THE VALENTINE DEAtOCRAT
X. M KICK , I'
TALENTLNE , NEBRASKA.
Jf polling n tooth is not surgery , what
IB It. It certainly Is not practicing rned-
TEfe-who steals a woman's purse gets
tiw&y with a lot of samples and other
Tteuh.
Jtow that we happen to think of it ,
what bas become of the dreaded kiss-
-A .man feels lonesome when he Is in
fce company of people who never
mistakes.
student who lingers around the
of hla class may eventually be-
a first-class chiropodist.
SB seldom that a man becomes so
lighted as to be unable to see a
fntty woman across the street
JL married woman has her happiest
.awmeats when she uses the desk in
fcer husband's den as a cutting table.
President Palma , of Cuba , may have
the satisfaction of knowing that if It
Veesn't last he can write magazine arti-
when it is all over.
Canada , will profit by the lessons of
fee recent wars and will increase its
may to 100,000. There is nothing like
prepared for emergencies.
There are people inquisitive enough
to want to know how many times in
erenteen years , anyhow , the seven
teen-year locusts may be expected.
Another chorus girl has accidentally
jtJsoovcred that she Is an heiress to
$400.000. It Is really wonderful how
atreless these young women are about
their ancestors.
JL Migsisslppinn who had been mar
ried seven times h i just wedded a.
woman who had beeu married six
Umcs. They surely needed 110 rehears *
1 of the ceremony.
It has been brought out in a Oon-
-necticut divorce suit that the man was
druuk twice a day for 3U4 days in suc
cession. Why he missed on the 3G5th
day is not explained.
wife of a Connecticut million-
aire has died from paralysis caused by
-the strenuousness of her social duties.
Foxhall Keene and the Chicago man
vsrlio fainted at the altar as a result of
tSie trying ante-nuptial campaign will
crabtless read of this case with intense
interest.
No longer ago than 1S47 a clerk on a
.Charleston boat chanced to speak to
*
iome friends in New York of the fresh
vegetables to be had in the Southern
city. It was winter , and his statement
vras challenged by one of the listeners.
Dn his next trip North , therefore , he
bonght a basket of vegetables , includ
ing two boxes of strawberries. They
were placed on exhibition in a shop
window and attracted endless atten
tion. That was the beginning of the
business of truck-farming iii the United
-Wales. Until the middle of the century
-the fruits and vegetables raised on
nearly all farms were intended for
home consumption , or for sale in mar
kets close at hand. To-day California
fruit and vegetables go all over the
world , and the Northern cities live all
winter on garden produce raised in
l orida or the Gulf States. Many of
the improved facilities now offered by
the railroads are directly due to the
handling of perishable agricultural
products. Routes have l > een shortened ,
rars ventialted. refrigeration provided ,
jiid the number and speed of trains 5n-
treased , until vegetables are now land-
' p < ! in good condition a thousand miles
from where they were raised. Intensive
rather than extensive farming is tue
watchword of the producer of garden
truck. The average size of the farms
h only about fifteen acres , but some of
Jhe ten-acre plots are so well cultivated
Mint Ihey produce two thousand dol
lars' worth of truck in a season. To
( he money value of the truck farms
must be added the greater service they
perform in placing fresh vegetables
within the reach of almost every fam
ily , even in winter. That Is a contrihu-
don both to general comfort and to pub-
jv health.
There are these who deplore the ab-
iivuei' of "art sentiment" in this coun
try , Frederick MacMonnies , the
tvorld-famous sculptor and a good
American , is not one of them. .Mr Mac-
Monuies says the American people are
Jlie most appreciative people in the
Avorlil. They want the best things and
crc determined to have them. "The
feople abroad. " says this American
j.-nlptor. who has spent much time in
i.urope , "are not half as enthusiastic
RS the Americans are. If you would
t.jmparc them you would find that in
Hie line arts the really enthusiastic
Americans would far out-balance the
mass of foreigners. " Now this is di-
l"c-iy ; opposed to what we have been
tea ring1 from pessimistic Americans
ivJio extoll the art culture of the Euro
pean masses , and who tell us that
Vvtm the peasants are art critics. "
41 r. Mnt'Momiies believes that Ant erica
r.-ill be the world's groat art center ,
lit' says the day will come when
.France will scud its students here to
< tudy art as they now send them here
io study electrical engineering. "The
Ime is not far distant when in the line
irl.s , as well as in every other branch
jf human activity , America will as-
- - -
wr
sumc the supremacy. " This America !
sculptor says the art of this country
will be distinctive. Itvill not slavish
ly follow European traditions. "Then
is no reason in my mind why the horses
of modern statues should follow the
old Roman type , and any artist is fullj
justified in breaking away from the old
traditions while maintaining a propel
respect for the tenets of art. One should
know the rules and traditions in order
to know just how far he may depart
from them. " We have listened so lon
to the muggy droning of the art pessi
mists that this declaration of the dis
tinguished sculptor is like a breath of
fresh air.
