\
Vv VOL. LXX XI.
PA..
_1908.
5,
NO. #4.
FOREST FIRES,
The Mystery of How They Origioats ~The
intiona! Grverpm int ts Making an
favestigation of th» Osus~,
What starts these forest fires? This
question has been asked over and over
again this summer by readers of the
accounts of the destructive tires which
have been raging in all parts of the
eauntry,
Campers and locomotives, Is the
usual avswer. Many of the other
things which start blszes in the forest
are forgotten. It is true that perhaps
one-ha'f to three-fourths of the forest
flying from locomotives, but there sre |
a number of things which set
woods afire,
their causes is not kept by anyone,
Uncle Sam, however,
the blazes on his timberland, under |
forest administration,
land burned over, the amount of :im-
ber burnei or destroyed and its value,
the cost of fighting fires and the causes |
of fires are carefully checked up.
reports are made at the end of the
calendar year, and the announcement |
of this year's losses will therefore not |
be known for more than two months.
Last year's figures, however, givea
good idea of the things which cause |
fires in forests. Of the 1,355 fires dis-
covered on the Natioual Forests last |
year, all of which were checked by the |
rangers before they had burped over
fourteen hundredths of one per cent.
(.14 of 1 per cent) of the Natiooal |
Forest area, csmpers caused 364, while
railroads followed next with 273;
lightniog came next with 176 ; dinkey |
engines used in lumbering operations, |
fourth, with 65; careless brush burnp-
ing by homesteaders clearing land,
84 ; fires caused by incendiaries and |
those get by herders and hunters, 30 |
For more thao 400 of the fires the
cause is not known. This is not
strange when it is remembered (hat a
fire may smolder for days, if the air is
too thick to permit the smoke to be
seen at a distance before it breaks out |
when fanned by the wind #: as to
reveal its preseuce to the watchful
forest officer,
While campers caused more fires
thao locomotives last year, there are
many seasons when the railroads hold
undisputed claim to first place. Forest
fires started by both are mostly un-|
necessary. If campers would exercise
care in starting camp fires and be sure
that they are extinguished before they |
are left, and if the railroad companies |
would use the most modern and effi.
cient spark arresters, it ia ressonable
to think that the annual forest fire
lose could be reduced more than oue-|
half. Lightning ranks third among |
the causes of fires, and of course, man |
has no greater responsibility iu this |
than to put the fire out as soon as pos.
gible after discovery. Careless brush |
burping by homesteaders and persops |
clearing land as was the case withio a |
#'xteenth mile of the borough limits |
of Centre Hall two yeurs ago, is said |
to be the cause of many of the fires |
which have started this year, particu-
larly those which have awept over the
Lake States,
The ranger force on many of the
National Forests have been kept busy
fighting fires which, if left to run un.
checked, would have done inealculable
damage. By quickening communica.
tion between important points through
the construction of the telephone
lines, and building roads and trails,
the National Forests have been made
more accessible during the past two
years and fire fighting has been great.
ly facilitated.
———— A — tp i ss
Weddings to be,
The date for the wedding of Col }
James A. McClain, of Spangler, and
Miss Emma Holliday, of Bellefonte,
has been set for next Wednesday The
wedding of Clarence Swarr Gachnaner,
These
and Miss Margaret Brachbill, also of
Bellefonte, will take place early in
December, and that of Ray Acheson,
of Niagara Falls, and Mies Agnes T.
Bhaughensey, of Bellefonte, imme.
diately after Christmas.
———— AI AS ———
Meeting of State Grange,
The Pennsylvania State Grange will
hold its annual convention ia Altoona
during the week of December 7 and
the indications are that it will be the
biggest convention ever held jo that
city. The Grange has grown io the
past four years to such an extent that
the membership has almost doubled
and it Is expected that between four
and five thousand people will be
sent. There Is little doubt in the
minds of those engaged in making
ons snd arrangements that
Bian Dagow convention ever
held by the organization.
