Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 34, Number 188, Decatur, Adams County, 8 August 1936 — Page 3

EXT OF GOVERNOR McNUTT S ADDRESS

L. McNUTT ks here on MNEERS DAY gits Tal.lK U To na pioneers I riday w dr- ' Ity of Decatur | ~, v ,,u Who al- assembl-1 at illations' Ll of the Mate' .„in|)l>-tiaii of a century I jS upon III.’ line eelebra-| hav- pc. !■•"' '! Il,r ,hP upon I ll ' oß ' , lh uhi.h Oecatur enters uscfond century of its \ r Pumphrey ami his cen-Lmmim-s Have really put jonot have ll’e Pleasure io lleciUtir. under obllga*th,. prourain which is beHod out this week. We are jioJohn Heller for the inK centennial issue of the to Mr french Quinn, to ™ ie Studebaker Obenauer, lt i ?rs who h ive preserved ffß publicity to the history wt ’ resorting to flattery. ra nd Adams County can lie Blated tor malty distincj rtnh they enjoy. When this iaJ separated from Allen , O d organized under the January 1836. effective t !<:>;. the name was givrttrh has always put it at id of the alphabetical list of I counties, hi the General jir in statistics, and in g foumi. s generally, we al«rt with Adams County.

(.SNAPSHOT GUI IL IT'S ALL A MATTER OF HOW • MUCH LIGHT W T For nearby subjects when the light is whg not very bright as in the picture above, hi But for distant scenes, like this to the left, use a ' ens °P en " Sn_.

KSE modern cameras and Wen film make it possible for • achieve happy results with We knowledge of how our hs function, many of us do not •to find out. but we will more 'M better pictures if we know Ik shout our cameras *n under(that they’re up to. famera is simply a light-tight •dumber, with a film at one •fit bit of optical glass, called *■ at the other. Add to that a ™ite for admitting light unwol into the box. through the the film, and you have the es■ot a camera. '•it* of the lens and the extent .. 'J' s opened are important, “e lens opening is large, a lot u let into the camera to re•e Picture on the film. That’s 7* ell . but lenses do not do 1 wide open” in giving j a . at ” of a " objects both near ' " hen you want sharp. < detail from foreground to , in a Rood landscape pichr i 6 t 0 " sea small ,ens ■ “hen you are interested P'cturlng an individual or a Übn Sr ° UP ’ a " * n the dog picl °’ e ’ you can safely use a “ rger opening if you so- ■ Indistinc t detail bet matter so much.'in fact 'Wm' 0 accen,,,ate tbe prini^ na,ly all can >eras there is , ”• of changing the size of *,,, P ! a ' ,lg - In most box cam- ( out a little slide at the >•« th Camera " In most folding •hit .ii* ' S anot her type of adH '’““d a diaphragm, with f’Sned I ’ arlety ° f Opentnß ’ S? hraE “ types > the ma " 6 hown by numerals

I and 1 think in this presence no one ' will deny that this always gives us a good beginning for the whole list. It gives the other 91 counties n good mark to shoot at to keep up with Adams County. Decatur, also, is a good name. There is a theory that people's names have influence upon their destiny. Instances are cited of men with common, ordinary names who ' made no stir in the world until | they changed their style by using I the initial of their first name and wrltijfgt out a long, aristocratic. | middle name. Stars of the opera, the stage and the screen sometimI es owe their success, so they think ito the choice of a lucky name, j Whether there be anything in this I theory or not, I believe that SamI uel L. Rngg and his associates, when they got the county seat of , the new county of Adams located lon their land and gave It the name lof "Decatur." opened the door for an influence both commendable and picturesque. Stephen Decatur will always stand in American history for courage, adventure, and abov all, patriotism. Os Dutch ancestry, coming to America byway of France, he had the blood of seafaring folk. He was born when his mother was a refugee from the British occupation of Philadelphia during the Revolution. From the first, he made his career in the Navy. It was in the wars against the piratical powers of North Africa that . I he showed his mettle and won enII during fame. I presume his exploits there are , well known to all of you. but they ' will bear repetition. In the fighting ' against Tripoli, the Americans had I captured from the pirates a little ' ■ ketch which they renamed the ! "Intrepid.” On the other hand, one of our own large ships, the “Philadelphia,” had run aground and . had been captured by the Tripoli-

