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2 GRANT COUNTY HERALD. H. J. JOHNSON, Publisher. LANCASTER, - - WISCONSIN. I" 1 1 Good roads, did you say? That’s a' fact. Something ought to be done * But wouldn’t a school to teach young people how to make love, as has been suggested, take all the individuality out of the game? A Toronto paper wants free street ours, but neglects to say whether it Also proposes to agitate for free gro ceries and building lots. A Chicago man has been arrested for passing counterfeit money. Somebody should take him to one side and tell him that the war is over. A Western preacher advises young people to take a book with them wher ever they go. One they will find a good deal of use for is the pocketbook. It Is not likely that either the fishes or the ducks will be able to recognize much difference in Mr. Grover Cleve land since he has passed the 70-year mark. Mark Twain receives 30 cents a word for everything he writes, which is as much as ex-1' resident Cleveland gets for words that are three times as long as Mark’s. Mr. Taft is human, and would un doubtedly be pleased if the people should give him the presidency, but bs will never claim that he looks like Lincoln In order to boom himself. None but a pessimist will worry about the prediction that water will sell for 15 cents a three hundred years from now. A true optimist will •xpect to get two glasses for a quarter. report that trade condi tions continue to improve would seem to indicate that the average American is attending strictly to business and not worrying about Wall street’s little battles. Anyway, young John D. Rockefeller can show the country that it is better for the son of a rich man to teach a Bible class and contribute to the mis sionaries than to throw his money at the birds. As the soul-weighing experts cannot get In their fine work until we are dead, there Is nothing to prevent us from going through life believing that sre have souls that weigh more than the Boston variety. Borne of our boys seem to have the gymnasium craze. That Is right apd proper, but after all the cheapest and best gymnasium In the world and one that will exercise every bone and mus cle in the body is a flat piece of steel notched in one side, fitted tightly into g wooden frame, and, after being greased on both sides with a bacon Sind, rubbed into a stick of wood lengthwise on a sawbuck. Members of Congress discussed with the President recently the desirability of paying an annual salary of $15,000 to the American members of The Hague Court of Arbitration, so that they might devote their whole time to con sideration of International matters. The friends of peace will be delighted to have a salaried court to which the nations shall take their disputes, as private citizens appeal to our Supreme Court How Intensely practical and sensible Is much of the modern missionary work Is shown by Dr. Wilfred T. Grenfell, the medical missionary of the Labra dor coast In a recent address de scriptive of his work he said, “We paid more attention to benefiting the Sverty- ridden people by aiding In sir physical welfare than by preach tag and prayer. We established hos pitals to care for the sick, opened stores where clothing and food and tobacco could be obtained at a lower price and of a better quality than in the regular stores. We helped to teach the fishermen more about their busi ness of fishing and the conditions un der which they lived, and how they eould better the conditions; and by so doing we accomplished a greater good than might have been wrought by a host of preaching and praying missionaries who Ignore men’s bodies In the cure of their souls.” The tributes to the late Mr. Aldrich not only as a writer of prose and verse but also as a fascinating talker has again raised the question as to wheth er brilliant conversation is getting to be one of the lost arts and if so why? It is an old query. Many years ago the late Joslah P. Quincy, writing of social life in Boston in the old days, told how people passed their evenings in the light of flickering c. lies. Read ing and studying were difficult under such circumstances and the art of conversation flourished In the house hold. The conclusions of thoughtful men and women upon matters of cur rent interest were talked over. Then came the argand lamp, which Initiated s deterioration In social Intercourse and Instead of talking about these and other subjects no difficulty was ex perienced in reading all about them in books, magazines and newspapers. And now we have Improved gas burners and •iectric light, further interrupting the old Cow of conversation. Talking thus becomes out of date. “Suppose that a fine specimen of an olcl deer bound, very successful In bis business, should connect untold deer in J his park, fatten them up, and then say to his puppies: ‘Here, lx>3*s, I’ve had a hard life catching these deer, and I mean to see you enjoy yourselves. I’m so used to racing through the woods and hunting that I cannot get out of the habit, but you boys just pile into the pack and help yourselves.’ a deer hound as that would be scorned by every human father. The human fath er would say to such a dog: ‘Mr. Hound, you are simply ruining these puppies. Too much meat and no exer cise will give them mange and seven teen other troubles, and If distemper doesn’t kill them they will be a knock kneed, watery-eyed lot of disgraces to you. For heaven’s sake, keep them down to dog biscuit and work them hard.’ ” So writes Andrew Carnegie, in the Empire of Business. It was President Garfield’s doctrine that “the richest heritage a young man can be born to Is poverty.” Wealth may some times be an unmlxed blessing to him who acquires it, but it can seldom be such to the son who Inherits it. The chief good of weftlth lies in the effort through which It is created, not in sat isfaction of possession. Possession of wealth may make life easier but in the same degree that It does that it de stroj’s the natural stimulus to exer tion, which alone makes the man. If we look at the secure possession of wealth as the main end of life we may regard the heir to fortune as indeed lucky. But, even then, is It well to have the end of life come at the begin ning? Lots of men who have inherited great wealth have made much of their lives In spite of It. They have found other fields for effort, other fillips to their ambitions. But such is not the rule. Ordinarily the son of a very rich man proves less a man than his father was. The boy born with a silver spoon In his mouth Is apt to content himself sucking that spoon. He sees others striving for wealth and concludes it must be a good thing, though he cannot know why, for the man who has felt nothing of the evils of poverty can know nothing of the real advantages of wealth. He has the wealth but not the power to enjoy it, because he cannot ap preciate it. LUCKY CHARMS AT BRIDGE. Superstitions Women Dislike to Play Without a Talisman. Jewels about which some virtue Is supposed to linger is a superstition as old as time. But a new set of charms has been brought Into existence by what is known as “bridge luck.” There are charms of almost Inconceivable variety which superstitious women carry about In the firm belief that they are indispensable to their success at cards, and why doubt it? Thought Is very potent; therefore, If one thinks a charm Is lucky it becomes so because it is willed to be. True, the unimagin ative, unsensitlve person cannot possi bly see why the woman with a talisman turns up the right card or wins a point so much oftener than one who has for gotten to bring the charm to a sltdown rubber. It is useless trying to explain, but let the fact suffice, for it is said that some players go to the point of keeping the lucky object in their hand till the last card Is played. And these lucky charms? Some are rare and precious stones. Genuline Egyptian scarabs are always in re quest. Travelers pretend they are Im bued with occult power, provided they, are the real thing, while from India comes the Inkh. The Inkh has a repu tation for bringing the smiles of for tune that can’t be matched. A lady well known among the highest of bridge sets In London carries a miniature Joss which she declares brings her contin ued good fortune since It first came Into her hands and which she guards as zealously as If It were some priceless gem. In appearance the joss couldn’t well be more hideous, but it Is pos sibly Its malevolent eye that wards off the evil of her charmless partner. What would be the effect of having two Chinese gods at the same table may not be contemplated with composure. Superstition draws the line at dupli cates. —Boston Herald. A Trying Patient. It was easy to see how, in a com munity seven miles away from a regu lar practitioner, Martin Lane had won his prefix of “Doc.” When asked by strangers to what school of medicine he belonged, be always replied, “I don’t hang on to no school. I doctor by sense.” Occasionally there came times when “Doc” Lane’s methods failed to give satisfaction; he then withdrew from the case with much dignity, and made his statement to the world at large. “I don’t dicker with Eben Jenkins any more,” be said, firmly, to