed to be as tell
ing a symbol of futile objection to the
march of progress as could well be ,
imagined. In almost the same category, ;
however, belongs the strike of the (
stevedores in New Orleans against the j
introduction of the electric truck to i
transport freight between vessels and t
warehouses. The wonder is that thie
improvement has been so long delayed
instead of only now appearing—and
then as a source of a new labor diffi
culty. One cannot have much sym
pathy for opposition in this particular
instance. The motor vehicle in all of
its forms has come to stay, and the ^
rest of the world has been rather rap- ]
idly adjusting itself to the new condi- 1
tion.—Engineering Record.
Searching Criticism. .
Five-year-old Herbert, scion of a
bookish family, had learned to read
so early and so readily that his first
glimpses of storyland were growing
hazy in his memory. One day he con- ■
tided to his mother. "Ruthie showed
me her new book today, and it’s the
queerest thing you ever saw! Why.
it just says, ‘Is it a dog? It is a dog
Can the dog run?’ and a lot of things
like that! ’Course I was too polite to
say so, but it didn't seem to me the
style was a bit juicy!— Lippincott's.
Reasonable Guess.
Church—They say the new comet
hasn't been seen before in 15 years,
and it’s egg-shaped.
Gotham—Where do you suppose it’s
been? In cold storage?
Growing Old.
‘‘Is your father growing old grace
fully?”
"No; he positively refuses to learn
the maxlxe.”
Rttrogression.
"I only ask you to care for me a
little."
"I do. Every day I care for you less
and less."
-—■ ■■ ■■
A wealthy dame who weighs 200
pounds is “portly.” An ordinary wom
an who weighs 200 is just plhin fat.
The American Farmer.
All things recalled, wouldn’t it be
the part of statesmanship to do con
gressionally for the American farmerT
He’s one-fourth of your population,
and the nation’s best hope. The
American merchant borrows at five
per cent. The American stock gam
bler, producing nothing, accomplish
ing nothing, a merest leech living by
the toil of others, borrows for even
less. The American farmer, with all
that can be said to his good and solv
ent advantage, must and does pay 8^
per cent.
And all the time the savings and
postal banks are bulging with billions.
If the government would make two
blades of graes grow where but one
has grown before—and publicly it
would pay—the wide-flung chance lies
open. Let It model action on French
or German lines, and place the farmer
on a borrowing par with the merchant,
the manufacturer and the stock job
ber. Let it evolve a system of farm
loans which shall put those savings
md postal bank billions at a per cent
within the farmer's borrowing reach.
—Hearst’s Magazine.
Makes Jobi. for Detectives.
Probably the only people to benefit
by recent suffragette outrages are
private detectives, many of whom
ire doing little else just now but
guarding pictures and other treasures
of well-known hosts and hostesses
’rom attacks at social functions, the
London Globe states.
The head of one private detective
igeucy told me the other day. says
‘The Carpenter” in the Express, that
le had been obliged to engage a spe
cial staff for this work, and that to
some receptions he has sent as many
is a dozen faultlessly attired ’’guests"
:o look after the pictures and china
>f the host.
Must Have Stirred Audience.
Dan Daly once essayed the legiti
nate. It was in his early days. All he
lad to do was to come to the center
)f the stage at a critical moment and
ihout:
“The king is dead; long live the
ting!”
When the time came Mr. Daly
promptly assumed the correct dra
natic pose, but for a moment was so
igitated that words failed him. Then
ie bellowed at the top of his voice:
“Long live the king—he’s dead!”
New Modern Dancing
The leading Expert and Instructor in New YorB
illy, writes: "Dear Sir:—I have used AI.LKN'S
'on t-Base, the antiseptic powder to be shaken Into
be shoes, for the past ten years. It Is a blessing to
II who are compelled to be on their feet. I dunce
ight or ten hours dally, and tind that Ai.len’8
'OOT-MA8E keeps my feet cool, takes tba friction
rum. the shoe, prevents corns and Sore, Aching foot,
recommend It to all my pupils.”
(Signed) E. FLETCHER HALLAMORH.
ampleEltSB. Address AllenS.Olmsted.LeRoy.bkT.
Wear Well.
Husband—I note that the papers
tgain say that Huerta is on his last
egs.
Wife—They certainly do last.
ront OWN DRPGWXST WILL TELL TOO
Iry Murine Bye Remedy for Red. Weak, Water*
Eyes and Granulated Eyelids; No Smarting—
ust Eye Comfort. Write for Book of the Kr*
y mail Free. Marins Eye Remedy Co., Chicago.
Of Course.
Hez—How Is Farmer Cawntossel
retting along planting his wheat?
Silas—Ob. just sow sow.
Misfit kisses are the kind girls lav
sh on each other.
i|35BUsf§fKll
jl was tlievleld cl WHEAT
frjflpypjyiffi ""on"many farms in “'i/fiteh\
N Western Canada in W ft
1913. some yields W \ [
rTfr JvHA being reported a* f/ /'J
\N AlI/Jj high os 50 bushels ' r } |
A per acre. As high f I
J I as 100 bushels were 1* i |j
>-recorded in some hjjg&a
^TT^Vr3x"'— districts for oats, jSWggg
SO bushels for barley and (FvB?
from 10 to 20 bus. for flax.
J. Key9 arrived in the
ilfelSJ country 5 years ago from
t&SoTl' Denmark with very little Ikt^’TS
means. He homesteaded. I
worked hard, is now the [
vSSMl owner of 320 acres of land, i!e>T.
in 1913 had a crop of 200 uSSSJjf
Lv acres, which will realize him SEP
l-TREcaS about $4,000. His wheat rTV^-,->
I weighed 68 lbs. to the bushel
f and avera8edovcr35 bushels
to the acre. ^ *1 .
Thousands of similar in- \J8^
8tances might be related of the W ' '
pSyUw homesteaders in Manitoba, Sas- \lLa\
w*C.ol/ katchewan and Alberta.
k8tH The crop of 1913 was an abun-'Kj§3»
BZ^JK ^ant one everywhere in Western
Ask for descriptive literature and \vly
Y/ reduced railway rates. Apply to •**/
// Superintendent of Immigration. \\
//f Ottawa, Canada, or Oia
mSi ). V. Maladiin, Drawer 57S, Watertown, S. D. Am
mi W. V. IBNNEfT, lee BiMat. 0«aha. Vebrisk*. yv^
MJ ft. A tiarrrtt. 111 Jacksoa St. St. Pui.Mtoo. I’A
Canadian Government Agcal 1