which have a meaning in terms of the ratio between the diameter of the lens opening and the distance from the lens to the film. In designating these settings, the letter f. is used. When you see that a picture was made with the lens at f.ll, it means that the opening of the lens was 1/llth of the lens-to-film distance. It happens that f.ll is a good, average opening, neither too large nor too small. In fact some inexpensive cameras have a fixed opening, or aperture, of about that ratio. Smaller openings, f. 16 or f. 22, tor example, cut dow’n the amount ot light entering the lens. Consequently. given the same light conditions, longer exposures are required. That brings us to another gadget which, 'ti terms of time, also controls the amount of light that enters the lens —the shutter. For most ordb nary snapshots, a shutter that opens and closes in about l/25th second is entirely adequate. In fact, this shutter speed, coupled with an opening oi f.ll, is so nearly right for average outdoor conditions that it is a kind of magic formula. Shuttdr speeds faster than l/50th second are seldom needed except for pictures of rapidly moving objects, and ‘hen with a larger lens opening; otherwise, not enough light would be admitted. Lenses, by the way, are rated according to the largest opening at which they work. You hear camera fans talking about f. 6.3 lenses, f. 4.5 lenses, and even f. 2.0 lenses. These “fast” lenses are wonderful things; they'll get pictures under the poorest kind of light and they do have that extra speed when you need it. But even so, they all work better if the subject has adequate light with the resulting opportunity to stop down (use a smaller opening) for the sake of sharper detail. JOHN VAN GUILDER.

' DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT SATURDAY, AUGUST «, 1936.

tans. In the dusk of evening, Stephen Decatur succeeded in getting the piratical looking “Intrepid" alongslde the "Philadelphia." With a rush, they cleared the docks and disposed of the whole crew. The skillfully placed and set fire to an immense amount of Inflamable waste; then went buck to their ketch and sailed away in triumph without loss in the light of the burning "Philadelphia." I doubt that this ln< endlnary exploit had any bearing on the disastrous fires which have occasionally devastated this town of Decatur’s name. It ought to be an example for intrepid recovery from mistakes and misfortunes. Later in this same year of 1804, in the bombardment of Tripoli, with twenty-three men, he hoarded and cleared an enemy vessel of its crew of thirty-six. Upon his return to the flagship, he learned that his brother James had been killed. Upon, this, he reentered the enemy lines and with only ten men, cutlass in hand, boarded another vessel. -Then followed a scene which outclasses anything in present day movies. The Tripolitan captain, a huge giant, was armed with a boarding pike. After a swift pass. Decatur closed with him. They grappled and fell. Another Tripolitan swung at Decatur with a sword which surely would have killed him had not his devoted seamate, Daniel Fraser, intercepted the blow with his own body. The Tripolitan captain finally got Decatur down. As he aimed the finishing dagger blow. Decatur managed to fire his pistol from his pocket and killed his formidable foe. It is well known that the United States finally bi vueht Tripoli to terms by the daring and skill of Decatur and others like him. The honor of the United States was vindicated and its commerce protected. Decatur's career in the War of 1812 was the epitome of the experience of the whole of the little American Navy. During that war its individual vessels were superior to the English vessels of the same class, but they were outnumbered and eventually either captured or blockaded. Decatur, ini command of "The United States," engaged the British ship, “Macedonia," near the Maderia Islands. Superiority of the ship, skillful maneuvering, and accurate firing, won the victory and the British ship for Decatur with a loss of only twelve men and a British loss of one hundred four. Later in the war, Decatur was blockaded in New London Harbor. Given command of the "President,” at New York, he tried to sail at night through the blockaded squadron. He managed to escape all but one ship. This he worsted; but he was overtaken by other vessels and had to surrender to superior forces. This, like the Battle of New Orleans. was after terms of peace had been agreed upon but before news of the conclusion of the treaty reached America. For his exploits on the sea. Decatur was feted and dines. Doubtless his fine bearing, his good looks, and the charm of his personality added to his popularity. If it had been the Army instead of the Navy in which he had distinguished himself, political honors would doubtless have been added to his laurels. Five victorious generals have been elected to the presidency of the United States /and five other presidents hav<| come to that office with active service in campaigns in the Army. No naval commander has attained that high office; I do not recall even one who has been nominated for it by any major party. This may be explained in part by the fact that naval service isolates men from their constituents and keeps them out of contact with current movements in the country. It may also be a reflection of the fact that the United States has been predominantly a land power and that there is not so much interest in maritime achievements as in military action. Perhaps there has been too little interest. Stephen Decatur, until he fell in a duel with an officer whom he had justly disciplined, did his share in keeping the Nevy up to its highest standards and in raising popular support fort it. In this, as in every other activity, he was actuated by the most ardent patriotism. He it was who first gave utterance to the toast which rang throughout the country when at was spoken and has ever since been a theme of oratory. “Our Country!” In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in th'e right; but our country, right or wrong.” I will not on this occasion enter into a discussion of the ethics of this toast, but the spirit of it, devotion to the honor and the welfare of our country, is an appropriate theme for this occasion. If men's lives are controlled solely by motives of personal advancement, private interests, or abstract theory, their •country is doomed to decay. He only is a good citizen who governs his conduct

