Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1917 — Page 2

formers Have Town Clubhouse

by Jerle Davis

It is a place of comfort and convenience for country people who do their trading at Seymour, Indiana : : Similar enterprise would benefit any community in the nation

- vjjjf it’s a city clubhouse for farmers! ■k I When they come to town to trade they may g<> to a well-appointed building to meet their friends, wash f*TjW up, have lunch, write letters, ’epjoy L v telephone service and lounge ground if tKey" wisli. And their wives may, besides having these privileges. leave t,,e children in the care of a compotent nurse while shoppina or call>ng upon friends. Quite a sensible, long-needed, moder& convenience, don’t you think? Seymour, a southern Indiana < ity of about T.ObO • population, has a farmers' club with a membership of more than 1.000. It has been in operation since tlctober, 1914. tint! is a thorough success. I hiring the average daily number of visitors rd the elub was about 150. .. . . The existence of the club is due—the plain truth ’ must be told—to the public spirit and generosity of two business men of Seymour, and not to any special enterprise on the part of either the farmers or the Citizens of the town. The Blish brothers own a large flour mill and grain elevators. They are grandchildren of Capt. Meedy W. Shields, founder of Seymour, himself a farmer of energy and vision, whose fortune, it seems, was the nest-egg of the Blish estate. For many years

the Blish interests have dealt, constantly and profitably with the*farmers of Jackson county Why, reasoned the flour millers,wouldn't it be a tine thing to establish a club here in town for the farmers? They thought it would be—so—and out of their estate came funds which made the idea fact in pleasing architecture and real convenience. Not dhly that; the maintenance of the club is assured by a paid-up income insurance policy. So the farmers should worry! Much of Seymour’s prosperIty depends.on the farmers living within a radius of 12 or 15 miles of the city, which is the metropolis of a county that is one of the most fertile in southern Indiana. For nearly three-quarters of a century the “toiling plowmen” and

their wives have brought grain, fruit, vegetables, butter, eggs, and poultry to the- town that Captain Shields started, and have taken home with them in the aggregate, a mighty pile of supplies during threescore years. Such a mighty-pUe-.-you might say, that the legitimate profits on ft have helped to make a vigorous and pretty little city. But until the time that Seymour’s leading business men decided to recognize tire value of farmer trade by-putting up a clubhouse for the marketers, the country people certainly didn't enjoy the hospitality that good steady customers in most lines of commerce may expect nowadays. In flue weather they brought their lunch with them and ate it in their wagons parked in side streets, and In bad weather-they- bought crackers and cheese and bologna and munched it as they stood around the stoves or hot-air registers in the back of the stores where they sold butter and eggs. —That 7wasn’t so bad for the menfolk*, but it was mighty Inconvenient for the farm women. especially if they brought the children along to town, and often they did so. Is it any wonder then that since the Farmers’ dub of Jackson County has been receiving guests the merchants of surrounding towns within a reach of 12 and 15 miles in every direction are complaining that Seymour is getting the best of the country trade? Especially since the most prosperous farmers, and therefore the most profitable customers, own motorcars and can go fairly lohg distances over the well-piked roads? The Farmers’ club is good to look at. It is Just as handsome In the face as the public library and the government building, irtid better looking than the city hall and the newest railway station at Seymour. You step into a paneled vestibule from the street when you enter the club. The vestibule gives into a large lounging room. Flanking the lounging room are two nurseries, toilet rooms, a lunchroom and kitchenette. If you are a farmer who enjoys sliding down to the small of his hack in a huge leather chair and toasting hi* shins before a great fireplace: •.who likes breathing space and dark oak paneling and a pfte of magazines and books and some potted plants; who thinks it makes life more worth living if he can meet people of his own kind for a chat now and then, you would ride manFmiles to Seymour for half or three-quarters? of an hour of loafing In that lounging room. - And If you are a farmer’s win* who knows the drudgery of dragging small children around for hours from store to store: who knows what ft is to seek in vhin for a place of decent privacy where fretful toddlers enn be (hired for. weary feet rested apd an aching back relieved with a brief rest on a lounge: who appreciates a place where h letter may lie written in quiet, where a telephone is at hand, where a erfh waits to welcome baby for a nap: who longs for an opportunity to talk «'*th other country women, you bring pressure to bear on the husband to vo pis marketing at For the nurseries ttfter Xfteah copjfotts of women—reclining chairs, 'OW* «*“>■• ..... ■ ‘ ■

