THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: JULY 19, 1909.
-Clay County Headquarters for Many Odd But Prosperous Industries
1.
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r, : f
if,
" ' " " ' " " " " tuiiiiontir
I A I I I map of Nebraska we should
rK J I mark off Clay county with a
H4 rfcrl circle around Clay Center
SfkS' a" bein one of tno Pots on
' earth where people take to the
odd, the queer and the curious. More In-
dustrlea that are out of the ordinary are
engaged In Clay county than In any other
five counties of the state combined. They
will be mentioned later on. Lured by the
price of farm land and excited hy the
prospect of a climate and country .hat
robs property of half Its terror, the aver
age citizen who came to heal his lungs or
his fortune has become an enthusiast for
Clay county. John B. Weston was the
first vhlte settler of the county and built
the first log house In 1S57 at Pawnee ranch,
on Pawnee creek. James Halnter was the
early historian of the county. The Roper
brothers owned a ranch that was estab-
Ilshed In 1860. In 1864 there was no settle-
ment in the county excepting at pawnee
ranch. In 1863 and 1S64 emigration was
very heavy, passing through the county
on the old overland trail, principally men
going to Pike's Peak, or any place wherj
they could escape the war. There were
weeks at a time when there would be as
many as 800 teams passing a given point
each day. The pony express had been
discontinued and stages were used and
running one each way dally. There were
a.
plenty of buffalo, elk, antelope and thou oldest town In Clay county, and claims
sands of wild turkey, but the latter nearly TO be tha largest In point of population,
all disappeared after the big storm of April, its early history is interesting In every
1871 The sale of farm products to the particular and Instructive in many. The
emigrants at this time was of much help town site, named after Sutton, Mass., was
to the early settlers. Potatoes sold for 6 entered as a homestead, March 14, 1870,
cents a pound, hay for the same and by Luther French. The postoffice was es
other things In proportion. There were tabllshed In June, 1871.
many Indians Pawnees and Omahas but Harvard vintage and vicinity may be
all friendly. The winter of 1863 and 1864 termed the site of some of the parent
was' rough and cold, but travel on the trail settlement of the county. When the first
continued through the entire winter. settlers came to this old Indian camping
Clay county was established by act ap- ground the prairie extended to the horizon
proved February 16, 1867. The county was In every direction. In 1871 the Bite of Har-
organlsed September 11, 1871. On March X vard was pre-empted by N. W. Brass and
1872 R. O. Brown's house at Button wai three others. The postofflce was estab
designated as the place of meeting and tho Ilshed at Harvard in December, 1871, with
office of county clerk. The first regular E. J. 6tone as postmaster. The railroad
com house was completed November 30. depot was established here In the fall of
1880 The presidential election of 1873 shows 1871. The first school was opened in the
184 republican votes and thirty-one demo- winter of 1871 and 1873, by Mrs. C. K. Mor-
Recent Interesting
Lon Distance Transmission.
PROPOSITION, made ten yeara
A I or more ago, to convey power
I In the form of electricity from
m miui
Paris Is receiving fresh con
sideration. The promoters
promise an unfailing supply of 200,000 horse
power when the program has been fully
carried out, reports tbe New York Tribune.
Recent modifications of the law in France,
making It possible to utilize private rights
of way along a part of the. route, reduce
the estimated length of the transmission
line to about 150 miles. Prof. Blondel, Its
chief advocate, believes that a pressure
ot 120,000 volts could be easily maintained
If an alternating current were used, and
150.000 or 160.000 volts wtth tha use of a
direct current Indeed, ha Is so favorably
Impressed with tha claims ot M. Thury, a
Swiss engineer, who has Invented the ap
paratus for raising and lowering the volt
age ot a direct current a notable Inno
vationthat he thinks a voltage ot 200,000
might be found practicable.
