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About Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930 | View Entire Issue (May 12, 1904)
OPINIONS OF GREAT PAPERS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS LIVING ON LESS THAN 51,000 A YEAR. JS'E of the leading banks of Chicago has posted order that none of its employes who Is 'receiving ' a salary of less than § 1,000 a year shall marry without first consulting the bank's officials and getting their approval. The more 'spirited ' employes of the bank are likely to resent this order as an impertinent attempt to encroach upon their personal liberties. The average man considers it his right to get married when and to whom he pleases , regardless of possible consequences to himself nnd his bride or of the wishes of his "boss. " But , while the order may seem an infringement of personal rights , its enforcement may nevertheless promote the good of those { whose liberties It restricts. Hard as it may seem to persons enjoying much larger. Incomes , there is no question that it is possible for a young couple to live happily and in tolerable comfort even in a large city on less than $1,000 a year. On an income , say , of $75 a month , whether they board or "keep house , " they can have sufficient to eat , fairly agreeable surroundings , decent clothes and such diversions as good books , a few friends and occasional visits to the parks and the theater afford. It is true , of course , that to have these things they must economize closely ; and even though they practice the most rigorous economy there is not much probability that their savings will accumulate so fast as soon to make them bloated plutocrats. The trouble is not that a couple cannot live honestly , decently and happily on less than Sl.OOO a year in a city , and even raise a family on it fairly well. The trouble is Hhat too many of the young men and women of American * cities , and especially the young men. form habits before they think of marrying which unlit them later to sustain the burdens of the state of matrimony on so small an in come. Extravagance is one of our national vices. It is especially prevalent among the young bachelors of cities. It is probably no exaggeration to say that a majority of tliem habitually spend all that they make. Now , while one person can live easily and have some luxuries in a city on a smal salary of from $70 to $100 per month , two people , as we have already indicated , cannot get along decently on it without "scrimping. " But the man or woman who has not practiced "scrimping" before marriage will not probably form a liking for doing so after marriage. The too frequent result , therefore , of marriages on small sal aries in cities is that the married pair live beyond their means and accumulate debts and misery instead of a com petency and happiness ; and debts and misery , as every body knows , leads men daily into different forms of crime and deeper misery. No doubt it is for the purpose of saving their employes from these unfortunate results of improvident marriages nnd its own cash from the fingers of persons suffering from them , that the Chicago bank has posted its unique notice. If the order is effective it is likely to benefit rather than injure those whose freedom of action it hampers. Kan sas City Journal. THE RUSH TO CITIES. I HE Indiana State Board of Public Instruction has made a valiant attempt to stem the tide of Indiana boys flowing in greater numbers every year into Chicago. It has issued a circular let ter to all the teachers in the State , calling I attention to the alarming extent of 'such emi gration and urging them to exert all their influence against it. "It will be a sad day for our national life , " says the board and it is right "when all the young farmers move to town and the small , well-cultivated homesteads give way to big landed estates. " The rush of population to the cities is truly one of the most serious menaces to our national life , but thus f.r no way has boon found to check it. It had no existence until after the war. In 1SGO only about 12 per cent of the inhabitants of the United States lived in the cities ! The war unsettled the minds of men who theretofore had been contented to remain in their homes , and accordingly the census of 1S70 showed that fewer people continued satis fied with farm life , for the percentage of urban population had risen to nearly 21 per cent. Since then it has steadily grown until , in 1900 , more than 33 of every 100 Americans were living in cities. The tendency is even stronger than it seems , for In the past few years much has been done to remove or miti gate many of the causes of complaint against the farmer's life , i Railway building has brought the most remote dis- PIONEER INDEPENDENCE. $ * Country life and city life to-day are made delightful by countless conven iences and luxuries of which the grandfathers of the present generation did