Prairieland Talk . . .
Fine Old Home Still Beautiful
By ROM AIN E SAUNDERS. ReUred. Former Editor The Frontier
LINCOLN—There are many beautiful, well
kept homes in O’Neill, mostly those built in re
cent years. Yet none surpasses in either archi
tectural design or front yard approach of one of
the oldest resident properties in the city, now the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Jomes Rooney on First
street, the house that John Smoot built and cal
led home in the long ago.
when it and the J. H. Mere
dith home were the only two
houses in that block and but
one in the block to the east,
the Andy Baldwin cottage
which still stands facing what
now is Everett street.
In those early days
streets, mere cow trails, were
not dignified by giving them
names.
Smoot was O’Neill’s first
resident barber with a shop, Romaine
shaving mug rack on the Saunders
wall. Police Gazette with racey pictures and
stories for loafers and customers to look at, and
the barber chair was a box on a stool, with chairs
installed later. That barbershop is now the sanc
tuary of a religious group. The mistress of the
former Smoot home is a daughter of the pioneer
Klsworth Mack who wras the son of a pioneer mem
ber of the Methodist church that Rev. Bartley Blain
founded, and I as a youthful church-goer recall the
the Senior Mack passing the collection plate as he
urged the worshipper to “give liberally.” But
they had little to give in those pioneer times.
Whether the "mistress of the mansion” or her
Jim Is primarily responsible, the first residence
property on the village of O’Neill’s west side is
now one of the city’s finest.
* * *
What goes on down in old Egypt does not
concern prairieland citizens other than a mild
interest in what others of the earth bound
creatures are up to. The eanal problem is at
a standstill now the Egyptian government eotnes
up with a law reuuiring all business plaees to
close on Friday, the Sabbath of the 400.000,000
Moslems, fines and imprisonment for all who
disregard their countries “customs and tradi
tions.”
• * •
A block or two from where my typewriter is
parked a friend with the Irish love of the music
of words along with a bit of Yankee inventive
ability has solved the dead leaf situation on the
blue grass lawn he mows. Attaching a “grind
er” to his lawn mower the leaves are ground up
and left as powder to fertilize the lawn. The dead
leaf and dry grass is nature’s ' ay of enriching
the soil.
* * *
All postoffices are getting ball point pons,
which reminds us that as soon as all the banks
switch over, a person with a fountain pen won’t
have a downtown station to fill it.
• * •
One of the inherent dangers in big govern
ment is that the bigger government gets, the small
er are the people who are wililng to run it.
* • *
Money is said to talk, but it never gives itself
away.
Items, out of the past may be of interest to
some Frontier readers follow: A cow in the Art
Doolittle herd gave birth to a calf with two
heads. . . H. L. James bought a Belgian stallion
for service on the ranch. . . Raymon Bly family
visited Mrs. Bly's parents to the south of the
lake. ..EE. Young family were Sunday guests
of Mrs. Riley and Mr. and Mrs. Baker . . J. Robl
yer, formerly of Swan precinct but at the time
living near Atkinson, found two of his sheep had
been stolen during the night. . W. R. Shaw, John
Kennedy and H. L. James as judges and Art Doo
little and Romaine Saunders as clerks served on
the Swan precinct election board. (Art Dooltitle
the only one of the group still is in Swan prec
inct). . . Mr. and Mrs. Tom Baker and John Bow
er made a business trip to Omaha and Lincoln. . .
Melvin and Marvin Meals of the George Meals
family south of Atkinson were headed for the
barnyard with a load of hay drawn by a span of
gray horses favorites of many years on the
ranch when one of the horses dropped dead
• * *
Some firsts: The first child born in O'Neill
was a son of Mr. and Mrs. James Ryan, born
in March. 18*5. The first wedding united two
couples, Neil McHravie and Ellen Thompson;
Samuel Wolf and Sarah Thompson. The first
death in O’Neill took a daughter of the Michael
McGrath household in February, 1875. . . Odd
Fellow lodge organized November 30, 1876.
