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Hersbara- g.. Cortéesé
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
ILL the decade of 1020-
30 be written down by
the historians of the
future as the “mar-
athon era” in Amer
ican history? It may
very well be, if some
one ever takes the
T trouble to count up
all the endurance contests and races
for freak championships which have
taken place during the last ten years
and which, if a visitor from Mars
were to judge by the interest shown
and the amount of newspaper space
devoted to them, he might regard as
typically American, if not actually
deserving to be listed among our major
activities,
Perhaps the “marathon era” should
include the years from 1010 to 1920
also, for it was In 1910 that Sallie
Rope, a negress of Kansas City, Mo.,
decided to set a new gastronomic ree-
ord. So she stowed away some 1.551
items of hardware, Including 453 nails,
42 serews, 9 bolts, 5 spoons, 5 thim.
bles, 63 buttons, 105 safety pins, 115
hairpins, 136 common pins, 52 carpet
tacks, 57 needles, 85 pebbles, a four-
foot string of beads and a nall file. Of
course, it killed her, but she had
proved that the “so-called human
race” could compete successfully with
ostriches and goats for variety in Its
menu when it chose,
It was not until after 1020, however,
that the “marathoners” struck the'r
stride. On November 23, 1023, Joha
Hinsin of New York City won over
Val Menges in a “hot dog” contest by
consuming 53. On November 24 of
that year Dan Henderson of Jones-
boro, Ga., completed 69 hours of steady
chewing on a quid of tobacco. On De-
cember 6, 1025, C. 8. Carter of Groton,
8. 'D., ate 51 flapjacks, but lost the
“ehampionship” the next day to W. P.
G. Meyers, who ate 43 but his flap
Jacks measured two inches more In
diameter,
Commendable as were these enter.
prises, it remalned for Miss Alma
Cummings, a dance instructor In New
York City, to start an endurance con-
test which was destined to become
the latest craze and to sweep the coun
try. Some time in 1023 she noticed an
item in the papers about a Frenchman
dancing continuously for 17 hours.
She decided that Americans could do
better than that and to prove it she
danced for 27 hours. And that started
it! Within a week she had to dance
for 50 hours to hold her title and
three days later her record was brok-
\t/7%f
? Gory Chewing
Champion
1. A sweeping contest, held in Los
Angeles, Calif, to determine who
should be crowned “Queen of Sweep.
ers”
2. A fourteen.year.old entry in a
Maryland flag pole sitting contest.
a
@
gt
en. Other dancers In other cities took
up the fad and “On with the dance !™
became the watchword of the hour.
From 50 hours the record went to 09,
then to 73, then to 80, 90 and 100. Out
In California Viela Pompey and Her
ace Dunn started at Los Angeles and
danced eight miles down the highway
to Ocean Park. They kept up their
dancing for 140 hours.
And then, of course, there's flag
pole sitting. A good way to rest up
after a dance marathon Is to limb ap
on a flag pole and just sit. And flag
pole sitting was a close second te
dancing in endurance pepularity. in
1927 “Shipwreck” Kelly, a sailor,
went aloft on a 40 foot pole In New-
ark, N. J, and stayed there for 12
days. Not to be outdone by this ex-
hibition of civie supremacy, ether
cities staged similar contests and
many of the burghers of those thuniel.
paities got permanent ericks in their
necks from permanent flag pole sitters,
If 1920 is never famous for any-
thing else, it will be famous for some
new anil unusaal “champlonships.”
Consider, for lostance, Bill Williams
of Hondo, Texas, who rolled a peanut
with his nose over the 22 mile route to
the summit of Pikes Peak. It took him
30 days to do it and he got $500, plus
a large amount of newspaper publie-
ity. Inspired by his example LL. R.
Rose of Rule, Texas, started from
Galveston to knock a croquet ball all
the way to New York and H. P. Wil
Hams started rolling a little iron hoop
for the same destination,
The so-called weaker sex Is not far
behind the other In their bids for
fame. Last summer any number of
cities held rolling pin throwing con-
tests and husband calling contests in
which housewives showed both their
strength of arm and voice. And Cham.
paign, IIL, Is the home of Mrs, HH. B.
Schmidt who claims the world's cham.
SHRrrIs dx Bwrs
plonship for rocking, she having spent
401 hours in a rocking chair swaying
back and forth.
