Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1899 — Page 3

GRANDFATHER'S FOURTH. Grandfather Watts used to tell us boys That a Fourth wa’n’t a Fourth without any He would say. with a thump of his hickory ■tick. That it made an American right down sick To see his sons on the Nation’s day Sit round in a sort of listless way. With no oration and no train-band, Jio fire-work show and no root-beer stand. While his grandsons, before they were out of bibs, ' Ware ashamed—great Scotti—to fire off squibs. And so each Independence morn Grandfather Watts took his powder-horn, And the flint-lock shotgun his father had When he fought under Schuyler, a country lad. And Grandfather Watts would start and tramp Ten miles to the woods at Beaver Camp; For Grandfather Watts used to say—and •cowl— That a decent chipmunk or woodchuck or owl Was better company, friendly or shy, Than folks who didn’t keep Fourth of July. And so he would pull his hat down on bls brow, ’ And march for the woods, sou’east by sou*. But once—ah! long, long years ago; (For grandfather’s gone where good men go—(One hot, hot Fourth, by ways of our own. Such short-cuts as boys have always known. We hurried and followed the dear old man Beyond where the wilderness began. To the deep black woods at the foot of the Hump. And there was a clearing and a stump— A stump in the heart of a great wide wood; And there on that stump our grandfather stood, v Talking and shouting out there in the sun, (And firing that funny old flint-lock gun Once In a minute, his head all bare, Having his Fourth of July out there— The Fourth of July he used to know Back in elghteen-and-twenty or so. First, with his face to the heaven’s blue, He read the “Declaration” through; And then, with gestures to the left and right, He made an oration erudite. Full of words six syllables long; And then our grandfather broke Into song, And scaring the squirrels In the trees. Gave “Hall, Columbia!” to the breeze. And I tell you, the old man never heard When we joined In the chorus, word for word! But he sang out strong to the bright blue sky. And If voices joined In his Fourth of July, He beard them as echoes from days gone by. And when he bad done, we all slipped back, As still as we came, on our twisting track; While words more clear than the flint-lock shots Rang In our ears. And Grandfather Watts? He shouldered the gun his father bore. And marched off home, nor’west by nor’. —Harper’s Young People.

What Happened.

THIS is what happened to a boy one Fourth of July. I was not the boy, because I chanced to be a girl; but I know him very well, and he told me about it yesterday. He was called Dick, though it was not his real name. He and his friend, Bob Shannon had been having a glorious time all day, on this particular Fourth. They began at 5 o’clock in the morning, with fish horns and torpedoes, then at 6 o’clock came the “Antiques and Horribles,” and the two boys followed them all over town, miles and miles, till their feet were sore, and their voices hoarse with shouting. Such a sight as the “Antiques and Horribles” used to be! I remember that myself, if I was “only a girl.” They were dressed in rags and tatters, with their masked faces grinning horribly under ridiculous old hats. They blew huge tin horns, hooted and yelled, and were surrounded by a crowd of shrieking boys, who tried to out-hoot and out-yell them. What a delightful moment was that, when, after my little heart had stood still with fright at the near approach of an awful monster, with a negro’s face and billy goat’s horns, the face was suddenly removed, and I saw the smiling, ruddy face of Sam Judkins, the grocer’s boy, Meeting me with the customary “Hello, Sissy!” As a rule, it was aniinsult to be called Sissy, and I could not abide it; but at that moment it was music in my ears. Well, Bob Shannon and Dick followed the “Horribles” to the end, and then they went home and had breakfast. After that they fired off crackers in the back yard, with occasional concerts on the fish horn till noon; and then they went and took a swim. Refreshed by the cool water, they felt equal to anything, and gladly joined the party that was going to fire off the old brass cannon in the vacant lot behind the school house. This was a truly martial joy. Dick, who was a boy of lively imagination, felt like Napoleon (before Waterloo), and Wellington and Grant before Richmond, all rolled into one, and forgot that Alexander and Leonidas, his favorite heroes of antiquity, knew nothing about the joys of gunpowder, and had never heard the “crack!” “bang!” the sharp spurt of the match and the soft “f-M-s!” of the powder which make boys’ hearts leap today.