;by the thought of the public wel- ’ fare, who seeks gratification, not Only in his success in life, but in the progress of his community and jOf his country. It Is good for us to have pride in the history ami the development of our city. It is essential that we should engrave deep in the innermost recesses of our thoughts and of our feelings, the words, "Our Country." The record of the one hundred years that have just passed since Adams County was formed, and this place designated as the coun.ty seat with the name "Decatur,” inspires justifiable pride, pride which is an incentive to even greater achievements in the future. A century ago this region was a virgin forest, broken only by the St. Mary's and Wabash rivers and a few clearings around log cabins. The first settler had established himself in what is now Adams County only sixteen or seventeen years before, when the Indians had surrendered their title to the land. The only communication from one cabin to another and with the out side world was afforded by rivers and Indian trails through the woods. These the settlers had to clear and to supplement by traces which they cut through the forests. Three years after the creation of the county and its county seat, there were only three cabins marking the site of Decatur. I see in the Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties that the first school was erected that year, 1839. The writers upon school call it the “first temple of learning in Decatur,” certainly a very euphemistic title in the light of his subsequent description: a log building thirty feet long, twenty feet wide and eight feet high with a puncheon floor and puncheon benches, fireplace five feet wide with a stick and clay chimney, cracks between the logs plugged with straw and mud. a door with wooden hinges and greased paper for windows. The industry and the energy of the people have wrought marvelous changes in this primitive picture. Not far to the south the Cumberland Road, the first great national road to pierce the wilderness of the old Northwest, had already b<=en opened through Ohio. It would soon extend through Indiana. Settlers poured in. By the efforts of the founders of Decatur, a plank road, prototype of our improved highways—between Fort Wayne and Piqua, was brought this side of the St. Mary's and became the Fort Wayne, Decatur and Piqua Plank Road. The river was bridged. Loh al railroads, since merged into great systems, with their steel rails, bound county and city into close unity with the rest of the country. Farms were cleared and began to add their produce to the wealth of the state. Board walks, macadam and cobblestone pavements made it possible to get around in the city without being mired in wet weather, nor covered with dust in drought. Board walks have given place to cement; dirt roads and plank roads have lately given way to concrete state hightvays. Decatur, for seventeen years, continued to be merely a part of Adams County, with whose creation it cs.me into existence. Then in 1853-54. it took on an identity of its own as an incorporated town. We are told that in the election held under the new Constitution of 1851 to decide upon incorporation, sixty-four votes were cast and that the population of the town was 287. It was not until 1882 that Decatur obtained its majority and was incorporated as a city. Its government has thus kept pace with the steady progress of agriculture, transportation and industry. As far as I know, little or no effort has been made to create an artificial boom here, nor does a city such as Decatur have any cause to envy the larger centers of population. Large cities, to be sure, have certain advantges —better libraries, bigger stores, greater wealth, more varied associations, more opportunities for careers of the first magnitude; but they have many disadvantageous— congestions, confusion, areas of poverty, opportunities for crime and dissipation. Small cities with diversified resources and a substantial economic basis, in many respects offer the best opportunity for the development of typical American life. Friendships are apt to be closer, life proceeds upon a more normal program — it is developed, not burned out, as is too often the case elsewhere. Sv I say that in the hundred years which have passed since Decatur and Adams County catne into existence, this has become a good place in which to work and a pleasant place in which to live. The two monuments on your courthouse lawn are evidences of this abundant life. The Soldier’s Monument represents peace as well as patriotism, a just peace, the only worthy object for which war is ever waged. It was a happy thought, and I believe it must be representative of this country, that the memorial erected to the sol-