So unfamiliar are American electricians
with the Thury system, which is said to
have rendered fairly successful service In
modest enterprises In Europe, that they
will probably hesitate to form an opinion
regarding Its suitability for the work now
In question. Little doubt will be enter
tained, however. In regard to the feasi
bility of carrying out the plan In other
respects, if an alternating current Is
adopted. For mora than a year a pressure
ot 110.000 volts has been employed on a
transmission line in Michigan. So well do
the Improved insulators used on that Una
prevent leakage of current that a con
tract was closed a few weeks ago by a
Canadian power company for the con
struction of a lino to transmit current at
tha same pressure. Prof. Blondel's plan
therefore calls for only a slight advance
over what has actually been accomplished,
and probably few electricians think that
even 120,000 volts will mark the limit be
yond which it will be Impossible to go.
In the length of the propsed French line
there does not seem to be anything un
reasonable. One transmission line in Cal
ifornia (from Colgate to San Francisco) Is
more than 100 miles long, and tha Increase
in the distance to be covered In France
Is only about one-quarter. It Is axlomatlo
that the higher line voltage used the fur
ther a current can be sent over a wire
Of J. Kl'
mufti 1
given size. Prof. Blunders scheme Is
less pretentious than the one which
contemplated transmitting power 6O0 or 700
miles -from Victoria Falls, but which has
never been carried out
Almost the only question to be answered
relative to tha French project la, will it
payt Many things are technically feasible
which are commercially Impracticable. That
la apparently the trouble with the South
African enterprise referred to. What Prof.
Blondel needs to ascertain Is whether he
could sell electrically generated power,
light and heat In Paris more cheaply than
they are now produced by steam, and yet
be able to pay his operating expenses and
the Interest on the necessary investment,
which ha estimates at WINCM
Phono Meters.
The afticianojr I a wotuaa la measuring
,'-.
'"4-..
MAIN STREET, CLAY CENTER, NEB.
' 1 1 V 1 J.oin .41 ,giv, .licin "tie
1,0 ii republican votes and 341 democratic,
The tide of emigration flowed steudy Into
Clay county from 1S70 and 1S71 until the
county was literally covered with substan-
tlal farmers and the villages filled with en-
terprislng citizens. The Harvard Champion
was established In 1S72 and was tha pioneer
newspaper of the county. There hare been
over thirty papers established In the
county at different times.
The first school of Clay county was
established December 1, 1861. by Thomas
M. Gregory, Dlatrlct No. 6. Twenty years
later. In 181, there were sixty-nine districts
established, and seventy-four school build-
Ings In existence. There were over 8,O0
chlldren, and eighty-nine teachers were
employed, who received $30,500 salary
. X HO
c.m.v Ponntv Agricultural aoclatv was or
ganlzed April 1. 1872. at the court house
In Sutton.
Ciay Center was surveyed into 600 lots In
m9. The first buildings erected on the
,lte wa. a large one story frame building
buut in 1879 by W. D. Young, and used
as a court house. In 1SS6 a number ot
persons from Fairfield visited Clay Center
0n the first passenger train that entered
the town.
Button la the center of new associations.
Its first settlers were Iron souled men,
who determined to hew out a town and
build a prosperous community. It Is the
the talk of another woman Is seriously
questioned by General Manager Hlbbard
Of the Chicago Telephone company. In
fact, he Is convinced that his corporation
Is losing money because their women oper
ators, with lead pencils and pads, often
forget to put down a black mark against
the user ot a measured 'phone service.
Therefore, tha company has Installed
nearly 2,000 "talk measures." These tele
phone meters, according to Mr. Hlbbard,
are much more accurate than are the
women operators In keeping track of the
amount of talking done on each wire.
