VI)
WEDNESDAY, SEPT, 26, 1917
THE BELDING BANNER
ORLEANS
Althoup-h it -was fair week the
Cross meeting last Wednesday -was
very wen attended, i no rmiow com
mittee request those that have donat
ed pillows and all those that will do
nate them to please bring them to the
work room at Mrs. C. D. Easter
brook's Wednesday, October 3.
Fred White of Ionia visited his
mother, Mrs. Cynthia White and fam
ily. Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Q'Rryon, Mr.
and Mrs. Earl French, and Miss Cora
Godfrey of Belding called on friends
here Sunday.
C. II. Packard and daughter and
Mrs. Bullis of Iowa Falls, la., are vis
iting the former's sister, Mrs. Cyn
thia White and family.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Peabody mot
ored to Orleans from Ilarrisville, N.
Y. They were guests of Mr. and
Mrs. George Hoyt and Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Peabody and other relatives
in Keene. Bushnell, Ronald, going to
Coopersville and Kent City from
here.
Mr. and Mrs. John Van Geisen,
Dave Treynor and wife, and Mrs. Ann
Treynor were visitors at Will Kit
son's, Bostwick lake, Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs, Lew Duckney were
guest of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Warner
last Tuesday night and Wednesday.
They were enroute from Detroit to
their home in Rodney.
Mrs. Sylvester Denehy and daugh
ter and Mrs. Ray Howard and son of
Ionia were over Sunday guests of
their parents, Mr. and Mrs. James
Lane.
Mrs. Myron Currier, daughter,
May, of Ionia, and Mrs. Fred Gould
of Eastern called on Mrs. Ed. Treynor
Saturday. Mrs. Glenn Gould called
on Mrs. J. M. York.
Mr. and Mrs. Kern Johnson of
Grand Ledge, Mrs. Clara Fisher of
Eugene City, Oregon arrived' Sunday
at Wm. Warner's for a visit with
them and other relatives. Monday,
accompanied by Mr. Warner and Mrs.
Esther Johnson they went to visit rel
atives in Greenville.
Robt. Wardrop returned home Sat
urday night, after spend the week in
Grand Rapids.
Andrew Flanagan and daughter,
Margaret, left Wednesday for their
home in Laurel, Mississippi.
Mrs. Electa Towne returned home
Sunday, after an extended visit at
her daughter's, Mrs. Burr Davis, near
Moseley.
Mrs. B. F. Connor, who has been
confined to her bed for the past three
weeks with neuralgia, is slowly im
proving. '
FuJlert Chnstensen and family
spent Sunday near Saranac with their
daughter, Mrs. Will Stebbins.
Mr. and Mrs. Earl Nash of Grat
tan were dinner guests of Wilson
Purdy and wife Sunday.
Wm. Cotton, Sr., was taken to the
city hospital at Belding last Wed
nesday for treatment.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Robertson of
Ionia called on friends here Sunday.
Miss Marion York accompanied them
to Baldwin Lake.
Carleton Currie and Alice Wilkin
son were guests at dinner Sunday at
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Howard
Noddins. .
Mrs. Vern Rich is on the sick list.
Mr. and Mrs. Warren Leddick of
Gret-nville visited Wm. Warner's
and other relatives here last week.
We are sorry to hear that Will
Hogan is very ill at the city hospital,
Belding with typhoid-pneumonia,
with but slight hopes of his recovery.
Mrs. Hogan was formerly Maude
Ransom of Orleans.
The W. C. T. U. convention held at
Palo last Wednesday and Thursday
was well attended and a very good
meeting was had. Those from Or
leans were: Mesdames Sarah Howe,
Lillian Holmes, Vennie Clements,
Martha Smith, Ola Graff, Elizabeth
Murray, Idella Wilbur and Miss
Martha Smith. Ionia Union won the
banner. The following officers were
elected: President, Mrs. Jessie Wild
er, Belding; vice-president, Mrs.
