Prairieland Talk— _
McClarany Not a Millionaire
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS, 4118 South 5l*i St.. Lincoln 6, Nebr.
LINCOLN Perhaps it was newspaper tradi
tion. the instinct that persuades those of the fra
ternity to nose into what promises to be a story .
At any rate, as I saw him standing on the
comer which I pass at intervals, I paused to greet
a stranger to my neighborhood section of the cap
ital rity. Learned that his name was MeClaran,
a goixi Irish name, that his r .
homo is in Rh<xle Island, the
smallest state under the stars
and stripes, that his home is
alxiut midway between the
city of Providence and the
city of East Greenwich, o
community I had visited some
years ago
He and his wife were
spending a week in Lincoln at
the home of thpir daughter
whose husband serves in the
air force. R.malne
That little state where the Saunders
McClarans have lived just about a lifetime has
more than its share of millionaires but Mr. Me
Claran admits he is not one of them and that he
has provided for a large family, all now in homes
of their own, by his daily toil.
• • •
Recently I was one of mob of dads and mothers,
granddads and grandmothers, uncles, aunts, cous
ins, brothers and sisters who sat in the spacious
lighted gathering place to listen and look on as
another mob of kids put on a program students of
an elementary school in the suburbs of the cap
ital city It was a thriller for an old timer, the theme
being “My Nebraska ’, taking us back to pioneer
days and on down to the present The open prairie,
covered wagons, early settlers, industries, pro
ducts, notables among prairieland dwellers, state
house officials, all depicted vividly by the partici
pants in the platform performance. A little third
grader whose greut-grandfather had once served
as lieutenant-governor was assigned that part in
the program. Judged from the volume of hand
clapping all in that crowded auditorium were glad
they were Nebraskans Give us more of such tri
bute to the memory of the pioneers.
• • •
His name is McManus. A young man came
from his native home in Colorado and hung up on
the galleyrack in a surburban district of the cap
ital city. With six years experience, printer’s
devil, capable craftsman and a good business head,
he has launched in business in that art preserva
tive of all arts and has his 15x19 job press turning
out the printed products, and gets in an hour or so
from time to time keeping up with some college
studies. I did not need it particularly but to help
along a young fellow that is going to win I had him
do me a job of printing instead of sending it up to
Cal ,
• • •
A few rods of greenrobed prairieland, a house
by a brook flowing by on a bed of sand; a neigh
bor near by who you may hoar shout as you go
out walking about; a garden of herbs, cabbage and
beets, all things that grow and make good eats
that your lady knows how to cook. A life of lei
sure, time to read a good book. If more you
would seek, just get The Frontier that comes every
week!
It was 58 years hack on the record of time, an
autumn day in 1900. The community was shock
ed, the Ed Wagers home desolated. The two small
boys of Wagers were drowned in Dry creek not
far from the Patrick Barret ranch home. With
two others from town. Clara Reed and another kid,
the Wagers boys were crossing Dry creek when
they slipped into a hole and drowned . . Thirty
couples made up the party at the rink that intro
duced something novel in social events in O’Neill.
Somewhere the youthful society lads and dames
i raided a pumpkin patch, turned these into jack-o
lanterns for lights and fantastic figures hung
along the walls. . . Tom Morris came up from Mea
j dow Grove for a visit with O'Neill friends. . . S.
J. Weeks was in Omaha participating in the delib
erations of the Republican State Committee . .
! Mrs. J. H. Riggs, returning from a visit to rela
| tives in Boyd county to her home in Waterloo,
' Douglas county, spent a few days with friends in
: O'Neill. Her husband was the former publisher of
1 The Frontier. . . Miss Maude Gillespie and Miss
! Grace Adams, two of the popular ones of the O'
Neill younger set, were visiting friends in Neligh.
• • •
Those Muscovites who could trace their fam
ily tree hack to Japheth, the youngest son of
Noah, have a grandma they can be proud of.
Over there in Moscow lives an ancient lady said
to be 156 years of age. A country of South Amer
ica exhibited in Yankeeland one of the natives
said to be 167.
