Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1917 — A PERTINENT QUESTION [ARTICLE]

A PERTINENT QUESTION

. Tie. Jacksonville Courier delivers, iiself of the following editorial pipe ajeazi, under the caption, “Could This Hap.-n pere?” It’s worth -reading -and digesting, because the “habit'’ has become more or less epidemie-'- and even the man who hollers i.the loudest is not always proof, iagainst the seductive. r wiles.: of The' ••get-it-away-from-hoiiie'’ siren: ' : -

“A dry agoods merchant .. vyas starting ■. down town when his wife reminded him of his most important duty during the day: ‘No v, '.-my dear, be sure and send to the city fbr that new stanhope, so we can have it for Sunday. You know out old ..buggy is .getting' so' that it .is not St so be seen.’ Just a. few blocks away the merchant who handles vehicles- and implements was sitting at. breakfast with his family. The conversation drifted aroend to the near approach <s£ the school term. ’And that reminds me, John,’ said the lady who sat at .the head of the table, ‘I 'must ;be going, to the city not later than next, week. I must get school •-lothes and see about the fall suit I for myself and while there perhaps I had better see about a nev jrug for the parlor and some lace curtains -for the front, window.’ “An hour after a leading grocer stepped into the bank to buy a draft which he was going to send ito a catalog house for a swell bedjroom suit. ‘■'How’s business?’ asked thebanker. ’Oh. not so Very good,’ ;replied the grocer; 'things are dull I just now? I ‘Before the banker finished writing the. draft \a dapper young man with a strip’ stepped up and asked ■ how everything was. The banker > .-used clad to see him.- He was. rept-e--ntative of a big printing I establishment in another state. He ‘ -,i i. banker chatted pleasantly ■■. p a w minutes, after which the :■ ours- -..an inquired casually of his: ‘-I- ,-.n: re hind-, the window if he ■ ;.n?uhin.s:. yes, I bejiieve I do. Print us 5,000 drafts, . checks and a couple thousand rhead=.~' ■ ' .The .- young man his friend and hustled out. 1 . 7 "That '.night , the local business"' • n —■! a meeting at the town * U '□ dischss the growth of the ; u.,ii ord-r evil. All the gentle- -' .. •?ntiohed'. in- the .narrativeade- - livened— short talks. They, agreed Ithat the -farmers were.'-guilty of . -r. to the. home merchants

when they persisted in buying-their goods from until order houses, and the meeting closed by adopting strong resolutions against trading away from home." According to the monthly bulletin issued by the state board of health, the January issue of wfiich has just been issued, there were twelve deaths reported in Jasper county for the month, against seven for lite preceding month and seventeen for the month of January, 1911>, the,death rate per 1,000 population being 10.7 against 15.3 for January, 1916. One was under 1 year, one between 15 and 19,and eight ‘bver 65 -years. Two of these deaths were from tuberculosis and two from pneumonia. The death rate in the southern counties was lowest and in the central counties it was highest. , >-