Deworraii adnan
Bellefonte, Pa., May 30, 1924.
EE TU Sa TAT,
OLD TIME SCHOOL DAYS.
By L. A. Miller.
I was somewhat surprised a few
days ago when I called for my mail
at the postoffice when an unusually
bright, tidy little motherless girl, but
who has now an excellent home by
way of adoption, caught me by the
hand and said: “What did you study
that made you such a good scholar?”
I might have taken the compliman-
tary remark by the child as a compli-
ment, but owing to her tender years
it appeared to me as insignificant.
However, in order to satisfy the in-
quisitor, I thought it my duty to give
her a brief sketch of my school days’
experiences as a matter of politeness.
I told her my first day in school was
an epoch in my life. The school
Ma’am, or Mistress, as we called her,
was one of the first lady teachers in
this section of the State. She was a
handsome woman, and a good teach-
er. My primer was so badly torn that
my father pasted the leaves contain-
ing the alphabet on to a paddle made
of a shingle. This was a common
custom then, because books were ex-
pensive. Besides this the paddles
came in handy when a pupil needed
correction. There is no use in lin-
gering over this part of the story.
We little chaps were allowed to sleep,
go out and play and enjoy ourselves
generally as long as we did not annoy
the larger scholars. It was a year or
two before I got to reading in school,
although I could read pretty well at
home. At school we had to spell, not
only in the book, but out of it, and un-
til a scholar could knock off all the
words in the “United States speller,”
from “acorn to abecedarian’ he wasn’t
allowed to begin reading from a regu-
lar reader. There were couplets be-
tween the lessons such as:
“My son, do no ill,
Bad men go to the pit.”
There were also selections from Prov-
erbs scattered among the first spell-
ing lessons. Following these were
moral selections at the heads of the
pages; and after finishing the three
columns of three syllable words, be-
ginning with “ambiguity,” the half of
each page was taken up with selec-
tions from “Poor Richards Almanac.”
The first one began: “A rolling stone
gathers no moss.” Then followed a
department commonly known as
town’s names, beginning with acre—
a seaport town in Turkey. Then came
those two immortal poems, dear to
every one who studied the United
States speller. The first began thus:
“The dog will come when he is called,
The cat will walk away,
The monkey’s cheeks are very bald,
The goat is fond of play.”
This poem continued in this style un-
til it exhausted the animal kingdom,
or at least as much of it as school
children are likely to know anything
about.
The next one, although not a great
poetical work, still lives and probably
will for a long time, if only for the
benefit of the parodist. I almost for-
get it, but this couplet is a sample of
the whole:
“Who ran to catch me when I fell;
And kissed the place to make it well ?,
My mother.”
Another fair specimen of interest is:
“I have two hands that can spin a top.
And climb a tall tree to make the nuts
drop.”
Here is another important produc-
tion:
“I will not hurt my little dog,
But stroke him on the head,
I like to see him wag his tail,
I like to see him fed.”
How that grates upon the ears of
us old fellows who yet proudly recall
the days when we climbed trembling-
ly onto the up-turned coal box and
belched forth the stentorian, yet quiv-,
ering voice, with arms rising and fall-
ing, out of tune like so many pump
handles:
“I like to see a little dog,
And pat him on the head,
So prettily he wags his tail
Whenever he is fed.”
The average reader will probably
say that the writer of this silly stuff
is a fool; be it understood that the lit-
erature made use of on this occasion
is intended for the kids, who by the
way, wield a wonderful influence in
the home.
But that is neither here nor there;
what I want to say is that our old
school books were better adapted to
the business in hand than the book
now in use. From the first page to
the last of each one of them, begin-
ning at the John Roger's Primer,
there was fact or suggestion, that,
when once fixed in the youthful mind,
could not help bringing forth good
fruit. They inculcated pure morals,
taught manners, suggested easy top-
ics for investigation in history, me-
chanics, arts, science, animal and veg-
etable life. The modern book is a
batch of trash, with not enough infor-
mation in it to raise a child above the
level of a Hotentot. But why waste
time talking about it?
Cattle Mortality Below Average.