• • •
A young couple, he 19 and she 17, said to be
husband and wife, citizens of our Nebraska Capital
City. Caught in the net of officers out on the hunt
for teenager shop lifters, otherwise known as a
thief in the night, a lawless young gentleman and
his lady. But he without the gallantry to head the
procession and do the “shoplifting,’’ the hands of
his 17-year-old mate doing the initial work, sneak
ing out of the store with stolen goods and he on the
outside to “receive" all such. He is fined $10 for
"receiving ", she $50 for "shop lifting." A capable
young couple thus starting life if not overtaken by
moral and spiritual regeneration leads to the depth
of hell. But at our modern marts of trade with
merchandise piled all about as if to invite you to
help yourself such are a lure to even an honest
kid.
• • •
Little Johnnie is dead. A home on a rural
route out from Lincoln is in mourning. Another
highway tragedy that t<x>k the life of a three-year
old boy, a tragedy that would not have been had
a burdened mother taken that child to her side in
the front seat of her car as she was at the steering
wheel driving to Lincoln. It would not have hap
pened if she had locked the doors to the backseat
where Johnnie nxle and toyed with the car door
that swung open. The little fellow plunged out to
the pavement and was run over by the car follow
ing behind. Had I only known, had I only
thought! How- often, oh how often, we have wished
that we had!
• • •
Most people are willing to attend to every
thing except their own business.
• • •
No man who is afraid of his job is big enough
for the job.
Editorial—
1Business Is Good’ Koppert
An ingenious Omaha businessman in combat
ting all this nasty gossip about a recession by em
ploying psychology.
Whether or not Gordon Koppert’s psychology
will lie effective in its limited way remains to be
seen.
Koppert is district manager of an appliance
manufacturing firm. He is convinced that if there
is a recession in Nebraska it is purely in the
heads of people who talk about it. The one-man
gloom chaser has adopted this attitude:
"Think big and talk big!”
On his lapel he wears a bright button pro
claiming that "business is good." The same mes
sage is embroidered on the handkerchief which
he carries in his breast pocket. Koppert also dis
penses banners and balloons carrying the same
message. When you call his place of business the
telephone girl answers by saying. "Good morning,
business is good!”
Koppert points out that retail sales in Nebras
ka are up five percent and his own sales are up
16 percent, which is indicative of the effect his
“think big and talk big” philosophy is having on
his own business.
Already Koppert's one-man prosperity cam
paign is making some headway. When people see
his lapel button, some laugh, some smile and
some frown.
“Those who smile or laugh are on my side
already," he points out.
Now this prophet of optimism is trying to en
large his campaign by urging all of his 351 deal
ers in Nebraska and Iowa to join him. And he is
trying to sell the idea to his arch competitors in
the appliance field.
Whether a nationwide campaign such as that
of the Omaha appliance dealer would quickly put
all the prophets of gloom-and-doom on the run is
a matter of conjecture.
It’s possible, however, the little men who work
out blueprints for Koppert’s products feel the
credit for the firm's 16 percent sales increase be
longs to them.
Boats Are Dangerous
Now that winter apparently—has made its
final return visit (Easter), people will be taking
to lakes and streams for fishing and joyrides.
With completion of the Ft. Randall dam sev
eral years ago, the boating interest has increas
ed considerably and on a weekend you'll find doz
ens of boats mounted on trailers being hauled to
and from the recreation area.
The young Randall reservoir already has
claimed the life of one person from the O’Neill
area, a few months back. The deep water there
has claimed a dozen or more lives of others who
come from considerable distance to fish and boat
there. ,_
A score of other people including some from
this area—have had close brushes with death in
capsizings. high winds and simple carelessness.
In proportion to the numt>er of cars and planes
in use, boats are more deadly, and this is a subject
not to be lightly dismissed if you're in the habit
of using boats.
The boat—usually innocent-looking contriv
ances, sometimes sleek and loaded with fanc\
gadgets—can lx?come as deadily as a car v rash.