Meals are not served at the club. Guests are expected to bring their own food, which they undoubtedly prefer to do in most instances. But the pantry contains slielves when 1 lunch packages may be checked. In We kitchenette is a multiple electric heater, where food and drink may ‘be warmed, and hot and cold water faucets. In rhe lunchroom are dinner tables and chairs—with . hlgh<4mli^...of-ci-mEse. for .XLe^litilcL-anes—AiuL..tlic.. comfort-station facilities offered at ~ the club? Well, surely nobody is in a position really to appreciate this convenience more than the farm people. There is a matron in constant attendance. 7? The cluTTlTas~t>eeu fncorp<>rat(‘d under the laws of the state and the organization is self-perpetuat-ing. The trustees charged with the management of tin’ yl <ib are thejiresi dents of tbe three leading bjmks of Seymour. Whoever happens to he president of either of these banks becomes one of the trustees. The treasurer of the club is chosen ~Tn>m~atnbng the three cashiers of these same banks, preference being given to the cashier of the batik having the largest ..surplus fund and undivided profits at the last, preceding report for the year. " ‘ ' There are no fees or costs attached to club membership. Any legal voter in the county who is engaged in farming or who derives? his sup{ibrtwlioUyorpartlyfronithefarmiseiigibteriy nt ember shi p. An yon e thus qualified may apply for membership privileges at either of the trustee banks. All one need do is to take enough interest to ask for privileges; then he and his family may participate in the club. , . i ■■ ■ Because it was an untried experiment—something that hadn't been done before, and all that—the. business men of Seymour probably wouldn't have put up the money for establishing the club and maintaining it perpetually if the matter had bev.i proposed to them. Now, if they were asked to and make provisions for maintenance. they’d jointly Jump at the proposition —simply as a piece of first-, lass civic investment; wliat you might call a trade magnet. They know That" if fa drawing new farmer trade steadily, and'reaching "out farther and farther toward rival markets as roads are improved -and the price of those handy- little buzz-wagons comes down. ■ . ~~ The secretary of the Seymour Commercial club will tell you—for promoters have to put a squirt of the poetic and a liberal pinch of sentiment into' business talk---that the Farmers’ club-is “strikingly progressive because" it is a concrete expression of the ideal relationship which should exist between every town and the funning community adjacent.” I ? And furthermore, he’ll tell you “it was certainly h happy conception. a fitting recognition of the . appreciation which the business men of Seymour have for tjieir farmer friends, that led the Blish brothers to do this thing for the ftirmers -of Jackson county and at that same time build a memorial ip honor of the founder of the city. Captain Shields, who was a farmer and whose dealings with the

THE EVENING BEVUBTJfVAN. EENSSEEYEB. INT>.

farmers around Seymour created the basis of his fortune." . ~ : One of the has an importanf agrteuWfe departmenf. has . showiv much interest in the Seymour enterprise. This school sends out special trains and agents -dnd—emissaries and whatnot all over Indiana in line with its policy of making Hoosierdom a paradise of scienfitie farming,- and—these agents don’t overlook the opportunity of telling about Sey-mour’-s—Faimierx’—elub and what itis -doing —to make the city and its ptrul customers real business associates. The word is gping farther, too. than the farthest reaches of Indiana. Grange organizations, commercial clubs and agricultural colleges here and over the country are making inquiries of Seymour about the club. So besides making it easy for the rural neighbor to enjoy himself white trading, there, Seymour Is gathering to itself a stack' of advertising valuable beyond com i>u tat i< h t. ——— _■ What Ims been done in Seymour can be dope in any other agricultural community in the I'flited Statys. It isn’t necessary that the club should be a memorial to anybody; nor that it should be a monument to the generosity'and public spirit of one or two men; nor that it should be housed in a specimen of classic architecture* Four or six rooms would serve the purpose nicely, if converted properly to club uses. These - rooms' might be foftml in a detached residence or on. the second or third floor of a business block. The expenses might be probated among the business men. ami the farmers themselves might pay a modest initiation fee and nominal dues. Where w 111 4here’s a way —ais-the- fel low-said. Anyhow, it sounds pretty peppy and up-to-date, doesn’t —it. to overhear one farmer say to his neighbor or a Saturday morning in town: "Well. Ed, let’s run over to the club and have a talk.”?