The franchise of the company provides
that meters shall be Installed Just as soon
as an efficient meter is found. An engi
neer of the Chicago Telephone company
has Invented a device which Is being
tested. This is only one of fourteen which
have been investigated, but objections were
found to each. That now being tested Is
the same which Is used in New York. Tha
only difference Is that New York uses
a shorter circuit, and Mr. Hlbbard aald
that the plan which was the most ef
ficient would be recommended by tho com
pany. In addition to counting the number of
calls of subscribers this instrument also
counts the number of connections made by
each operator. Its chief advantage over
other meters is that it Is Impossible for It
to be manipulated to register more than
one time during one conversation. When a
subscriber gets the number desired tha
operator pushes a button and the call la
registered.
"All of ftiese are attached to main ex
change wlrea," explained Mr. Hlbbard,
"and I believe they will save money for
the company. With a girl and a pencil
we have missed many calls. The operator
forgets to put down every call made. Of
our 186,618 'phones about 100.000 are nlckel-ln-the-slot
9.864 are flat rate (unlimited
service). 36.540 are private exchanges and
only T.163 are measured service on which
meters can be placed.
"No one has Invented a satisfactory
meter to be placed on the premises of the
subscriber. One man came along with an
Idea which we have purchased, and per
haps later we will be able to make a
meter which we can place on any instruv
ment"
No lajary front Wireless.
Statements have been made in the medical
and general press that the electric waves
used In wlrless telegraphy aire Injurious to
the operators and produce various diseases,
such as conjunctivitis, corneal ulceration,
and leukoma. Mr. Marconi writes to tho
London Times to deny these suggestions.
He says: "As I am not ambitious to be
associated .with any new addition to the
already sufficiently sorrowful list of oc
cupational diseases, perhaps you will kindly
allow me the courtesy or your columns to
state most emphatically that whatever may
happen In conditions with which I am not
acquainted, my own experience and that
ot the companies associated with my name,
both here and in other parts of the world,
supplies no evidence whatever In support
of these suggestions. Just as It Is neces
sary to protect tho eyes from the effects
of any source of Intense light so. la ouf
night-power stations, we find It convenient
to surround our sparks and dUohargea wita
" '.( - ' " " !,"!
at her home, and was attended by
nil
thirty-nine pupils.
Fairfield Is the new name of the old post-
office center known as White Elm. In
point of settlement and progress it ranks
wtth Sutton. Harvard. Edtar and Clay
Center. It 1b the center of trade for the
,0uthwest townships of Clay county and
the towna adjoining on the south and west
jtg grtLln market Is celebrated and the sur-
rnundlns. country oec.nled bv an Industrious
Pis f citizens. Fairfield twnsite waa
.n,fred by Marlllan Roed In 1871. John
riancv was a Dloneer settler of the town-
Bl(e Tne poitoffica wa3 established In
th(J fal, of 0UtsMe of tna v,llago ot
whUe E(m Jn ApH1 lm j E Hooper
.,... , . , ..,.,,
building was erected In the fall of 1873 and
..a, en L,'U lunu i.'J ui. i.,tnv dviiuv.
co,t 1'400- In April,
1884, the sum or
J17.000 was subscribed by twelve persons for
the benefit of Fairfield college.
Edgar is made up of all kinds of peo-
P1. bIed to an enterprising community
tm 4w'a kui,i
L iii1! t; "71 sso mm r&f
i ' -v v . V- Jk-rZ' ir -rliv rTiH
M. M. JOHNSON'S
Developments in Field of Electrical Application
a non-translucent screen or box; but no
other precautions have been found neces-
sary. and the health of our operators and
other employes has, I am glad to say,
been uniformly satisfactory. During the
twelve years or so of our operations I have
had to deal with no single case of com-
pensatlon for any Injury of this origin, nor,
so far as I can ascertain, has any Injury
been suffered. Speaking for myself. I may
remark that my own good health has never already milks the cows; runs the churns;
been better than during the often extended WOrks the butter; saws and splits fire
periods when 1 have been exposed for many wood. nKhts and heats the house; oper
hours dally to the conditions now chal
lenged, and In the constant neighborhood
tm 4 ulanlvlnul ilienha rsas A r mto (panoallan.
tic stations, which 1 believe are the most
powerful ln tha world."