not dream. These conveniences are , nevertheless , purchased at the price of more or less of that sturdy independence which distinguished the pioneers , and of which George Gary Eggleston has given an attractive pic ture in "The First of the Hoosiers , " which is In a sense the story of the life of his brother , Edward Eggleston. In the days of Edward Eggleston's boyhood the foremost citizen of Vevay , Ind. , was Captain William Lowry. He had conquered his worst enemy when he had cleared the forest from such lands as he wished to till , and from the first he relied upon himself for the satisfaction of his needs and the needs of his family. The family grew rapidly as families usually did in that time and country ; but under the primitive way of living the multiplication of children was a help rather than a hindrance to pros perity. To the end of his days Cap tain Lowry and his boys and girls pro duced for themselves everything they needed to eat drink and wear , with the exception of salt , coffee , tea , and , as prosperity increased , a calico gown now and then as a bit of finery for the women folks. AOn the farm itself the cotton and wool needed for clothing were grown , carded , spun , woven and fashioned into garments. The blankets on the beds , as well as the quilts , and the sheets and the pillow-cases , which were made of home-grown linen , were produced in like manner. The sugar-camp , a vast grove ot sugar-maple trees , yielded all the sugar and molasses used on the place. From the orchards came , besides a great 7 tricts into touch with the nationai centers of trade. Trol ley lines have gridironed all the Middle West , and Indiana especially. The rural free delivery system has given the farmer a daily mail service , and by means of the telephone he is en rapport with all the world. Besides all this , we have had a succession of fat years , so that the farmer is now prosperous beyond all precedent. Nevertheless , all this has not kept the young man on the farm where he was born. As soon as he was old enough he made his way to the nearest large city , where , sleeping in unsanitary and cramped quarters , eating unwholesome and adulterated food in cheap restaurants , and working In unaccustomed ways harder than any farmer has to work , he managed at the sacrifice of all the independence and self-respect of his manhood to make a precarious liv . ing. And for what good ? Let the thousands of joyless boarding houses that line decaying streets and the other thousands of flimsy and stuffy flats occupied by people who are getting their exist ence , as they get their furniture , on the installment plan let these answer. What is the fascination that keeps their tenants chained to the wheel of urban poverty , toil , hard ship and obscurity in an ugly and depressing environment ? Benjamin Franklin said that it was a hard case indeed when you could not find a reason for doing what you wanted to do. But who that might be his own master on his own farm can give a reason for wanting to ex change his lot for degrading slavery in a large city ? Reason or no reason , such are the facts , and there seems to be no chance of altering them at present It is possible , however , that the Indiana board's idea of informing the farmer's children of the drawbacks of life in the city and impressing their young minds with the idea { hat life in the country is much more to be desired may in time have a good effect. In any case , this is a matter that deserves the most serious thought on the part of all patriotic citi zens. Chicago Journal. A TURNING POINT IN HISTORY. HE present war is likely to be a turning point in history. Many times before has the immemorial T memorial fight between the East and the AVest reached such a climax , and to-day the Japanese may feel that they are associated with the great defenders of history. They fight to-day as the Greeks fought the Persians , the Franks the Moors , the Magyars the Turks. Since the Turks were stopped at the Danube the larger history of the world has written the slow conquest of the East by the West. The process has known no stay. It has been subject to no such checks as for a thousand years earlier the great inva sions from the East had invariably met. But the aggres sion of Europe was all the more formidable that it was largely peaceful. Manchester prints and Brummagem ware , articles made in Germany , and American cottons have been much better battle " cries than "The Korean or the sword. " And gradually most of Asia has come to live subject to the will of Europe and on condition of buying European goods. All of Asia to-day , except China "and Japan , is prdtty definitely marked out for ultimate "ccu- pation by some European power. If Japan is humiliated and China partitioned , the process will be completed ; the East as a political entity will have been destroyed , the East as a peculiar civilization will have been profoundly impaired. New