diers of all our wars should glorify peace. The memorial to Gene Stratton Porter should suggest to all who see It the love and study of nature ] for which that gifted woman was famous. The swamp lands of Llmberlost are no longer a feature of the landscape. The felling of the forests and the use of drainage ditches have changed them into fertile farm lands — changed them, I fear, too rapidly and too completely. The drainage of our low lands have given us our next great problem in conservation — the maintenance of our water level and our water supply, and the restoration in suitable places of typical wild life. This, memorial to Mrs. Porter, is not only a reminder of a phase of nature which hus been changed. It Is a call for the appreciation of all nature. Doubtless most of Mrs. ■ Porter's neighbors in the county failed to appreciate the scenes which she photographed with unequalled skill and which she described in her books with a talent no less rare. She brought out the beauty which others did not see, and the sentiment which others did not feel until she opened their, eyes and their hearts. It is for us today to study and to understand the land in which wo live, and to cultivate a due respect for nature. Her laws are inexorable for those who violate them as they are beneficial to those who understand and' observe them. I hope that one of. the abiding results of this centen-; nial will be a resolve to cultivate an appreciation of nature, to conI serve and develop our natural resources, and to find in the observance of nature, not only added profit, but added enjoyment of life. It would be easy at this time to paint a Utopian picture of this community when another hundred years have passed. Such a picture would be misleading. Our progress in the future, as in the past, will be effected slowly and only by hard work. We may not always progress. There may be backsets and losses and declines, but if we. and those who follow us, learn the lessons of the past century and face our future in the spirit in which the settlers of 1836 faced their task, those who in 2036 celebrate a secy W *wf * . .w “Perfectly Air Conditioned" EXTRA! SPECIAL! * — Now Showing — | News Reel Pictures of the j | Centennial! The Big Parade—- | Views of the Midway — See | Yourself in the Movies! These Pictures Will Also Be Shown , Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. |, SUN. MON. TUES. Five Big Stars in a WiseCracking', Fast Moving Cornedv Romance! “THE BRIDE WALKS OUT’ Robert Young, Gene Ravmond, Barbara Stanwyck. Ned Sparks. Helen Broderick ALSO — Charley Chase Comedy, Color Cartoon, Pictorial and Decatur Centennial Movies. 10c-25c Continuous Sunday from 1:15 *~FREE — Sunday to every I Adult, a picture postcard of the New Adams. * ——♦ Last Time Tonight — “SPEED" James Stewart, Wendy Barrie, Ted Healy, Una Merkel. ALSO— Cartoon, Screen Snapshots and Sportlight. 10c-25c “Cool and Comfortable" SUN. MON. TUES. * 10c Matinee 1:45 Sunday * | 2 Features for One Dime The World's Newest Wonder Used to Entrap the Underworld! TRAPPED BY TELEVISION Mary Astor, Lyle Talbot, Nat Pendleton. Also—“ Below The Deadline" Cecilia Parker, Russell Hopton. Evenings 10c-20c O Last Time Tonight —Zane Grey's “Arizona Raiders” Buster Crabbe, big cast. ALSO—2 serials—BUCK JONES in "The Phantom Rider" & “The Clutching Hand". Plus— Oswald Cartoon. 10c-15c