Yes, everybody's doling It, Including
the children. Last summer, the previ
ously mentioned “Shipwreck” Kelly
gave a Z34day exhibition In Baltimore
The result was a pole sitting epidemic
among the children of that city. Avor
W. Foreman started it by staying or
top a 17 foot pole for 10 days,
hours, 10 minutes and 10 seconds
When he descended he was praised
by the mayor of Baltimore for “the
old pioneer spirit” and acclaimed
“world’s champion fifteen-year-old
flagpole sitter.” His record was brok
en by twelveyearold Willie Went
worth, however, who stayed up nearly
a month, breaking even “Shipwreck's’
record,
By starting young perhaps some one
will break the record which has stood
for 1.478 years. It was made by Sim
eon Stylites, the Syrian shepherd bos
whe became a monk and who, to prove
his devotion to Christianity In the
days when martyrdom was popular
mounted to the top of a nine foot col
smn, chained himself there and oe
cupled his time in prayer. He stayed
there 30 years?
Yes, the children are showing them
selves worthy sons and daughters of
their fathers in this matter of think
ing up new feats in which to vie for
the “championship.” But they wil
have to be original Indeed to matel
the merchants of Belle Plaine, lowa
who thought that a contest to decide
who had the most flea-bitten dog ir
four counties would be a good attrac
tion for their annual fall festival. They
offered a prize of $100 and it was wot
by James Parks of Belle Plaine. The
Judges counted 113 fleas on his dog
(Author's Note: The list of “cham
plonships”™ In this article does not pre
tend to be a complete one and some
of the “records” in some events may
have been broken since the article was
written. But does It matter?)
The Poor Indian
own in the neighborhood of Poca-
tello, Idaho, the Fort Hall Indians are
showing how primitive and pagan our
aborigines can be even after the Unit.
ed States government has done its best
to civilize and educate them. They
are holding a three-day sun dance.
With only short rest periods, and with
nothing much to eat and drink, these
benighted savages are posturing and
gyrating for the glory of their tribe.
All this takes place In the sagebrush,
and the Indians, we blush to say, wear
hardly any clothes,
Now, lot us moralize a bit. If these
poor Indians were civilized whites
in a large American city, what would
they do? Probably they would be very
up to date and enter a marathon
dancing contest in a hall, They would
dance continuously with only brief rest
periods and with nothing much to eat
or drink, Only, of course, being ely.
lized, they would not stop at the end
of three days. They would try to make
it three weeks and thereby set a rec
ord and get a week's engagement in a
cheap vaudeville house, While doing
this, for a ent of the gate receipts
they would, we blush to say, wea
hardly any clothes,
No wonder, they keép Indians on
reservations. They are really pagans
at heart.—Spokane (Wash.) Spokes
man-Review,
ly.
, The year 1028 was the second larg
est in the history of foreign financing
in the United States.
HOR Ce Cs Ose RCA LR ALAS |
PRESENTS THAT |
CAN BE GIVEN AT
CHRISTMAS TIME
SAZYAS PASS ALA “ALY SAAN “ll voy AZ SATS
0000 400 400020 00 ele lielis elie liel |
arse WAS RVR
i
Art in Basketry |
i
A basket for every need Is evidently |
the slogan adopted in modern Christ.
Art in basketry is
the high spots this
gorgeous raffia basket |
bears witness, The
as the
the picture
i
painted. "T'would indeed be 8
|
|
|
srs
“Step-Up” If You Please
1
wit
"td
You know he
to got something off the
of reach, Well, it
that annoygnee,
onreelfl to try
ton shelf lust
won't happen |
gain, provid
te recipient this
h as most of the
Tiny stool
These econ
shops are showing,
hildren, too
venient contrivances come In all enlors
to match the other boudoir furnish
ings,
New Cushion Themes
Rm
OE "i
\ /TANY agirl would give up
in despair when she
found herself snubbed in
school and unpopular in col-
lege, but not so Mrs. Norma
Kussel Jones of 1567 Cramer
Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“When I was seventeen I went
away to college,” gays Mrs. Jones,
“Freda, my room-mate, was a very
popular girl. Soon she asked to have
[ appearance, and everything looked
brighter, ‘What have you been doing
to yoursell?” asked my room-mate.
