VOL. IX. NO. 25.
CTo Buy Your Jewelry k
N Nothing in Town to Compare WitliS
( the Quality that We are Giving 112
/ You for the Low Price Asked. S
C Quality and moderate prices makes a force
3 irresistibly draws into our store the best patronage r
Cof this section. Many years here in business, always y
N with a full line of goods above suspicion; chosen C
\ with a care and judgment commensurate with its .
\ desirability and adaptability to refine taste, makes \
112 our store a safe place to invest. C
r Repair work done on short notice and guaran-r
\ teed, by skilled workmen. Your orders appreciated. X
> RETTENBURY, >
PA. The
'
HARDWARE. ?
No Place Lilce this Place
For Reliable
STOVES and RA-NGES,
COAL OB WOO D
HEATERS;
ONE OF WINTER'S GREAT DELIGHTS.
House Furnishiug Goods, Tools of Every
'Description, Guns and Ammunition.
Bargains that bring the buyer back.
Come and lest the truth of our talk.
A lot of second hand stoves and ranges for sale cheap.
We can sell you in stoves anything from a fine Jewel Base
Burner to a low priced but satisfactory cook stove.
Hot Air, Steam and Hot Water Heating and
General Repairing, Roofing and Spouting.
Samiiei JPa
The Shopbell Dry Good Co.,
* 313 Pine Street,
WILLIAMSPORT, PA.
Cloak and Suit New Silk
Department Plaids
What von will be shown here will be , . . , ..
the very latest the best Linker* and dee bave just recetve.l a nice l„,e ,112
signers "are producing in wtvlish lailonn.de M,k K" i,lh U . ,v , 1 hey nre v " n ;
suits, walking ski,.; jacket tourist coats, co ' or9 > "'cl.i.hn* the new green an!
rain coats, silk waists, children's coats 1,1,16 Vl " . kn ""' hl ' w
and jackets. *f arce U '7 »?• , NV ®. , are ,0
these goou styles to sell fur SI.OO.
Fine French Flannels
Ladies' Silk Waists For waists and dressing saci|ues. We
show in the best quality all the plain
(jmte the best styles and qualities we colors, such as navy blue, cadet, green,
have evershowu for the price, plain black receda. cardinal, garnet, castor, old rose,
and tancy colors, and neat, stylish plaid cream, grav and lavender, for
walHtH ' 45c A YARD.
Fine Furs >■ , .
»• i . Mohairs
thir turs combine the elegance and
completeness of up to date fashion. All Are now an all the year around fabric for
the latest and most approved styles can dresses, and especially for shirt waist suits
be seen here in ladies' coats, scarfs, boas The demand tor this material has made
and novelties in lur neck pieces with many of the most desirable colors scarce, j
mud's to match in all the popular and >' et we liavt> l,ec ' n able to keep our line
best selling furs; then the prices are very ver >' complete in black and colors and
moderate. ' fancy figured ones.
The Shopbell Dry Good Co.
Subscribe for the News Item
Republican News Item.
LAPORTE, SULLIVAN COUNTY PA., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1904.
THE CHANGE
Conducted by
J. W. DARROW. Chatham, N. Y.,
I'rcM Correspondent it'ew York State
Grange
A SCHOOL PROGRAM-ME.
A liy the Lecturer of
Michigan State Granice.
At least one meeting during the year
of every subordinate grange can prof
itably be given over to the discussion
of the rural schools. Thee should be
an intimate relationship existing be
tween the grange and the school. 1 Ni
trons should fee] a special interest in
the work of educating the young, so
many of whom make the district
school their ouly college. Every grange
should have its committee on visitation
of schools, and this committee should
be composed of the most intelligent
and progressive members. They should
kuow by observation just what the lo
cal school is doing. liether its teacher
is qualified not only' lint adapted to the
needs of that particular school. Some
teachers never tit in nicely anywhere,
some tit everywhere. When there Is a
mlsllt successful work cannot be done.
As a rule, the average farmer or aver
age citizen, whether farmer or not,
pays too little heed to the management
and needs of the school. The progres
sive farmer and especially the progres
sive granger will find delight in thl.-»
work, and he will not fall to make It a
subject of discussion in the grange.
The following suggestive programme
is furnished by the Michigan state lec
turer. nud of course it is merely sug
gestive. It will be varied to suit condi
tions:
SPECIAL SCHOOL PROGRAMME.
Music-- 1 "Col umblu."
Holl call Response by quotations.
Keport of committee on visitation of
schools.
Paper—"Value of Strong Discipline Over
a Child During School IHIVS."
