Prairieland Talk
"'Prairieland Talker' Hurt In Fall"
(Ed. Note: Romalne Saunders, iwir Prairleland
Talker for many years, is unable to write his
usuaJ column for this week. His daughter, Mrs.
Harold Eno, sends us this note: “My father had a
fall a week ago and has lw*cn unable to write
“Pralrieland Talk” this week. We don’t know yet
whether he’ll be able to write it for next week or
not.”
We know the old gentlemen would be immense
ly pleased if his many friends and readers would
drop him a note or card at Ills home at 4110 So.
51st street, Uneolii (i, Nebraska.)
I thought ai>out writing a column to take the
place of the Prairieland Talk for this week . . . but
I have no background to talk of the days of Holt
county when Kid Wade and Doc Middleton were
known to one and all . . . nor can I remember when
Sioux Indians camped along the Elkhorn . . . even
though in my mind’s eye I can see their tepees
standing along the banks of this beautiful river.
Nor can I talk of the early history of O’Neill
when homesteads dotted the prairie around a
sprawling frontier town and the people who were
destined to become known as the cattle and mer
chant kings of the town were grubbing their ex
istence by hand from the rich range land.
In a country as rich in history, legend and faille
as North Central Nebraska, an old-timer such as
Mr. Saunders with a sharp memory could regale
us with many tales and that is just what ho has
been doing these many years.
The lynching of Barrett Scott alone is a subject
for many columns of type in the hands of someone
Editorial
who has information on the subject.
And the individual stories of the various home
steaders who came here from the east to go on to
riches and fame in other locations and endeavors
would fill many books.
The beauty of the prairie in spring and fall is
something on which I could converse but not with
the eloquence with which Mr. Saunders approaches
the subject, for I do not have the many years in
Prairieland that the old Talker has. I have seen it
turn from winter’s browns and russets to the first
green of spring . . . and then go on to the rich
lushness of the range at its best, literally sprinkled
with the various wild flowers that grow in profusion
throughout the summer . . . going from an abun
dance of one flower to another as the season pro
gresses . . . but the poetic expression of Mr. Saund
ers would be lacking.
I thought of writing of the current scene as Mr.
Saunders does, but he always compares it to by
gone days when the world was different and man
stood on his hind legs and asked no one for aid . . .
Federal or otherwise . . . even though he would be
the first to offer the strength of his arm or brain
to a needy neighbor . . . and with no strings at
tached to the offer.
No, I feel that I am not qualified to write of the
country as Mr. Saunders does . . . therefore I won’t.
I will just add my foment hope that the Old
Prairieland Talker has a speedy recovery and is
soon back writing his weekly column. Until then
we’ll just work a little harder to keep the pump
primed and the chores done. — B. R.
It's the Parents' Job, Too . . .
In the first weeks preceding and following the
opening of school in the fall the public is beset on
all sides by admonitions to drive carefully for the
sake of school children.
In the schoolrooms—especially the lower grades
—children are taught to cross only at comers, with
the lights, look before crossing and many other
safety precautions.
Bicycle riders are told to obey traffic signals
the same as any other vehicle lest the children be
come victims of an accident.
In the opening paragraph we said “beset on all
sides” but that is not quite true.
THE PARENTS ARE THE ONES WHO GOOF!
Don’t believe it? Go park nea^ the schools when
parents are picking up or dropping off their child
ren. They turn little tikes loose to cross alone in
the middle of a busy block, let the children out of
the car on the side of the street opposite the school,
run stop signs and commit dozens of other safety
infractions.
How in the world ean we expect the children to
practice safety if we adults set such lousy ex
amples:
School officials can talk themselves blue in the
face trying to get the kids to be careful and a par
ent can undo all this teaching in 30 seconds with a
bad example.
Wonder how these same parents would feel if
they had to pull the mangled body of their child
from under the wheels of a car? Wonder how they
would like to undergo the suffering and torture of
getting a phone call saying, “There’s been an ac
cident. Your child ran into the street and was hit
by a car . . . ”?
