• Prairieland I alk . . . •*, ..*; • ’.
No Drouth Relief for Holt
Hr KOMAINE SAUNDERS. Retired. Former Editor The Frontier
LfNCOLN—The empire of Holt, 48 by 60
miles of level grasslands and lowlying hills where
man has found his peaceful abiding place and
over which a Page patriot, Mr. Cronk, will con
tinue to hold a restraining hand as chairman of
county board, has been declared today as standing
out. in lush green abundance, so no “drought
relief" is to be considered.
Coming up from the south
through Hall, Howard, Gree
ley and Wheeler counties and
cross into Holt down there
where Pat Boyle once lived,
the bloom of prairicland’s
velvet-coated landscape is at
once apparent. It was in 1894
that Holt county was shroud
ed in dry sheets and fanned
by burning winds. Once in
a century seemed enough but
again in 1931 the pinch of Romaine
poverty hit for a minute, only Saunders
for verden plenty to bloom again across the land
President Eisenhower flew west to cast an offi
cial eye on drought gasping communities eligible
for "federal aid”. The South Fork country, Swan
lake and Goose lake regions have no hands out.
Green Valley and north to the river gulches, east
across to Redbird and on to the Middle Branch
and elsewhere in the county you can get a roast
beef dinner and pumpkin pie any time.
Twenty counties in Colorado, much of Texas,
Kansas and Oklahoma need drought relief. Also
some few counties in Nebraska and South Dakota.
And there is lways the helping hand, official
and non-official, at times like these extended to
affected communities.
• • •
About the year 519 B. C., after the ban
quet of wine had soured and he with the Per
sian princess were sore because the beautiful queen
Vashti refused to come strutting in the nude be
fore them, to exhibit her feminine charms, that
King Ahasuerus published a decree throughout his
127 provinces that “every man should bear rule
in his own house" Starling with Queen Vashti
the Modes and Persian ladies had begun a move
ment in behalf of woman’s rights. What’s this—
it must ire put down, the lords of the realm
declared. After more than two thousand years
the womanhood of the Rust lies crushed under a
law of the Modes and Persian of a forgotten
people. And gents, in this land of the free and
home of the brave, are you altogether innocent9
* • •
It was a week in January in the year 1905.
Andro Mazgo, a homesteader living seven miles
southwest of O’Neill “proved up’’ on his claim
before the U. S. land office. . . E. S. Kinch, a
pioneer of the O’Neill community but at the time
living at Oakdale, in Antelope county, was a visit
or among former friends here. . . Grattan boast
ed having more taxable property than any town
ship in the county but were complaining that the
levy for township purposes was too high. . .
A pleasant evening was spent by young friends
with Miss Ruth Harnish in honor of her 16th
birthday anniversary. . . Jake Hershiser, former
ly with the Corrigan drug store here but of late
living at Norfolk, spent a few days among friends
in O’Neill.
A winter day. a day with a blanket of snow
spread in white purity across the land, a day with
clouds hanging in sullen gloom above us. Zero
reading on the indicator out where frosty breath
of winter blows from without the polar regions.
Snow, ice nd frost put pep in each step as you
venture forth to meet the trivial things of life an
other day, and something in the smiles and frown
of those you meet along the way show what the
moods of men may be on a winter day. You hurry
along. Your mission over in the open air under
a clouded sky, footsteps hasten to take you to
your gas-heated winter abode. So I sit by the
window and catch a glimpse of a bird awing as
it soars away on the hunt for a bit to feed upon.
And over beyond the untrod blanket of snow the
highway traffic comes and goes. The paper boy
tosses the evening edition on the porch by the
door. I sit dowm and read the story of a troub
led world, and then evening shadows gather as a
winter day draws to a close.
* • •
This 10th day of another year prairieland
has been favored by a blanket of snow spread
across the land, accompanied by zero temperature
while the sun glows in golden glory high above.
Did you wake up the other morning with some
thing sticking down there in your throat and a
voice like a grizzly bear; from fingertips to toe
nail ends a sensation that something had gone
haywire in the functioning of muscles and joints.
You got up and on the advice of friends took a
pill, repeating the dose every four hours. You
grew worse, flighty and restless at night. Then
there came a dripping at the nose, a heave and
a cough and spit. Just one of those little invis
able but alive germs hit you and you “had a
eold.” And here comes Jack Frost and puts to rout
1 the germs that those pills every four hours seem
ed only to feed.