1 The victim may not be mussed up, like he would
I be in a traffic accident, but he will lx* just as dead.
Not being what one would call an expert on
boats and Ixxiting, we suggest that persons not
familiar with the water avoid danger by keeping
in the company of someone who knows how to
handle boats. In addition, the experts can elim
inate the chance of tragedy by not becoming over
confident and presuming that they can meet any
crisis that arises without penalty.
We’re not trying to dampen spirits on the eve
of the busy summer Ixxiting season. We’re sim
ply saying: Please be careful and use common
sense if you go onto the water.
Young Scientists at Work
((■nest editorial from the Valentine Newspa.per)
A Valentine druggist tells us he is receiving
an increasing number of calls for chemicals which
are readily recognizable as rocket fuel components.
He is now refusing to sell these items to minors
1 without a written note from the parents.
This is a commendable attitude on the part of
the druggist, but he alone cannot protect our young
[x*ople. It behooves all parents of boys who are
interested in rocketry to take a long, searching
look at their sons’ activities.
Some very common substances become dead
ly fuels and explosives when compounded in the
proper proportions. Certainly experiments with ma
terials of this nature should be forbidden unless
supervised by trained adults.
The price of complacence with regard to
rocket fuel experiments could easily be a hand, an
eye, or a life.
Think Elevator Good Idea
Many persons have expressed agreement with
our recent editorial calling for an elevator being
installed at the Holt county courthouse.
One woman in our office said she had two
flights of stairs to climb during her visit to O’Neill
and one of these was at the courthouse.
"I’ll lx* ’done-out’ for the rest of the week,”
she complained.
A farmer in our office said the other day this
has been the first year he can remember when
Nebraska farmers and ranchers had plenty of feed
of ail kinds for livestock and the prices for what
he raises good.
ijft e Frontier
CARROLL W. STEWART, Editor and Publisher
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. VA50
per year; elsewhere in the United States, $3 per
year; rates abroad provided upon request. All sub
| scriptions payable in advance.
When You & I Were Young . . .
Kiernan to Manage
Telephone Company
‘Goodbye’ Party Is
Held at Atkinson
50 Years Ago
A goodbye party was held for
Mr. and Mrs Frank J. Kiernan
! of Atkinson, who are moving to
O Neill to make their home and
where Mr Kierman will be the
manager of the Holt County Tele
phone company. Mrs. Kiernan
and Miss Anna Coufal will
ran the exchange. Those at
1 rending t h e party were Mr.
and Mrs. William Bokhof, Mr.
and Mrs. C Wilson, Mr. and Mrs.
. C. Williams. Dr and Mrs. Doug
las, Mr. and Mrs. R. N. Hart, Mr
and Mrs. A. T. Hart and Mi', and
Mrs. M. Campbell. . Daniel
Burr, travelling man and ranch
owner, and T. V. Golden will
start a factory of cement building
blocks and cement shingles. . .
Jessie Farnsworth of Page was
elected principal in the Wood
River schools at a salary of $70 a
month. . . A large number of
boys went out to Jack Taggert's
place near Chambers and helped
him cut a ditch to drain his fish
pond. We were there and every
one got plenty of fish.
20 Years Ago
Henry Schacht and Bill Egger
wished they had stayed in Texas
a few days longer becaue of the
cold winds covering this section
from the north. . . A kite contest
will be held for the youngsters
1 sponsored by the O'Neill busi
nessmen in cooperation with the
recreation center. .. . Mrs. Mary
Mullen of Portland, Ore., arrived
to visit relatives, including her
daughter, Mrs. VV. H. Harty, for
| an extended visit. . . Mrs. L. A.
Her of Gregory, S.D., who was
taken seriously ill while passing
through this city, submitted to
surgery at the O’Neill hospital. . .
The trumpet trio- Howard Gra
ves, Woody Melena and Dorothy
Yocum rated superior and the
vocal solo by Charles Yarnell al
so won a superior in the music
contest at Fullerton.