If parents don’t practice, teach and insist on
safety education in the children all other teaching
is wasted.
Taxes Always Increase
You can say one thing with virtual certainty
about taxes—they always increase.
Take the social security tax as an example. The
combined employe-employer rate, with each paying
half, was 2 per cent on a maximum of $3,000 a year
in earnings when the plan went into effect in 1937.
Now the rate is 6 per cent on $4,800.
This isn't all. The tax is scheduled to reach
9.25 per cent in 1969- without increased benefits.
If benefits are increased, the tax will have to be
boosted still further, and applied to higher income
levels.
Physicians in 48 states and the District of
Columbia provided free medical care worth
$657,535,000 in 1960, according to a survey by New
Medical Materia. Treatment of private patients
without charge forms the greatest portion of the
typical physician’s free services.
Posing A Problem
Retailers employ great numbers of young
people who attend school on a full-time student
basis and work for limited periods in the afternoons
or evenings, on Saturdays and during vacation
periods.
This employment provides untrained youngsters
with a source of income and, additionally, enables
them to learn skills and responsibilities that will
prove valuable in later life. But the newly-expanded
Federal wage-hour law, which includes retail
workers for the first time, poses a serious problem.
A statement by the American Retail federation
puts it this way: "We are convinced that ... if re
tailers are required to pay the going minimum rate,
most of the job opportunities now available for full
time students will disappear. Retailers cannot be
expected to pay the full legal minimum to part
time, inexperienced workers. But the type of work
now done by these students, in most cases, will
not be performed by adult workers. It will either
be done by mechanization, changes to self - service
or through other economies. In some cases it will
not be done at all. with the resulting loss of stu
dent jobs as well as service to the public.”
The law is supposed to provide exceptions in
situations such as this. Unless it does, in actual
practice, the increased unemployment many feared
would result from an expanded minimum wage law
will become a reality.
Taxes Are Good—But!
The National Education Association has issued
a booklet entitled “Taxes Are Good.” It observes
that “taxes are the price we pay for civilization.”
This, of course, is a truism. Taxes, as one writer
puts it, are good and necessary for civilization, in
the same way that fire and water are good. But you
don’t have to bum down your house to warm your
hands—and you don’t have to open a dam and drown
in the flood to get a drink.
The “Taxes Are Good” argument is used as a
support for an almost endless list of government
projects and proposals which advance the welfare
state, reduce or destroy local rights and responsibili
ties, limit the freedom of groups and individuals,
and dry up the mormal sources of taxation—for
example, housing subsidies, farming subsidies,
public power schemes, federal aid to schools, federal
medical aid plans, and son on.
So the “Taxes Are Good” theme needs to be
carefully analyzed. They are good when levied for
necessary purposes. They are bad when levied for
purposes which should be undertaken, if they are
to be undertaken at all, by local government or
private enterprise.
Frontiers
Ago
50 YEARS AGO
Dave Stannard was Up in Min
nesota last week and while away
sold his race horse Speed On to
a Wisconsin man. . .Miss Mary
Coyle departed Tuesday for Nor
folk to take up her position as
teacher in the city schools for the
ensuing year. . .The first of the
week Mellor and Quilty closed a
deal with George Devlin by
which Mr. Devlin becomes the
owner of the equipment of the
former’s livery stable. . .Gene
Sullivan, Butte, Mont., defeated
Earl Jackson, Lynch, in a six
round bout at the opera house in
Spencer Wednesday night before
a good sized crowd. . .John Big
lin came Up from Hastings last
Saturday for a few days visit
here and to enjoy a few days
shooting.
25 YEARS AGO
Lee Bergland, living near Op
portunity, was brought to O’Neill
Saturday with a fractured collar
bone, the result of a fall from a
horse. . .Someone stole a quani
ty of home-canned provisions
from the Joe Schollmeyer farm
20 miles northeast last Saturday
night. . .Herman Medlin came in
Monday with a large truck from
Jefferson city to load his house
hold stuff for removal to that
place. . .The Rev. and Mrs. Ot:
to Fink, who have been serving
the Methodist church here the
past three months, returned to
their home at Neligh Sunday. . .