York Post Japanese Progressiveness. HE Japanese always want the latest "tip" of science ; they are all for progress. It is inter esting to note that they have established com munication across the Bay of Korea by wireless telegraphy , sending messages from Chemulpo to Chefoo , a distance of 270 miles. Of course the messages are not very elabor ate , and we can imagine some simple signals being arranged beforehand , and the Japanese would know for certain that there was no danger of their news being intercepted in any way by the Russians. For the rough purpose of war it can quite be believed that the Japanese , with their extreme curiosity as to what is new , have rigged up in a few ships' instruments capable of taking in signals with the assistance of some of their skilled civilian telegraphists on board. Ashore the army will run their field telegraphs , at which they are adepts , and afloat the navy will use dispatch boats , flags and flashing signals. The Japanese flashing lamp is peculiayly powerful in fact , better than anything we have in the British navy. London Telegraph. store of apples , an abundance of cider and vinegar , apple butter , peach but ter , dried fruits and cider molasses , lue dairy yielded milk , cream , cheese and butter in lavish abundance. The poultry-yards produced more than the home demand called for , tot the surplus was never sold. Much of it was given away to less fortunate folk.Beef , pork , bacon and mutton were all products of the farm. The grain was ground in near-by watermills - mills , and the miller was paid his "toll , " not in coin , but in a portion of the grain. In all his life this sturdy pioneer never had a servant or hired helper of any kind in his house. All the work of the household was done by the members of the family working to gether in willing co-operation , making something of a frolic out of much of the work ; and not one of them ever had work enough to bring more than a healthy and pleasant weariness. The house was a generously hospit able one. Rarely came a time when there were not some of the numerous relatives staying there , as all of them loved to do. The place was a kind of Mecca to them all. Strangers were entertained , too , whenever their paths led into that region ; but no presence , whether of visiting kinsfolk or of pass ing strangers , was ever suffered to make the smallest difference in the family life. Whether there were many guests or none in the house , there was always an abundantly laden table , and there were beds in plenty. There was sing ing in the evening , and if the weather was cold there was always a gathering of children , and often of young men and maidens , round the great wood fires , where nuts were cracked and apples roasted , while one or more of the girls played a merrily humming ac companiment on her spinning wheel. Some of the girls liked spinning some did not Those who liked it did it : those who did not let it alone. That was the spirit in which all these things were done in the house and on the fariR. Ho\v Animals Travel. American railroads have almost as many different kinds of cars for carry ing animals as they have car's for pas sengers. a One kind of car that is used for ship ping horses is known techrfically as a palace horse car , and , excepting for fine woodwork and brasswork , it is a ° palace car , giving horses fine accommo dations. Each horse has his own stateroom , so to speak , for the car is fitted with independent stalls. Each stall has manger and water trough , and over head are racks for holding extra fsed. [ Sheep and hogs are often carried ic cars with two stories. These are knownS as double-deckers , and the animals are shipped in both stories. They have room to lie down in and water is sup t plied to them from pipes. h Horses and cattle are sidetracked at intervals if the cars are making a long d run , and the beasts are led out and al d lowed to run around for exercise. Then g they are driven back to their cars and resume their journey. Sheep are often unloaded within a few miles of their destination and turned loose to rest and feed until they aa ao are in good flesh. This is not done o merely from motives of humanity. It has been found that the sheep are so [ > much improved by it that they bring higher prices when they reach the mar ket Lemonade from Sea "Water. Citric acid added to sea water pre cipitates the salt making a harmless mineral wa-ter. Seven ounces of citric acid will supply a 'shipwrecked man with this marine lemonade for a week. > " An Atchison woman discharged her girl fis her Lenten sacrifice , and her husband finds that everything she outs before him is a burnt offeriiw- SONGS MY MOTHER SANG. I hear them in the whispering winds , The forest's rhythmic strain , The chime of bells , that sinks and swells The patter of the rain. I hear them in the vesper call Of birds from copse and tree ; Each note prolongs the dear old songs That mother