What would you do if you lost youi
eyesight ? It is a question that deals
with man's resources within himself ,
with his power to work and remain a
useful member of soeiety under condi
tions that naturally breed sorrow. Mil
lionaire Rouss , in New York , recently
offered $1,000,000 for a pair of eyes , and
died without them. For years his one
pitiful cry was : "Take my fortune and
" Schober of De
give me light" Omar ,
troit , passed two years of sorrow and
died. He entered his home one day
and began lighting matches in the base
ment , thinking night had come. The
flame burned his fingers , but he saw
no light. He was blind. This man's
life depended on his sight. He had
some wealth and a fine business , but
lacked that mysterious something that
keeps the heart young even when disas
ter comes. A musician , he laid away
his violin and closed the piano. He
cared no more for flowers or children.
He was moody and irritable. His only
solace was to enter liis printing house
and listen to the rumble of tho presses.
He endured his sorrow two years , and
death was not unwelcome , lint there
are men who suffer and smile. They
say : "Life is good , and I'll do my best
to make sunshine if I cannot see it. I'll
take the things that Nature has left
me and make the best of them. " Hu
bert L. Pierson , president of the Sec
ond National Bank of Orange , N. J. ,
and a manufacturer of renown , has
been totally blind for fourteen years.
He never lost a minute repining when
the trouble came , but set himself to
work to show how much a blind man
can do , and succeeded. At Tomah.
Wis. , lives Eugene L. Hitchcock. He's
blind , and has been a traveling man for
thirty-five years. He is the only blind
traveling man in the world , it is said ,
and his life is a lesson in courage and
devotion to duty. He doesn't feel like
a martyr or parade his affliction. He
works and refuses to worry , which is
the secret of happiness. There are
thousands of brave but atilicted men
and women in this country who are
cheerful breadwinners under circum
stances that call for a wonderful type
of courage. When you see them work
ing , laughing , planning and hoping in
their world of perpetual darkness don't
forget to be thankful for your own
sound body , and lend a helping hand
when you can.
IN HARD LUCK.
The HoiiKh Kxpurieiicu of an Ainlu-
tioiiH Yoiint ; Journalist.
"Hard luck stories are common
enough , ' ' said the old reporter , "but
I believe I have a story which caps
the climax. At any rate , so far as
my experimce goes , it is about the
worst I ever heard. Some years ago 1
knew a very promising young fellow
who wanted to launch out into the
newspaper business. He launched out
all right and ma tie considerable pro
gress in a way. lie made the start
that a great many young men have to
make , and offered his services for
nothing. lie wrote good stories , and
the men he worked for frequently call-
in ! him in and complimented his ef
forts. He was really playing a star
LMigagement. He was the big thing
L-eportorially the dog with the big
collar , as the saying goes.
"Tilings drifted along for six months.
He never had much to say , and did
tiot know much about how things were
[ roinu with the paper he was writing
for. One day the manager sent for
liim.
" 'You have been doing good work. '
uiid the manager , 'and we are very
nucli pleased with the slitwing you
nave made. We have your case under *
onsideratioii , and in a short while we
lope to do a better part by you. * You
leserve a great deal more than you
ire getting , and I will see that you
jet it. Bur at this jinie. unfortunate-
y , we have to cut down expenses , and
am sorry to tell you ihat we will
lave to cut . . " > from your salary every
, veek. "
"The man was startled , and even up
o tliis good hour lie does not under
hand tile mystery of the situation. He
juit as a matter of protection to Iiim-
; elf. 'The fact of the business is. ' he
aid to me. ' 1 had been working for
iix months for nothing. witni U&\ifViw-
- * * V' x -
ng a cent , and the propositio 'jo ; cut
iff $ " of my weekly income as a mat
er of economywell. . I could not tig-
ire the thing out but one way. and
hat was that 1 would have to pay $ . "
week for the privilege of working ,
nd > o I quit.1 " Xew Orleans. Times-
> emocrat.
How Tiilnian Lost His Kyc.
It has been printed that Tillmau
crved for several months in the Con-
cderate army and lost his eye in the.