• » •
October passed out amid crashing thunder,
rain and raging winds. Bright sundrenched days
and calm nights of early autumn touched prairie
land as if to weep over departing days of sun
shine the heavens poured out rain and we step
across into November to greet again the melan
choly days of the passing fall season. The rain
has been a blessing and who can deny it was in
answer to prayers of many of a church group who
had appointed a day to pray for rain.
Out of the weeks and months that are gone
Memories come as we journey on
To brighten the lengthing pathway
That leads to the close of earth’s little day.
• • •
He could whistle like a Yankee, smile like a
prairicland kid but spoke broken English. I made
out that he was from old Mexico, up here attend
ing college taking a course in agriculture, among
other studies, a young man interested to the point
of devotion to learn the modern American meth
ods of farming. Within him stirs the milk of hu
man breasts the world over, and he extended a
hand to help an aged fellow being across a busy
street when the venerable patriarch came his way.
The college he is here to attend turns out preachers,
teachers, office secretaries, business executives,
furniture makers, farmers, printers and editors
and Phd’s.
Memorial services, flags at halfmast, at the
Lincoln Air Base for the men from that flying
field that went to watery graves when their ship
of the air apparently exploded and wreckage and
men fell into the sea in a flight over the Atlantic.
There were 57 aboard the plane who have joined
the countless number to sink into the ocean’s depth
“with bubbling groan, without a grave, unconfirm
ed and unknown.”
Lesson from Romans
While we’re thinking about improvements in
communication which, slowly but surely, are
bringing the world closer together, let us not for
get one heritage from those extraordinary engine
ers of ancient Rome.
The highways they built throughout the empire
endured through many centuries followng. Bur
ied stretches of them are always being dug up
here and there. And by accident or design, the
“tread” of so many Roman chariots and carts mea
sured the same that the ruts worn in these wonder
ful roads established a sort of “gauge” which
mediaeval wagon-makers, perforce, had to follow.
This wheel tread was 4-ft. 8*i-in. wide. And,
the theory goes, when early railroad builders put
flanges on stage coaches and “wains”, the rails
they laid had to be 4-ft. 8Mj-in. apart. Enough of
such trackage has been laid during the ensuing
years so that when a move toward standardiza
tion got under way it swept toward a dimension
set, perhaps, in some unknown ancient wheel
wright’s shpp Today, says the magazine Railway
Prograss, five-eighths of the world’s 800,000 miles
of railroads are “standard guage.”
During the visit last week of J. Henry Scuda
more, an English farmer, who stopped at the Clar
ence Ernst home near here, the topic of Roman
built roads crept into the conversation.
Roman roads and routes sitll are very much in
use in England. They’re not as smooth as the
tarmac (asphalt) but far more serviceable.
Scudamore awed a group of Ernst’s friends
with his description of the durability of the an
cient Roman roads, when the empire extended in
to the British Isles.
From such little fountains do large streams
flow.
Terrific Loyalty
Guest editorial from the Nebraska (tleneva)Signal
At this point in the Cornhusker foobtball
season it seels safe to say the miracle many of
us hoped for didn’t materialize.
We refer to our hopes for this year as expect
ing a nuriiciu ucvausc an ui u^» iuicw uic new
coaching staff was facing some tremendous prob
lems. Lack of experiened men in several posi
tions, loss of several good prospects and unfor
tunate injuries to others were not concealed from
us. Furthermore, we knew Nebraska lacked depth,
an absolute necessity if we are to stay in big time
fooball.
In spite of these facts, many of us hoped
something would happen to make the picture
pleasing to Nebraskans. We knew Pete Elliott was j
no magician but still we hoped he could do some
thing dramtic that would bring us to the top again,
without doing what we secretly knew had to be
done. The “miracle” may come to pass even yet, !
as Nebraska has several opportunities to do the
unexpected but we believe most of us now have
our feet on the ground and our heads out of the
clouds.