sang to me. I hear them in the ocean's voice , The prattle of a child , The dashing rill , the fountain's trill , The tempest fierce and wild. I hear them through the silent night , In dreams they echo free , Since memory throngs with tender sougs That mother sang to me. I heard them when a babe I lay Upon her loving breast , Ana" when a child their charms beguiled My eager brain to rest I hear them now , and some last hour Across death's swelling sea My soul shall wing , while angels sing The songs she saiig to me. Farm Journal. TJRRAH for the biggest old grizzly in the mountains here we go for him I" I cried , as we started out from our mining camp , near the Little Colorado River , for a day's hunt We were seven in number all of us stout , sunburned fellows , and all save one accustomed to the hardships of a life in Arizona. That one was a lad from Maine named Tom Granville , who had been with us but a short time , but to whom I had already taken a fancy for his quiet and pleasant man ner. He was a tall , awkward youth , 'out intelligent and not afraid of work. His inexperience made him the vic tim of some practical jokes , but , how ever keenly he may have felt such im positions , his good nature remained unruffled. Our men believed that the smooth spoken young chap had no great spirit ; but , though he may have guessed their thoughts , he made no attempt to con vince them to the contrary. There was not a particle of "brag" about him. He had hunted in Maine , he said , but had never killed anything * f tt-fj. > J. S- . < x /7 vr % : ? > rx rijW , # * $ 4 ' : < r i I O / slW 1 I \ Vtf > NOW i GAY.nis I'fin s . ot much consequence. In speaking of . grizzlies , he remarked that he should . like a chance at one , but should wish , to have a good tree at hand in the meantime , as he had heard that those sharp-nosed fellows were hard to kill. We had scattered rather widely upon the hunt * n order to increase the chances of success. But , for my own part , I was 'unable to get a shot at P ti any large game , and as I heard no firing from the others it seemed prob d able that they , too , were having only their labor for their pains. At length I fell in with Tom Gran ville , and we tramped together. Tom had killed nothing. He had seen a. few deer at a distance , but it had been impossible IIti ti possible to get near them. titi * As we continued our course others of our party were occasionally seen to the right or left , but there was not . single rifle report far or near. it "We shall do a wonderful day's work nit" remarked Tom , with a laugh. "Why , I thought a fellow a' could pick up a wagon load of deer t In this country by just tramping out a mile or two ! " of Presently the remainder of our party fi joined us , so that the seven were once more together. But the last three had very disagreeable intelligence. They had discovered unmistakable signs of ndians and such a discovery was sufficient to give us uneasiness. It was now necessary to be careful In our movements ? as we might at any moment come suddenly upon some hos tile band. However , we concluded to tiunt for a while longer. So we again started out with shoul- tc Jered'guns , while a short-tailed white tcPi log , owned by one of the men , went PiOJ scurrying away before us. OJui This time we kept well together , but ui turn where we would , there was only uiC iisappointment It was impossible to C approach a deer without alarming it , Ir ind as to bears we discovered no trace Irw 3f one. cl At length we saw directly in our ath a beautiful growth of youqg ce dars , the tops of which were thick and ei heavy , while the tall , straight trunks to svere so small in diameter that they Cl seemed as if inviting one to - climb them. T < "What a pretty grove that is ! * ' said Rawson. Percy in "Yes ; I'd like to have just such a inb < ne at home , " responded Caleb Allen. y < "What a place for a picnic. " tt We walked on toward the thicket Sloping to make some fortunate dis covery on the other side of it C < Tom Granville vras a few yards in SI advance of- the rest and upon arriving at the first tree he came to a halt leaning his back against the trunk as if tired. The dog , running on a little beyond him , stopped and commenced sniffing with his nose in the air , ' as if scenting a raccoon or other game among the foliage overhead. I remember that there were thre * of us close together , and three others a little behind. Suddenly from the treetops there came a number of sharp reports "crack ! crack ! crack ! " followed by a succession of startling yells. I felt a slight sting in the breast and then a surprising weakness , which caused me to fall , utterly unable to support my own weight I have since wondered if my sensations may not have been like those of General Braddock - dock when he was wounded on the Monogahela. One of the three men behind me fell at the same time , but , unlike myself , he fell never to rise he was killed