, -ar. That is entirely without founda- ,
'
Ion. He never entered the army , and ,
o far as can be ascertained , lost l.'i.s j
ye diving in a mill pond and striking i
snag. I
Town nl' Many IUIMMIIIOIIS.
New Britain , Conn. , holds the record i
ar inventiveness. Over Mini patients1 Ii !
ave been issued to . .44 of its citizens. I
No one can 'rejoice as einplmticullj'
s he cusses. . , - .
< *
/it" s w/ssis ? = = - < > = x. 7SSf/r : / -4 7w a-5j//JL tt .x aN
'
THE f AST AN D FUTUBE
GETTING AWAY FROM THE SPIRIT
OF OLD.
Fourth of July No I < oncer a Day for
Conservative Patriots Decadence of
Old Cuatomb Country Is Moving on
Broader Linen Myths Exploded.
July 4 seems to have lost Its true sig
nificance and now belongs to the small
boy. whose highest aspiration is to burn
incense to the Chinese god of lockjaw , if
there is such u deity on the celestial cal
endar. The pestiferous firecracker and
the physician's ally , the toy pistol , are
the small boy's accessories , both before
and after the fact , in murdering the peace
of mind and destroying the nerve * * of peo
ple who have outlived the ebullient stage
ot youthful spirits and prefer to tuke
their patriotism on the nation's natal day
as a man takes a cold lunch solemnly
and with a consuming desire to have it
over with. Apart from Young America ,
and his peculiar ideas of a celebration ,
the clay is given over to even more rep
rehensible forms of jollification , which
are supposed to he in conformityvitli .
the spirit of the immortal Declaration , i
"Proclaim Hherty throughout the land
M'UKAD-KAOLK OKA'JION 10 YKAH3 AGO.
and to all the inhabitants thereof , " runs
the inscription on the old Liberty bell ,
and a goodly share of the people of the
present day liberally construe the procla
mation as a license to commit all man
ner of olTcuses against health , sobriety .
and the peace and dignity of the common
wealth.
The Old Customs.
Of course , some districts srill preserve
liie gond old custom of firing anvils at
midnight and daybreak , and between !
timesiini the cock tight and Imt-se rac" .
the wrestling match and the font race
- til ! keep alive the embers of pal riot ism
in primitive settlements where civili/.a- j '
tion has not yet introduced baseball , the
firemen's parade and the shell g-ime. But ;
for the most part , the "Glorious Fourth"
has become a buck number. Its celebr'.i-
tion has fallen into inAicuous desuetude ,
and when an attempt is made to g.il-
vani/.e the moribund custom , nobody li i-
ens to the reading of the Declaration.
PRAYER OF THE REPUBLIC.
O Thou God that holdest nations in the hollow of Thy hand ' i ( . _
We implore anew Thy blessing on our loved , our native land ! | jjf.
Far nnd wide our flag is waving over peoples old and new ,
Men that scarcely knew its symbols , red and white and starry hlue.
On the field of strife and carnage , strewn with wounded and with dead ,
Bathed in blood of dying heroes , waved a banner , llaining red !
Tears of children , wives and mothers , waiting , watching day and night ,
Washed upon the flag of battle , stripes of peace in virgin white !
Steadfast hearts for God and Country made a field of truest blue.
And to guide a Nation's footsteps , stars of light came shining through ! ]
Red for courage , honor , glory ; white for justice , peace and love ;
Blue for faith and loyal virtue , stars for light from God above !
In this sign we've lived and conquered mountain , plain and trackless sea ;
Peaceful gains and warlike triumphs , all , O God , we owe to Thee !
e
From a weak and struggling people. Thou hast raised us up to might ;
O Thou Gori of Hosts , we pray Thee , make our strength a shield of right ! <
Thou hast built this great Kepublic. ontfiuug over laud and sea ;
Hold it ever in. Thy keeping , sacred refuge of the free !
Kusfel M. Seeds.
the village girls attired in white frocks
and prunella gaiters.
Recent events have demonstrated that
there is no diminution of patriotism in
the country , but it is nevertheless true
that as a people we are getting away
from the days and sentiments of the
Conscript Fathers. ' 'Times change and
men change with them" is a truism beini-
exemplified in the United States. Wheth
er the change is progress or retrogression
will be revealed when the future is un
folded to the view of the historian of
the American republic.
Tjjriiinjj Hiielc the Years.
Turning back 1'JO years , we find that
the Fourth of July was a date fraught
with tiie fate of men and nations. It
was a time when , as the homely philoso
pher Franklin said , the patriots must
hang together or hang separately.