REMARKABLE TREE SURGICAL OPERATION.

Edward Fontaine, a tree surgeon of Charlottesville. Va., has, according to Wand Farmer, coxripleted the greatest tree surgical operation ever attempted anywhere, and this has been done for Mr. John Armstrong Chaloner of Merrle Mills, rhe tree Is Ted oak and is possibly three hundred years old. It is 24 feet in circumference, two feet above tlie ground, with a diameter of eight feet, four Indies in its widest part. The cement filling was carried up the tree 33 feet from the surface - and a cement leg or root was imbedded five feet into the ground to support the tree in heavy winds. Tlie material used was six wagonloads of sand, 12 loads of fiehr stone, 28 bags -bt cement, 14 iron straps to re-enforce the concrete, 44 eyebolts and a roll of galvanized wife. So far the operation lias been successful.

NOT LIKELY TO BE POPULAR.

A citizen of Columbus. 0., haS' appenred on the streets lately with an outfit for seeing the time without remeviagLliis..wateh;from his pocket Great "surprise '-was;-at- first created by \xliar~wasreon—sidered extreme singularity of comfort, and it took«a good deal .of explaining miM.s part to restore to himself public confidence. It seetns; however, that the device is perfectly practicable, as it has been--accepted by the patent office. Notwithstanding, most people will cling to tlie idea that a mau who is too lazy to take.out his watch to see the time deserves ors general principles to be shot and it is very unlikely that the new'invention, will worm its way into popular favor. —Exchange.

SOLDIERS MAY TRIM HATS.

Hat tririhnlng is not generally required of young soldiers who go to war, yet many wounded solcj|grs at the Canadian sports day-held recently at Grassmead Meadow, near Orpington. Kent, proved themselves so talented in the handicraft .that after ti»e victory is won, instead of going bacltj to the land, some of then? may set up millinery, establishments in Canadian towns, equal to any branch of the famous Maison Lewis of New York, Lyndon and Paris.—Toronto Globe. " r - .•’ .

THAINING TODAY'S BOYS AND GIRLS

Happy Child Is the One That Travels Peacefully. KEEPING HIM GOOD, NATURED i “Busy Work” for Fidgety Little Hands, A Set of Simple Amusements, and ■ ; Mother's Train Problem Is No Problem at All.

By SIDONIE M. GRUENBERG.

WHEN the train stopped at the first station, the older of the two women near the end of the ear looked out nervously to see who was getting on. She was not awaiting anyone; she was only worrying lest some children get aboard and mai»e the rest of the trip miserable for her. Some’ children did get on—three of them, with only one mother' to take care of them. Then the nervous woman f«dt sure there would he trouble, ami her companion Hrnhi tfdr <mnf<>rt her. She knew-the children would be running about and shouting: that they would be restless "ahtTTbnier the mnt.her_for._a_<l l±nk<>r for candy, and that they would surely uiiike her journey miserable. She only dated hope tbar they would nor stay on tlie train long. And when the train started .off. tigaiu, she settled down comfortably to a good, old-fasliioued fretting sjudl. •And at the same. time she mother of the three children settled down comfortably to a whole day’s travel. First she him get a table. At this she placed the two older children, with— tr-box of colored crayons and .some outline pictures. The children set to work comparing notes as to the color to be used for the horses or ships, and babbling continuously about the incidents suggested by the pletures. The youngest child was given some beads, with which he played nnfi.l he fell asleep;; and the mother took occasion to sit back quietly and rest while there was ytilt a chancer . When .the children tired of working with the crayons the mother dipped -into--her baggage again., and, brought forth some “cut-out” pictures, with two pairs of du) I-nosed scissors. Sorting, the pictures and__.decidiiig which, ones were to be attacked first helped to eat up some of the time, and then they were busy nearly an hour —with the interruptions at stations and occaslonai glances at the moving landscape. After a short period of relaxation the children were again ready to do something, ami the mother suggested reading a story. This seemed to meet drew a book: thg. children selected the story, and the mother read to them'. They stopped to look at the pictures and to discuss the ethics—of—Jacktsinaking way with the giant's wealth, the elder boy contending that it was not really stealing, since the giant had taken it from Jack's father. Then the baby awoke and mother observed that it was time for luncheon. This was dispatched in a happy and leisurely manner. After luncheon had beeiT cleared a way Tfnmiother produced a couple of “Sfampkraft” books, containing “Mother Goose” or. fairy tales, with packets of “poster stamps.” The selection and comparing and pasting of these stamps kept the children busy and the mother, was able to give