Harrisburg. — Cattle mortality
throughout the State in 1923 was be-
low the average for the ten year per-
iod, reports compiled by the Depart-
ment of Agriculture published recent-
ly show.
The average of horses and mules
dying from disease during the year
was 14 in 1000 or less than the aver-
age mortality rate. The rate for cat-
tle of all ages was 19, one less than
the period rate while for swine it was
thirty or three less. Fifty lambs out
of each thousand died from disease
and exposure, a higher rate for the
period.
sn fp fees
Gave Himself Away.
Lady (in opera party)—“Can you
look over my shoulder?”
. Stormed Youth—“Oh, yes, indeed;
I’ve been looking over both of them
and I do think they are beautiful.”—
U. of Chicago Phoenix.
Human Body Is Composed
75 to 80 Per Cent Water
People think that their bodies are,
Nterally, among their most solid pos-
sessions. But the human body is com-
posed largely of water, the average
proportion being from 75 to 80 per
cent. We are three-fourths water.
even including our brains.
I have heard people speak of a per-
son as having “a fluid mind.” They
did not realize how close they came to
the literal truth. From head to foot,
all of us are so “fluid” that it seems
almost a miracle when we continue
intact, year after year, apparently as
solid as ever.
You may think that we become more
solid as the years go by; that old peo-
ple really are, as we call them, with-
ered and dried up. But they are not
“drier.” Human beings grow even
less dry as age comes on. It is es-
timated that the water content of the
body in old age is from 81.2 to 84.8
per cent, as compared with from 75 to
80 per cent in earlier life. So the
common expression, “a dried-up ol”
man,” has no basis in fact.
If the amount of water content ino
the body is reduced by only 10 per
cent, it results in very serious disor-
ders. If it is reduced 20 per cent,
death is almost certain to follow.
There have been cases where a per:
son has survived beyond this point;
but a loss of 22 per cent is, I believe,
a limit beyond which human beings
cannot live—American Magazine.
Says Coffee Fruit Is
Similar to a Cherry
“It is doubtful if in all nature there
{fs a more cunningly devised food
package than the fruit of the coffee
tree,” says Willlam H. Ukers in “All
About Coffee” (the Tea and Coffee
Journal company, New York). He
describes it minutely as follows:
“The coffee fruit is very like a
cherry, though somewhat elongated
and having in its upper end a small
umbilicus. But mark with what in-
genuity the package has been con-
structed. The outer wrapping is a
thin, gossamerlike skin which incloses
a soft pulp, sweetish to the taste, but
of mucilaginous consistency. This
pulp in turn is wrapped about the
inner seal, called the parchment be
cause of its tough texture.
The parchment incloses the magic
bean in its last wrapping, a delicate
silver-colored skin, not unlike fine-
spun silk or the sheerest of tissue
paper. And this last wrapping is so
tenacious, so true to its guardianship
function, that no amount of rough
treatment can dislodge it altogether;
for parts of it cling to the bean even
in the roasting and grinding pro
cesses.”
First Europeas:s in Panama
The first Europeans to visit the
Isthmus of Panama were those who,
under the leadership of Rodrigo de
Bastides, sailed from Cadiz in October,
1500. Vasco Nunez de Balboa was
among them. The records of this ex-
pedition are meager, but it is known
that they picked up the mainland of
South America near Trinidad and
coasted westward past the Gulf of Da-
rien and along the Isthmus as far as
Nombre de Dios.
The letters of “Lettera Rarissima di
Cristoforo Colombo,” an Italian ver-
sion of a dispatch from the great dis-
coverer to Ferdinand and Isabella con-
tains the earliest account of the isth-
mus in existence. He wrote this let-
ter while shipwrecked on the coast of
Jamaica at the end of his fourth and
last voyage to the Indies.—Detroit
News.
Medicinal Vegetables’
Curative qualities are possessed by
most vegetables and fruits. Spinach
has a direct effect upon the kidneys,
while onions, garlic, leeks, and shal-
lots contain medicinal qualities
which have a marked effect upon the
circulatory system. A raw onion eat-
en before going to bed is an excellent
remedy for insomnia, while soup made
from onions has a soothing and restor-
ative effect upon weak digestive or-
gans.