Shall ths Servant Bo Master?
Electricity has escaped from the factory
and has entered the home, says a writer
In Hampton's Magazine. All over Amer-
lea are houses to which coal is a atranger; own and operate it. or whether we will U Increased If a mas of iron be placed above natur on land or on ves8eIg used The nation that leads the world ln fever
houses ln which the lighting, the cooking, bow down to the Hydro-Electro-Cyanamld- within the colls. If the primary coll, or fop purpogea of gport or commerce, after lsh business activity requires playgrounds
ii. o .IU.....I,, .... uu.i im an uuuo ny ins
eiectrio current. rnese nouaes are laat
Increasing ln number. All over America
are farmers who have on their land smalt
brooks which, If harnessed, will supply
this power. But most of us become the
tenants of some big corporations owning a
waterfall grabbed from us-perhaps 300 to
00 miles away. We have never seen the
fall, but we can tap the slender wire by
our gate and draw from It at a cost
reaching 100 to $250 a horsepower year for
small users the current which ln a mo
'-"Ml. II .,,,...
by ths umi spirit of proitrtf and enter
prise hVh. first suggested tha building
of a village at this point. The townslto
was pre-empted by Henry Oipe, and the
survey waj made In May, 1S73. The pot
offlre was established in June. 1872.. with
A. J. Rltterbush as postmaster. It was
kept In his loir store building, adjoining
the townslte Glpe erected Uie first house
a tod house and In 1ST2 the depot and sec
tion house were erected by the railroad
company. The first school building of
Edgar was built on the site of the present
new school building. It was a one-room
frame building. School wa opened In the
fall of 1S7I. The first Uacher waa Ida
Hodges, who received the splendid salary
of 25 per month.
miles southwest of
iillrs from Lincoln.
acres In farms, and
itlvatlon. It has a
Clay county It 145 miles southwest of
Omaha, and eighty nil
The county has 31fi,6'.6 ac
257,000 acres under cultlv
population of 18.000, and Is a county unique
In many respects. It occupies first place
In more different lines than any other
county In the state. It Is the bread basket
of the state, as It produces more wheat
than any other county in the state. Last
year the farmers sold and shipped out of
Clay county, S.KAO'JO bushels of wheat.
They also sold and shipped out 1.C2.800
bushels of corn. Besides this they mar
keted 163.000 bushels of oats. Rut this Is
not all. These farmers sold and shipped
out 11,179 head of beef cattle and 62,0,0
head of fat hogs. Besides 1.200 head of
horses and 1,300 head of shetp. Clay county
Is fast reaching the point where the far
mers will not consider that beef, pork,
corn and wheat are everything that can
be produced In Clay county. This present
season the farmers are using M) hand
separators and keeping 6.300 cows on their
farms.
The y also have 107.000 chickens on
their farms. The county is well adapted
to many kinds of fruit, such as apples,
peaches, nlums and cherries, of which
there are 120.000 trees In full bearing. The
present season the farmers raised 600 acres
of potatoes and GOO acres of aorghum. Be-
sides this they produced 10.800 acres of
alfaJfa. 8.800 acres of timothy and 61.000
acres of wild hay. The county also sold
and shipped out 4,aM,0u0 pounds of flour
and 300.000 pounds of mill feed. As an ex
ample of what the dairy and poultry in-
terest t mounts to In the county, let us
remember that Clay county sold and Bhlp-
nrt nut last vear 168 91)9 Dounds of butter.
a - - -
- , . 1 1 n W M-.-
289,000 dozens of eggs. 1S9.000 gallons ot
wv ...
266.S00 pounds of live poultry.
Clay Center is the largest little city in
the state, If not In the United States,
This is not merely a poetlo expression, as
3jr
mi ntniitiTv
fUSTCS?S
U U. M I V M U I I
OLD TRUSTY INCUBATOR FACTORY AT
ment heats the bathtub of water; which
haats the irons- which broils the steak;
whlon lightens the housewife's laUors and
,akeB flre ana goot from the house.
a " re . . Germany and soon it
n 0 ar t action motora
wm tru here-eiecmo tract on
tapping wires close by drag piows aero .
the fields and harrow and harvest as wen.