an in quirer one spring. “He’ll have to get through the summer the best way he can. “Five times now I’ve cured that man of dyspepsy—starved it right out of him; and the minute he’s cured he be gins to eat again. “I’m done with him now for good and all. Such folks don’t help my rep utation a mite.” Debris Worth Twenty Million. Twenty million dollars is the esti mated value of the debris left by the San Francisco catastrophe. The average man has a good many worries, but the prospect of becoming so successful he will be attacked for that reason isn’t on his list GRANT COUNTY HERALD, LANCASTER, WISCONSIN. Baja: Handler. The danger of puncturing or tearing bags containing grain or other similar substance when handling with the or GRirS THE ISAG. hook he provides a holder containing Innumerable line, yielding teeth, which extend upward and are bent slightly toward the handle. These small, yield ing teeth, which form tlie gripping sur face, are struck lightly against the side of the bag. 'They are thus forced into the meeh'df the bag, giving a firm grip as a whole, but no individual tootli bolding rigid enough to tear the bag. Medicine Bottle Indicator. A novel device for assisting tlie nurse or other person administering medicine to a sick patient is shown in ; —"jpjT — MEDICINE INDICA TOR. from the medicine depend greatly on the regularity with which the medicine Is administered. In order to assure ac curacy in giving the medicine this de vice was designed. It comprises a cas ing which can be attached to or detach ed from any bottle containing medicine to be used. In the center is a rotary dial on which are indications of time. Above the dial is a flap, on which is printed the words, “next dose,” with an arrow pointing to the time. Below the dial is a flap containing the name of patient, the intervals of doses, etc. As THE REAR-GUARD. The manager of the construction de partment of the Pleasant Valley elec tric road was greatly disturbed when Judkins, the foreman, came in and said that he could not go on with the work on account of two women and a baby. The Chicago Tribune tells the story. “Well,” said the manager, “this is all nonsense. We have the right of way, and the road is going through where it ■was surveyed. I’ll go out and see to it myself.” The foreman went out with a smile on his face, and the young manager followed him to where the construction of the road had come to a full stop. Iu front of a dilapidated structure was seated a girl, rocking a baby. Back of the girl, sitting on the low step, was a weary-looking woman. The manager approached and said: “Madam, are you aware that you are obstructing tbe progress of our work?” “I reckon I am. That’s what Susan is there for; that’s what I and the kids are here for. We propose to shunt your road off to one side.” “But, madam, tbe line has been sur veyed. You will have to move. Your place lias been condemned. You will be paid for it. The law ” “Don’t know any law,” she interrupt ed, “nor don’t want to. I know that your road, even if it was backed by the President, can’t run through our kitchen and tear up our yard where Jimmie is buried.” The manager passed round the slianty. Under a stunted apple-tree was a small marble slab with a few flowers growing about it. He drew near and read the wordes carved upon the stone: James Slocum —Aged 17. He saved four hundred lives in Pleasant Valley in 1900. Jimmie was drowned. There was a soft tone in the mana ger’s voice when he reappeared at the front and said to the woman: “Your son was drowned, it seems.” “Yes, Jimmie was drowned. He rode Black Bess down the valley to warn the folks when the big dam busted up in the hills. Every one was saved, but while he was crossing tlie bridge it went down with him an’ Black Bess. “We ain’t ever been able to buy a stone for Bess. The apple-tree that’s over her seems a likely thing instead of a stone.” “Madam, you will not have to move. Where is your husband?” “Upstairs readin’ the gospel so’s not to let his temper get the best of him. He’s got bis shotgun, and ” “Well, good-morning!” and the man ager and bis men moved on. Tlie matter was laid before the di dinary hooks used by teamsters is al ways very great. Tlie boles thus punched in the bag allow the contents to escape, causing a loss to the owner. To obviate this dan ger a Maine invent or lias designed the bag handler shown in the illustration. In place of the tlie accompanying illustration. As physicians invaria bly order the med icine prescribed to be taken at stated intervals, it re quires one person’s individual atten tion to see that the medicine is