School opended Monday morning
in District 192 with Miss Helen
McConnell as teacher.
10 YEARS AGO
Mr. and Mrs. William Waif,
Ewing, have been married 50
years; their childhoods were
spent in sod shanties. . .The Cliff
Rundquist store, Royal, was bro
ken into by burglars Tuesday
night, the second time this year,
and losses are figured at more
than $1,000 in value. . .Miss Ros
alyn Bosn, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Simon Bosn, has graduated
from St. Elizabeth’s school of
nursing August 30. . .Paul Jenk
ins, 10, son of Mr. and Mrs. Les
lie Jenkins, who reside several
miles east of Park Center; was
killed instantly when struck by
car Monday enroute home from
school. . .“Joltin’ Joe’’ McCar
ville, captured the 1951 O’Neil]
city golf championship by defeat
ing Max Golden 4-3 Sunday af
ternoon.
5 YEARS AGO
Frank McKenny returns from
Rapid City, S. D., to be soft
lines department manager at
Gambles. . .Charlie Bigelow cele
brated his 90th birthday Septem
ber 8 at Stuart. . .Mrs. William
A. Anderson, 74, a Holt county
resident since she was one year
old, died September 7 in St. An
thony’s hospital after year’s ill
ness. . .The Church of the Epip
hany at Emmet was the scene of
a wedding September 12 'uniting
in marriage Miss Rose Mary Babl
and James H. Schmitz. . The
Page drill team of the Royal
Neighbor lodge went to Bassett
Monday evening and won a tro
phy for largest attendance.
The Long Ago
At Chambers
50 YEARS AGO
A wagon load of fruit, peach
es, pears and grapes for canning,
has arrived here through the ef
forts of Smith Brothers. . .Mrs.
Od Jarman and children moved
into the Nesbitt house last week
in order that the children may at
tend the Chambers school this
winter. . .Mr. and Mrs. Herbert
Kemk have moved into part of
the Grubb house. . .The Chambers
Commercial club and Band Boys
boosted for the Fair yesterday
morning and were met at Emmet
by an O’Neill delegation which
hosted them at dinner in the Ev
ans hotel and took them to the
McGinnis Creamery company for
an inspection and a taste of their
manufactured ice cream.
25 YEARS AGO
Mrs. Alma Farrier and daugh
ter, Alice, returned Friday eve
ning from a 4,000 mile auto trip
east. . .At a quiet wedding last
Thursday evening Miss Wilma
Slavicek became the bride of Asa
Anderson jr. . .Porter’s Corner
changed hands last week when
Ace Hubbard purchased the Ser
vice Station and five acres of
ground and will take possession
about October 15. . .Mrs. Billy
Cooper suffered a stroke of para
lysis on the left side Monday
morning. . .Mr. and Mrs. Sewell
Johnson, Emmet, are the happy
parents of a seven and a half
pound baby daughter, Kay Ar
lene, born to them August 28.
Pete Clarke of this city won first
and second prizes at' the swim
ming contest at Atkinson August
30.
Riverside News
By Mrs. Lionel Gunter
Bus Napier and Louis Shrader
went to Blair early Friday morn
ing to get the Verl Gunter fami
ly, called home by the death of
her mother, Mrs. Martha Shra
der. Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Fry and
Mrs. Willie Shrader went to
Wayne Friday afternoon after
Douglas and Sandra Shrader and
Archie Johnston. Verl Gunter
went Friday evening to Storm
Lake, la., for Sharon Johnston.
Sandra, Douglas and Sharon re
turned to attend the funeral rites
for their grandmother, Mrs. Mar
tha Shrader.
Mrs. Don Larson came home
Thursday after spending a few
days in the hospital.
Mr. and Mrs. Rudy left Fri
day morning for Wichita, Kan., to
visit their son-in-law and daugh
ter, Mr. and Mrs. Gary Wein
kaump.
