Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 November 1875 — Page 4

UK BENSStIAER UNION. Thursday, November 25. 1875.

VALVE OF HOME SCHOOLS.

. Nearly eighteen hundred years ago, in the reign of the Roman emperor Trajan, Pliny the Younger, who is accounted among the world’s great men, wrote to his friend Tacitua thqse words: Being lately at Comum [ComoL the place of my nativity, a young lad, son to one of my neighbors, made me a visit I asked him whether he studied rhetoric, and where? He told me he did, and at Mediolanum [Milan]. •'And why not here?”. ’“Because,” said his father, who came with him, “We have no professors.” Iso, said I; surely it nearly concerns you who are fathers (and very opportunely aever&l of the company were fathers), that your sons should receive their education here, rather than any where else. For where can they be placed more agreeably than in their own country, or instructed with more safety than at home under the eye of their parents? .i 1 Upon what very easy terms might you, by a general contribution, procure proper masters, if you would only apply towards raising a salary for them the extraordinary expense you sustain for your sons’ journeys, lodging aud for whatever else you pay iu consequence of thqir being educated at a distance tronf home; as pay you must for every article of every kind. Though I have no children myself, yet I shall willingly contribute to a design so beneficial to mv native country, which I consider as ray child or my parent; and therefore I will advance a third part of any sum you may think proper to raise for this purpose. I would take upon myself the whole expense, were I not apprehensive that my benefaction might hereafter be abused and perverted to private ends, which I have observed to be the case in several places where public foundations of this nature have been 'established. For though they may be negligent in disusing of another’s bounty, they will certainly be cautious how they apply their own, and will see that none but those who deserve it shall receive my money, when they must at the same time receive theirs too.

Let my example, then, encourage you to unite heartily in this useful design; and be assured the greater the sum my proportion shall amount to, the more agreeable it will be to me. You can undertake nothing that will l>e more advantageous to your children, nor more acceptable to your country. Your sons will, by these means, receive their education where’ they received their birth, and be accustomed from thejrjufancy to inhabit and alfect their native soil. May you be able to procure professors of such distinguished abilities that the neighboring towns shall be glad to draw their learning from hence; and as you now send your children to foreigners for education, may foreigners, in their turn flock hither for their instruction. What was good advice to the men of Como eighteen huridred ( years ago, is also goot£ advice to the parents of Jasper county to-day. If then it was questionable policy to send children among strangers and away from home influence to receive instruction, it is just as questionable to-day. If the love of home and birthplace prompted men to establish institutions of learning in their native cities eighteen centuries back, the same considerations should have equally potent influence now. If then wise men considered it bad man agement to send their money to foreign pans, to build up foreign institutions and mantain strangers, when it might be kept at home to build up home institutions and encourage home talent and home enterprise, what shall be thought ot those who, to-day, with the examples of history and eotemporaneous times before their eyes, continue to transport their children from home and its influence to be managed, reared and tanglit by others, and send abroad riioney to enhance the wealth and prosperity of strangers? Within twelve months not fewer than twenty of the youth of Rensselaer and its immediate vicinity have gone to other places for instruction. They represent such families as th<v. e of A. McCoy, A Thompson, E. T. Harding, Rial Benjamin, Hon. R. S. Dw'.gyins, F. ,J. Sears,’ S P. Howard, W. Jr Wright, David Novels, Berry Par is, D. T. Halstead, John Florence, John Coen, Jno. M. Austin, Lufld Hopkins, A. D. Swam, and Judge E. P. Hammond. They have at i tended the schools at Lebanon, 0., Alin Arbor, Mich., Evanston, 111., ihe Purdne University, the Valparaiso College and at Logansport. There are or have been others, probably, that are not now' recollected; besides several from Remington and other parts of the coutaty. No doubt forty pupils have been away to attend school during the year. The cost of board, tuition, traveling expenses and incidentals can not ! average less. than fifty dollars each per quarter; and probably will rreariPi 'i tllf TiigKcr*lig ure. This