Now that we are forced to face reality we
might as well do so with patience. We believe
most Nebraskans still have faith in the new coach
ing staff. We still believe our prayers can be as
good as those at other schools. We still have a
terrific amount of Cornhusker loyalty. That is
were we stand at present.
Mixed Blessing
Red, white and blue mail boxes may be said
to be a mixed blessing.
They simplify life for the man who wants to
mail a letter, but at the expense of the man who
is looking for a barber shop.
Think You’re a Bore?
If you think you’re a bore, the chances are
you’re not, writes I.A.R. Wylie in the November
issue of the Reader’s Digest. The outstanding
characteristic of the bore is that he never knows it.
Miss Wylie says that the bore is “too self-sat
isfied, too insensitive, or too busy entertaining
himself to be concerned with his effect on others.”
There is a cure for him, however, if he can only
be made to realize his sad condition.
There are a vast number and variety of bores,
the writer says. One of the worst examples is the
“narrator who starts a story with his grandmoth
er, explores every branch of its family tree and
ends up with remote descendants.”
Then there is the “jokester bore” and the j
“hypochondriac bore” and the “snob bore.” The
varieties are endless, all characterized by intense
absorption in oneself.
Miss Wylie regards boredom as a serious, in
fectious, spiritual sickness. It can be cured if
caught before it becomes chronic. The cure: to
“stay alive and interested not only in our own af
fairs of the world around us.” The man who is
never bored himself, never bores others.
The writer advises all bores and potential
bores to heed the prayer of the old Scot: “O Lord
keep me alive while I am still living.”
Crisis-toCrisis
Now that the election is over, we can settle
down to our workdays tasks.
Worldwise, however, we seem to be living
from one crisis to the next.
Or is there no more or no less strife in the
world? Is it the instantaneous communications
and the dramatics that go with it that haunt us
from crisis-to-crisis?
The current issue of L). S. News & World Re
port makes a sobering observation that makes us !
wonder where we’ve been these last few years, j
The excellent news magazine points up that Uncle
Sam is committed militarily, through pacts, alli
ances and organizations, in at least 60 countries in
the event “little wars’’ break out.
Meanwhile, all of our defense spending has
been strategcally pointed toward a “big war’’.
Beneficial moistures during these past two i
weeks have helped to brighten the countryside,
despite the season, and bolster the spirit of the
people—not to mention conditioning the soil for
next spring.
Frontier
CARROLL W. STEWART. Editor and Publisher
ARTHUR J. NOECKER and ESTHER M. ASHER,
Associate Publishers
Entered at the postoffice in O’Neill, Holt coun
ty, Nebraska, as second-class mail matter under
the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. This news
paper is a member of the Nebraska Press Associa
tion, National Editorial Association and the Audit
Bureau of Circulations.
Terms of Subscription: In Nebraska, $2.50 per
year; elsewhere in the United States, $3 per year;
rates abroad provided on request. All subscriptions
are paid in advance.
Audited (ABC) Circulation—2,559 (Mar. 31, 1956)
When You and 1 Were Ytning «. , .
Cattle-at-Large
to Be Stopped
Pcunc’mnstf- Will
Evoke Law
50 Years Ago
B. A. Johring, city pound
master. says it is his intention to
put a stop to cattle running at
large and warns all having live
stock of any description running
loose to take the same up or he
will impound it. Earl Zim
merman surprised his parents by
arriving unawares for a few
weeks' stay from the naval hos
pital corps with the battleship
Virginia. For sale: A carload
of apples at J. U. Yantzi’s store,
one door east of Bentley’s gro
cery store—J. D. Troyer. . . Dr.
Aitken, Josiah Coombs, E. I.
Parker and Howard Ware of
Spencer drove to O’Neill and
took a train for Wood Lake for a
week’s hunting.
20 Years Ago
Judge RoDert R. Dickson had
*.5u$ votes to James Jf Hairing*
ton's 2.699, without tha mail
v, tes, m the district judge elec
tion. . Emil Block, northwest of
.own, has twin heifer calves, each
wghing.65 pounds and both
lite faced Herefords. . : Born
> Mr. and Mrs. Robert fox, a
ughtcr, Barbara Lea. and to
Ir. and Mrs. Harry Prouty, a
irl, born SS the Spencer hos
ital. She is their only daughter,
ere being five older brothers.