A fo
DISCOURSE ON LOUAL OPTION,
teformed Minister In Centre Hall Treats
tha Subject With Al! Falrness,
Rev. Daniel Gress, pastor of the
Centre Hall Reformed charge, Bunday
evening gave a discourse on Local
Option, treating the subj ct with such
fairness and honesty of conviction,
that the Reporter gives the sermon
space in its columns. Rev. Gress said :
( PART I.)
‘“ Wine is a mocker, strong drink is
raging, and whosoever is deceived
“Who hath woe? who hath sor.
row ? who hath contentions? who
hath babbling? who hath wounds
without cause ? who hath redness of
eses ? They that tarry long at the
wine : they that go to seek mixed
wine. Look not upon the wine when
the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
At last it biteth like a serpent and
«tingeth like an adder.”
These are the warnings of a very
wise man, call Bolomor,
America has been called a temperance
Que would hardly believe that
would starve
and intoxicated men
wives, and that working-
stagger forward, borpe
[down by taxes incident to pauperism,
| disease and crime. Indeed it is hard
to minke oneself believe that there are
buundred to one high
whom we
their children,
bent theirs
men would
saloons
But men who have charge
of our government are politicians, and
ome of thes are practical men, and
{ be conceded to be fairly accurate,
Our bes. students of economics tell
us that fivesixthe of sil our pauperism
comes from drink ; { ur-fifths of sil
prings from the same
that for the drink traffic, we
Ur crime
sOUrece ;
| the whole country. The influence of
(drink on the health of the people is
even more sstonishing. Every year it
lives,
In terms of industrial losses, the
ssloon evil, through crime, pauperiem,
jails, police officials, law courts, dis
ease aud death, involves a waste for
this country every year equal to
$1,8500,000,000. It is this waste and
sorrow through the drink evil that
explains the grest temperance wave
now rolling over this country.
The deterioration of the Eoglish
physique through drink and the
revelations incident to the failure to
obtsip soldiers for the South African
war partly explain the similar move.
ment now sweeping over England,
Oune thing is certain, the people of our
land are now entering upon an ers of
discussion as to the liquor traffic, and
are beginning to think what is for
their welfare
We shall understand this proble
betder if we begin with the fact tha
the Teutonic peoples represent the de-
ndants of men who were immune
drink. For ene thousand, years
{ has been destroying the unfit, and the
| weak have gone down. The three
| diseases or forces that have brought
lout this tragedy are consumption,
smallpox and alcoholic liquor. The
Indiane, the Arabs, the Patagonians
aud Polynesians have all gone down,
Their death represents a tragedy more
terrible than all the wars. When those
three great plagues swept over North.
ern Europe, centuries ago, only men
who were immune and proof agsinst
them survived. These immune de
scendants increased, and though a
small percentage of their children are
still liable to death by these diseases,
most of us survive them. Our genera.
tion, therefore, represents ancestors
who were imwune to sleobol and to
certain parasitic diseases. And to this
consideration which is based upon
ancestral habits and drinking custome,
must be added considerations of cli
male. Ia Mohammedan countries
drinking is unknown. The worship-
per of Allah puts his soul in peril of
everinsting hell by touching a drop eof
But once you cross the climate
works toward different customs
But why do we condemn the drink-
ing custom as useless and harmful,
and seek to get rid of it? What does
alcohol do that we call it an enemy,
and say at last it biteth like a serpent
and stingeth like gn adder. For more
than a generation our physicians and
scientists have been experimenting in
the laboratory, and we know now just
about exactly what alcohol does for
man, In the way of experiment drop
A raw egg into a glass of alcoh sl, and
you will find that one way to cook an
egg Is to put it in bolling water, the
other way ls to put it in cold aleohol,
Alcohol has a fleroe thirst for water,
snd drinks it up, thus hardening the
egg. Alcohol sets in a similar way
upon the brain. Put any powerful
drug into the body and there is a point
toward which it will rush, One
A Malicious Story,
An exceptionally rank and moali-
¢lous story was circulated in portions
of Penns Valley, last week, to the ef-
fect that H., I. Foust, tenant on the
Wilson farm along the pike, this side
of Bpring Mills, discovered a man in
his corn field bauling therefrom a two-
horse load of corn; that Mr. Foust
was armed with a gun, and seeing an
object moving, drew aim and fired ;
that the contents of the weapon, lo
stead of strikiog a man hit one of the
horses hitched to the wagon of the
thief, and that on the following day
the injured animal #as killed to put it
out of misery.