atnonnis to the aggregate snm of two tboasgnd dollars each term of school, or eight thousand dollars per annutp—the rate of yearly tribute and drain from Jasper county for the support of foreign institutions, the maintenance of strangers, and to add to the wealth and prosperity of other towns. Eight thousand dollars is the lawful worth of the use of eighty thousand dollarsfor one year. Is it good policy for people here to pay it into the laps of other towns if it can be saved at home? Twenty thousand dollars, worth two thousand dollars per annum, will build and famish with apparatus and everything complete a house pf sufficient capacity to accommodate all of the advanced pupils of Jasper county. Three thousand dollars a year, or the interest on thirty thousand dollars, will procure a corps of competent teachers to instruct them. Here, then, would be a saving of three thousand dollars per year, or the interest on thirty thousand dollars, to tbepock-

ets of Jasper county parents, in addition to the satisfaction of the company of their children and the pleasure which arises from watching the unfolding, petal by petal, of the flowers of their minds. Not only this, but an institution would be established in our midst to reflect credit and honor upon the enterprise of those who founded it, and add to the value of their property. It would also be the direct means of bringing to reside here men, women and families of culture, education and refinement, whose influence upon society could be none other than beneficial. Five thousand dollars a year would provide school room, school apparatus and competent teachers more than necessary for the pupils of this county, and students from localities less favored might come apd partake of tlieie advantages without in any manner interfering with those fdr whom they were especially designed. In tins way the expenses of the institution upon its founders, would be very much lessened; and the drain of money now flowing out of Jasper county for educational purposes would be forever stopped, while a continual iufiux from the source named would soon manifest the stimulating influence of its presence by new improvements and other evidences of material prosperity.

THE GRANGE.

As the evenings grow longer, and there begins to be a lull in the hurry of fall work, farming communities have spare time which might be profitably devoted to the cultivation of social intercourse, and the interchange of valuable information concerning the honorable,,independent, and glorious occupation in'which they are engaged. Interest in the grange should now revive and manifest itself in more frequent attendance upon the meetings of subordinate granges that have kept alive their organizations; defunct or dormant granges should be resurrected, and new ones be established in localities where public sentiment is, or can be made, friendly. A series of fortuitous circumstances conspired to weaken the influence of this order with the masses, directly' after the excitement attendant upon its birth sw'ept ovei the land like a cyclone; and reactiou followed whose depressing effects carried the public pulse as far below its normal condition as the excitement had raised it above. The result was that many good and well disposed "people were frightened, and withdrew from the order altogether or quietly neglected to attend its meetings. But the principle of self protection upon which it is founded; the duties, charities and virtues it inculcates; the great sociaHidvantages it briugs those who thus come together; the increased power for good gained by unity of purpose and concert of action, all plead, and powerfully, for its perpetuation. Then let there be a revival among the grangers in Jasper county, with an eye single to the legitimate objects of the order. Keep out of the grange J.he cons.deration and discussion of all subjects that have a constant tendency to destroy harmony of jjggling among men, without which no society can flourish. JJuild up!

carefully upon she sure foundations of the order, promptly rejecting all unsound timber. Let wise counsel prevail in all its deliberations, and there can be no doubt of the vigor of the society, the interest f>f its meetings, and the good that will flow to its members.

OUT WEST—CONTINUED.

‘‘Thatbeautiful, brilliant, bursted bubble, which was inflated one season and collapsed the next,” is the comment that was. made in these columns last week concerning Chanute, Neosho county, Kansas. Two railroads run nearly parallel through the town —a branch of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas road from Parsons to Junction City, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe road, and the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston road. At one time it boasted two thousand inhabitants, but not half that number is there now. Business was lively, times flush and people prosperous before the evil dhys came and

the grasshopper was a burden. Now between one-half and twothirds of the houses, both business and dwelling, are tenantless, and more or less dilapidated. Of its hundreds only two buildings are anyways attractive; one of them is a stone dwelling, the other a fine two story, brick school house with mansard roof. The latter must have cost from $15,000 to $20,000. Although the town looks very dilapidated, reminding one of a Southern village in war times, quite an extensive business is still