Louise Salome, Palo; corresponding
secretary, Mrs. Mary Lyle, Ionia: re
cording secretary, Mrs. Lillian
Holmes, Orleans; superintendents
Press, Mrs. Ola Graff, Orleans; Loyal
Temperance Legion, Mrs. Louise
Stewart, Clarksville: temperance,
Mrs. H. H. Lowery, Saranac; flower
mission, Mrs. Wortley, Lake Odessa;
medal contests Mrs. Sarah Howe,
Mrs. Sarah Howe, Orleans. Saranac
will entertain the next convention.
Mrs. Sam Pitt, Mrs. Fred Pitt, her
mother, Mrs. Blanchard, and son,
Norman, visited friends west of
Greenville Wednesday afternoon.
Mrs. Blanchard remained for a long
er visit.
Visitors from Orleans to the West
Michigan State fair were too numer
ous to mention but all agree that it
was a great fair.
Subject for Epworth League meet
ing next Sunday evening "Discour
agement And Its Cure., Luke 24-14;
2nd Kings, 13-9-16. Leader, Arthur
Cook.
Regular meeting L. O. T. M. Tues
day, October 2. The meetings are
well attended and interesting and we
hope every member will make an ef
fort to come and help to make them
still better.
OAKFIELD
Mrs. O. B. Green of Fowlerville
has been making Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Bowman, a very pleasant visit.
S. II Stewart is painting his build
ing on the farm.
Nearly every family in this com
munity was represented at the Grand
Rapids fair.
Mrs. William Reynolds of Grand
Rapids has been a recent guest at
A. J. Reynolds.
Louis Slingerland, and family now
ride in a new automobile.
The farmers arc very busy now in
tho bean harvest.
Friday evening, September 21, a
very pleasant social event occurred
at the M. E. church, when the Court
land circuit united in giving Rev. E.
R. Cochran and family a farewell re
ception. They were presented with a
fino easy chair and a purse of money
as a token of the esteem in which
they are held by tho people of the
community. Many kind words were
spoken expressing tho best wishes of
their friends for success in the new
field at Epworth church in Grand
Rapids. The new pastor. Rev, G. C.
Shcncman was present to enjoy tho
occasion and meet the people. Both
pastors responded to words of fare
well and greeting, spoken by A. J.
Reyonlds. Over 100 partook of light
refreshments served by the ladies.
Don't think it a misfortune to
tumble to your faults.
Seeing Michigan
fly the
United V eekfy Traveler
Belding The Silk Mill City
How It Cares For It's Girls
It has beejr my privilege to visit
many large industrial institutions. In
all of them I find an effort of some
sort or other is be-
ing maae to im
prove living condi
tions for the work
ers. In many cases I
have found elabor
ate equipment un
used because' some
welfare worker was
engaged to handle
the work, who
thought he knew,
better than the
workers themselves
what was really
needed. The result
naturally was a
ridicii 1 o u s fiasco.
Again I have found
these workers sim
ply part or an
elaborate but clever Scheme to 'se
cure free advertising, or an at
tempt to reconcile hostile public opin
ion. It was with this past experience
in mind that I journeyed to Belding.
When I called upon Superintendent
Howard at the Belding Bros, office in
Belding, Michigan, and explained the
object of my call, he said: "We have
no welfare worker. We do not claim
ard ha3 the full support and sympa
thetic interest of all the other officers
of the company behind him. It is a
significant fact that the large force
of skilled instructors, assistants, fore
men and forewomen graduate directly
from these mills. . The strength of its
system lies in developing workers who
know and eai do this mills' high grade
work, and it il a precious thing for
the business but furthermore it is
real life and a future for the worker.
A Business That Now Ranks With the
Foremost of American Institutions'
The Belding Bros, enterprises now
rank high in the field of permanent
American industries and to give the
I reader some idea of the importance of
this thoroughly American concern, it
is only necessary to say that they own
and operate the largest silk business"
in America, owning mills which have
a floor capacity of over 1G' acres if
the buildings were placed in one con
tinuous'line of one-story high, and of i
an average width of 50 feet they!
would measure more than three milesj
But the origin of the business was)
an humble one, the foundation of
which was laid in 18G0, when Hiram!
H. and Alvah N. Belding started fromi
their home in Belding, selling silk;
frdm house to house. Salesmen then!
with these two brothers became inter-!
ested in weaving and spinning of!