“You are a different girl.’ The days
and years that followed were filled
with every activity and not long ago
Freda was maid of honor at my wed-
ding. That's what Nujol did for me!”
Such a simple way to health and
happiness! Your doctor will tell you
that Nujol contains no medicines or
drugs—it is simply bodily lubrica~
her room changed, It seems I kept
her awake at
night, I slept so
restlessly. No
one knows how 1
suffered.
“One day one
of my teachers
found me sobbing.
‘Why’, she i
‘sometimes slug
gish circulation
causes restless
sleep, Why don't
you try Nujol?’
“In two weeks
Nujol had begun
clearing out the
tion—harmless, normal, and it works
easily 80 you will be regular as
work. You can ge
abottlein a se
Package at any
drug store for
what you would
pay for two or
three sodas,
Get a bottle
today and try it.
If you are like
most other people
Nujol will make
you brighter,
happier, more
able to succeed.
Don’t put off
good health! Star
clock-
poisons in my
body, my skin had
a clear healthy
being well this
easy way, this
Wife
I'd take :
Husband-— That's
i
If you ever got tired of me, |
poison ! i
indy to know.
We can never be sure just what
makes an infant restless, but the
remedy can always be the same,
Good old Castoria! There's com-
fort in every drop of this pure
vegetable preparation, and not the
slightest harm in its frequent use
As often as Baby has a fretful
spell, is feverish, or cries and can't
sleep, let Castoria soothe and quiet
him, Sometimes it’s a touch of
colic. Sometimes constipation. Or
diarrhea——a condition that should
always be checked without delay.
Just keep Cgstoria handy, and give
it promptly. Relief will follow
Tide and Untied
The young man und young woman
of hus
weupying the rear seat the
Indianapolis Oblivious to the
figure In corner they
When the driver switched
slovching the
chatted on.
were aitracted to the appearance of
the moon,
“Oh. look, what a perfectly beautiful
“Yes, isn't IY" her companion
“And, by the way, they say
In regard to the Christmas gift!
problem there's this in favor of sofa |
cushions, no matter how many one |
may possess “there's always room for |
one more” To women skilled in fine |
needlecraft the pillow of ehenilie-em-
broidered velvet Ix proving a new In
gpiration. Something “different” too,
is the black felt cushion top done in
cut-out design, and posed over white
or colorful satin,
Bs—
Carries Sweet Odor
Banta Claus likes to carry these
ornamental bags wherever he goes,
for the sweet odor of their contents |
(garden lavender) scents up his en
tire pack. They are made of coarse
colorful nefting with frills at the tor
and handpainted embroidery hoop
hendles. Gift shops report them as
among thelr most popular numbers
They measure from nine to twelve
Inches serosa,
The figure in the corner stirred un-
easily. “And also the untied” Ht
growled. — Indianapolis News,
Firm as to That
“As a hobo, I suppose
tell some queer stories.”
“Yeh, but I aint gonna collaborate
ye,” declared the
wayfarer, edging off.
you could
Your friends are not perfect, of
course, If they were they might
not like you.
very day.
Happiness
Happs
pry
are they who look
Boggs
Yes, and overlook ufier.
ERE Lar aaah ty
RCL ari
| Eee
very promptly; if it doesn’t, you
should call a physician.
All through babvhood, Castoria
should be a mother’s standby; and
a wise mother does not change to
stronger medicines zs the child
grows older. Castoria is readily
obtained at any drugstore, and the
genuine easily identified by the
Chas. H. Fletcher signature that
appears on every wrapper.
Largest “Rabbit Farm”
Hillcrest rabbitry, at Ala
Calif, the largest in the
This farm contains 80
acres, with 26 rabbit sheds, each hous-
ing 2.500 rabbits These sheds are
long hy 20 feet wide.
The
Loma, is
feet
as
Wright's Indian Vegetable Pills
contain only vegetable Ingredients
which act as a gentle purgative, 26c a
box, 372 Pearl St, N.Y. Adv.
Doesn't Sound True
Life is full of pleasant surprises.
Just when you think your luck has
vanished forever, you put a cent In a
slot machine and get two pleces of
gum, ~Farm and Fireside,
Getting Behind
Some people get ahead, and some
cannot resist the temptation to buy
a thing that is only one dollar down.
Rutland Herald,
It takes infinite patience to rear a
child; and there seems to be an
abundance of #.