done there. It Vs the-nnlroad depot for New Albany and other towns of the Fall River .region, fifty miles further west, to which it bears the same relation that Francesville or Remington does to Rensselaer. On the train between Parsons and Chanute the writer had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Wm. J. Laßue who moved lrom Rensselaer several years since, and now resides at Burlington, fifty miles, or such a matter, north of Chanute. Doctor Laßue does not appear to have.grown older since lie moved West; but really looks to be in better health, and weighs twenty pounds mote than was customary for him while living in this town. He said that his sons William and Frank were doing well in the boot and shoe trade. The former is married. His son-in-law, Mr. Wm. L. McConnell, has a good, remunerative law practice, and is contented. His youngest daughter, Miss Dora, is attending school -at Topeka. The Doctor was returning from a trip to Memphis, Missouri, whither lie had been to attend the seances of Professor Mott, a noted Spiritualist medium, whose wonderful ' powers have gained wide celebrity. He was rewarded with most astounding and satisfactory phenomena. Edward, his oldest son, who died at Rensse-

laer nearly two years ago, was materialized in his presence on several occasions so perfectly that they shook hands and held intelligent conversation together;liis wife, also, who died since they moved to Burlington, appeared to his astonished and pleased vision in shadowy outline so distinct that intellectual features could not be mistaken, but the materialization was not perfect enough for them to engage in conversation. His father, who died when the Doctor was about three and a half years old, introduced himself by writing bis name, his age, and the date of his death—three circnmstances that it was imnossible

for the medium to have any knowledge of, he .being an entire stranger to the Doctor fvhose name even was not at that time known to him. Another shade appeared to tly? Doctor several times during the progress of the seances, who at firsts— * though plainly visible, though the pressure of his hand was firm and distinctly felt, though his voice was clear, and his conversation was of persons, circumstances topics known to the Doctor only while living at Rensselaer— would not reveal his own name, preferring to compel recognition by recalling incidents known to. themselves alone, or in which they two > were prominent actors. It was the immortal essence of Mr. Isaac payers, •who resided here fourteen or fifteen years ago, materialized and appear-

ing to the physical senses of his lriend in such a manner as to proYe there was no possible chance for illusion or deception, and to forever obliterate whatever shadow of doubt concerning the truth of itualism ;ind tlie source of its mysterious phenomena there might be lingering in his naturally positive and skeptical mind. Is the narrator a convert to the philosophy of modern spiritualism? Not at all. However, here is given an outline,, and only an outline, of the dispassionate, positive and unequivocal statement of one whom a large number that read this article have intimately known for many years—a gentleman whose intelligence and veracity would be difficult to impeach; a witness whose testimony on other subjects would be counted first class in any court .of justice in the land; a person without possible motive for permitting himself to be deceived, or for attempting to mislead ofrhtfrs. Then why not convinced? Can the interrogator answer why Thomas, surnamed Didi-

mus, was not convinced that manifestations of identical character occurred eighteen hundred years ago, though the other ten and the women testified to having witnessed them? Osage Mission is a thriving town in Neosho county, on the M., K. &T. railroad. It was founded many years ago, before Kansas had a State government, and is the site of a Roman Catholic school, which is attended by white children and those of Indian and mixed parentage. The supervising priest is an Italian, said to be a near kinsman of King Victor Emanuel, who went there many years ago and established his church and school among the savages, before civilization had penetrated beyond the Missouri river witli its railroads, its telegraphs, its agricultural machinery, and its greenbacks. It probably numbers 1,000 to 1,200 inhabitants.