By-and-by the old cannon broke, aa everyone supposed it would, and strange to way, no one was hnrt. "It’s all nonsense,” said Dick, “about s boys getting hurt so much on the Fourth of July. That is, of course boys do get hurt, but it’s only the stupid fellows who don’t know beans. A fellow who knows what he’s about has no need to get hurt. "Come along. Bob, and let’s fire off this powder that’s left.” Of course, that would be great fun, and make a fitting link of delight between the day and the crownin# joy of the evening fireworks. Where should they go to fire the powder? Why, the flat gravel roof on the ell of Dick's house would be the very place—of course it would! • “Come along!” It was nice and hot on the roof in the afternoon sun; the boys liked it hot. Carefully they poured the remaining powder out of the horn, making a pleasant little heap beside the stout chimney, which was to be their bulwark and place of defense. Then they laid the trail, very scientifically, round the chimney, and then they stood and looked at it a little while, tasting the pure joy of anticipation, and quite sure that there were no boys so happy or so fortunate as they were in the world of Boston. “Shall we touch it off now? Oh, wait just a minute! think what fun it will be, wasn’t it lucky we got this old horn? It holds such a jolly lot. Hi! won’t the folks tn the street jump? Come on, Dick, let’s Mt Ikt off now* ,v “All right! Get behind the chimney, and I’ll touch her off. Oh, I say, isn’t thisfunP Bob hid himself behind the chimney;

> WWW Emir] Our Birthday. TFULY 4th is our nation’s birthday ]£“£<£££?[ (JI 14 the of the wenwwwirg ginning of the existence of the || United States as an independent (Him y j government. It brings to us all the delight which spring! from a glad remembrance of past tmeswhen | nwwwn *h e fo nndai ions of the happy present linVll UIIIU were laid. It i. commemorative and ||l|||g (O therefore festive. Everybody is familiar with the anniversary idea. BNo other country makes so much as we do of anniversaries. We love to celebrate the birth of things, of HflMI events, of institutions, of discoveries, of achievements UlgHf and of individuals. So the anniversary of our country’s - birth appeals to every noblest and most natural instinct k in our Ameriem nature. We feel the Fourth of nflWlrn July morn to be auspicious. We would fain congratu- jrn&MMj 111111 l late our friendsand neighbors on its renewed da mi- lIIHH 'HIP' ing. It Is for us “a high day.” It is the greatest _____ birthday we know. It commemo ates the nativity of a . child that was destined to be.ome a giant, and is one IggSwSif frSpiWwil alreadv, in whose strength we all are strong. HWMFIWm ?’■ ’ The Fourth of July is Independ l nee day. We cele- MHIII brate not only the independence which our forefathers won from a foreign tyrant, but the civil liberty that ______ Yfrftafrftfrfr? made so precious and essential ap rr of the signal de- IggJ&ggj? Imrrrtmn liverance. Independence day stands for internal as well EwnrwirJ lllnfilla as external freedom, for liberty of sp ech, liberty of l||l||U press, liberty of i eligion. As the oak is contained in the acorn, so every equal right which the citizens of this krtHXHWiof happy land enjoy was wrapped up, as to i s geim, its frfofrftjypf promise and potency, within the folds of that now faded nB El UH and time-worn paper on which the Declaration of RIEIROI 111 IO Hl Independeno ■ was written. XjßjllM' Therefore the more enthusiasm on the Fourth <’f July the better. The more we can have of wholesale, hearty, unstinted celebration tne better. The sentijKrtSIRSS*? ment of loyalty and love for the flair needs constant deepening. The spirit of independence, of robust L_„v2j : lUlffl Americanism, can be strengthened to advantage. Love tIBIIIF of one ’ s country is the very essence of good citizenship —nay, of man y manhood. 9 WWW