Electricity ln New York and Wisconsin
ates the cider press; charges the storage
batteries of the farmer's runabout. In
lne Bouln 11 "uo" ru" l" " 1
cotton picker and the gin and press. There
is no end to us uses, it comes closer vo
us every day, and in a generation It will
be our master or our slave. It Is for us
t0 chooe, and we must choose soon,
whether we will take charge of It and
Carblde-Uopper-Trust, tne jiyara 10 which
every loaf of bread, every pound ot Deei,
every manger of oats must pay Its tribute,
I.ararest Transformer.
The largest electrlo transformer ever
bullt l8 described and Illustrated ln Popular
Electricity (Chicago). The machine, ao-
cording to this authority, is about twenty
feet tall and weighs 120.000 pounds, with
the outer casing in place, cot including
the water which Is kept ln the casing to
rr.,A ff V, atx Inlarinr fiartl A IraniifftrmfiP int
""'
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Picturesque Musicians
, , ,,,
COWBOT JO(I OS MORTH Pt-ATTS-O. A, LOWLa Cl&KCTQB.
A L Yxi I: 14 r , It. h, U-j
L J
I yt '
I j
I ,
the following statements will show. It Is
a little town of only one thousand In-
habitants, but It t. distinctly In a class
by Itself. Its many and varied sources of
Income within the village limits,, and Its
being surrounded by the richest aud best
developed farm lands in the state, will
make It easy to maintain that Clay Center
Is the banner town for Its odd and peculiar
Industries. The cream separator and the
lnoubator are twin brothers of modern
. ., .v. ....w..
,hu, h0 A ' . h , ,,, ,,. f,.
this thrift v little town
It would be of course. ImDosslble to de-
tennlne Just what proportion of the rapid
and substntlal growth of Clay Center Is
due to the rich agricultural surroundings,
An(, Just whftt proporUon of lta -ate proi.
perity ttna progress Is due to the remark-
able enterprise and business tact of M.
M. Johnson, the rounder and proprietor
of the Incubator business of this city.
CerUuu It te. however, that Clay Center
CLAY CENTER, NEB.
necessary In order to boost or step me
voltage ((pressure) of the electrlo current
generated by the dynamos up to a value
sufficient to force the current through a
lon transmission line, perhaps In which
u to be utilised. Copper or aluminum
expenglve as gmall a else as
poggibl8 mugt be uged ln th8 transmission
.m-lier the wire the greater the
resistance to the flow of current, conse-
quently the transformer Is employed to
furnish sufficient voltage to overcome this
resistance. A transformer ,1s a compara-
tlvely Blmple piece of apparatus, with no
moving parts. When two colls of wire are
placed one over the other and an alter-
,1B,Unfc- current Is passed through one of
thenli an alternating current la set up ln
the other, although tho two coils are en-
tlrely separated and insulated from each
other. This Is caused by an electrical phe-
nomenon known as induction. This effect
ii.e tun receiving i-urrtiu iioiii mv source,
nas, say, iw turns, ana tne secondary
coll has 1,000 turns, the voltage dellveied
by the secondary will be ten times as high
" that Impressed upon the primary, al-
though the current, measured In am-
Pore. ' be only one-tenth that deliv-
ered to u' Primary. The above. In brief,
u the Prlnciple of the step-up transformer.
$ .