It is well to remember this , if for iio
other rea.soii than to remind us that
things which have a beginning may have
an end. and a nation which was founded
in the struggle of man for civil liberty
may be. overthrown by man's insatiate
greed for glory.
That was a .solemn and momentous
gathering in Philadelphia a century .ind
a ( | iiarter ago. . Many things have hap
pened since then. .Much progress has
been made in applied arts and sciences ,
in discovery , in invention and in commer
cial and industrial development. Pro-
gre s has also been made in enlighte.i-
ment. and many cherished myths relating
to men and events have beeu exploded.
We have learned some thingand ha\e
unlearned others. We have learned rhat
the apotheosis of Washington was not
justified by the facts. The iconoclast has
demolished the godlike Washington and
left us a man. In his present form he i *
more human and essentially greater than
lieA'as when invested with the attributes
of the god-man. On the whole , we like
him better now , but \ \ e did not give up
the ideal Washington without a wr'-uch.
A Tjiterarj' Courtship.
"There is more in this literary business
than i thought possible. " declared the
young man who is in love. "When my
v. - - SS-iXiS- / / & VjC r fWV i ' t i WrflSQ AHll "
T * " feyi F 'L'WS '
* , ,
/M < rAJ ei
( GENERAL TRAINING DAY OK OUIi < JREAT GRANDFATHERS.
uid the orator speaks to uuheariug ears ,
society hies itself to the seashore to hear
vhat the wild waves are saying : the
mgilist hires a hall and puts up a mimic
'ake of a gladiatorial combat , and evei'y
iody who can manage it gets out of town
intil the trouble is over.
The old fellows lament the decadence
if the observance of the Fourth , and sigh
'or the vanished days of general train-
ug and hard eider , when the gallant mi- ,
itiamau in brave regimentals pirouetted
> ! i a g.iily caparisoned steed and stUy : !
xecuted the tactics in the prceeuce ot"
| girl , owing to circumstances over which
she had no control , left for the We-t. I
decided that I would follow as soon as I
could earn enough to pay my fare there.
"Some time ago I was in a book store
and chanced-to see a book entitled 'Tarry
Thou Till I Come. ' The thought struck
me that it would l e a good hint. s > I
purchased the nook aiidient it to her. 5
By re'.un : mail I received freui her 'The
Ilight of Way. ' Say. th.c i.uido me feel
good all over.
"But one month laU-r I wa startled
and somewhat puzzled Ity getting 'Great
Expectations. ' and the best way I could
figure it out was that she had met some
due out there with a lot of money and
was trying to break the news to me geut-
l.v.
"Yesterday I was knocked all in a heap
by receiving 'The Crisis. ' I'm iroing
West to-morrow if I have to ride on a
brakebeam. " Detroit Free Press.
THE CANNON-CRACKER.
T w e a Chinese cracker.
And all clad Jn glowing
rod.
Lay trembling iu a
wooden IIOT ,
Beside our Toiiimy'B
bed.
"To-inornw , " sighed the
cracker.
"Unless I swiftly fly.
Long ere the shining sun
Is up ,
I hliall most surely
die ! "
Out of the box he clam
bered , ,
With many a glance of dread.
Where Tommy , dreaming of the Fourth
Lay tosMng on his bd. .
The cracker , tieinliling irreatly ,
Then hied him to avuod. .
And sought a dark aiid lonelv doll ,
\Vlu-i-e drop * of moisture stood.
The woodland crcatnivs gathered ,
And gazed , with startled eves.
And listened to his talc of woe
With murmurs of surprise.
Said the selfish , boastful cracker :
"You SOP. I used mv wits.
.My brothers in thnt fatal box
Will all be blown to bits ;
"While I. because I reasoned ,
And dared to act " I'er-
A terrible explosion
Throughout the woodland ranjj
It was a frisky tiretiy
Toyed with that dangling cue ;
And into counrle.ss pieces
Tho "aniion-craeker flew !
St. Xidiolas.
THE MECKLENBURG MYTH.
ISo Declaration Adopted Prior to the
Great Declaration.
The Mecklenburg declaration of inde
pendence is one of the most persistent of
our myths : but the patient researches of
the historian has uncovered its fallacious
foundation , albeit the people of North
Carolina still religiously celebrate May
20 as the anniversary of the alleged adop-
lon of the so-called "declaration of inde
pendence" in 177r .
The Mecklenburg myth owes its origin
[ o one of the earliest attempts at yelki
journalism made by the American press.