Topic "The Needs or Our Rural
Schools."
(at From a teacher's standpoint.
(b) From a patron's standpoint.
Ceiit ivl discussion.
Question box:
I* our district school t;ood enough .as
it Is?
How many pupils attending school in
each dlnlrlct In your township?
Could not the small schools be consol
idate Willi better results?
How many school patrons attended th»
last annual school meeting?
What points <lo you judge from in as
serting that you have ft good school?
in hiring a teacher what qualities <l.
consii! -r a tcnchcr must possess?
Arc yo.i sallfcfli'il with a commissioner
wtfW vi: its your district school but oive
a year and then stays but fifteen min
utes?
Discuss the merits of oral spelling as
compared with written spelling lessons.
Has your district voted to have a ll
brary? If not, liow about the library
money ?
What progress Is being made toward
teaching agriculture In the public schools?
MlchlKHii iiikl I'rtnuirjr lleforin.
The grange iu Michigan Is very ac
tive just now over primary reform.
The legislative committee has issued
an open letter to the patrons In Michi
gan upon certain' Issues Instate affairs.
They are sending to every I'omoua and
subordinate grange In the state a ques
tion blank, which Is to he forwarded
to each nominee of all political parties
requesting that he till it out aud return
the same to the county legislative com
mittee. When these are so returned
they are to be read In subordinate
granges without comment. These ques
tions bear on primary reform as advo
cated lij the Michigan state grange.
In ibis circular to candidates the com
mittee says:
"We expect-positive and direct re
plies. An evasive answer or failure to
reply within a reasonable time will be
taken to mean Unit you are opposed to
the passage of this measure. Upon the
character of your reply will largely de
peud our attitude toward you."
Primary reform Is not a partisan
question in Michigan, consequently the
grange, having pledged its influence
therefor, can advocate its passage.
A Bountiful Degree.
The sixth degree of the Order of Pa
trons of Husbandry can only be con
ferred by the state grange in regular
or special session. It is not usual to
confer this degree excepting at the an
nual meeting of a state grange, but it
was done in Pennsylvania not long
ago. A class of sixty-live took the
degree. State Master 1111l of that
state predicts that the time will soon
come when enthusiastic patrons will
insist on having the opportunity pro
vided tliem near home for being in
vested with this degree so they will
not have to wall until the state grange
session.
A good subject for discussion in tho
grange is the disfigurement of farm
buildings by huge and ludicrous ad
vertisements. Tliey should be prohib
ited by law. The place to advertise
goods is in the newspapers.
One grange Insurance company cov
ering throe counties in Pennsylvania
wrote SHOO.OoO in policies in one mouth.
Total grange insurance In that state is
$15,000,000.
Variety in grange meetings Is essen
tial to keeping up the interest In grang*
i work.
Some SnsrecNtiona For Improving
ItonilH b> h Farmer—Tile Drniiiafce
oi' <ai*eut Ificiiellt—Wide Tire* Keep
m Smooth.
I wish to ask my brother farmers a
few questions about roads.
Do you really like in wet weather to
have muddy roads roads of deep
sticky 'mu IV Do you like aft r the
weather has been dry for awhile to
have rough roads, with deep lioies and
deep ruts? Do you like in dry weather
where the land is rather sandy to have
the ooil groiiud up into tine loose sand
and have this sand as deep as possi
ble .*
I know you will feel Insulted because
of being asked such questions, and
your Answering word will be an indig
nant "No." I!ut it is said that actions
speak louder than words, and your ac
tions say "Yes." .Now, let us see about
tills business. How can we make the
most and deepest mud with the least
expenditure of time and labor? It
needs clay -earth saturated with wa
ter and some kind of an implement to
mix them with in order to make mud.
In brickyards and potteries they art in
the business of making mud by mix
ing clay and water. In some of them
the implement used to do the mixing
very much resembles a narrow tired
wagon wheel, which is run over the
hard, wet clay, pressing down with
considerable weight, ami in a remarka
bly short time makes beautiful mud of
it. I here make the assertion that the
inventive genius of mail has never yet
been able to contrive a better imple
ment for making mud of a soil satu
rated with water than a narrow tired
wagon wheel.
Now, I know there arc some farmers
who would prefer solid roads to muddy
ones; smooth ones to roujgh and rutted
ones, and. if sundy, to have the said as
firm as possible instead of loose a can
be uinde. To such 1 will give a _w of
my ideas.
Have the roadbed drained so as to
prevent as much as possible its becom
s •' - ' v*--.. C; ,' - .