Dick, slow match in hand, got well out of the way, as he thought, and with a shout of triumph touched off the fuse. A blinding flash, a hiss, as of fifty wildcats tied by their tails and turned into the standing corn of the Philistines, aud then a loud cry, as if the Philistines, or somebody, were having an exceedingly hard time of it. Dick crouched down, with his hands pressed to his blackened face, and Bob bent over him in genuine concern. "I say, Dick, old man, are you much hurt?” “Oh, I don’t know! It’s my eyes I care about, that’s all. I can’t see anything.” "Gome along down to the doctor, old man. Shall I take your hand?” “Take your grandmother! Don’t I know the way in the dark? I say, Bob.” “Yes, Dick.” “We know what a Fourth of July fool is now, don’t we?” “I reckon we do, and it’s worse than an April fool a good deal. Come along!” Fortunately the injury to Dick’s eyes was slight, and he escaped with a week in a dark room, and a fine array of blisters, the traces of which adorned his face for many a day; but he has learned how not to burn powder on the Fourth of July.- -* The Household.

WHY WE CELEBRATE.

July Fourth Commemorates Washington's Victory Over Old George 111.

American people have been celebrating fl fourth of July, I drinking red lemonade k and firing red crackers ever since that jRSjXISvv time b * n 1776 when grandpa crawled up in that ivy-man-tied tower at Philadelphi a and rang the big cracked bell. You see, it was this L / way: An old rooster fc* - * over in England named George Threetimes

thought be owned us. He had a dead tinch on his own country and he imagined lie had the same on this one. He taxed

"ON THE FOURTH OF THIS JULY"

—San Francisco Examiner.

our tea, he did, and used the money to sport around with the boys. When we began to cave around about it he sent a job-lot of his soldiers over here to hold ns down. This caused more indignation and one day the matter was brought to a focus when a lot of our boys got together and held a square men’s meeting. Among those present were Patrick Henry and George Washington. Pat made a ringing speech and told them that the people ought to rise up out of their lethargy and make this a free country. A declaration of independence was written out and signed and the bell was rung, as we have said. When old George Threetimes heard of this he sent over more soldiers and tried to wipe out the little band parading under George Washington. But Mr. Threetimes’ gingerbread soldiers couldn’t fool our George—nit! Our George let them chase him around New Jersey and Pennsylvania and when they finally did catch him they at once tried to let him go. But George didn’t go—not much! That night our George crossed the Delaware river and made old George Threetimes’ army look like boiled lobsters. Our George found the most of them at a 50-cent dance, but he sailed right in, nevertheless, and history tells us that he broke up the ball. Because he won the war we made our George President ’and we have been having Presidents and Fourth of Julys ever since.—Exchange.

The Village Fourth.

Within the shaded doorway The eager children stand, For the strains of stirring music Announce the coming band. The roar of distant cannon Mingles with the chime of bells. While nearer still and nearer The joyous tumult swells. Dear grandma leaves her knitting, And with baby on her knee Comes and sits among thechlldren. Who are shouting now with glee, For adown the street comes marching A long and varied train Keeping step to “Yankee Doodle,” The merry old refrain. Now the last of the procession, With Its flags and srteamers gay, Whisks around a distant corner In a cloud of dust away.

Fine Music on a Fine Instrument.

The Example of lowa. The assured election of Congressman David B. Henderson as Speaker of the next House calls attention to the knowledge that the Republican party of lowa has brought to the front a great number of strong and capable men. She has In Congress to-day at least four men who are national figures. Either Hepburn or Dolliver might have aspired to the Speakership with Henderson, and of lowa’s eleven Republican Congressmen not one Is a stick or a hole-filler. In Senator Allen she has a man who some day may grace the Presidential chair, and In Senator Gear she has another who ranks high In the upper house of Congress, while taken as a whole her delegation Is one of the strongest that ever came from any State. We doubt, however, if lowa is possessed of more latent and undeveloped talent than any other of the Northern and Western States. In every State are many men with attainments enough and capacity enough to become marked figures before the nation. But In lowa the Republican party has been wise enough to draw upon Its best talent, to encourage the development of statesmanship, and to reward abaUity Wherever found. Every one of the eleven Congressmen from lowa is serving his second, third, fourth, fifth or even tenth term in Congress. By keeping its strong men to the front the Republican party of that State has been able to preserve a satisfied condition within the ranks of the party at home, to the end that the State is always safe for the Republican ticket. In brief, the Republican party of lowa has been wisely managed, and in this respect it offers a fine example to the States around it.—Kansas City Journal.