In other words , it was an audacious
"fake. " but as fakes were not so coui-
iion in early days as now. the Meckien-
> urg fake was taken seriously and nas
jecome a part of the accepted history of
: he country , surviving the lapse of nearly
i century and still retaining a tenacious
lold upon public belief.
The story of the Mecklenburg "declar-
itiou of independence" delusion is this :
: > n April 30. 1ST. ) , the Raleigh ( N. C. )
Register published five resolutions and an
iccompanj'ing statement purporting to
tave been written at the time , which said
hat the resolutions were adopted on May
JO. 17ir > . by delegates from the differ-nt
> arts of .Mecklenburg County. North
" 'arolina. at a meeting in Charlotte , in
li.it county. The third of these resolu-
ions read thus : "That we do hereby de-
lare ourselves a free and independent
icople , and of right ought to be a .sov-
> re"nrn and self-governing association , nn-
ler the control of no power other than
hat of our God and the general govern-
uent of the Congress : to the maintenance
if which independence we solemnly
iledge to each other our mutual co-opera-
ion. our lives , onr fortunes and onr most
acred honor. "
It was a clever invention , cireuinstan-
ially fortified forty-four years after llie
Ik ed event. But unfortunately for the
; ivt'iitors of the yarn. Thomas Jefferson ,
olin Adams and othor prominent mem-
ers of the Continental Congress declar-
d in 3810 that they never heard of the
lecklenbnrg resolutions. Furthermore.
) r. Williamson made no mention of it in
his history of North Carolina , and , final
ly , three months after the alleged adop
tion of the resolutions , the Legislature ;
of North Carolina , including the members
from Mecklenburg County , reported *
"test of loyalty" which all the members
signed , and which began with these
words : "We , the subscribers , professing
our allegiance to the King , " etc. All of
Mecklenburg County's representatives m
the assembly signed this "test of loyalty
to George III. , and four of these repre
sentatives were among the reputed sign
of May 20 of
ers of the alleged paper
that year , two of them being the leaders
in the pretended movement which that
imagined document was said to have
voiced.
As a matter of fact no community
adopted a declaration of independence io
advance of the year of the momenton *
pronouncement drawn up by Thomas Jef
ferson and signed by himself and col
leagues of the Continental Congress on
July 4. 177(5. ( Protest * against the lire-
tensions of the British government were-
made by resolutions in several communi
ties , but no declaration ofindependence-
of the colonies.
From all of which it appears that yel
low journalism in its incipient stage was1
rather more of a success in imposing
upon national credulity than is the finish
ed product of to-day. It also proves that
whilst fake journalism has been ampii-
fied. it is no new thing in the laud.
Should Ilecin at Home.
"Ugh ! " remarked Chief * Man-Who-
Eats-Salt-LIorse. "Big white chief say
loor Indian must not paint face any"
: nore. "
"Ugh ! " commented Thunder-in-the-
Middle-of-the-Afternoon. "Heap lough.
Why don't white man try scheme on hia
wife firstV Heap * fraid that's why. "
And the noble red men resumed the
discussion of the proper amount of fire
wood to be carried by a squaw and the-
> roper amount of firewate rto be car
ried by a chief. Baltimore American.
NDEPENDENT CORPOREAL
DEPENDENCIES.
Sntd the thumb to the hand as the tireworks
filzzed.
On Independence day ,
"Unhand me-give me Hbortv ;
I'm tired of this depeiidenev. "
It burst Its bonds straightway.
'
Then the index fingers , feet and arms.
Demanded to lie free ;
. , , . , 0 ? they wont to Join tllc thumb
Mid the roar of the patriotic bomb
Kach an Independency. '
WJIH Not Scented. -
The unsophisticated old woman asked
a dniggist the other day if he had any
soap. "Yes. ma'am. " he replied. "Do
yon want it scented or nnscented * ' "
"Well , " she replied , "hein' it's do small ,
I guess I'll take it along with me. " Nevr
Orleans Times-Democrat.
The lateral Mind.
Bachelor Yon look tired , old man
Benedict Yes , I've been
up
everr
night with the baby. She's been cutting
her teeth. *
Bachelor Cutting her teeth ! Whv in
'
blazes didn't you take the knife away
from her ?
Filial Affection.
Casey-Fifty dollars O'Brien spint trv- ,
Jn to git his mother-in-law
out av uur-
gatory.
Daly Fifty dollars ?
CaseyTh'same ! He
i > he wants to
git her out before he goes in , if ti
done ! Puck.
Mercantile PatriotiTn.
4 51
-I wisht I 'tood buv
_ * . T * . , . " dat fr--
nve cents. Tr