dead on the spot Caleb Allen. Percy Rawson and two others sprang off at a full run , as they saw no chance of returning the fire with effect ; so that there remained no one near me except the dead mail and Tom Granville. * Totn had been protected by the tree against which ne leaned , and I think it likely that the Indians from their position could not see the spot where he stood. Probably in lthe confusion they may have supposed that he had fled or been killed. He had now turned with his back tea a tree , and pressing his body close against it , he stood wholly motionless. A stir among the cedar boughs told that the red miscreants were about coming down to scalp the dead and wounded and pursue the flying. I think the actions of the dog had caused them to fire sooner than they otherwise would have done ; but be this as it may , the intervening branches probably prevented them from shooting at the men who were running. Never had my hair appeared more precious to me than when I heard the yelling monsters in the act of descend ing the trees. And what could Tom Granville be thinking of that he did not run for his life ? All at once I saw his rifle gleam as he clapped the breach up to his face. There was a steady , deadly aim then "bang" it spoke. The report was fol lowed by a sort of "scratchy" sound on the tree trunk , and next a dead , heavy "clump" on the ground. I knew that Tom could fire sixteen charges from his repeater without re loading ; and now I saw his purpose. There might not be sixteen Indians , but whether less or more , he would thin them out terribly before any of them could get to the ground alive from their height of forty feet. Then "bang ! bang ! bang" almost as fast as one could count , rang out the Maine boy's rifle ; and for every "bang ! " there was that wretched "clump ! " as a body fell to the earth. The redskins were nine in number , and six of them were killed in their atempt to descend. A seventh was shot just as he reached the ground ; while iie remaining two succeeded in mak ing their escape. Our four companions had halted upon hearing Tom's rapid fire and see ing him apparently still unharmed ; but the affair was so quicklj- over that , they had no opportunity to assist him. My own wound was now attended to , after which the poor fellow who had fallen by the fire of the savages was buried in a shallow grave , which was dug with knives and stakes , and protected by a pile of stones. I was then placed on a litter of cedar boughs and so conveyed to camp on the shoul ders of the stout miners. It is probable that the Indians who had fired upon us had seen us at some distance , and , supposing that we would keep a straight course for the little thicket had climbed into the trees to await us , when the fear that the dog had scented them caused them to hurry matters and commence the attack too soon. My wound proved a severe onet and was long before I recovered. Our men broke up the mining camp , which had never been very profitable at the best , and retired to safer quar ters , taking me along with them. It is needless to say that the fame s Tom Granville spread like a prairie fire. He was lionized , not only by the miners , but by all others. His modesty , however , continued un , changed , and he was the same simple , unaffected youth as before. He has since , as I learn , become wealthy ; but whatever his success in life , I feel sure that it has been justlya. earned. New York News. TV Invention of Bells. The invention of bells is attributed Paulinus. bishop of Neola , in Cam ffi pania , about the year 4CO. They were originally introduced into churches as . he defense against thunder and light ning. Bells were first hung in England at Croyland Abbey , Lincolnshire , in 945. aic an the eleventh century and later it ic was the custom to baptize them in icB churches before they -were used. B The curfew bell was established in 10US. It was rung at 8 o'clock in the evening , when people were required put out their fire and candle. This h custom was abolished in 1100. Chimes , or musical bells , were in a vented at Alost , in Belgium , in 14S7. Bellmen were appointed in London the sixteenth century to ring the tito to bells at night and cry , "Take care of toe ! your fire and candle , be charitable to the poor and pray for the dead. " The-mightiness of the hairpin ex ceeds that of both the pen and the sword , ' An Illinois Farmer in Western Can- ads. A recent Issue of the Shelby ville , Illi nois , Democrat contains a long and in teresting letter from Mr. Ellas Kost formerly a prosperous farmer of that State , who recently emigrated to West ern Canada , taking up a claim for him self and for each of his three sons. From Mr. Kost's letter , which was written Feb. 3 , 1904. we publish the following , believing it will prove of great interest to those who have con templated settling in the Canadian Northwest : "I had in August , 1902 , secured a claim for