Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 October 1914 — George .M. Babcock Writes From Tacoma, Wash. [ARTICLE]

George .M. Babcock Writes From Tacoma, Wash.

Under date of Oct. 19, George M. Babcock writes from Tacoma, Wash., to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Babcock, and . says, among other things: ‘Things are picking up here a little. 1 got in 5% days’ work last week, which amounted to $33. I have not worked on a day shift for over three months, I guess. ‘‘Tacoma is to have 7,000 school teachers here between the 26th and 31st of this month, the State Educational Association meets here then. “Yesterday was apple day in Washington. Everybody is supposed to either eat an apple or buy a box of ijhein. They have also designated a

day on which salmon is supposed to be the main diet. “I had letter from ‘Ossie’ (Omar Osborn) a few days ago, he was packing apples at Monitor, Wash., then. He suggested that we have Thanksgiving dinner together in Seattle. Of course I accepted. 1 think a football game at the University of Washington campus in the afternoon and dinner at night will be the proper caper. “I see where ‘dad’ says there is to he five ballots used in Indiana in the coming election. He should be here to see a REAL ballot. The ballots in city and state elections here are certainly the largest I have ever heard of. There are five initiative measures, including state-wide prohibition, which I am going to vote for; a blue sky law; an 8-hour law for laboring men all over the state; a measure to do away with all employment agencies, and another measure of lesser importance. There were two niore measures petitioned for but they lost out in the count and courts. We will certainly have a big ballot to vote in November. “In just eleven more days the newspaper printers of this city will be working but seven hours a day, the new time schedule. “Three of us from the house have been doing considerable fishing the last few days. I don’t suppose you have ever eaten any shrimps, have you? They resemble a crawfish of fresh water. Shrimps are covered with a thin shell and are caught in nets, when held up to the light one can almost see through them, they having no red corpuscles in their blood. To prepare them to eat one merely drops them into boiling water for a few moments. To eat them is like tackling a pocketfull of peanuts. Break off the head and shell the remainder of the body. They are pink or light red in color after boiling, but their meat is not as sweet as crab meat. We also have been getting a good bunch of perch. I caught one large silver perch and three of another species Saturday. “Rain and cloudy weather has set in now and rainbows are becoming very common. Sunday I saw two rainbows arfter two good rains in less than two hours. On Wednesday opens here what is claimed to be the largest and best moving picture theater-*—the Colonial —on the Pacific coast. It is sure a pretentions building. The new street lights you are to install in Rensselaer, i believe are the same that are being used here. They give a very nice light, and I am sure will be a great improvement to ’the old town.’ ”