Mr. and Mrs. George Montgom
ery visited in Neligh Friday af
ternoon.
Mrs. Wayne Shrader and the
twins, John and Ruth, visited Fri
day afternoon at the Leo Miller
home.
Mr. and Mrs. Dave Pollock vis
ited their grandson, Blaine Pol
lock, in the Neligh hospital Fri
day afternoon. Blaine had a ton
sillectomy Friday morning.
Johnny and Jamey Gunter were
overnight guests Friday at the
Lionel Gunter home. Evening vis
itors were Mr. and Mrs. Wilmer
Mosel and Mr. and Mrs. Raymond
Schmidt and Tommy.
Alice Shrader worked last week
at the Johnson Drive-In in O’
Neill.
Mrs. Leo Miller and Becky vis
ited in Neligh Wednesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Miller and
Danny went to Denver, Colo., last
Tuesday to visit at the Gerald
Hadduck home and brought Mr.
and Mrs. Howard Miller home
with them Thursday evening. The
Howard Millers has been visiting
at the Hadduck home.
Mr. and Mrs. Willie Shrader
and David visited Tnursday eve
ning at tne Don Larson home.
Mrs. Dewitt Hoke visited Mrs.
Weldon Alexander last Monday
evening.
The Leo Miller family were din
ner guests last Sunday at the
Bert Fink home.
Mrs. Lynn Fry took a carload
of pupils from the Riverside
school to the Frenchtown school
Friday morning to see two film
strips on “Health and Safety”.
Barbara Ernesti was an over
night guest Friday of Sharon
Mott.
i i iv. fi ui» J ii vinvi^ v ium »*»v*
Thursday afternoon with Mrs.
Lester Johnston. The women
sewed carpet rags for the hos
tess. Frances Shrader, presi
dent, conducted the business
meeting. Gifts were exchanged
and “mystery sister” names
were revealed. Members drew
names for the coming year.
Twenty-two members and one
visitor, Mrs. Flora Newman,
California, were present. The
president appointed two women
to buy a gift for Connie Turay,
who is to have a series of op
erations on her hip. Connie is
five years old.
Mrs. Charlotte Lord, California,
came last Sunday evening to the
Bert Fink home for a visit.
Mr. and Mrs. Dewitt Hoke and
Clayton joined the Alvin Nelson
family, Plainview, last Sunday
for some boat riding near Niobra
ra.
Susan Napier visited Wednes
day at the Dale Napier home.
The Busy Hands 4-H club met
Thursday evening at the Dale Na
pier home.
The Robert Ahlers four child
ren, Wisner, stayed a few days
the forepart of last week at the
Rudy Ahlers home while their
mother was in the hospital.
Mr. and Mrs. John Napier and
children visited Thursday and
were supper guests at the Jerry
Cuddy home in O’Neill.
The Lynn Fry family visited in
Norfolk Tuesday.
Alfred Napier was an Omaha
visitor Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Keith Biddle
come visited Thursday evening at
the Joe Hegr home near Madi
son.
The William Lofquist family
joined the Robert Lofquist family,
Fremont, the Reuben Meyers
family, Neligh, and the Merlyn
Meyers family and Mrs. Edna
Lofquist, Ewing, for a picnic din
ner in a Norfolk park Sunday.
Mrs. John Napier and Mrs. Al
fred Napier were in Neligh Thurs
day afternoon for the project les
son on “Arranging Cabinets”.
Mrs. Ed Hoag stayed with the
John Napier children and Stave
Napier stayed at the Gary Tess
mer home.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Napier
and family visited Tuesday eve
ning at the Wayne Fry heme.
ROYAL THEATER
Fri.-Sat.-Sun.-Mon.-Tues.
Sept. 22 23-24-25-26
THE PARENT TRAP
Hayley Mills
Maureen O’Hara Brian Keith
In Technicolor
We<l.-Thurs. Sept. 27-28
Family Night
BIMBO THE GREAT
In Eastman Color
STo Nebraskans
,.. a glass of beer
is many things
Up and down the wide Missouri... out over the
numerous lakes which dot Nebraska... the joys
of boating are taking a big place in the lives of
many Nebraskans. It’s a part of good living.