Ready to Travel.

all of her attention to the baby. The older child finished his book of stamps first, and then watched the younger one with the superior air of a critical but sympathetic elder. When the booklets were completed the older child read the stories and pointed out the suitability'of the poster stamps and their shortcomings, and the other child did the same with the JfMotlier Goose” rhymes. Then tbev played with the baby f«>r awhile, tinti| the mother felt that it was time to start some tiling else. She was prepared for the change, and brought forth a queer contrivance consisting of a pane of glass hinged along one edge to a flat box. The glass was set upright, a picture placed fiat on one side and a blank sheeFoTpaper on the other. By looking into the glass from the side having the picture, one dan see a reflection of the picture and also the hand .with the pencil *OO the other side. 4 This arrangement makes it easy to make a copy of a picture on a blank paper, 4 since the process Is the same as tracing the outlines di reetly. This was apparently new to the children, and they went with zeal. They tried first the pictures that came with the toy, and when they tired of drawing they experimented" «irb the pictures Id the magazines, to

aee how they looked In this wonderful’ magic mirror. But this also had Its limits, and when flagging interest Indicated the need for a change, the mother Introduced the toy railroad outfit, consisting of miniature tickets., baggage checks, pjmch, cap. etc. The older boy declared that he should be the conductor, and the mother, with baby in her lap, played the role of a passenger. In a few minutes the field of operations was extended beyond the seats occupied by the family, and every passenger in the Car was given an opportunity to hold a ticket to some remote destination. Even the nervous person declared that she would he glad to travel to the end of the line In fcueh good company. When the train did at last get to the end of the line, after eight hours of travel, the mother took off the three children that had aroused the apprehensions. of the nervous woman. They were very tired, hut still good-natured and ready for any new excitement that might appear above the brink of the

Good ,If Kept Busy.

next moment. And the nervous lady—' she had forgot tetr to be worried. When traveling by land dr by water —or when staying at home in the city 0r... country —the troublesome .child is usually the child that does not know “wTiarfirtTovvi th Turnself and the “good" child is the one that is occupied. When our grandparents said “Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands -to-do.- their theology or demonology may have been questionable; but their psychology was certainly sound. The safety-first rule for children—traveling or not —is. Keep,Busy!

O. HEART’S METHOD OF WORK

Writer Gathered Little Material for the Remarkably Interesting Stories He Turned Out. O. Henry in his real work could write only by the light within. There was no elaborate scheme of preparation to take the place of the inspired word. He read nothing, or next to it. He investigated nothing. . He saw nobody. He had no propaganda, no views to exto teaqh. His was not the dull industry that investigates, notebook in hand, the slum, the factory and the markef place, and turns the mass of accumulated fact into the vast contemporary novel that pours Its slow current of alluvial mud through the channel of a thousand pages. —— Ignorant—undoubtedly, except of life itself —gloriously ignorant' he was. No college, not even a theological school. cOuld have matriculated him. Even of New York, so they now tell us, he knew practically nothing. But of little threads and patches, a vision of a haggard face seen Tor a moment In a crowd, a fallen word, the chance glance of an eye—of such as this interwoven with the cross thread of his marvelous imagination, he did his matchless work Let it so rest as his best monument. The little peckings of the critics about the base will but serve to keep dean the stone.—Stephen Leacock, in New Republic.

An Injustice.

“There’s only one thing,” remarked the unsuccessful candidate, “that I regret about returning to private life.” “And what is that?” “I’d like to have remained before the public a while longer so that everybody could See I didn’t really look like tlieColored portgaits on banners hung out in front of committee headquarters.”

Proof of Traveling.

=weej< with her aunt. Helen, who is only four arid one-half years old. spread the news to her playmates in this way: "May’s goin’ travelin’. ’’ “Thar aiyfr-travellHgf" replied ope of the children. “Weil, she’s taking a night gown alongjain't that t ravelin’?” asked she.

Quite Right

“I know a man who is always blackening his own business.” “Then he ought to get out of it.”. ' “But it’s making money for him; he’s a stove polisher.”

Can Carry Suspicion Too Far.

The man who believes thJt there are some good people in thp world has . a better time than the one who is eternaliyssuspiejous. ■ »