State Control of Wireless,
a scheme of legislation drawn up hy the
i - - 1 1 l M
ho.l. a.m lole.rapn. or war
, ' ' - ,- i ". ' ' m: ', .f
v -" ' ' f fii'i in 111 in i 1 ml lf"'-' f"'t '-'-iiurn wnrirnari uTTinr I i' ' Tin T - i'ir l aniiiii n
T'
of Western Nebraska
PUBLIC SCHOOL AT SUTTON, NEB.
has received much In both directions and
combined results are In the highest degree
ptl'ey "tisfactory to all cltisens whose
inirirpiB ui i u llii'ii I n (tic iiivivu lit. c
Mr. Johnson established
the Incubator
business here in Clay Center In 1895. He
established and built the present factory
whlch employs about 300 hands. Last sea-
son he turned out 45.000 Incubators, which
were shipped to every state and some for-
etgn countries. Mr. Johnson has his own
photograph gallery and printing plant, and
ottlc force of seventy-five. Mr. John-
son does largely a mall order business. The
- ...
following statement pertaining to the post-
n w.i.u. -i... r... i. i..,i
t0 u,. lramense business of this one manu-
facturlng house. The Clay Center postofflce
has grown since 1898 from a fourth class,
tlsM KI UWll BIIIUQ Aa-'O 1 1 Ulil 1UUI 111 1 1H.OP1,
iQ Btconi clagB offce dolng. a bu8negg
for the laat flve years ot .150,000 to 8200.000
per year monay order payments, and
$ig,000 to 120.000 In postal receipts. Only
BeVen offices In the state outrank the Clay
Center office In volume of business.
One of the most practical organizations
of this little city, and one that Is doing farm. These animals are sold for the hunt
much for the farmers Is the Nebraska Ing of rabbits and other small game, and
Poultry company, under the management to large grist mill and elevator companies
of W. F. Holcomb. This company makes and similar concerns, that are apt to
a specialty of high grade, well bred poul- oveirun Wth rats.
try. About forty-three varieties are kept
on different farms scattered over the
county, where much care and pains are
taken to breed and raise the best varieties
and the most hardy and thrifty of each
variety that can be produced. This organi
zation has been a success from the start.
This little city seems to be the center
of a circle that is doing much to develop
a better grade of stock on the farm. This
section stands first In the state In the
breeding of Duroc-Jersey and Poland-China
hogs. There are at least three breeders
here who have developed some of the best
specimens and sold for the highest price
of any In the state. One hog was recently
sold for 31,500. And the price of from 3100
to tm Is not at all uncommon. These high
grade breeding animals are shipped out
through Nebraska and adjoining states.
The Shetland pony industry is neither
the last nor least of Clay Center's mnny
enterprises. H. II. Johnson has a Shetland
and or the navy, dealing witn radioteiegra-
phy and radlotelephony, will shortly be In-
tioduced into the Italian Chamber of Pep-
utles. At the present moment tha state
enjoys the monopoly of the employment
both of radlotelegraphy and radlotele-
phony.. The chief enactment ot this law
is to the effect that the government re-
t i.if .h. riht tn ..tahiish and
maintain radlotelerraDhic and teU-Dhonla
Installations, and ln general all the sys-
terns, both In the case of the state and its
anied colonies, which, either on land or on
b0ard ship, may employ energy In order
to obtain effects at a distance without the
Uso of conducting wires. It will, moreover,
bo competent for the government to con-
cee to all persons, companies or admln-
.i,..),.. ,hii r ,i,i
character, for scientific, education, or even
for puDl0 or private service, the' right to
...v,nv. . .i.i i.,i'ia,i. ,h
formai application for the concession has
been duly made.
Wireless Telegraphy In China.
The acting president of the board ot
communications, says a United States con
sular report has sent an order to the tele
graph administration in Shanghai, directing
It to obtain from foreign firms tenders for
wireless telegraphic installations which, tha
government desires to establish between
mo Aiiai mountains ana Ansien in tne
- . .
norinwest oi cninese Turgestan. The ques-
pony farm, stocked with about fifty well
brc(1 animals.