His name was Graham. It went out a
night last week at the Colorado penitentiary
to pay the penalty Tor having plunged 44 souls
into eternity a year previous. Victims of that
airplane explosion that Graham was responsible
for have been avenged, but that does not blot
away the stain of one of one of the worst
crimes of modern times.
* » *
The president goes to congress with a word
picture of the world as he sees it today with
presidential advise as to what America should
do about it. Governors of states and Nebraska’s
Anderson among them, lay before the legislative
assemblies the local picture. And statesmen now
are burning the midnight electric bulbs shaping
up laws to wipe out the world’s troubles. In
justice, suffering, sorrow, enslavement, hunger
and even death is to be ended as the “free world”
boys take over.
* * *
If you have come to the twilight hour of
your days and sit tonight within cloistered walls
of your home with your life’s companion by your
side, away from the welter of human carnage and
human sorrow that is a blighting hand in other
lands, take that life’s companion by the hand,
look again into eyes once bright now growing
dim, feel again the warmth of throbbing hearts
that understand God’s design for man and his
mate on earth.
Editorial
Beautiful K-12 Wants Sponsor
Exponents of the K-12 (kindergarten through
12th grade) redistricting program for Nebraska
schools have indicated they are abandoning
hopes of finding a sponsor in the current session
of the unicameral legislature.
State Education Commissioner Freeman B.
Decker indicates his office and the state board
of education are having difficulty finding a state
senator who will lend a name to this explosive
issue_not that a number of senators wouldn’t
love to introduce it if they thought they could
risk the ire of the voters back home
However, the state education commissioner,
according to a press handout, wants it under
stood the K-12 plan remains the grand solution
for Nebraska’s backwoodsy school problems; that,
in effect, our children will grope and stumble
along in the world and our tax load will be in
equitably distributed until this beautiful K-12
plan comes to pass.
The K-12 boys, in temporary defeat, want it
understood they are champions of home rule and
local control. But that’s not the interpretation
most of us give to the contents of the master
handbook, which provides K-12 for everybody,
like it or not, by 1960.
Few Nebraskans question but what redistnet
tng of some sort is needed. On the other hand
few are willing to turn the problem—lock, stock
and barrel—over to a great white father in the
state capital tower.
Nebraskans resent compmsui y * “—**
with Lincoln retaining the final authority.
Principles of the Nebraska Small Schools as
sociation, organized to save small schools such
M the two-grade Amelia high school in Holt
sounty, spread across the state like an old-fas
toned prairie fire Through that association
people became aware of some of the conniving
going on ‘neath the great statute of Ttie Sower
They now, belatedly, realize much of the diffieul -
ty has developed during the past four years
which the highest education office in the sta
has been appointive rather than elective. e
state board of education, a new twist for Ne
braska, is set up so that terms of membem expire
on a staggered basis. Result: If you don t ike the
manner in which the board is conducting the
state education business, it’ll take a number of
years to throw the rascals out and change the
«om position of the board. .
The K-12 enthusiasts are talking of dropping
the scheme now while the prairie fire is at its
height. This talk will tend to check the flames
that are lapping the state capitol steps. With the
fire extinquished and the weary minutemen back
home minding their own workday tasks, the
great white father and his disciples will con
jure up something else
Our guess is it will be a referendum issue
to 1958.
Thinking behind this will be that the masses
from Omaha, Lincoln, etc., will go along with
K-12 becayse the proposition will sound nice,
but the pitfalls in the administration of K-12 will
be recognized only by the rural people who will be
primarily affected.
Shucks, Quit It Gals!
Guest editorial by Reed O’Hanlon,
Blair Pilot-Tribune
Mr Dior, the Parisian fashion expert, still
hasn’t crawled out of his hiding place under the
rocks since he erringly decreed flat chests for
women a couple of years back.
The howl, which went up from men who like
their women to look like women—and from the
majority of women themselves—set Mr. Dior back
20 years on his career.
Now, even as Mr. Dior peers out anxiously
from under his stone .someone has managed to
make the 1957 hats for women look like beehives.
We’ve always gone along with women’s hats
of all kinds in a sort of expansive mood. But if
our wife or any of the other women we consider
good-looking show up with one of these upside
down-looking monstrosities reminiscent of the
awful periods of 1922, we shall personally shoot
down both wearer and perpetrator of this awful
fraud.