The story had gained wids circula-
tion, and was told without qualifica-
tions. The editor of this paper, not
content with hearsay, personally eall-
ed on Mr. Foust and made fpquiry as
to the truth of the story. Mr, Foust
al once stated that there was
ground whatever lor the rumor,
that the story was false in every
tail ; that be and the
thus slandered were
terms, and that they frequently did
favors for each other,
Mr. Foust stated further that he had
first heard of the story on the day that
the writer interviewed him, and that
he had, upon the advice of a friend,
contemplated coming to Centre Hall
with the view of having the malicious
story denied through these columns,
Consequently this item appears here]
at the solicitation of Mr. Foust, i
A fs ———
LOCALS
no
and
de.
man who was
on the beat of
The principal thing in life is the
helping of others
Enow was seen flying in the air as!
early as October thirtieth
It wasn't Wilkes-Barre but Scranton |
to which Andrew Gregg and family of |
Centre Hail removed, last week. i
Mra. Mary Bhoop is in Harrisburg
where she will remain for the winter, |
preferring to live in the city durir g!
the cold weather, i
Any one in Centre Hall and vicinity |
wishing outdoor photographic work
done should apply to the Centre Re-
porter. All work must give salisfac
tion before payment is ask
After casting his vote in M:fMin|
county Tuesday morning, Mr. snd!
Mrs Jared Mowery, of Yeagertown,
started for Youngstown, Ohio,
they will make their home for the
present. Mr. Mowery formerly lived |
in Centre Hall and is 8 wood-worker,
where
John H. Bitner, of Tusseyville, who
for two years has been in Philadelphia
io the employment of the Philadel
phia Rapid Transit Company, in the
capacity of a street car conductor,
home for the winter. Monday he and
his mother, Mre. Willlam Bitner,
were in Centre Hall, the guests of the
in
with paralysis Saturday and since has
been dangerously ill. For forty or
more years, Mies Snyder bas made her
home with the Alexanders, and since
Mr and Mrs. James Alexander moved
from the farm to Centre Hall, she has
been living with their daughter, Mrs,
Eimer Royer, at which place she is
lying ill
The election is over. The msjority
of people knew, in advance, just what
the result would be, but for consclence
sake refrained from taking even a
small bet. Others, in consideration of
the feelings of their neighbors, simply
kept their information to themselves
until the election returns came in.
These were very conscientious ; very
charitable,
One day last week a horse belonging
to James Goodhart, south of Centre
Hall, became impaled on a fence, and
was unable ta extricate itself until Mr,
Goodhart snd several other men assist
ed it. The result was the animal was
badly injured, and to such an extent
that the bowels protruded, Veter
nary Burgeon Fry was called and afer
the wound was dressed, and the outer
opening sewed up, the animal was
much relieved. It is thought there
will be no bad results,
straight as an arrow, but alcohol goes
straight toward the brain.
Medical experts have examined the
brains of drinking men after death,
and dipping the liquor out of their
brains, they lighted it with a match,
and it burned with a blue flame. The
brain of the drinking man is hardened
under the constant influence of aleo-
hol, as an egg is hardened or cooked,
All the blood vessels are hardened and
made brittle,
The second influence of alcohol up.
on the body can best be described by
the expression, it takes off the brakes
and lets the heart run wild. Certain
nerves control the heart, These nerves
are paralyzed by sloohol, and the heart
runs wild and free, beating 125 times a
minute, when it should beat 75 times,
This gorges the brain with blood until
self-control.