TjjSr*-
KESITI.T OF NARROW TIKES.
lug saturated with water and of such
a form that there will be no places for
the water to stand on it. In many
places a line of draintile under the
center will be of great benefit. The
most profitable investment I ever made
of road money was when I putin some
tiles in this way. Of course, the mud
lovers objected to it and said it was
"useless expense."
Where it Is necessary to grade up
the road do not do It with an old style
road scraper (if it can be avoided) by
dumping a scraperfui in a place, for,
do the best you can to level it, after it
lias* settled It will be uneven, leav
ing places for water to stand and
make mudholes. I'se a road grader. 1
used, years ago, what little influence
I had to induce the town 1 lived Into
buy the first road grader used in the
county. Use that to grade up the
road. Make the bed solid by the use
of a heavy roller as fast as each thin
layer of earth is brought lip on the
road. When the roadbed is In right
form—that Is, a little the highest In the
middle, so that no water will stand on
it -cover it with gravel if It is to be
had, then go over and over it again
witli the roller. If we traveled the
road all the time with rollers we surely
would have no ruts or deep mud.
"Hut," says one, "you surely would
not have us draw our produce to mar
ket with rollers?"
No. but I would have a cross between
a roller and a narrow tired wagon—ln
other words, a broad tired wagon with
tires not less than four Inches.
In the world's fair ground there were
every day to be seen traversing the
grounds certain very heavy vehicles
with very broad tires. These were
steam rollers. All the wagons used
there had broad tires, and notwith
standing the great number of heavy
loads hauled there was not one single
rut there during the summer, and a
team could haul an immense load with
ease. Now. every one will admit that
broad tires are much better for the
roads than narrow ones, but they say:
"As long as others use narrow tires I
will. 1 am not going togo in their
narrow tire ruts with broad tiros."
In son e countries the law makes it
a punishable ofTense to haul loads on
the nails with narrow tires and cut
them tip. In this country the people
do not want to enact > ich a law. and
renllv ii seeii!-". as though it ought not
to be necessary. One would suppose
that l' c g-. >il sense of the pe >ple would
lead them to do what is for their In
lores!. I have hope toil' In time the
farmers will all :.et aro'iud to It, but
the reform move,.; very slowly. I wish
it would go faster. (P. Ooodrlch In
i!ood Uoads Magazine.
A Harrisburg special to tin; Phila
delphia Inquirer says:
For several years the printing of
laws passed by the Legislature in a
sufficient number of the newspapers
of the state has been discussed at
every session of the General Assem
bly, but the matter never took defi
nite form.
There is now a movement on foot,
however, to have introduced a bill
providing for the publication of all
gent ral laws in not less than two
newspapers in each county of the
state. This movement is the out
growth of the general ignorance of
many of the acts that are now beinar
strenuously enforced by the Dairy
and Foe d department and the State
Sportsmen's Association.
Many personsjiave been arrested
and fined lor violation of laws of
which they had nojknowledge what
ever, and it is argued that it is only
fair to tht; people who are expected
to obey the laws* that they should
be given facilities of knowing some
thing about them.
I'nder the present custom pam
phlet laws only are issued to*the
county officials, and these in such
small quantities that the general
public has no means of learning any
thing about the numerous acts pass
ed at every session of the Legisla
ture.
New York, Ohio aud other statts
have been printing the laws in the
newspapers for several yeurs under
the direction of the state officials,
and the result has been so satisfacto
ry, it is asses ted, that it is believed
such a bill will have no op
position at the coming session of thi
Legislature.
Norman F. Smith of Jamison
City, is suffering from the effects of
an injury received at the saw mill
of the Pennsylvania Lumber Com
pany at that place last week. Just
a> the machinery was being stopped
for the day Mr. Smith accidently
-tepped into the lath trimmer, the
saw, which is a double on,*, cutting
into the right foot and through the
bone for about a quarter of an inch,
just below the ankle and tea'ing out
a piece of flesh an inch square.
The contract for the construction
of the new railroad between liing
liainton and Williamsport, has been
awarded lo a New York linn. This
road will connect with the Delaware
and Hud on; Erie; Delaware, Lacka
wanna and Western; Reading; Le
high and Pennsylvania ta'lroads.
It is said that it will shorten the
distance betw,ten Boston and New
England points and Pittsburg and
the west by one hundred miles or
more.
The following resolutions were
adopted by Col ley tent No. 448 K.
O. T. M. *
Wheruis: II has pleased the will
if the Almighty God to again visif
our community and take, from among
our fraternity Sir Knight Fred M.