And we shall be set free by any jury in the
USA.
Vast Difference
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (the Mormon church) owns a remarkably
long and varied list of business enterprises, in
cluding a bank, an insurance company, a depart
ment store, a sugar company, a coal mine, ranches
and so on.
But in this case, there is one vast difference
from most business under takings which are car
ried on by essentially non-profit organizations
such as churches. A factual article on the Mor
mon ventures in the Wall Street Journal states:
“The church insists on paying full Federal
taxes on all profits from business activities,
though legally it could often claim exemptions.”
This country could use more of that kind of spirit!
and principle.
Prepared as we are to love our enemies, it’s
difficult to do in the modem world when you
can’t tell, from day to day, exactly who they are.
It is surprising how'well one can get along
with others if you keep your mouth shut and let
somebody else do the talking.
The enthusiasm with which the cigarette in
dustry is turning to filters indicates that filters
cost less than tobacco.
A child performer needs an awful lot of tal
ent to make up for not being a close relative.
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
j 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 (March 3l7l956
When You and I Wert Young . . .
Say Witchcraft
Practiced in Boyd
Family Makes Charge
Against Another
50 Y ears Ago
A family of Boyd county re
! quested that officials arrest an
! other family for witchcraft. . . .
Cards are out for the wedding
of Clyde Murman and Miss Ade
line Wrede. . . The infant of
Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Cameron
died . . William Salem is the
new baker. , . Two men escaped
serious injury in Emmet when
their bobsleigh was hit by a
through train. Their horse re
ceived a broken leg. . . John P.
Becker and Anna Freidle, both of
Atkinson, were granted a mar
riage license. . . Helen McNich
ols had a birthday party. There
were 12 guests and her teacher.
Miss Zack, present. . . Little
Inez Harding is dangerously ill
with pneumonia.
20 Y’ears Ago
D. H. Cronin, editor of “The
Frontier”, was host at a dinner
for members of the Holt County
Publishers association. . . E. E.
Cole of Star, is the kind of sub
scriber to bring joy to any editor!
He has paid farther ahead than
any of our readers. . . Mrs. Mar
garet Mains, 82, died at the home
of her son, T. S. Mains. . . Little
Bobby Cole of Emmet, was taken
to the Stuart hospital critically
ill wih pneumonia. . . Mark
Shelkopf started harvesting ice
with the help of Walter DeVall,
Preston Jones, Cecil Griffith,
William Hubby and Morris Gra
! ham.
10 Years Ago
Frank Balm, a Holt county
resident for 53 years, celebrated
his 88th birthday anniversary.
. . . Mr. and Mrs. Bryon Gren
ier are the parents of a boy. . ■
Miss Gail Widtfeldt, a junior at
O’Neill high school, received na
tional recognition for students
for her poem “Tis Night”. . .
Deaths: Leroy T. French. 84, of
Page, Edward M Shaw, sr., 68,
of Orchard. . • Francis Luben of
Emmet fell from a stack of hay
being pulled along the road, in
to the Elkhorn river. . . Melvm
Clyde was guest of honor at a
birthday party. . . A post-nup
tial shower was helds for Mr.
Lyle Childers of Chambers.
One Year Ago
Deaths: Roy Worden, 67, of
Amelia. . , W. R. (Bill) Tenborg
celebrated his 82d birthday anni
versary. . . Lyle Fox enlisted
in the navy. . . Amelia was noti
fied by state officials that their
high school will have to go. . .
Dewitt Gunter of Ewing submit
ted to surgery. . . Mr. and Mrs.
George Rector of Marysville,
Wash, visited relatives and
friends here. . . Billie Sammons
of Amelia caught an 11 pound
fish while ice fishing.
Attendance Game
to Be Employed—
LYNCH—The Rural Progres
sive extension club mot with
Mrs. Edmund Rohdi Thursday,
January 17. Mrs. Bernard Web
er was assisting hostess. Thir
teen members were present.
After the lesson on “Lamp
shades and lighting” was pre
sented, the remainder of the
afternoon was spent in visiting.
The on-time and perfect at
tendance game is again taken up
in 1957. Sides were chosen
The survey group members
are to meet at the Elmo Barnes
home on Friday afternoon, Jan
uary 25.