FENN, STATE LIBRARY,
Now Books at Grange Arcadia for the
Reading Pablie.
For two years or more a branch of
Pennsylvania Free Library has been
conducted in Grange Arcadia, under
the management of Progress Grange.
These books are sent here free of cost,
and are given out to readers who for a
nominal sum paid, have a member-
ship card. New books have just been
received, the suthors and titles ap-
pearing below :
Abbott ;: Christianity and social problems
Andrews : Militants
Alcott Proverb stories
Austen Sense and sensibility
Allen North Pacific
Atkeson : Bookkeeping for farmers
Balza« Cousin Betty
Barr: Jan Vedder's wife
Baskett : Bweetbrier find thistiedown
Three protty maids
anuel Burden
Endymion
Bweet clover
Blanchard
Belloe Em
Beaconfield
Burnham :
Bunner Buburban sage -
Lady of Fort 8. John
O'Baddy
Eagle's shadow
Friend or foe
Clover
Catherwood
Crane & Barr
Cabell :
Chlld
Coolidge
fy 11
t Lincoln stories
exploration
rs boy
eal ralironds
ton
ios of men and books
he world on a bicycle
he master
Oo America
ddernom
LOCALS,
Isaac Smith, of near Madisonburg,
attended the reunion of the Beventh
| Pennsylvania cavalry at Williamsport.
Centre Hall was largely represented
iat the horse show at Pennsylvania
State College, and the general expres
Generally speaking
the ribbons were placed on the favorite
horses and teams.
While the Lewisburg freight train
was being made up in the Bellefonte
yard the other morning George Smith,
of Bunbury, flagman of the crew, was
thrown from th: caboose. He fell
upon the pilot of the engine and re.
ceived quite » severe cut on the head.
Mrs. Mary Boyder, of near Centre
Hall, is contemplating going to Free
port, Illinois, where she will make her
home for the winter with her son,
James I. Suyder., Although the time
set for going west ha not been defin-
itely fixed, it is altogether likely that
she will go within the next week.
The November Review of Reviews
is full of timely information relative to
the crisis in Turkey sod the Balkans.
B sides the illuminating editorial
World,” there is an excellent summary
of“ Who's Who and What's What”
in the Balkans, by E. Alexander
Powell, late of the American Consular
Service and Balkan correspondent of
London Evening Standard.
Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Van Pelt, of
Ithaca, New York, arrived in Centre
Hall Thursday evening of last week,
after having remained away from their
former home for three years. The
thirteen years’ residence in New York
have not brought many changes in
them, and each visit here is enjoyed
more than the previousone. Mr. and
Mrs, Van Pelt returned home Mon-
day, in time to permit the former to
cst a ballot for Hughes.
In the interest of the Underwriters
Association J. Paul Dioges, of Will
iamsport, spent the greater part of
Inst week in Centre Hall making a re-
survey of the properties, He made
observations both on the exterier and
interior of the business places, shops,
dwellings barns and stables, and after
his report 1s gone over, a new fire in-
surance rate—higher or lower—will
prevail, Mr. Dioges was accom
panied by bis wife, who made her
second trip heve,
Right royally did Miss Jennie
Thomas, assisted by her sister, Miss
Ruth, entertain a company of young
all assembled the ** ghosts "’ numbered
eighteen. Several hallowe’en pranks
were indulged in, while each lady had
her future foretold by the palmist,
The Thomas home had been appro
priately decorated with aut
and froit, and the
Hershibergor-MoFariand.