)
A Happy Group' of Girls From the Ashfield
to be philanthropists. .We are" only
doing what' common sense and good
business judgment dictates."
Mr. Howard is a man who has
grown gray in the service and who
talks straight from the shoulder with
a manner "wholesome In its hearty
brusqueness. ' As he spoke to the
traveler, he drove his remarks home
in a terse manner emphasizing each
point with a vigor that plainly dis
closed why he has so long held the
important position he does. . "There
seems to be some misunderstanding
about conditions as they really exist
here, and I receive daily a large num
ber of letters on this subject. It is a
pleasure to be able to explain to the
.United Weeklies of Michigan our
exact position at this time and to cor
rect any misapprehension as to
existing conditions. I will say that
our idea is covered in the sentiment
of seeing the other fellows' side of
the question, in other 'words what
would suit us were we in their places.
4 This is the first consideration and
this attitude leads naturally up to the
second consideration, that intelligent,
well paid, contented employees insure
a high class production; at the lowest
possible cost. Both considerations
being so necessary in these days of
acute competition. '
"We have a very intelligent class
of employees, every one goes about
their business in a cheerful contented
manner and no one need pretend to
exercise any paternalism over other's
actions. This is not a complex ques
tion whether you are working for
other people or other popple are work
ing for. you. See their side of the
question, study it and then act ac
cordingly that is all there is to it.
"Seeing the other fellows side of the
question seems to be the answer to
the success of this wonderfully com-
lex organization." '
F. W. Howard began work in the
Belding Mills as a boy and came up
through the rank and file. He knows
what he is talking about. Mr. How-
silks, establishing mills successfully
in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Cali
fornia and Montreal.
The mills at. Belding were estab
lished in 1800 and are now their'
largest single enterprise. The demand
for their products became insistent
and so rapidly was the production
forced that the 'territory, surrounding!
the city of Belding could not supply!
the necessary number of skilled oper-'
ators needed for this highly special
ized business. Then was adopted the'
plan for increasing the working
forces by bringing in a large number:
of the intelligent girls of the 'state,
whowere capable of being trained as!
skilled operators, and provision made!
for their care. The plan then adopted,
has 'shown the foresighted vision of
the management of the Belding mills,
and it is largely for the benefit of the
mothers who are sending their'daugh
ters to this center of silk industries
that this article is being written. . s
)To begin with the class of girls
desired must bo above the average,
of good character and capable of
training, self-contained and self-re-
specting. Fifty-four hours constitutes
a working week for the girls. The.
work is entirely on the piece work
plan and the wages a skilled operator
earns are very much above the aver
age, the state reports. The hours of
work are so adjusted that the girl
operators have a half holiday on Sat
urdays to jUtend to their own affairs-!
When the traveler raised the ques
tion as to whether the out of town
girls were required to live in the com
pany dormitories or homes provided
by the company or not, he was advised
that the girls could room or board
where they pleased, but that owing to
the excellent accommodations fur
nished by tho company at a moderate
price, most of the operatives favored,
the accommodations furnished by the
company.
tCarlng For the Girls on Arrival
. Girls o'rworaen before leaving home
09 . -
0 ' i -
The Ashfield and the Matron, Miss Caroline Urocker. One of (he Homes
Provided for Gfrl Workers.
(Continued on page three)
Gufst Good gracious, waiter! Nine
and nine mak6 18, not 19! .
. Waiter Ah, but, monsieur must
remember that everything has been
augmented by the war. Southern
Woman's Magazine.
"Excuse me," said the waiter, "hut
this quarter you gave me for a tip is
pewter."
"Well, you brought me a cold stor
age egg and oleomargarine." Wfish-
Ington Star. - ,
EAST OTISCO
Mr. and Mrs. Smith Rowley have
returned N home from Edmore, where
they have been spending a few weeks
with their son, Frank.
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Pickard and
son, Donald of Belding, spent Satur
day night and Sunday with their par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Smith.
The Sunday guests of U. C. John
son were: Mr. and Mrs. Louis Mount
and three daughters, Mr. and Mrs,
Newell Cowles, all of Greenville. ,
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Johnson of
Belding spent, Sunday with their
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Hall.