Bryan’s Chief Trouble. A Kentuckian who is visiting the city tells this story of the impression made by the boy orator in Louisville: “Louisville, as you know, is one of the greatest tanning centers in the world,” he said. “The day after William Jennings Bryan was in Louisville I was riding in a street car, when a passenger boarded the car and sat down next to me. He had the solid, robust look and dress of a cross between a German-American manufacturer and a tanyard laborer. The smell of the tanyard was all over and about him. He spied an old friend sitting just opposite him in the car. “ ‘Did you hear Bryan?’ asked the friend. " ‘I did,’ said the tanner. “ ‘What do you think of him ?’ said the friend. “ ‘Vel’ ’ said the tanner, ‘there is only one trubble mlt Brine; he ain’t got some sense. He’s good for shust one ting: He would make a good drummer. He’s certainly a fine traveler; makes five or ten towns a day—been doing it for several years without losing a day, and iss always full of vind. I git him SIOO a month to go on de road to seftl ledder. If necessary I gif him $1,350 for de ferst year, but I wouldn’t make a contrakt mit him for more dan a year. He iss worth nearer $1,200 ale $1,350, as a ledder drummer, and good for nothing else. He knows a good deal, but what he knows iss all •wrong.’ ” —New York Tribune.

Importance of the Ohio Campaign. Nobody doubts that Ohio will be the scene this year of the first great political battle in the Presidential campaign of 1900. It is conceded that the McKinley administration will be placed on trial here, and the result in Ohio will be regarded as an Indication of how the greater battle next year will go. The friends of President McKinley realized this when they asked that a firm friend and loyal supporter of the President be chosen as the Republican candidate for Governor, and that thought was uppermost in the minds of the delegates at Columbus when they made up the splendid ticket which has been presented to the people for their indorsement That is why the campaign in Ohio promises to be one of the most memorable in the history of the State.—Cleveland Leader. Echo Answersi “Who?” Now that Peffer is with us who will look after the octopus? Some one will have to exercise the octopus, or he will die of lethargy. Also, who wll prod the Rothschilds, and make the money barons writhe with anguish? Who win blow tne hot breath of sirocco into Wan street? Who will dynamite corporate wealth? Who will succor the great plain people? And the owl In the thick woods of oblivion answers: “Who, who, who!”—Emporia, Kan., Gazette. Squirming Democrat*. The Pennsylvania Democrats made a desperate effort to avoid indorsing the Chicago platform, specially without giving offense to the Bryanttea. With admirable ingenuity they expressed renewed fidelity to the principles “de-

dared In the platforms of our several national conventions.” That might; have answered the purpose of a “hedge” very nicely, but the continue-1 tion of the same sentence expressed pride in “our matchless leader, William Jennings Bryan.” There is the real Indorsement of the Chicago platform.! If Bryan means anything he means the Chicago platform. Pride in him Is pride in 16 to 1. The Pennsylvania Democrats haven’t done it in so many words, but they have indorsed the Chicago platform specifically.—Sioux City Journal. Other and Better Ways. The free-trade element is clamoring for the repeal of the protective tariff as a method of stamping out trusts. There is no doubt that the introduction of free trade as our national policy would stamp out many trusts; but it would stamp them out by stamping out the industries©! the country. If there are no industries, there can be no industrial trusts. That’s sure. And free trade has proved itself a hustler in getting rid of industries. But however anxious the people of the country may be to get rid of trusts, they are not likely to be willing to get rid of them at that cost. If a man has a boil on his leg he can get rid of it, beyond a doubt, by cutting off his leg. But .there are other ways. The cutting off of the leg would be the method approved of by the free traders, if they would be consistent Kill the trusts, they say, by killing the industries. Protectionists prefer to keep the Industries, and to deal with the trusts in some other way. The question is a complicated one, and will need for its satisfactory solution the broadest statesmanship and the maximum of ability. That it will be rightly solved in time there can be i.ctle doubt The American people have a pretty good record for solving difficult problems. Just what that solution will be the future alone can show. It Is safe to prophesy, however, that the solution will not involve the wholesale Industrial ruin which would be the Inevitable result of an abandonment of the protective policy.