Mrs. Mary Plants, a resident
of Emmet the past 13 years, died
at the home of her granddaugh
ter. Mrs. Elwin Thompson of O’
Neill. . Miss Dettv McNally en
tertained H friends at a Hallow
V.i party.
10 Years Ago
Mrs. Charles Richter, 60, a
lifelong resident of Holt county,
died after a year’s illness. .
3,000 head of livestock were un
hurt at a fire at the Atkinson
ivesteck Market. Virtually ev
rv building except one was des
royed. Mrs. Charles Edwards,
5. and Miss Dons Vargason,
about 19, both of Chambers and
. a Quinn, 25. of Worley, Ida.,
ere died in an auto accident,
whi h two of Mr. Edwards'
!rvr. * ieta *. anj CJcra’d, 4t
were seriously hurt.
One Year Ago
Twenty-eight men with 12
corrtpickers worked on the Glen
Stewart farm near Page because
Of a back injury, to Mr. Stewart.
M. B. Huffman has purchas
ed controlling interest in the
Commercial bank at Bassett. . .
Mrs. John Ro.herham, who lived
six miles south of Inman and
tw miles east, died after a six
months’ illness. . , Clarence Hox
sie. 68. a lifelong O’Neill resi
le .t, di d. . . The top three1 es
says on soil conservation were
written by Ruth Osborne of dis
trict 100, Richard Ernst of dis
trict 90 and Robert Collins of
district 180. . . Oscar Eaton, 17,
and Lyle Kopejtka, both of In
man, were sworn into the navy.
.lean Thurber Wins
State 4-11 Honor—
BURWELL—Jean Thurber, 16.
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Willis
R Thurber of Burwell, is one of
16 state 4-H club award win
ners.
She will receive a wrist watch
from the Wilson Packing com
pany lor her leadership work
Miss Minnie Gathje
Seicnaded by Pupi’s
ATKINSON Mrs Fthel lan
ville, teacher of school district
SS. took the pupils of her school
to the home of Miss Minnie Gath
je, who lias been an invalid for a
number of years (victim of polio
when a child) They entertained
her Wednesday afternoon with a
choral, readings, recitations and
songs, and also presented her
with a Hallowe'en treat.
Guosts last weekend at the
Roy Berner home were his moth
er and sister. Mrs, Clara W Ber
ner and Murial, his aunt. Miss
Clara Berner and Mr. and Mrs
George Schellev, all of Norfolk
They came for little Suzanne
Etizatx'th Horner’s bapUsuual
Money to Loan
-r- on —
AUTOMOBILES
TRUCKS
TRACTORS
EQUIPMENT
FURNITUHE
Central Finance
Corp.
O'Neill Nebraska
(’. F. Jones. Manager
HOTEL LINDELL
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
KM Poodi iMNMklt Rot«*
M*. hMk KM* I*. 2-100*
\
Fresh from 100,000 miles of testing, the '57 Pontiac is on display tomorrow!
V Even a brief once-over of Pontiac's sleek new lines tells you that you're in at the
■tart of a styling revolution. And that glistening sheath conceals a carload of
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This '57 Pontiac pounded the rood through 100,000 miles of tests . . . through it
all Pontiac engineers refined and perfected every feature of this great car.
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NSW INTERIOR STYLING—WITH THE
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NEW STRATO-STRBAK v-E—270 Lp. in Star Chief
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CLOUD-SOFT, LEVEL-LINE RIDE—the ride sensatfoB
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THREE POPULAR-PRICED SERIES—
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See America’* Number (D Road Car-On Display Tomorrowl
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305 W. DOUGLAS O'NEILL, NEBR.
PREVIEW SHOWING of the’57 Pontiac TONITE until 9:00
FREE COFFEE & ROLLS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9,1956
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