10 Years Ago
Mrs. Thomas Slattery, 44, a
mother, of four children, and Ed
ward L. Ilamik, 48, a gasoline
and oil dealer, both of Atkinson,
were killed by an explosion at
the Slattery home when Mr.
Hamik was delivering fuel oil to
a barrel in the Slattery basement.
It is believed Mrs. Slattery turn
ed on an electric light switch and
a spark ignited the fumes. . .
O’Neill and Neligh high school
bands received the rating of sup
erior in cass B in the mijsic con
test.
One Year Ago
Dr. Leonard F. (“Jimmy”)
Lovely of Verdigre was honored
by the American basketball hall
of fame. He was a Creighton
university star. . . Lt. Donna
Shellhase arrived home from
Japan where she served in the
army nurses' corp- . . Six inches
of snow fell during the week. . .
Twenty-six schools are entered
in the annual district music con
test here. . . Deaths: Ray Siders,
53, of Inman, a prominent Angus
1 breeder: Lyle Wertz, 63, of Star;
Joseph M. Scripter, 53, of Atkin
son; Mrs. Arthur Frahm, 68, of
Page. . . Arden Uhlir, 17, of Ver
digre, won the honor of being the
! state’s star farmer.
Dinner Guests—
CHAMBERS--Mr. and Mrs. El
mer Coolidge of Amelia, Mr. and
Mrs. Charles Coolidge and Ken
neth and Mr. and Mrs. James
Grimes of Chambers were Sun
day, March 30, dinner guests of
Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Grimes.
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Flash! Hold Presses!
Johnson Tells New
Use of Castor Oil!
Andy Johnson, who lives on a
ranch north of O'Neill and is a
perennial at the Nebraska race
tracks, comes up with this:
“Best belt dressing in the
world is a bit of castor oil. A
teaspoon does wonders on a
grinder or buzz saw.”.
Johnson and his wife will Ik?
leaving in about 10 days for the
race circuit, taking several
horses that Johnson has train
ed. Their first stop will be the
Ak-Sar-Ben track at Omaha.
"No need for belt dressing at
j a race track,” quipped John
son, “unless it'd Ik? for the
poeketliooks of newspaper guys
who never spend a dime at a
! racetrack.”
Victory Homemakers
in Two Meetings—
The March meeting of the
Victory Homemakers club was
held at the home of Mrs. John
I Sehaaf with a covered dish din
ner. Due to bad roads and sick
ness there were only six mem
bers present and three guests,
Mrs. Charles Deemer and daugh
ter, Marian, and Mrs. Clarence
Gilg.
Roll call was answered by "If
you were moving, where would
you like to move?”
Mrs. Deemer gave a lesson
on “Upholstering'. Mrs Sehaaf
won the door prize. The club gave
$10 to the Red Cross.
A meeting was held Wednes
day, April 9, with Mrs. Joe Gokie,
jr. The lesson was soups and
sandwiches. By Mrs. Ray Con
way, reporter.
Lawrence Buck from
Fur East—
Robert L. Lawrence, seaman,
USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray
W. Lawrence, returned to San
Diego, Calif., Tuesday, April 1,
aboard the dock landing ship,
USS Gunston Hall, after a tour of
duty in the Western Pacific. Be
tween operations and fleet exer
cises the ship’s crew visited Haw
aii; the Marshall Islands; Subic
Bay, Philippine Islands; For
mosa; Hong Kong; Yokosuka,
Easeco, Toyko, Kamekura. and
Nagasaki, Japan.
Rural Youth in
Birthday Party—
At a special meeting Wednes
day, March 26, the Holt county
rural youth held a birthday
party for the organization. The
committee for the party was
Ramona Wayman and Mrs. Har
old Coburn.
The evening was spent playing
games after which a lunch was
served by the committee. Ray
mond Wagman of Atkinson was a
guest.
Mr. and Mrs. Warren Burgess
and family of Omaha spent the
Easter weekend with his par
ents, Dr. and Mrs. L. A. Burgess.