II iin-i tiger who after a very brief
illness departed this life on Saturday
morning, the 12th day of November
1004, being nineteen years of age,
anil, whereas, while we are willing
o part with any treasure we may
have, to llim our Supreme lluler,
ill we feel as if the loss of our
worthy Sir Knight was a loss of one
who, had he lived to reach the age
of manhood would have been one if
the greatest treasurt son this earth»
Sir Knight Hunsinger was a kind,
sober and industrious young man,
me who was always ready and wil
ling to do his part iu anything under
taken by his associates. lie was a
member of our order, of which we
oiiulil feel proud. His character was
pure and spotless, anil his good name
s'lall be forever held in high esteem
by his brethern Sir Knights.
Therefore, be it resolved, that we
extend to the bereaved family our
sympathy toward assisting them in
this, their hour of bereavement.
That our charter be draped in mourn
ing for a period of 80 days, and a
copy of those resolutions be spread
on our records and be published in
the county papers aud the Bee Hive.
G. D. Dietfenbitch, |
L. L. Ross, Com
D. L. Erie, )
75 TS. PER YEAR
Jn pursuance of plana previously
announced in tbia paper theSullivan
County Sunday School Committer
have decided to hold. Utotrlct Con
ventions or Bailies in t,he dliferent
districts of the county. These dis
tricts include one or more townships
as the cute may be. The purpose of
these gatherings are to discos) meth
ods of Bible teach lug and study and
to compare ideas and experiences
growing out of Sunday School work.
The following convention* have
l>een decided upon for, next week,
viz:
Wednesday, December 7, at Hills
grove, In the afternoon and evening.
Thursday, December 8, at Money
Valley, afternoou and evening, if
the information of the writer is cor
rect, ami on Friday, Dec. 9, at Do
shore.
The attention and attendance of
•Sunday School workers and the gen
eral public are iuvited.
VKKJiON Hl'LI.,
County Chairman.
' A shooting match of more tbsm
usual interest was pulled off pt the
range of the Dushore gun club on
Wednesday of last. week, the con
testants being Mr. Sutllff of Mildred,
and Fisher Welles of Wyaluaing.
The stakes were s2ot> a Hide, with
numerous side b*.ts amounting to
several hundred more. The first
event was on October 2M, and was
for -Jo clay pigeons. Sutliff broke 23
Welles is out of a possible 25 bats.
The second event was for ao live
birds each. Welles killed XH and
Suttliff 13 out of a possible 25 live
birds, Sutliff winning by one peint
and taking the money.
it is announced that the big life
insurance companies are a boat to
make an important departure by
adopting the plan of issuing policies
to total abstainers at rati« consider
able below those exacted in the esse
of even moderate drinkers of alco
holic leverages. 1 r moderate drink
ers they will not Issue at alt. This
is about its forcible temperance les
son as could be taught. And yet
with insurance com pan k» this In
purely business, as they believe that
indulgence in Intoxicant* tends to
shorteu life.
The rural residents around Witl
iamsport, says the Evening News,
are facing u water famine and it is
feared one that wiii last throughout*
the winter. Wells that w<re always
reliable are nearly dry, the water in
them being lower than fur several
years, and already some fkruterg are
compelled to carry water for even
the cattle from the deeper wells of
their neighbors. If the ground
should be frowu much deeper when
the needed rain comes, the water
instead of soaking through' the
ground and tilling the wells, wilt run
off into the streams.
The streams int his county are un
usually low for this season of the
year, and unless there comee heavy
rains before many weeks, should the
winter be a severe one, there wilt be
a scarcely of water in many parts of
the county.
Thanksgiving Day was appropri
ately observed at Danville Hospital
for the Insane, by giving the pa
tients, who number more than one
thousand, a* genuine Thanksgiving
dinner. In prepuring this meal a
number of tbe patient* of the more
harmless sort are pressed Into service
and prove very useful In preparing
the turkeys, of which onf huudred
are needed, and they also greatly as
sist in paring the twenty bushels (if
potatoes that are required fbr tkis
dinner. Four huudred ftiiure pies,
three hundred bunches of celery and
fifty gallons of ehowehow are served
at this dinner.
There is an eighty year otd long
range forecaster of ths wfather In
Middle Haddan, Conn., *ho pre
dicts that the coming winter will bo
one of very great severely, a season
never to be forgotten. He says there
is to be a great fall of snow ftflU) the
7th to the 10 of December. The old
gentleman should be pensioned or
else the weather bureau should get
out an injunction.