They range In weight from
fffl , )g quJU a
viuu tins iarm ana see inese mue uiiniaii
at play. For It Is all play with them,
These animals are bred and raised for al-
most the role purpose of making the ohil-
dren of this country more happy. They
are well broke before being sent out
it. jr. Harvey may truthfully be called
a dog fancier. He engaged In this Industry
,ome flve vear, and hl8 buelne ha.
steadily Increased. He keeps nothing but
the Scotch collie and some of these are
'rora 8cl'atnd; "6 r'"" "oth
,ns but the v'ry bFt "traln of lhU br,d
""u ,n l" '
20 dogs, going to many states la the
umon
Last of all, the most peculiar Industry
of Clay Center Is a Serret farm, where
this little animal Is bred and reared and
shipped to all parts of the country. L. A.
Brown is proprietor of this most peculiar
Clay Center Is not a retired farmers'
town. It la largely a worklngman's town,
and the laboring man has a good home
life. Cheap living expenses, good schools
and churches, a substantial lot of retail
stores, and work the year round. Men
who have families, where the boy and girl
want superior educational advantages, are
wanted here. The flour mill, one ot the
beBt in the state, runs night and day, fur
nlshlng employment to Quite a force ot
men. Wages are good and this little city
"na '
troubles.
Of late tbe best citizens are taking an
uctlve part In the city government, so
that the olty council Is composed of
strcng men. Mr. J. E. Wheeler Is serving
his third term as mayor, and the city has
prospered undor his administration. He Is
one of Clay Center's most active and
progressive citizens.
uon or a wireless teiegrapn installation
in the Interior was pointed out by the ad-
ministration as one of the most Important
needs of China today. It Is said the board
considers it practically Impossible to estab-
the ordinary land lines across the
ft desert between Peking and the ex-
treme northwest but the natural dlffl-
oultles could be surmounted by tha use of
w'reless, Balkson's system is considered
by tha Iocal board to be the newest and
mo8t e'c'nt nd the administration was
Inducted to make the necessary Inquiries
a"a were al 'lven ,l,t of Q"tlono as
"'ners wnion u was meir
uusiuess to answer.
Playgrounds of the Nation
as well as workshops. If wa aspire to
maintain Industrial supremaoy wo must
perforce think of conserving not only
minerals but men. Arguments for scenlo
preservation need not be limited to rs
ihetlo or sentimental postulates; the play
grounds of tha nation are essential to Its
very life. Nor can tho materialist turn
aside from thla demand nt tha tlmaa fnp
no greater valu. ca b, wo from
tain slopes and rushing river, than
through the utilization of natural scenery
in tha nir..m.i ii..
John Mur hag JuBtIy termed tha moun-
tain parks fountains of Ufa Hero oaa
be had the recreation that makes for in
creased and maintained efficiency. Tho
appreciation of the beautiful In nature
should become more and mora an Ameri
can characteristic, and in these days of
national stock-taking we do well to In
ventor tha nation's wealth in wild scen
ery. The national policy of preserving tho
best of America for present and future
enjoyment is well fixed. Since 1S7I twelve
rational parks have been established, in
cluding publlo domain within as many
different States, with an aggregate area of
S.500,000 acres. In addition to tbeso res
ervation there have been created elnoe
June. 19M, eighteen national monuments
in nine States, with a total area ot over
l.jCO.UJ acres. The Orand Canyon and
the petrified forest ln Arizona and tho
natural bridges In Utah are the most
notable ot the national monuments; of
the national parks tho Yellowstone, tho
Yusemitle, and the Mount Rainier are tha
best known. The Secretary of the Interior
la the Federal officer charged with tha ad
ministration of these national reserva
tions and congress makes annual ap
preparations for their malntenanoe, those
for the current year amounting to 1174,
0JU. The present pulley la to make the
utilisation of those resources for recrea
tion available to the greatest number of
people by building roads and trails, Issu
ing maps, snd safeguarding tho health
aud comfort of visitors through sanitary
Improvements and supervision of tha
transportation and hotel nniifiTisslsna, Jit
view ut lieviewa.
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