O’NEILL LOCALS
Jerry Weaver, C. D. Hartronft
and Charlie McKay left Sunday
for a few days of business in
Denver, Colo. Mr. Hartronft
will go from Denver to Texas.
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hendershot
and Preston Pike of Rapid City,
S.D., spent Friday and Saturday
with Mr. and Mrs. Louis Wray.
Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Ray of
Tilden were Sunday callers of
| Mr. and Mrs. Weston Whitwer.
■♦ '«** * ’ • * * ,* * • i * * *
• * *,,*•*.*** * * * * »
■
Echoes from the \ alley
Lantern in Window
By MRS. MKRRILX ANDERSON
It was a half-century ago.
Art Anderson, his wife and six
children had moved from the
eastern part of Nebraska to the
sandhills country.
Living in a 10 x 12 ft. soddie
they were happy and hopeful in
their new location. They had
plans to build a new dwelling in
spring; they were hopeful of
other improvements that would
; follow.
Mr. Anderson loaded up his
8-year-old son to accompany him
by team and wagon to the near
est railroad point to get a jag
of lumber. The day wras fair
although foggy. It was a 40-mile
roundtrip.
As the day progressed clouds
gathered. By midafternoon snow
was falling.
They were homeward bound
as the storm became more in
tense. The storm became so fierce
the horses would no longer face
tfie storm.
Mr. Anderson and his son freed
the horses. The father wrapped
the son in a horsehide coat and
began inching his way toward
home in the blinding storm.
Daylight turned to darkness
Mr. Anderson’s hopes of surviv
ing began to fade as he groped for
hours.
At the soddie Mrs. Anderson
kept a coil oil lantern burning in
the doorway. The dismal light
flickered and occasionally went
out as the wind howled against
the prairie home.
Moments crept slowiy by.
Mrs. Anderson knew it would be
a miracle if anyone caught in
the storm managed to survive
Exhausted Mr. Anderson, and
his son somehow made it to the
soddie, having been guided by
Providence and by an occasional
glimpse of light from the feeble
lantern hanging in the doorway.
The ho.'ses perished and the
remains were not found until the
snow melted in the spring.
String Instruments
Boost Party Fun
CELIA—Monday evening sev
eral families gathered at the Joe
Hendricks home for a general
good time.
Several brought string musical
instruments with them and the
evening was spent playing and
singing songs.
Those present were Mr. and
Mrs. David Rahn, Mr. and Mrs.
Orville Orr, Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Lewis and family, Paul Foeken,
Kay Butterfield, Elvon Anderson,
Connie Hitchcock and Jim Hen
dricks. Lunch was served.
Other Celia New *
Fourteen members of Sand
Creek township met at the Alex
Forsythe home Tuesday evening,
January 15, for the annual meet
ing. Bob Pease and Quentin Hic
kok were reelected road over
seers for coming year. The budget
is $1,500.
Mr. and Mrs. Hans Lauridsen
and sons, Charles Johnson and
Jim Lauridsen were Sunday din
ner guests at the Louis Lauridsen
home. Mr. Johnson stayed for a
longer visit with his daughter and
family.
Rev, and Mrs. George Hollings
head of Newport conducted Bible
study class at the Hans Lauridsen
home Tuesday, January 15, In
spite of the cold evening a good
attendance was reported.
Ray Pease visited his father, R.
M. Pease, at ONeill Saturday.
Mrs. LeRoy Hoffman and Mrs.
Margaret Chace attended the
teachers’ training class at Butte
on Saturday.
Glen Sorensen was a Saturday
O’Neill visitor.
Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Lange and
children, who have been living at
Zephyr Hills, Fla., returned Wed
nesday, January 16, to their farm
northeast of Atkinson where Mr.
and Mrs. Duane Mintle have been
living. The Mintles are moving to
the farm of Mrs. Fern Warren,
where the Frank Disterhaupt
jr., family lived before moving to
Minnesota.
Rev. and Mrs. Steinkamp were
Wednesday, January 15, visitors
at the Joe Hendricks and helped,
can beef.
Ellen McKathnie, who is at
tending Norfolk Junior college,
spent Thursday to Sunday eve
ning with her father, Milton Mc
Kathnie, and family.
Charles Phipps spent Sunday at
the Mark Hendricks home.