Parsons claims between 3,000 and 4,000 population. It has large brick business blocks, three stories high. There are railroad repair shops and several manufacturing int erests here. From this, city the M., K. & T. railroad sends oil a cross line to the northward, tapping the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe road and the great Kansas Paeiiic route. At Parsons thousands of Texas and Cherokee cattle are shipped for Northern and Eastern wholesale trade in lumber, dry gOiOtis,"groceries and miscellaneous supplies for the country south and west. It is a good market and a formidable rival of Fort Scott. — Oswego, further south on the same line of railroad, is the capital of Labette county. It, as well as Parsons, and Chetopa still further south, is in the loudly boasted Neosho valley. Plank walks border its streets, which are wide and sometimes very dusty. East of it runs the Neosho river more than two hundred feet below its cellar foundations, bordered on each side by “first bottoms” of as rich soil as can be found on the continent. These bottoms are from one to five

miles wide, and were formerly cov* ered with a heavy growth of magnificent timber, including half a dozen or more varieties of oak, black walnut, hickory, pecan, ash, sycamore, water maple, etc. Farms have been cleared up all through this bottom land, on which corn has grown to prodigious size this year. They also raise good whdat, oats, rye, vegetables of all kinds known to. northern gardens, and the most luxuriant cucumber, pumpkin, squash and melon vines ever seen by the writer. Oswego 4s a goodly appearing town, and on the Saturday afternoon it was visited presented a lively, business appearance, its principal streets being thronged with teams and trading people. Should thibk there might be 1,500 to 2,000 inhabitants. The town itself is located on a succession of gravelly hills that certainly cannot be very productive iu a drouthy season. Back of it, to the westward, is prairie land, much of which is interspersed with the bad white land. This is part of the region that grasshoppers ravaged, and the marks of their desolation are not yet wholly obliterated. Ten miles further south is Che-.

topa, said to be the iitost important town in southeastern Kansas, The writer did not have occasion or the time to visit it, though camping on the river over night only five or six miles above. Should judge by the dense cloud of smoke which arose from its machine shops, mills and manufacturing establishments in the daytime, and by frequent whistling of- locomotives at all hours of the night, that its reputed thrift and importance has substantial foundation. The shipment of long horned cattle from Chetopa amounts to an immense business annually; indeed this business is one of the chief foundation stones of its prosperity. Situated close to the line dividing Kansas from the Indian Territory it enjoys a large Indian trade, Vesicles supplying merchants doing business at points further west with much of their stock. For awhile Baxter Springs was looked upon as the metrbpolis of this region, but Chetopa is sucking away sap that is necessary for her vigorous growth.

VICE PRESIDENT WILSON.

Vice President Wilson died in Washington City last Monday morning, of apoplexy. Although his health had been precarious for two years past, and within a week or two symptoms had developed that alarmed his physicians and friends, yet his system seemed to rally from the effect of the paroxism, they, apd himself as well, thought he was rapidly mending, and his death came unexpectedly to all. Only a few minutes previous to its oceurrance he observed to friends in attendance that he was feeling and con-' gratulated himself upon the prospect of being able to ride out for an airing in the afternoon. Mr. Wilson lacked only a few months of being sixty-four years-old. He was born in poverty and was without early educational advantages. By industry, perseverence and close application, he overcame all these obstacles-of early life, and took Ins position among the great men of his country. Although spending much ot his life among professional politicians, he was taminated with their vices. He held various offices of public trust, and never betrayed the confidence reposed in his integrity. Henry Wilson was not brilliant, but he was honest; he was not a shrewd diplomatist, perhaps, but he was a patriot and sympathised with the poor and humble of his countrymen. Never a bitter partizan, but always a constant defender and advocate of the principles lie espoused. Democratic in the purest

and broadest-sense, by instinct and the influence of early impressions, he never forgot or despised the humbleness of his origin, but ever labored in the sphere ot a statesman to lighten the burdens of working meir and women, to elevate their position, enlarge their influence, and increase their happiness. Ot his political record it may be said that he came into,public notice in 1840—in the Harrison campaign —as a whig; was elected to the Massachusetts legislature several times; left the whig party in 1848, because of its pro-slavery tendencies, and became an earnest worker in the free soil ranks; in 1855 was elected to succeed Hon. Edward Everett in theUnitedStates Senate; was re-elected in 1861, and became distinguished as chairman of the Senate committee on military affairs during the rebellion; in 1872 he was elected Vice President of the United States. He leaves no family, w r e believe, his wife and children having preceeded him to the tomb; and is reported£o have died comparatively poor.