given to the patient at the proper time. In fact, the bene fits to be derived each dose'is taken the dial is revolved to the hour when the next dose is to be administered. Dustle*s Aslt Sifter, Many a man often wishes that the ash sifter at home was really dust proof. Without a doubt a great deal i 11 ■ mn. p . Ik DUST CANNOT ESCAPE tions, one half being hinged to the other. The ashes are taken directly out of the fire and placed in the top of the sifter. The sifting is accomplished by means of a wire screen operated by a handle at the side. The screen is in visible, tlie opening in the side of the can to allow free operation of tlie han dle being very small. There is thus small chance for the dust to escape. A small opening in the lower end serves to afford a method of dumping the waste. Unique Cutlery. A man in New Hampshire has hit upon -the happy idea of combining a spoon, a fork and a knife in one uten- TIIREE IN ONE. usefulness for cook ing purposes will be instantly recog nized. Near the end of this unique utensil Is the bowl of the spoon, at the extreme end the prongs of the fork and on one edge of the bowl a short cutting blade for the knife. rectors, and the Pleasant Valley elec tric road takes a turn to the left and rounds a small structure with a marble slab in tbe back yard under a stunted apple-tree. OUGHT TO BE GERM PROOF. Buildings To-day Are Constructed i poii Correct Sanitary Ideas. Hundreds of thousands of men in this country divide their life into two parts—the time they spend at home and the time they spend in their offices. Perhaps an hour or so of each day is spent in a dirty, stuffy street car or crowded train. Eminent doctors say people should spend at least three hours each day in the fresh air, but the average man is vastly too busy to do that. Therefore, it is essential that buildings should be kept in a clean and sanitary condition. That they are not is more often due to ignorance than anything else. Dust, dirt and disease constitute the bane of towns and cities. Dust is really one of the greatest enemies of the hu man race. The streets are full of it. It is carried by the winds, blown through open windows, inhaled in the street cars and thousands of office buildings and public institutions of all kinds ac cumulate their full quota of it. It is unnecessary to explain that dust is often laden with disease germs. Espe cially is this true of towns and cities. And this makes it imperative that buildings in which many human beings pass a large part of their time should be clean and sanitary. Cleanliness con sists of attention to details. After consideration it is easy to un derstand why the country dweller lives much longer than the city man. He does not have to inhale the death-laden dust in which the city abounds. He is not forced to stay in insanitary build ings from seven to twelve hours a day. He breathes pure air. Of course, there is really no solid reason why office buildings, schools, hotels or public and private Institu tions of any kind should be ill ventilat ed or that the air within them should be continually laden with dust. Proper and regular cleansing, strict attention to ventilation is doing much to make the modern building as nearly germ proof as possible.—Building Manage ment. The True Fisherman. Fishermen have a more philosophic view of chance and fate than any other brotherhood. A writer in Fliegende Blaetter gives an illustration: “You’ll find there are no fish in that pond.” “What did you tell me for? Now you’ve spoiled my whole day’s fishing.” The average boy’s idea of a good job is one which has a good deal of riding connected with it. of unconsumed coal would be saved if it was known that the ashes could be sifted without dan ger of ruin in g clothes. The ash sifter shown here looks ideal in con struction. It is cyl indrical in shape and made of sheet metal. The cover is made in two sec- si 1. Formerly, es pecially when cook ing, the housewife was compelled to have the three sep arate utensils with in convenient reach ready for in stant use. It would hardly be possible to recommend tbe use of this three faced article for table use, but its TREE OF EVIL OMEN, i Planted by Man Whose Only Good Trait Was Love of Animals. The tree of Tula and the tree of the Sad Night are known throughout the world, but there is a tree in Mexico which has acquired a local reputation somewhat shady in character, says an ‘ exchange. ; El Arbol Maldito is said to have been : planted by a man who had the misfor- I tune to be swallowed up by Mother • Earth on account of his crimes. He , was known throughout the country