Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 72, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 December 1911 — HOBOS SOW ACORNS [ARTICLE]

HOBOS SOW ACORNS

Charles Hurst’s Scheme to Scat- j ter English Oaks. ’ T —' ■ 1 ■ > I Wayside Beggars by the Promise of Pennies Enlisted in His Plan For Propagating the Trees in County of Lancashire. Animated by love for the beautiful oaks of Erfgland, Mr. Charles Hurst started from Manchester on a famous planting walk which he has commem orated most charmingly in his recent volume, entitled “The Book of the English Oak.” Not content with planning to leave a track in the form of a noble fine of oaks of his own I planting scattered along a portion of his path through Lancashire, Mr. Hurst, with considerable cunning, enlisted four trafaps in the cause, with such success that the lazy fellows planted fifty acorns in an hour. The miracle began with the request for a penny by a beggar who admitted that he was a snow shoveler in summer and a haymaker in winter, and that his three friends were in the same occupations.

“Now look here,” said Mr. Hurst, “I I can find you all a grand job with better pay than you ever got before, un- | less you have been cabinet ministers, I bishops or managing directors. Ask them to come here. as they stood round, “you see those seeds? If you will plant them as I direct, I will give you twopence apiece for each one you set. Who says willtag?" Mr. Hurst spread about fifty acorns, brought from home, on his handkerchief. He gave each man an acorn that, at a given signal, he must plant at one of the marked places, and then return for another. He pointed out that under this arrangement the amount of their earnings depended on the vigor of their exertions, for the more energetic the man the greater bls proportion of the whole sum set for oak culture. “Shades of Sherwood!” to continue in Mr. Hurst’s own words. "What a sight it was to see those curious creatures displaying frantic energy beneath the blazing sky! As each man rushed toward me I held out an acorn and uttered words of encouragement, warning or banter, as the case required. “For nearly- an hour did the tremendous activity continue, until not an acorn remained on the handkerchief. "I then cast up the account in my notebook, which showed the following aoore: Red Man, twelve; Melancholy Man, sixteen; Fat Man, eleven; Bluefaeed Man, thirteen."—Youth’s Com-

Dr. Nathaniel Butler Tells Story. In his talk to the Wisconsin Federation of Women's clubs at Green Bay. Dr. Nathaniel Butler of the University of Chicago, told a story of a country school teacher who had some trouble teaching her pupils the difference between the transitive verb, “lay.” and the intransitive verb, "lie.” After time spent in explanations, the teacher asked one of the boys to give an illustration of the different uses of the words. “Well,” said the most freckled and most energetic student of the class, “if I hear a hen cackling in our bam and go out there and find an egg. the hen has laid. If I don’t find an egg she has lied.”