myself , and filed on three quarter sections for my sons. My claim is one-half mile south of the Edmon ton and Lake St. Anne trail. "Coming so late in the season , we had little opportunity to break and to prepare ground for a first year's crop , still we raised over 100 bushels of very fine potatoes , and sowed a few acres of barley , but the season was too far advanced for the barley. However , we secured good feed from it , and on rent ed ground IS miles east of us , raised a fine crop of oats , so that we will havey plenty of feed for horses. We cut about GO tons of hay and thus will have an abundance. We have , all told , about 240 acres of hay meadow , which would yield the past year over three tons to the acre , and in an ordinary season the meadow would furnish GOG tons of hay. The grass is very nutri tious , and cattle on the ranges become very fat without being fed a pound of grain. "On the upland the grass grows from eight to ten inches tall. .This is called range grass , and is suitable for stock at any time , even in the winter when the ground is not covered too deep with snow. Horses subsist on it alone , at all times , provided they are native stock. The grass in the hay meadows here is called red-top , and grows from five to six feet in length , and when cut at the proper time yields an abundant crop of nutritious hay. "Our cattle have not cost us a cent i since we came on our homestead , only the small outlay for salt and labor in putting up hay and shelter. All cattle have been doing well this winter , and feeding up to the first of January was unnecessary , as there was good range up to that time. "All the snows up to that dale were followed by winds from the Northwest that melt it very rapidly ; these winds are called Chinook winds , and are al ways warm. In one night a. Chinook wind may take away three or four inches of snow. "We have built on our claim a com fortable house of hewn logs , 20x20 feet , one and one-half stories in height , with a good cellar. During the latter part of June -we rafted logs down the Sturgeon to a sawmill , about eight miles away , and thus secured 5,000 feet of good lumber which was needed for the house. Later in the season a shin gle mill located six miles away. To this we hauled logs and had shingles cut for the roof. "We had an abundance of wild fruit lie past season , consisting of gooseber ries , strawberries , raspberries , eyeber- ries , blueberries , cherries and saska toons. The latter are a fine looking berry , red , and quite pleasant to the taste , but not much to be desired in cookery. The strawberries are tin * same as those that grow wild in Illi nois. Raspberries are red in color , large and equal to any of the tame varieties , and so are the gooseberries. The cranberries consist of the high and trailing varieties. The latter are most sought and contiguous to the swamps. The ground is literally covered with them as with a red carpet , but the best and most sought is the blueberry , so called by the Indians. This is the famous 'huckleberry' ( whortleberry ) of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Pennsyl vania , and cannot be excelled for ex cellence by any fruit cultivated. It is found here both on the prairie and in the timber in immense quantities. "Game is very plentiful so far as prairie chickens , pheasants , ducks of all kinds and geese are concerned. We have taken nearly 500 chickens and pheasants , also a great many ducks. "An occasional deer is seen , but are not' plentiful , only one having been taken during the season in this settle ment. "Fish are very plentiful at all sea sons of the year. Fish wagons and sleds are passing almost daily along the . trail with heavy loads of fish , des tined for St. Albert and Edmonton. From the latter point they are ship ped south on the Calgary and Edirson- ton Railroad to points along the line , and also to Assiniboia , on the Canadian Pacific Railroad. " For further information apply to any authorized Canadian Government Agent whose address appears else where. All Alike. Farmer Dunk How's your new hired man , Ezry ? Farmer Hornbeak Jest like all the rest of 'em I've ever had so lazy that gits tired restin' . Puck. Do Yonr Feet Ache and Burn ? Shake into your shoes Allen's Foot-Ease , powder for the feet. It makes tight or new shoes feel easy. Cures Corns , Bun ions. Swollen , Hot and Sweating Feet At all Dnijrgists and Shoe Stores. 23e. Sample sent < FREE. Address Allen S. Olmsted , Lo Is Isi Roy , N. Y. i t A Pet. "Why , my mistress talks to me by the .fl " hour < ! "Talks to you. eh ? " "Yes. Sometimes I can hardly get in. bark edgewise. " Puck. Have used PIso's Cure for Consump tion nearly fro years , and find nothing compare with it. Mrs. Morgan , Berke , Cal. , Sept. 2 , 1901. t Everybody Knows It Now. "So hewrote that he couldn't conceal his love for you any longer ? " "Yes , and to it prove he wrote it on & postal card. " New York Times.