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Spencer and
children of Belding visited Sunday
with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry
Sussex. '
Miss Bertha Johnson spent Sunday
night with her brother and wife, Mr,
and Mrs. Harry Johnson of Belding.
Mrs. Orson Rowley and children
spent Thursday night with Mr. and
Airs. Will Moore.
Quite a few from this vicinity
attended the Grand Rapids fair.
.Mr. and Mrs. Howard Chickering
returned home Monday night. . Mr.
Chickering in feeling much better.
RIVER RIDGE
George Hagadorn spent Sunday af
ternoon with relatives near Saranac.
Mr. and Mrs. T. II. Antcliff spent
Monday afternoon with Mrs; Lura
Parker and son, Roy.
Ed. Oman has moved on the Will
Wright farm at Kidd.
Floyd Bush, who has .bten serious
ly ill, is able to be around again.
Quite a number from around here
attended the fair at Grand Rapids
last week.
Most of the farmers in this vicinity
are busy harvesting their bean crop.
Mrs. Fred Freeman and lady friend
spent last Friday with the former's
mother, Mrs. Wm. Antcliff.
Mrs. A. Wright has returned home
from McCords, where she has been
visiting for several weeks.
PARNELL
Confirmation will be administered
at St. Patrick's church Sunday, Sep
tember 29.
Miss Anna Verley is visiteg her
aunt, Mrs. John Bird.
Alden Bush is visiting his rela
tives. Miss Julia Toohey and Alice Con
way spent a week in Grand Rapids.
Mr. and Mrs. John Bird and
daughter, Irene, spent Sunday in
Belding with Mr. and Mrs. Michael
Kennedy.
Miss Marie Bresnahan of Grand
Rapids spent the weekend with her
mother.
Misses Anna Verley and Mary and
Perlean Bresnahan called on friends
in Parnell Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Costello are
visiting relatives for two weeks.
KEENE HEIGrTTS
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Nash and son,
Merrill, and Mr; and Mrs. John Tay
lor of Eureka rnotored to Ralph Big
ley's Sunday and spent the day. '
Gale and Maggie Bowen and moth
er visited with Fred OUarrow fam
ily Sunday; -also Mrs. Button of Sar
anac. Mark Bowen filled his silo Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Orve Vanderlip at
tended the fair at Grand Rapids
Thursday.
mn::n:nn:n:::n::m!:i:i:n:t tni:n:::n::::::::::::::s:n::::::::::::n:::::::n
Fine -New Coats are Here
For Yons
Some with throw-collars, some with the wide Joffre collar, but all of
them button high to the neck, "cozy and comfy" for the coldest of winds.
Pictured is a recent arrival
that came in a box with a
half dozen others.
These are sample numbers, but one
of a kind, and you ought to see these
right now.
Coats as low as $15 and from there
gradually increasing in value to the
rich fur-trimmed garments that retail
at $100.
New Coats New Suits - New Dresses
New Skirts 0 New Waists
All here, in splendid array, and all garments that will be a pleasure
to wear. Home of the FERN WAIST.
Lincplns Department Store
Belding, Michigan
If
Depositors' Savimgs Climb
STILL OPEN
Is admirably adapted for saving money for
Weeks
Vacations- and Taxes
'Rums for Fifty-Two
Start now and You Will Have Plenty of Money for
Taxes and Vacation. Read All of This:
Some Idea of the System
Our Depositors Savings Glub for Vacations and Taxes is progressing You can
join this club and start a systematic saving, according to some plan which you may select,
and which you will keep up for 52 weeks.
The Glub is always open. You should join it. If you do not care to save this money
for Vacation or Taxes, you can use it to some other GOOD PURPOSE. -
Remember you can start now to provide any amount for any purpose. Every penny
youx deposit in this Club is yours when the Club period ends, and it draws interest at 3 per
cent from the time it is deposited. ' . '
If you wish to have your money earlier you can date your card back to August 1st or
Sept. 1st. by paying back installments. Pay amount necessary and we will date your card
to mature when you want the money. v
The splendid success of our club is familiar to many savers
am.lc
Peoples . saymgs
E
Belding
Michigan