Mrs. Juliana Kamphaus and
Mary were Sunday. March 30,
evening guests of Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Amberger of Norfolk.
Mr. and Mrs. Don Asher and
daughter, Susan, of Valentine
were weekend guests of Mrs. Ash
er’s mother, Mrs. Millie Wyant.
kings Daughters
Select Officers
PAGE Mr*. Carl Max was
fleeted president of the King's
Daughters society T u e s d a y.
April 1, when the group met at
the Wesleyan room at the Page
Methodist church.
Other officers chosen were;
Mrs. Norman Trowbridge, vice
president; Mrs. Roy Hansen,
secretary; Mrs. Leland Knudsen,
treasurer; Mrs. Richard Hciss.
condolence secretary; Mrs. Ro
bert Van Horn, spiritual life sec
retary; Mrs. Roger Bowen, dir
ector of youth; Mrs. Merwyn
French, jr., secretary of mis
sions; Mrs Dale Stauffer, secre
tary of literature and publications.
"Our Youth" was the topic of
the lesson with Mrs. Carl Mas
as leader. Mrs. Kenneth Hciss
had the devotional period
Mrs. Merwyn French, sr., re
ported on the mission work and
other projects in the Page MYF.
The playlet, “One By One”,
prev ioush given at WSCS, was
repeated with Mesdames Dorn
Townsend, yarry Harper, Carl
Mas, Orville Kemper, and Mer
wyn French, sr., taking part
Mrs. Lisle Mew maw was narra
tor.
Mrs. Robert Van Horn and Mrs.
| Roger Bowen served refresh
j merits. The tables reflected
i spring flowers in decoration.
Other Page News
Mr. and Mrs. Anton Nisson re
turned last Thursday from Phoe
nix, Ariz., and Columbus where
they spent the past three weeks
visiting their son-in-law and1
daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Lem
Webb, and son and Mrs. Nissen's
brother and wife, Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Fuelberth of Corning. Ia.,
who are spending the winter at
Mesa, Ariz. Mr. and Mrs. Ed
mond Weber and daughters of
Denver, Colo., surprised them
Saturday, March 29, by meeting
them at the Webbs where they
had gone for the Easter vaca
tion. Dale Nissen met his parents
in Omaha Wednesday, April 2,
and they were overnight guests
at Columbus.
Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Harper,
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Beelaert
and family and Mr. and Mrs.
Marvin Stauffer and family were
Sunday. March 30, guests of Mr.
and Mrs. James Jarman at
Chambers. The Jarmans moved
last week to Bassett.
Mrs. Harold Hciss entertained
the members of the NO A club
Tuesday, April 1, for an after
noon of fancywork and visiting.
Mrs. Duane Allen was unable to
be present. Mrs. Richard Heiss
and Mrs Harry Lampert, jr.,
were guests. A 30-dozen case of
eggs was packed to be sent to
the Nebraska Children’s Home.
Mrs. Leland Knudsen will be the
April 15, hostess.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Hartigan of
Le Mars, la., arrived last Thurs
day evening to visit Marye Harti
gan at Inman and with her par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert
Steinberg. They were Easter
dinner guests of the Steinbergs.
A brunch hour was arranged
Thursday for Mrs. Thomas Kelly
in farewell. The Kellys moved
later in the day to Wisner where
they have employment on a farm.
Guests were Mrs. Lyle Abney of
} Inman, Mesdames Neven Ickes,
! jr., Norman Trowbridge, Dale
Matschullat, Richard Truwbrid
ge. Jerry Summers, Ivan Heiss.
Robert Nissen, Warren Cronk
Richard Heiss and Carl Max.
C. R. Hill, Harvey Krugman,
Elmer Juracek and Merwyr
French, sr., were present and
showed slides of work accorn
plished in the soil conservation
department Tuesday evening,
April 1, when the members of the
Commercial club and guests mef
at the IOOF hall. Mr. French and
Mr. Hill were narrators for the
film. The wives of the club mem
Ivrs servtHl lunch to 81 guests.
—*«9»
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