The home of Rev. Dr. J. H. Mathers
and wife, at Mifflin, was the scene of a
quiet wedding at 2:30 o'clock Tuesday
afternoon, October 27th. Dr. Mathers
spoke the impressive words that made
Miss Jennie McFarland, of Bellwood,
the bride of James E. Hershberger, of
Altoona. After the ceremony and
congratulations an glegant dinner was
served. On train No. 1 the newly
wedded couple came to Altoona, where
their newly furnished home, 1908
Fifth avenue, awaits them.
The groom is the proprietor of a
milk depot and route and is sn estim-
able young gentleman. The bride is
one of Bellwood’s popular young la
dies, Bhe has been for some time the
efficient clerk in Fuoss's bakery and a
prominent worker in the Presbyterian
Christian Endeavor society. The con-
gratulations of a host of friends freight
the matrimonial bark.
The above Is from an Altoona paper.
The groom isa son of H. K. Hersh-
berger, of Potters Mills, and for several
years was in Philadelphia. Later he
located ia Altoona, where he began
business for himself. The Reporter
congratulates him, and wishes the
young couple a long, happy life.
esas
Splendid Prizes for Corn,
These who have good corn should
not fail to select ten ears to show at
the Third Annual Corn Bhow to be
held by the Pennsylvania Live Btock
Breeders’ Association at Harrisburg,
January 26-20 next. Eightsilver cups,
ranging from $25 to $50, will be offered
in the various classes and 45 cash
prizes in addition. A $50 cup is offer-
ed for the best show of 100 ears made
by any subordinate Grange in the
state. Exhibits of dairy products for
which liberal prizes are offered will be
a feature, and 'he Penn’s Experiment
Siation snd the State Live Bleck
Sanitary Board will also make exhibits
worth seeing. For corn entry blanks,
prize lists, e'c., address Secretary E. 8,
Bayard, East End, Pittsburg, Pa.
There are no entrance fees,
S—— A — So ——————
veath of James Kerr,
Ex-Congressmuan James Kerr, the
Democratic National Committeeman
from Pennsylvania, died at bis sum-
summer home in New Rochelle, N.
Y., Friday afternoon. He had been
suffering from internal troubles, and
underwent an operation, from which
he never rallied. Interment was
made in Clearfield Monday.
Iu the death of James Kerr Penn-
sylvania loses one of her foremost citi-
zens. Identified as he was with much
of the development of the Clearfield
region of bituminous business, he has
long been recognized as a leading soft
coal operator, and one whom his men
held in the highest regard. The news
of his death will be universally re-
gretted, but nowhere more keenly
than throughout this section where he
was intimately known by thousands,
Politically Mr. Kerr was one of the
leading Demociats of the nation, and
his services in the party had long since
ranked him ia the very forefront, even
to having been selected by many as
the candidate for Governor at the next
election. Mr. Kerr was a finished
gentleman, a scholar and a public
speaker of force and eloquence,
Blair County Hospital,
Dr. Thomas F. Neil, of Philadelphia,
who has been superintendent of Blair
County Hospital for the Insane for
the past two years, was dismissed from
office last week by the poor authorities,
Dr. Neil asserts that his dismissal isa
punishment for his refusal to permit
the authorities to practice petty graft
in the hospital affairs,
Charges of the most startling
character are made. It is asserted
that women wete Imported from
Altrona and employed under assumed
names in the hospital.
At a meeting of the physicians of
Hollidaysburg held Thursday evening
of last week, a call was made for an
investigation of alleged hospital mis
management by the Biate Board of
Public Charities.
Unlicensed Hanters Ficed,
Over fifty foreigners were arrested
last week by agents of the state game
commission for hunting without a
license, as required by the act of the
assembly, which demands that une
naturalised persons take out official
papers to shoot. In almost every in.
stance the men were fined $25,
Persons coming into Pennaylvania
from other states must also procure a
license to hunt, whether they are
naturalized citizens or not,
A serial story that promises remark.
ably well begins in the November
number of The Ladies’ World, It Is
oalled Hearts Insurgent, and the
author is Grace MacGowan Cooke,
Shows name alone SUNMnloe axon].
oe.