\ ‘‘Truth will last.”: That good old family newspaper, the New York Observer , now' some fifty-three years, old, still holds on to the old truths which were so firmly advocated when it was founded. No new lights or nineteenth century doctrines have ever caused it to trip or make any false step. It is always satisfying in our day, to take up a newspaper that is Bbund uni| reliable. The Observer comes to us weekly with a variety of feading in addition to the news, and is always pure and fi^^hy—just the paper for a family. For spccimeu copies, address S. I. Prime & Co., New York.

From copies of New Mexico papers, sent by Mr. Wm. H. Terhune , to bis parents at Rensselaer, which they kindly leaned this office for inspection, we learn that Rev. F. A J. Tolby was murdered by two Mexicans named Cruz Vega and Manuel Cardinas. These assassins, one of whom was a mail carrier, were paid SSOO for committing the deed. Three oj* four persons were implicated by the confessions of these men as having conspired against Mr. Tolby and paid them money for murdering him. Cardinas and Vega were shot and killed by a mob of vigillantes for their participation in the crime, and another one of the party, named Francisco Greigo, was shot and killed in a saloon row by a man named Allison. Among those implicated is a Dr. Longwill, who was elected probate judge last fall. He immediately left town upon hearing that the assassins had implicated him by their confessions, and proceeded to Fort Union where he placed himself under the protection of a company of United States troops, the commanding officer refusing to surrender him to the civil authorities though they were armed wiih the proper papers for his arrest. He was afterwards escorted to Santa Fe by a body guard of soldiery to protect him from arrest, permitted to go at liberty* The only hint contained in the testimony of witnesses who have been examined in relation to these murders, concerning the motive that inspired them to kill Mr. Tolby was that dropped by one of the men implicated, while intoxicated, to the effect that he would “settle the d—d heretic with a blue pill;” thus intimating that they, all of whom are Roman Catholics, murdered him on account of his religious views; but subsequent investigation may, and probably will, show that considerations of an entirely different nature had at least something to do with the matter.

The Remington Record is pleased to say that “Out West,' in Thk Union, is an interesting article;” or words to that effect. Thanks; and let it be recorded that it is seldom a dull or miinterestimg pava. graph appears in the Record. Mrs. Hicks, who shot two men at Kentland last summer, one of whom she killed, was tried before Judsfq Hammond at Fowler this week, convicted, and sentenced to two years in the penitentiary. fc

LET THE LOUD-MOUTHED CANNON ROAR! DEACON TUBBS Founder of the •

Old Line Drug Store And all his men have been heard from They have crossed Washington street, fortyfive degrees southeast of their old stand,and taken up quarters in THE NEW BRICK BUILDING Atthepoint of the bayonet, after six monti of heavy bombardment, and now have pea: able possesion of the position where the calculate to remain and do business, uniet dislodged by the enemy, which event, fror the beet Information we* can obtain, is n<"~' likelv to transpire very soon. They have very large assortment of DRUGS, MEDICINES, STATIONERY BRUSHES, GROCERIES,&C. All of which will be sold low for cash. Yo will find Deacon Tubbs end the two imp Frank and Will as busy as bees in clove fields compounding and patting up medicines while the handsomer and more proficient MAJOR MTJ CKLESW 0RT T Is standing guard on the other sice of th house, handing ont Books, Pens and Papet and wrapping up Soothing Syrup, Wallace’ Bitters, Indian Cholagogue, Climax Salve HOSS POWDERS, Stove Polish, Roback’s Pills, Vinegar Bitters Itch Ointment, Anderson’s Dermador, Unci* Ben Joe’s Bell Tongue Syrup, Hair Olla Pepper Sana, &c., &c. Come all and see 1 ns in our New Bricl Store—we will sell Drugs, Medicines, Paints Oils. Varnishei. Dyestuffs and Grocerie cheaper for cash than oan be bought in an' other house in town. HARDVMG & WltiEt