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Hendricks
were Tuesday dinner guests of
Rev. and Mrs. Steinkamp.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Focken
and family were Sunday after
noon visitors at the Mark Hend
ricks home.
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hendricks
and family were Sunday supper
guests at the Omer Poynts home.
Duane Waldrop is spending some
time at the Paynts home help
ing them with their work
Mr. and Mrs O. A. Hammer
berg and Alex Forsythe were din
ner and supper guests in the
William Maloun home.
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Hendricks
and Nina %’isited the Bob Riser
family at Butte Saturday.
LeRoy Hoffman and sons were
Sunday morning visitors at the
Victor Frickel home.
Donald Dobrovolnv spent Thurs
day with his sister, Mrs, Duane
Beck and family.
Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy Hoffman
and sons were Saturday after
noon visitors at the William
Maloun home. Dorothy Scott
was a Saturday evening visitor
at the Maloun home.
Mr and Mrs. John Sicheneder
spent Sunday with Mrs. Fern
Morsett and family of Royal.
Duane Beck and Ralph Arnold
helped Victor Frickel butcher on
Friday.
Mr*: Victor Frickel attended
the Lutheran Ladies Missionary
meeting at the church Tuesday
afternoon, January 15.
Mr. and Mrs. Omer Poynts
were Friday dinner guests at the
Mark Hendricks home. In the
afternoon, the men were Atkin
son business visitors.
Mr. and Mrs. Duane Beck and
daughter were Monday evening
visitors at the William M&loun
home. *
Mr and Mrs. John SchWindt
and Venita also Mr. and Mrs.
Flit.- were Friday supper
guests at the Milton MclCathnie
home.
Visit at Page—
Mr. and Mrs. W. W Waller.
Rita and Gary of Wayne State
Teacher's college visited Sunday
with Mr. and Mrs. Ray Snell of
Page.
Mr. and Mrs. C. W Porter vis
ited Sundav afternoon with Mr
and Mrs. H Hubbard and Mr. and
Mrs. Ace Hubbard at Chambers.
• V .... * •«. . •
* .
• * • *’•..<• I ' » » ..
Survey Books Are
Distributed—
LYNCH- Mrs Frank Weoder
was hostess to members of the
Highland extension club at her
home Thursday afternoon, Jan
uary 17. Mrs William Elsas
ei and Mrs. Art ReUloff pre
sented the lesson on "Ijunp
Shades and lighting”.
A shower was given Larry
Dean, little son of Mr. and Mrs.
Tommy Mealier.
Extension elub survey en
velopes were distributed and the
members art' to meet at the home
of Mrs. Velma McDonald Satur
day afternoon to fill the survey
blanks _
---k
Cheek the weight on every paekagel
ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE FAMOUS
FRIONOR FAMILY OF FISH FILLETS
COD-HADDOCK* OCEAN PERCH-OCEAN CATFISH
a/ IA4+F Sfcrui//
Ward Tax Service 3
Auditing. Bookkeeping and Tax Returns ■
MORGAN WARD ^DEN ANNEX g
ACCOUNTANT ° NEILL, NEBR. B
Specialising— B
Federal Income Tax — Estate and g
Gift Taxes 3
Good Tax Service Doesn’t Cost, pAYs[ B
POLIO BENEFIT
.. DANCE ..
American Legion Ball Room
— O’Neill
Saturday, January 26th
Music by
EDDIE STAN
$ I Per Person
Are you eating your way
/| to a Heart Attack?
some
mighty sweet
FRUITS of
electrical research
are just about ripe
Today’s electrical conveniences that make living
so much easier and more enjoyable are just a
beginning. There are many more on the way to
change the shape of your future.
Already on the scene in some areas, or just around
the corner, are such marvels as the heat pump that
both heats and cools your home; ovens that cook
in a matter of seconds; and ultra-sonic waterless
washers. Even more amazing developments are in
the drafting, research and testing stages.
The full utilization and enjoyment of these con
veniences depends upon an ever-growing supply of
low-cost electricity. Consumers, recognizing its
responsibility, will continue to plan for and ex
pand essential power facilities to provide for the
ever-growing needs of its more than 117,000 cus
tomers. This expansion will include the construc
tion of needed and economically sound generat
ing plants, such as the 100,000 kilowatt Sheldon
Station near Hallam.
AI
