Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 144, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 December 1903 — ITEMS HERE AND THERE [ARTICLE]

ITEMS HERE AND THERE

The entertainment which was to have been given on Christmas night by the Free Baptist oburoh at Parr,jbnt which was postponed on account of the storm, will be held there on Wednesday evening of this.,week. A small admission will be sharged at the door. Everybody is cordially invited to attend.

One of the new fads that has become very popular at socials, is the left-handed effort. The guests are all compelled to place their right band in a sling, which gives a decidedly odd appearance, Contests of skill are writing, drawing pictures, sewing on bdttons, cutting to a line on paper, driving tacks or any other feat that calls for accuracy .

A special and very pleasant feature of the Ohristmas Tree entertainment at Trinity M. E. ohurob, Thursday evening, was the presentation by the chnrcli membership, at the close of the exercise?, to Rev. H. L. Eindig and his wife to each a $5 gold pieoe, and to both jointly a fine parlor rag, for their home. These presents being intended as expressions of the appreciation of their excellent labors in behalf of the chnroh.

The unusually large number of birth announcements in todays’ items, of births whioh ooourred Sunday and Saturday night, indicate that Santa Claus intended to have a good many Christmas stockings in this region filled with babies, bnt that the stork, whose fnnotion it was to deliver the goods, got side-tracked some place by the big blizzard, and arrived abont two days behind the sohedule time.

The Postoffioe Department has deoided upon designs for the St Louis world’s fair stamps whioh will bear portraits as follows: One cent, Robert R. Livingston, minister to Franoe, who conducted negotiations for the Louisiana purchase; two cent, Thomas Jefferson; three cent, James Monroe, who, , with Livingston concluded the negotiations; five pent, President McKinley; ten cent, map of the United Btates showing the territory purchased from Franoe The designs are now being made at the bureau of engraving and printing. The oolors will be those used for like denominations in general; use. These stamps will be abput the size of the Chioago world’s fair stamps.

An exohange tells of a sohoolma’am named Hatch who has taught seventy-two terms of sohool never missing but half a day, when she got stack in a snow bank. It is estimated the willow gads-ehe has used, placed end to end, would reach aoross lowa and tickle the browse end of Nebraska. The crayons she used, if plaoed end to end, in a upright position, the top one would be frozen into a solid ioiole. The quids of gum she has ohewed, plaoed side by side would reach from here to yonder. She has apanked several senators and judges and several men have kept oompany with her who now have grandchildren yet she still teaches the young idea how to shoot-Mount Morris (Ill,) Index.

, The trnant law in IndiSna has been in operatiop long enough to oonvmce tue people that it oan be strengthened and made better. A boy or girl who baa passed the age of 14 is not affected by the law. In every town in the Btate are boys and girls over the limit of tlm law who should be in the pubiio schools, if for no other reason than because of the- moral in-

flnenoe and training to be gained. At the next Legislature we hope the law makers will add two years to the limit and require boys, aod girls to attend school ontfl they arrive at the age of 16 years. The boys who are the loafers on oar streets are tbose who are over the age of 14 and defy the law and the trnant officer. In time they will become the blear-eyed; rednosed, half-idiotic soaks who keep the Marshal busy.

Last Friday’s savage blizzard was different from nearly all wbiob bring a sodden change to extreme cold, in that it did not originate in the far northwest, in Canada, bat started no farther away than oentral lowa. It was the coldest weather of the season over most of the state generally. In Indianap olis it was 4 below, whiob was considered very cold there though still 7 degrees warmer than what it was here at the same time.