I
TOWN AND COUNTY NEWS
HAPPENINGS OF LOCAL INTEREST
FROM ALL PARTS.
There will be a regulsr meeting of
Progress Grange Saturday afternoon,
Mrs. Daniel Heckman, of Bellefonte,
last week went to Wilkinsburg to visit
ber daughter, Mrs. C. G. Bpicher,
The town’s supply of water has been
holding out remarkably well, There
is an abundance for all purposes at
present, .
Postmaster G. M. Boal reports a
letter addressed to Mise Annie Rhyme
as remaining unclaimed in the Centre
Hall postoffice.
Harry Musser is breaking ground
for a new store room at BStruble where
he has been doing such a big business
that his old quarters became much
crowded.
Howard Ripka, who for a year lived
on the McCoy farm at Potters Mills,
next spring will move to Mifflin coun-
ty where he has rented a very produc-
tive farm somewhere in the vicinity of
Milroy,
The citizens of Smithtown, have or-
ganized a water cow pany and are lay-
ing pipes from the spring on the farm
of Charles Frankenberger, north of
that place, to their respective resi-
dences.
B. H. Arney recently made a trip to
Niagara Falls to visit his son, A. Miles
Arney. While in‘that city he heard a
number of political stum pers of nation.
al reputation, among them being John
Sharp Williams and Dolliver
Mrs. Amos Alexander, of Milroy,
has been assisting in taking care of
Mre. Barah Tressler, of near Centre
Hill, who, it will be remembered had
her arm broken by being run over by a
cow. Her condition is improving
somew hat.
But one and forty-hundredths or an
inch of rain fell during the month of
October. The whole amount of water
that fell during the month would be
termed but one *“ good min, and
frequently as much falls in the space
of two hours and less.
Rev. and Mrs. W. A. McClellan, of
Pleasant Unity, have finished their
visit in Penns Valley, and from here
they went to Philadelphia. Before re-
turning to their home, Mrs. McClellan
will spend some time with her brother,
Rev. James Runkle, at Newport,
Perry county.
Aaron Detwiler, of near Tusseyville,
will vacate the Wagner farm in the
spring and will move onto the George
Gentzel farm, near the Cross Church,
in Georges Valley. The farm is now
occupled by Mr. Bhawver, who will
move to near Woodward on th
Michael Hess farm.
Mre. Lizzie McDowell, of Asrons-
burg, went to the fields north of that
town in search of chestnuts, and step-
ping on a piece of wood, which either
broke or rolled from beneath her, was
thrown to the ground, breaking her
right arm at the wrist. Dr. C, 8. Mus-
ser was called and reduced the fracture,
There is danger in house cleaning,
At Centre Hall Mrs. A. P. Krape ran
a needle into the palm of her hand
while mopping up the floor, and at
Millbeim Mrs. J. M. Road fell from a
step ladder, which she mounted to
clean a ceiling, and broke her ann at
the wrist, besides receiving other
injaries,
The long connection of Col. D. F.
Fortney with the public schools in
Bellefonte has made him popular with
the educators in Centre and adjoining
counties. Last week he was in "Clear-
field county where he appeared before
the directors at a county meeting and
twice addressed them. Col. Fortney
is well posted on the school laws in
Pennsylvania, and in educstional
matters believes in teaching the most
practical things,
Frederick Cathermas, of Millheim,
received an apple of the Ben Davis
variety from the state of Washington
that weighed one and one-half pounds.
It was sent to him by his friend, A.
8. Ruhl, of Rockford, Ili., who is now
on the Pacific const. It Is the Nnest
and largest apple ever seen here and is
entirely different from the Ben Davis
apple in Penns Valley. Mr. Ruhl also
sent a number of oak leaves that are