|On<l centennial will look buck to uh with gratitude an<l thanksgivIng. ■ O 11 — ■ ■ ■ Household Scrapbook By Roberta Lee Cut Flowers Long stemmed flowers will keep fresh for many days if the stems are split with a sharp knife every day. Many people prefer this method to the cutting off of the stems, us the long HtemH can thus be retained for the life of the flowers. Polishing the Range Try rubbing the gus range with olive oil or with boiled linseed oil, instead of blacking it. Sandpaper will remove obstinate - rust spots. Spices Always keep spices in tightly closed cans or boxes, as they will quickly lose their flavors if left in open receptacles. J . Modern Etiquette By ROBERTA LEE 0 • Q. What is the best way to train children to be socially at ease when they are guests in the home? A. By allowing the children to mingle with guests, watching them I closely and correcting them privately when necessary. Q. When one is calling on a hos tess's at-home day, how long should one remain? A. From a half-hqur to an hour. Q. When a man is accompanying a woman on the street, should he take her arm when crossing the street? A. Yes. Q GAS WAREFARE DEFENDED AS MOST HUMANE London —<UP) —Gas is the meet humane weapon in warfare, Maj. Gen. Sir Henry Thuiller, Commandant. Royal Engineers, believes. Speaking to members of the Royal United Services Institution, he said. "Why is it considered more inhumane to use gas than to use high explosive shells or machine guns? Our streets and hospitals still contain men permanently maimed limbless. paralyzed, shell-shocked, insane, and blinded. These injuries were uol caused by gas., but by shell and rifle fire."

Re-live '—MP Your Vacation With Pictures The many places of interest you will visit on your vacation will long be remembered if you record those happy days with pictures. Take a Kodak and a good supply of films with you. We carry a complete line of films for all size cameras. 24 Hour Service All printing and developing left with us by 4 o’clock any day can be had by 4 o’clock next day. Kodaks as low as SI.OO U P * Edwards Studio

gN SOCIETY

Tile Better Homes club of Montae will meet at Lehman park in Berne Thursday evnlng at seven o'clock for a picnic supper for their families, the Busy Bee 4-H girls and their parents. A pot luck supper will be enjoyed. Each one Is requested to bbring table service. The Monday night club will meet with Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Burk. 7:30 p. tn. o LOCALS Mrs- Irene Tague of Decatur I route 6 is spending a week in Detroit with her sister, Mrs. L. E. Weaver. Miss Mary Syford of Lima, formerly of Logan, Ohio, called on relatives in Decatur Friday. Her relatives here are the children of the Daniel Weldy and Samuel Beavers j families. o Resort Visited 73 Years Oak Bluff's, Mass. (U.P) — For the 73rd successive year, Mrs. Lee L. Farnham. 84. is spending her summer vacation at ithits Island resort. where she ha.s a cottage on the shore of a pond. o Twins Weigh 11 Pounds Each Sydney—(UP)—Twin girls, each weighing 11 pounds, were (born in a maternity hospital here. Medical authorities say the weight probably is a world's record. o NEW NOME WILL RISE FROM RUINS OF FIRE Nome. Alaska — (UP) — A new and improved city is rising from the ■ ruins of the disastrous fire which swept Nome In Sei '•■•nV r, 1934Among improvement 1 are a | zeinfroced cnocrete f• 1e building to cost $506,001', a s.liool house, and coast guard quarters for ' (crews and ships valued at $99,000. PWA projects of water mains.

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CLUB CALENDAR Society Deadline, 11 A. M. Fanny Macy Phones woo — 'tool Monday Fifeman’s Auxiliary, Mns. Roy Steele. Tuesday Zion Junior Walther League, School House, 7:30 p. m. Thursday Monroe Better Hornes and Busy B>e 4-H Club, Lehman Park, 7 p. m. Mount Pleasant Aid Picnic, Han-na-Nuttman Park. combination city hall and fire department and graveled streets, costing SIOO,OOO, were recently comipletcd. The city now has a winter population of 1,200. and a large increase in other seasons. I CORT COOL-AIR CONDITIONED SUN. MON. TUES. “PUBLIC ENEMY’S WIFE” Pat O'Brien-Margaret Lindsay Robert Armstrong Added - - “Dawn O'Day” and “Kity’s Slickers" Color Cartoon and Fox News. 10c -25 c Continuous show 1:15 Sunday. TONITE Johnny Mack Brown “THE COURAGEOUS AVENGER" PLUS—Comedy - Cartoon Chap. 7 "FIGHTING MARINES" 10c -15 c Continuous show from 2 P. M.