as un hombre muy malo. He never went to mass, never confessed his sins, nor did he have the image of a saint in his house, "wear a rosary around his , neck or make the sign of the cross as a respectable man should. He never ! gave a beggar even a centavito, and when he met a padretto on the street ’ he did not deign to remove his hat. Now it was rumored that this man was responsible for many murders and atrocious crimes of every description, i but he w r as never confined in jail, be ■ cause it was known that he had a com : pact with the devil so that whenever he invoked his majesty he wras rendered invisible to the human eye, or, at least, so small that he could easily escape, j He wras shunned by all, and he had i neither friends nor relatives. But a peculiar thing about this man was that he loved the trees, the birds and all the animals. He planted a great many trees and fed a flock of birds every morning. It was many years ago that the event of his departure took place, bat it is still remembered. Everj'body on the Haciendita ranch had attended the re ligious services of the morning, and they were returning to their homes when a terrific noise was heard. They rushed to the street, w r here it came from, and there they saw how the earth had opened up under the feet of that hombre muy malo. He wras en veloped by thick flames and smoke and quickly disappeared beneath the sur face of the earth. This was considered a just punish ment In view of the situation, and everyone w r as exceedingly pleased. While the faithful had been attending the services of the church the cursed one had nothing else to do but place a burning cigarette between the lips of an image on a big crucifix carried by an altar on the street. It was then that the convenient cavity opened up and he was engulfed by the earth. . That very day all the trees which he had planted, except El Arbol Maldi to, dried up and died, and so did the birds which he had fed from his own hand. An attempt was made to cut dow n the tree that did not dry up, but the foolish man w T ho made the attempt dropped dead on stepping under the shadow 7 of the foliage. As no one had the temerity to approach and remove it the man’s body had to be left there to be eaten by the crows. Since that day many have met a tragic death under the tree. A pedes trian who went under it for shade on a summer day was bitten by a snake and died in two hours. Three men on different occasions sought shelter from rain under its branches and were struck by lightning. A woman hanging some clothes to dry from the trunk of the tree was at tacked by a goat that came from no body knows where and was never seen again. Three years ago a little boy riding a burro led his animal to the tree. He was thrown off and kicked to death. The last victim of this fatal tree was a man of the name of Melquiades Are valo, who ran under it for shelter dur ing a rain storm a year ago, and like his predecessors he was struck by lightning. The antipathy that the peons have for the tree is such that they refuse to work in the fields for half a mile around it. Some time ago Prospero Garcia, proprietor of the ranch where El Arbol Maldito grows, resolved to have it blown up with dynamite, but no doubt he has been unable to find a man brave enough to venture near a tree which show’s such symptoms of a haunted life. / fanatic. Recently a w’earied looking I ttle mother, carrying a small baby, boarded a street car and took a seat next to two men who were earnestly engaged in conversation. Neither of the men was very handsome, and it must have required considerable nerve on their ; part to hand out their photographs among their friends unless the pictures had been previously retouched with sandpaper. In a few 7 minute the baby began to cry with a reliable yelp that could be heard above the cin of the street babble for half a block, and, with a grouchy glance at the youngster, one of the men arose and peevishly re marked to his pal: “I think we had better sit over here, Jim.” This ungallant act plainly embar rassed the little mother, but she was equal to the occasion. “It won’t do a bit of good to change your seats, gentlemen,” said she in a finely sarcastic voice. ‘‘The baby can see you quite as plainly over there as he could here.” Noting’ an Exception. “It pays to tell the truth.” “I always supposed the fellows that didn’t tell the truth were paid the most in legal cases.” —Cleveland Plain Deal er. What has become of the old-fash ioned parents who pulled their babies through a horse collar for “liver growth?” The velocipede was invented by Drais in 1817. Steel