Lettuce and cucumbers cool the sys-
tem; beets and turnips are excellent
appetizers, and celery has such an ad-
mirable effect upon the nervous sys-
tem that it has been known to cure
neuralgia and is of great use in rheu-
matic cases. Tomatoes are good for
the liver. Figs, currants, cherries, and
strawberries are cooling and purifying.
Eaten first thing in the morning, it
is claimed an orange will cure dys-
pepsia sooner than anything else.
Forms of Government
“A republic is different from an au
tocracy.” :
“Undoubtedly,” answered Senator
Sorghum. “In a republic as far as
you can go is to order a man to resign
at sunset or take the consequences.
In an autocracy you can have him
shot at sunrise.”—Washington Star.
The Tragic End
Theater Manager—You do not seem
to have enjoyed the show this evening.
Movie Fan—I did not. Let me ask
you, is there any reason why the play
should not end happily, instead of the
hero and heroine always marrying at
the last moment?
No Danger
Coal Merchant—Quick! Quick! My
coal-yard’s afire!
Fireman—Oh, is it? Well, if the
stuff be the same as you sold me
t'other day, there ain't no ’'urry!”—
London Humorist.
Rescuer Had Motive in
Saving Bill Jones’ Life
“Help! help!” came a faint cry from
the swollen river.
On the bank a little knot of people
shouted and gesticulated, but a brave
man would have hesitated before
plunging into the icy torrent. Others
were quickly attracted to the scene,
among them a short, determined-look-
{ng man :
“Wot’s up?’ he asked casually.
“Man’s drowning!” some one sald
tensely.
“Qo is it?’
“Bill Jones,” volunteered a voice,
“Bill Jones,” he gasped. “Strike me
pink!” Saying which he flung off his
coat, and plunged headlong into the
swirling waters. With powerful
strokes he succeeded in reaching tne
side of the now exhausted man. Then
began a desperate battle, as yard by
yard the hero fought his way to the
bank with his helpless burden. Cheers
sprang from hoarse throats as willing
hands hoisted rescued and rescuer te
safety.
By this time the doctor had arrived.
“Will ’e live?” anxiously inquired the
dripping hero.
“Thanks to you, my gallant friend,
he will,” replied the doctor. “Eng-
land should be proud of men like you,
and I trust this poor fellow will never
forget that he owes his life to you!”
The hero turned away.
“That's all right, guv'nor,” he
growled. “I don’t want ’is blinkin’
life. All I'm botherin’ about is the
two quid ’e owes me!”—The Passing
Show (London).
Millions Bequeathed to
Rulers by Their Subjects |
Not many men have chosen to leave
their fortunes to members of the
royal family in the manner of the
late Lord Farquhar. Under the terms
of his will Prince George receives
£2,000 and Princess Maud and Lord
Carnegie £50,000, while other royal
beneficiaries are the king and queen,
Queen Alexandria, the princess royal
and Prince Arthur of Connaught.
The largest gift ever willed by a
subject to a British sovereign . was
that of £500,000, which fell to Queen
Victoria on the death of one John
Camden Neild, who died in 1852.
The son of a London goldsmith,
Neild succeeded to £250,000 on his fa-
ther’s death, but, being of a miserly
disposition, he lived in poverty. After
his death he was found to have left
the whole of his property, with the ex-
ception of a few legacies, to “Her
Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria,
begging her majesty’s most gracious
acceptance of the same for her sole
use and benefit.”
Another man who remembered the
sovereign iu his will was Sir Ernest
Cassel, who, on his death in 1921, left
property to the value of £6,000,000.
His London residence, Brook house,
Park lane, may one day become a
home of the royal family, for Sir
Ernest directed that in the event of
the death without issue of his daugh-
ter, the house and its contents
should be offered as a gift to the then
reigning sovereign.—London Tit-Bits.
Ties Given “Turkish Bath”
Railway construction engineers have
found that railway ties, even when
air-dried for a considerable time, still
contain 15 per cent or more moisture,
and therefore are susceptible to de-
cay, since bacterial growth requires
moisture. In recent experiments an
effort has been made to drive out
moisture by using the same process
that nature does, and dissolve, neu-
tralize and wash out the sap and oth-
er liquids which obstruct and close
the pores. Warm air saturated with
moisture is circulated among the ties.