And so is a glass of light, refreshing beer.
But even more, beer is a symbol of political
rights and freedoms... the freedom of choice
between a cup of warming coffee or a friendly
glass of beer. This is a right which should be
long to all men, everywhere.
MB. AND MBS. RONALD W. OONNOT were married August 19
in St. Mary's Catholic church at Spencer. The bride is the tormer
Sharon Kay Havranek, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Havranek,
Spencer. Mr. Connot is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William (Viniiot, also
ol Spencer. The couple is residing on a farm west of Spencer.
Verdigre News
liy V ac Ran (la
Last Weeks News—
Sunday evening the MYF met
at the ranch home of Dr. and
Mrs. V. A. Walstrom one mile
north of town for a pctluck sup
per. There were over .'JO mem
bers of the MYF and their g'uests
in attendance. There were eight
couples of adults as guests beside
their sponsors. Guests of honor
were the Rev. and Mrs. David T.
Gustafson. After the supper hour
there was a short song and wor
ship service, a talk by the Rev.
Gustafson, and at the close of
the evening a square dance was
held.
Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Walstrom,
Spencer, la., left September 5
after a visit in the home of their
son. Dr. V. A. Walstrom.
Rebecca Jo, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Dennis Farnik, was bap
tised Sunday in the Verd'gre
Methodist church with the Rev.
D. T. Gustafson officiating. John
Farnik was soloist accompanyed
by his sister, Jo Ellen.
A recent farewell party was
held at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
William J. Svoboda for their son,
William M. Svoboda and family,
who have moved to Battle Creek
where they have purchased the
bank. Dr. James Carlson bought
the W. M. Svoboda home. Other
guests at the farewell party
were Gordon Havlicek and Allen
Havlicek, Lincoln, and Mrs. Mary
Jelinek, Verdigre.
Bidders for 411 and FFA
calves sold at the Knox Coun
ty Fair at Bloomfield were
Verdigre (Improvement club,
Verdigre Livestock Market,
Mastalir's, Verdigre Bakery,
Verdigre Creamery, Verdigre
Maly Implement company,
Bank of Verdigre, N & B Gas
company, Tom’s Tavern and
the Farmers Co-op Association.
Sixteen awards were presented
to the members of the high school
biology and general science clas
ses for their entries in the Knox
County Fair at Bloomfield. The
awards included 15 superiors and
one excellent. Members are Judy
Ondracek, Lana Ruzicka, Larry
Viterna, Robert Frank, Marvin
SoUcek, Janet Rudloff, Darlene
VanBuren, Nancy Svoboda, Mil
dred Cemy, Sharon Vech, Bonnie
Wirth, Jean Dryak, Dennis Dvor
ak, Kathy Kucera, Kenneth Son
der, Judy McCormick and Lavon
ne Hildreth.
CASE STUDY 20
Lincoln Area Family
Enjoys Electric Heat
hh mmtmm • ' mm mxmmmmmm
‘Perfect For Cleanliness—And We
Get No Blasts Of Hot Or Cold Air’
Mr. and Mrs. Lorenz Brauer moved into their new 2,200 square foot home in Waverly
earlier this year. Mr. Brauer, a farnaer-tumed-carpenter, helped build it. So he knows that he
Imh the heat — including flameless electric beat
ehririe heat is wonderful,” says Mrs. Brauer, a first-grade teacher in Lincoln’s
Pershing School. “Ditto for aa," say Daughters Mary Ellen, 16, and Lois Jean, 12. They especial
ly Eke the even heat from their baseboard units. “And, of course, we have a thermostat
in every room for individual control," said Mr. Brauer.
h cost no more to install modem electric heat in the Brauer home, and operating costs
wfH average around $26 a month for the nine-month heating season.
“We figure it costs no aaare to have die best,” said Mr. Brauer.
Consumers Public Power District
Nebraska Public Power System