No Backward Step. There has been a good deal of talk about President McKinley’s "backward step” in the matter of civil service reform. The National Civil Service Reform League jumped before it looked and quite a number of Republican newspapers joined in the process of interpreting the President’s exemptions as meaning the complete turning over of the appointments affected to the “spoils” politicians. President McKinley’s mere statement that the changes were made for the Increased efficiency of the government service was not accepted and long strings of details were printed illustrating the alleged evil effects of the new order. Secretary Gage, who is admittedly a consistent advocate of civil service reform, has deemed the misrepresentations of sufficient Importance to warrant attention, and he has voluntarily bestowed a little upon them. The result is an authorized statement from Mr. Gage that will be accepted by tbs friends of civil service reform as worthy of more credence than the irresponsible criticisms, so hastily voiced by lightweight critics. Mr. Gage’s statement amounts to a categorical denial of every one of the accusations so brusquely put forward by the civil service league and the papers which took its say so for gospel.—Sioux City Journal.

A Question of Comparisons. Nobody needs to be told that prosperity is here. Every one knows that, from having actual individual participation in It. It is so universal that It is getting to be accepted quite as the natural order of things, and interest begins to center in a comparison between our present prosperjty and that of other yeafs when a protective tariff policy has been in effect The Indications are that the period of prosperity inaugurated by the Dingley law is to be a record breaker. In many cases It has been stated that the prosperity now being enjoyed surpasses that of any other period. A recent instance of this sort is reported from Connellsville, Pa., where the 12,000 men employed by the H. C. Frick Coke Company have just been most agreeably surprised by having been Informed that a general advance of wages, ranging from 6 to 12% per cent, would take effect from May L The new scale, it is stated, will be the highest ever paid in the Connellsville region. This is the kind of news which we may begin to expect now. The question is not, “Are we prosperous?" but, “Etow much more prosperous are we than during any previous period?”

Polltlcal Orphan* The Popociwts who are demanding that silver be “relegated to the rear” forget that such action would leave the “free silver RepubMcahs” entirely orphaned. Of course, a majority of them are Populists or Democrats, but they wish to keep up their separate organization in order that they may demand a share of the offices. If there is no chance for this kind of plunder they may sulk in their tents or vote the Republican ticket out of pure pique. Of course, this has no reference to the large number of Republicans who were led temporarily astray by the sophistry of “Goto,” but regained their senses as soon as the better times began to ftawn. These people are all back in the Bo* publican party at present, leaving no* body in the “silver Republican” organ!* zation but the officers and professional politicians.—Deadwood, 8. D., PioneerTimes. The great pyramid of Cheops is ths largest structure ever erected by ths hand of man. Its original dimensions at the base were 764 feet square, and its perpendicular height in the highest point 448 feet ■ ■

MOTHER OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE

(' Rev. Mary Baker G. Eddy and thsCaMsJl that Led to Her Work* fl The agitation In New York and elnity against the cult known as Chrilflfl tian Scientists makes interesting g*3|S

MRS. EDDY.