This opens and cleans the pores of the
wood just as a Turkish bath does the
pores of a man. The saps and resins
filling the vesicles themselves, ex-
pand with the heat and force their
way out, to be diluted and carried
away by the warm vapor. After some
hours of this treatment, the amount
of moisture in the lumber is reduced
by very slow degrees, until, at the end,
it is practically dry, and the wood is
removed from the kiln with not more
than 5 per cent of moisture left in it.
Lumber so treated, engineers assert,
is immune to decay as long as it is
kept dry. So the ties, after their Tur-
kish bath, are given a waterproof
coating by dipping into a hot bath of
heavy asphalt.
Maternal Co-operation
A fond mother, to whom her young
2st son was indeed a Joseph asked
him one day why he associated with
“those low persons who live under the
hill by the railroad tracks.” He re-
plied by introducing his mother to
Mrs. Timothy Byrne, whose claim to
fame rested in her parenthood of Tim-
my, Jr, the leader of the “gang.”
“This, mother, is Mrs. Byrne, an’ she's
teachin’ Timmy to be a policeman, an’
if he gets licked in a fight she licks
him. Timmy hasn't been licked in
more’'n a month now. Mother, she’s
a grand woman, an’ a great help to
Timmy.”
The 'Owling Howl
A new-rich cockney went to Devon
to see a country house that he thought
of buying and as the head gardener
was showing him over the grounds a
peculiar screech was heard from a
neighboring thicket.
“What was that?” said the cockney,
“with a start.
“An owl sir,” said the gardener.
“Yes, yes, my man, of course,” said
the cockney, “but what was ’owling?”’
—Pittsburgh Telegraph.
Many Uses Are Made
of Centrifugal Force
When you get rid of the water in a
mop by twirling it round you make
use of one of the most important me-
chanical forces. Centrifugal force, as
it is called (it is pronounced “cen-trif-
ugal,” by the way), drives the water
from the mop just as it drove the
stone that killed Gollath from David's
sling.
An object, once set in motion, wants
to continue traveling in the same di-
rection, and resists any attempt te
change this direction.
A stone tied to a piece of string ard
whirled in a circle pulls harder the
faster it is whirled. If the string
breaks, the stone will continue to
travel in the direction it was moving
at the instant the string broke; it
would travel in a straight line were it
not for the pull of the earth, which
finally brings the stone to the ground.
When turning a corner on a bicycle
you instinctively lean inward; if you
didn’t centrifugal force would upset
you.
A motorcar turning a corner at high
speed would run on the two outside
wheels, and the inside wheels would
be lifted from the ground. Cars turn-
ing corners quickly are often shown in
drawings with the outside wheels
clear of the ground, which is quite
wrong.
Many uses are made of centrifugal
force; the modern cream separator
collects the fat particles from the milk
by its action.
The little governor that regulates
the speed of a gramophone depends on
i.
And the ever-popular “roulette
wheel” flings off its occupants by this
force.
Restdents of St. Kilda
Rely on Birds for Food
St. Kilda, fifty miles west of the
Quter Hebrides, is only three miles
long and two miles broad, and, being
very rocky, its inhabitants have to be
pretty wide awake to make a living.
To a great extent they depend upon
sea birds for their food supply, and
one fowler has been known to catch
620 birds in a single day.
The fowler sets out with a long deal
pole, nine or ten feet long, with a
horsehair noose at the end camou-
flaged by gannets’ quills. Puffins are
numerous on the island, and the
fowler creeps as near the birds as pos-
sible without giving them the alarm,
thrusts forth his rod along the ground,
works the noose close to an unsuspect-
ing puffin, and very dextrously drops
the noose over the bird's head and
secures it.
The birds are treated much itke her-
| rings, except that they need a pre-
liminary plucking. When that is done
they are split open, kippered and hung
in long strings across the cottage ceil-
ing. In this way they will keep for
an indefinite period, and provide a
puffin breakfast at a moment’s notice.