needles were first made in Eng land in 1545. Coal oil .vas first used as an illu minant in 1826. The first pair of spectacles was made by an Italian in 1299. The Times of India reports the com pletion of a crematorium for Europeans* at Calcutta; which is the first estab lished east of Suez. Seventy-two horse-racing clubs have been organized in Japan. Most of them, the Japan Mail says, w’ere established for gambling purposes only. The Tokio Nichi Niehi remarks that “one day’s pay for an American work man in San Francisco represents a fair monthly stipend for a Japanese.” The London Globe expresses the opinion that if the Liberals remain much longer in office consols will be given away as a premium w’ith a pound of tea. Marie Fassnauer, a giantess, has ar rived in London. She is eight feet in height, 150 inches around the chest and weighs 343 pounds. The Evening Standard expresses a hope that she is not a suffragette. German capitalists have established a glass factory at Poshan, China, a town on the Tsingtau-Cbinan-fu railway; a sugar refinery at Tsingtau, of which the daily output will be 200 tons, re quiring 80,000 tons of raw sugar annu ally; also a soap factory. The Hindoos have on their Hull, March 31, a day on which they play pranks similar to hose in vogue here on April 1. They send persons with messages to fictitious individuals or to those sure to be away from home, and enjoy a laugh at their disappointment. BIGGEST BUG IN THE WORLD, i Hercules Beetle of Central and South America Is a Giant. To the Hercules beetle, a giant among insects, which is found in cer tain portions of Central and South America, as well as in the island of Dominica, one of the British West In dies, belongs the distinction of being the biggest bug in the world, says the? New York Herald. In appearance this creature is anything but prepossess ing, and looks as if it belonged with pink snakes, purple spiders and other creatures of the imagination.. It is a common trait of tourists and travelers to 7 make little of anything seen in foreign lands, especially in the little West Indian islands, and to de clare that similar things of vastly greater size or better quality occur in “God’s Country.” When they run across the Hercules beetle, however* they are obliged to acknowledge them selves beaten. Although so formidable in appear ance, this insect is perfectly harm less. It lives in the heavy forests and feeds on the sweetish sap or gum of native trees. The larva, or grub, ia about four inches long and as thick as a man’s thumb and looks like a huge white maggot. It is considered a delicacy by the native negroes and caribs, who roast it in hot ashes and say that ,t tastes like roasted nuts. Clumsy in appearance, the Hercules beetle possesses great power of flight* and in the outlying villages it is not uncommon for one of these huge crea tures to enter the native houses, be ing attracted thereto by the lights. Tha invariable result is a prompt extin guishing of the candle by the wind created by the beetle’s buzzing wings, accompanied by the screams of the inmates of the house, who imagine a jumble, or evil spirit, has invaded their dwelling. A popular idea among the natives is that the Hercules beetle saws off limbs of trees by grasping them between the two horn-like appendages and flying round and round. This is a manifest impossibility, as the insect has little power in the horns, and, moreover, the upper one is lined with a soft, vel vety hair, which would be rubbed off at once by any friction. Lord Roberts Returns Fire. Lord Roberts once found himself among new friends in a London club. There was a very tall man present, who, evidently believing himself to shine as a wit, seized every opportu nity of raising a laugh at other peo ple’s expense. On being introduced to Lord Rob erts, the wit bent down patronizingly to his lordship and remarked: “I have often heard of you, but —” shading his eyes with one hand as though the famous general, being so small, could be seen only with diffi culty—‘l have never seen you.” To this Lord Roberts promptly re plied : “I have often seen yon, sir. but I have never heard of you.”—Philadel phia Record. Aainiul Shells. It is a curious fact that the shells of certain animals, such as c-ephalopods, brachipods and some bivalves, are commonly marked by retrogressive changes as age advances. “The old man returns to second childhood in mind and body,” states a well known scientist as Washington, and “the shell of the cephalopod has in old age* however distinct and highly ornament al the adult, very close resemblance U- Its own young.”