ments she attained prominence as ana authoress of religious prose and poettjgfl at a very early age. Her desire to Im-! prove the condition of suffering humatoil ity led her to investigate homeopathy and mind healing on a mAwM terial basis, none of which satisfied her l aspiration for a system of cure for dis- | ease. In 1886 she discovered the prin- 1 cipal which she afterward nameO “Christian Science.” In one of her! works she says: “During twenty year*| prior to my discovery I had been to trace all physical effects to the martSjj al cause, and in the latter part of IfIMH I gained the scientific certainty that *Bl| causation was mind and every effects | mental phenomenon. Her first coin-1 plete statement of Christian Science,! entitled “Science and Health, with key J J to the Scriptures,” was published lai 1875, and has since been followed by a many other works. In 1881 she chartered the Massachc-l setts Metaphysical College; this wasj the only charter under Massachusetts State laws ever granted for teaching | the pathology of Christian healing. Mrs. Eddy is now actively directing! the Christian Science movement from! her home in Concord, N. H., appearing! occasionally at the Mother Church, and'! has recently taught a class of seventh in Christian Science Hall in Concordes N. H. The mother church of the •o-J clety is the First Church of Christ in | Boston. It has recently organized Board of Missionaries, a Board of Edu-| cation, and an International Board ofl Lectureship, by means of which thnl principles of Christian Science **•! being disseminated.

A Surprise for Hubby. fl 1 She was a young wife just married fl from boarding school—one of the loveyfl dovey order—and although highly edu-lfl cated didn’t know beans from anyS other vegetable. Hence this with the cook: I "Now, Biddy, dear, what are we to -1 have for dinner?’ | "There’s two chickens to dress;® mum.” 1 “I’ll dress them the first thingifl Where are their clothes?’ I “Dear me, mum, they’re in their 1 feathers yet” 1 “Oh, then, serve them that way. The 1 ancient Romans always cooked pas||| cocks with their feathers on. It wffljfl be a surprise for Hubby.” | “It will that mum. Sure, if you * want to help, you could be parin’ thefl turnips.” I “Oh, how sweet! I’ll pair them two ■ and two in no time. Why, I had nofl idea cooking was so picturesque.” | “I think, mum, that washing thf fl celery do be more in your line.” 1 "All right Biddy, I’D take it up to] the bath room, and I’ve some lovelyfl Paris soap that will take off every® speck.” M “Thank you, mum, would you mindfl telling me the name of the asylumfl where you were eddicated? I think iflß have to take some lessons there my-l self if we be going to work together.”®

New Zealand Mutton.

The story of a New Zealand sheepfl designed for the London market magfl be very briefly told. It is taken from® the run of the slaughter house, killed® dressed and transferred to the eoolinjfl room. The skin and superfluous fgß are retained; after ten hours’ coollrq® the carcass goes into the refrigeratinjfl| ■ room for thirty-six hours. Thence ifli goes to the storing room and when has been enveloped in its cottoifl “shirt” and labeled is ready for itfl| journey over sea. The steamers whfaK bring the meat to us through the trotjjflj les have, of course, to be fitted with refl frigerating appliances, and our sheeflj takes its place among thousands flflj others, some of the boats being fltte® to carry as many as 70,000 iat one time.—Good Words. | fl|

Salt Hay Used to Preserve Plante[?]

Salt hay is used in winter for eovew Ing various kinds of plants that groy dose to the earth. It has a long stapA and tt serves this purpose welt Strawl with long staple is still used foe dling up plants and shrubs haviS| stalks. Salt hay is used in cemeMM' to cover up ivy-clad leaves. The ivy fl| thus kept In better condition than if I|| were left exposed to the blasts and cold of winter. The brown hay la IaJM lengthwise upon the grave in a covjjMg Ing of uniform thickness all over which is held In place by bent settled down upon it at intervals, hohH| like, and with their ends in the on either side.

Knew the Cards.

A little girl who attends a Maine pußlic school has quite an idea of BObUiM as was evidenced by her reply teacher. The class had been readfaßf about the king's family. The teacßfl wishing to inculcate the correct MM of royal descent, said: “Now. childrJ if the king and queen had a son, would he be?” “The jack,” waa quick response. When a man offends a daughter, fefl mother and all her sisters go out BylDpaillgUC ■ulMe* was once a mighty good

account of the gin of that societf3|s|| The founder is Rev*jjf-. Mary Baker G. dy, of N. H. || Mrs. Eddy, ’ wbJMI was born at BovrJ|-> N. H„ possessed fi from childhood highly spiritual na-,i||| ture and with usual mental endow-