Garden Moles
The chief food of ordinary garden
moles is composed of earthworms,
grubs, caterpillars and insects of vari-
ous kinds. In captivity moles have
been known to eat birds, mice and
other flesh, During the summer these
little animals burrow about in the light
topsoil searching for food. They go
deeper in winter and hibernate, or at
least live in a semi-dormant state. Al-
though moles do considerable damage
by upheaving the ground in lawns and
gardens, they partly recompense for
this harm by destroying insects which
prey upon the roots of plants. The
eyes of the moles are very small and
sunken, being almost hidden in the soft
fur. It is now believed that the eyes
of garden moles are degenerate and
serve practically no use as organs of
sight. Moles seldom come to the sur-
face of the ground except at noontime.
This habit has often been observed, but
never adequately explained.—The
Pathfinder.
How Many Is a Few?
“An editorial under the caption of
‘How many is a few? recalls to my
mind an incident of my boyhood,”
writes a resident of Buena Vista,
Colo., to the Pathfinder. “I was as-
sisting my father, who was a minis-
ter in the Congregational church, in
excavating a well, my duties being to
turn the windlass which drew the
buckets of dirt to the surface. Icalled
father’s attention to the fact that it
was almost quitting time and he re-
marked that he would take out a few
more buckets. I asked him how many
a few was. He replied that ‘according
to the Bible a few meant eight.’ Ac-
cordingly, we took out eight more
buckets of dirt, and the same evening
I asked him where he obtained the
information as to a few meaning
eight. For answer he referred me
to I Peter 3:20 where, in speaking of
the ark, it states a “few, that is, eight
souls, were saved by water.’ ”
Origin of Adam’s Apple
The Adam’s apple, which is a pro-
jection or enlargement on the fore-
part of the throat, received its name
from the old absurd belief that when
Eve gave Adam the forbidden fruit,
which was supposedly an apple, a por
tion of it lodged in his throat. This
theory was all the more plausible from
the fact that the Adam’s apple is vis-
ible on men but rarely noticeable on
women, and then usually only late in
life. According to the superstition the
lump caused by this piece of apple in
Adam’s throat was transmitted to his
descendants and became a character
istic of the human race. The projec
tion is produced by the thyroid carti-
lage of the larynx.
Trying to Fool the Farmer
After passing a Bonus Bill that will take billions from the tax
payer and will prove of doubtful beriefit to the soldier, and agreeing
an a revenue bill that violates every principle of sound finance, our
cheap Congress will now try to pass another vote-getting measure,
the McNary-Haugen Bill. This bill fixes the price of wheat and other
farm products above the natural market price, the government buy-
ing the surplus. In writing of the bill Mr. George E. Roberts, the well
known economist, says:
“Any kind of general Governmental price-fixing is fundamentally
unsound. It has been proved so by every experience that we have ever
had. We have got to deal with fundamental conditions, the relation
of surplus and demand. It is a mistake to think that in the case of
wheat, hogs, milk, or any other produce, prices can be arbitrarily
fixed or held regardless of the relation between supply and demand.
It is idle to encourage production at prices above those at which con-
sumption will absorb the supply. You cannot interfere with these
natural relations between price and quantity, with supply and demand,
without disturbing the entire balance.”
This is sound common sense as all thoughtful men will agree.
The only remedy for the low price of wheat is less wheat; diver-
sified farming in those sections of the west where nothing but wheat
is produced.
The McNary bill will help every one that handles wheat, but not
the farmer who grows it.
The First National Bank
81-46 Bellefonte, Pa.
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Lyon & Co. Lyon & Co.
Summer White Sale
Specials While they Last
One lot of Ladies Night Gowns in
Crepe and Nainsook---values up to
$1.75---sale price 98 cents.
White Embroidered Trimmed Petti-
coats (values up to $2.50) sale price $1.35
Envelope Chemise (values up to $2.25) sale
price 98 cents
Gingham Dresses
One lot of fine Gingham Dresses
(qualities from $3.50 to $6) sale price $1.98
Curtain Scrim
One lot Curtain Scrims, with colored
borders---10 yards for $1.00
Muyslins and Apron Checks
36 in. Muslins at 125.
Apron Checks (fast colors) only 16 cents.
We invite a visit to our store
You will see more than advertised
Lyon & Co. « Lyon & Co.
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