for
ods,
v of
hats
ions
) ef-
lear-
nber
and
€S
on
all
est
WU 2 IE
A
"= occupied by
e have a big cir-
ion and an “ad”
DEFENDS POSITION REGARD-
ING STATE GAME LAWS AND
ANSWERS DR. KALBFUS.
A Tew weeks ago there appeared In known |
the Meyersdale papers an article from
Mrs. F. B. Black pleading for the pro-
tection of our innocent wild game and
decrying the ruthless killing by hunt-
ers of innocent life. The Commercial
containing that article was forwarded
to State Game Commissioner Kalb-
fus at Harrisburg. Being of opposite
views’ than those held by Mrs. Black
he replied to her article in the Com-
mercial of last week’s issue. The ac-
companying production is indicative
that Mrs. Bla k, his
come-back at the distinguished gume
warden of the state.
“After having written an answer eof
some length to Dr. Kalbfus’ letter in
last week’s Commercial, I -cast
it aside. Why should I try td” define
the position our farmers have tak-
en towards the game laws and game
associations when the thousands of
trespass notices dotting our land
speak for themselves—mute testimo-
nials of our disapproval of both game
laws and methods. We, the land own- I
ners, have stood" quietly by “for year
after year. Not ‘hunters, ourselves—
and put up with trespass and depre-
dation, listening to boast and story
of how game associations were tak-
ing care of the game, how the farm-
er was being thus benefitted and at
the same time costing him ‘nothing.
‘Medriwhile we were . mending our
fences broken down by hunters, tak-
ing our losses—trampled grain fields,
lost stock and waiting for relief,
which ‘did not come. A mighty wrath
has béem gathering within us in our
years of loss and now we’ refuse to
stand | it longer. You boast that by car-
ing! for the wild game you have saved
little creatures ‘were
a prety good
| known that kind, you have missed
something in your life. If you had
considered him in your counsels when
you made your game laws, instead of
your contempt for him, your present
laws might now be more effective.
For the farmer is the man on the job.
Mark that! summer and winter, year
in and year out, he is right there. By
virtue of owning his land, he owns
the original game preserves and he
can close them if he will. He sees
the birds and animals every day thru
the year. They mate and build homes
and rear their young under his eyes.
He, if any one, knows their needs. And
yet the sportsmen make the boast
that no farmer has ever had the mak-
ing of a game law or been asked by
‘the association to legally protect this
‘game. If this is true, is it any wonder
is is not protected? Is it any wonder
that in Somerset county where once
it flourished in abundance, the hunt-
ers this-year report “No game.” You
have the cart before the horse, Sports-
men. You have - been blind to your
| best interests. Farmers are the natur-
al protectors of game. Co-operation is
divided against itself cannot stand.”
"And whether you will or no, the game
laws cannot fulfill their missfon until
anoTHER MINE
SOON TO BE OPEN
Indications are that the new c
mine on the John Reed farm in Hen
Clay township will soon be in ope
tion and residents of that section a
highly interested in the project, t
success of which means much to them
The mine is being opened by the Phil:
delphia capitalists, headed by H. M.
Datesman, who is in active charge of
the work. About 20 men are aread
employed.
Track is being graded and a tippl
is being erected, everything being
the faith of the projectors in
amount of coal to be found there.
will be shipped within a few
‘acres of coal in this section,
which have proved it to be
grade. Shipments will be ms:
the Western Maryland. }
The prediction of John Reed
time.
Owners of land in the vici
watching the project with
for it means that coal land
will be /boésted | ‘éofisiderably
proves a profitable ‘venture.
your salvation. Sportsmen must work
with the farmer and not against him, :
if they would have results. “A house
Jas
' farmers generally are: considered and |
consulted. Up to this time we have
‘been the sufferers. Our. property is |:
spread out over field and wood, open |...
to trespass at’ ‘any ‘time. How long
‘would town or city property owners
‘stand the encroachments of ‘men an
dogs as we do. Do you think that they’
fore we were and. when they took i
themselves they flourished
; to into th e woods and
at innocent, defenseless creat
ures. That is the spirit of the present
European war and all of the world 1s
standing aghast. I have sons very
‘dear to me and if the time should
gome when “For country and home”
‘they must shoulder a gun and go war,
I shall not send them into the woods
to shoot down innocent, wild creat-
ures for target practice as you suggest
God forbid! War is cruel enough now,
without teaching our boys more cruel-
ty by taking the lives of defenseless
creatures. If they must learn to shoot
let them have targets “worthy of their
steel.”
As to the invalid of which you
speak, seeking health in the woods
while hunting little birds and animals.
What kind of gratitude is it that would
, recover from Mother Nature the price-
less gift of health and in return ruth-
lessly slay ‘her children. Rather let
the invalid seeking health in the
woods, God’s sanitarium for every ill
of life, mental or physical, take the
money spent on gun and shell and
buy a camera instead. The joy will
‘last longer and the acquaintance he
makes with birds and woods with
the pictures he takes of them, will
quicken the pulse beat, hasten recov-
ery and sweeten his whole after life.
“Fight fair” is the world’s warecry
to-day and from the woods creatures
some the same cry—*“Fight fair.” A-
las! too true it is from many hill and
glade it is the phantom’s cry—the cry
of cruel extinction.
Your slur on our farmerg is unjust
end untimely. Do you not know that
the time is gone by when farmers are
subjects for joke and unkind criti
cism? They are not selfish as you de-
goribe them. They are neighborly
end clannish and if you have never
of God, ‘which said. “Be fruitful and
multiply in the earth” “Be fair,”
Friend Kalbfus; “Be fair,” Spertsmen
of Pennsylvania. We are your friends,
| we farmers, but ‘the proof of the pud-
,ding is in the eating; if you have pro-
fected the /birds—where are they?
We are carrying out with you pro-
tctive laws— if they protect. But what
incentive is it to us to have foreign
virds put on our lands which after
we feed and care for them a season,
any hunter can disperse and cripple
or kill for a dollar. Our own beautifiil
native grouse know how to live here
thru our cold winters, but they would
soon be like the bison of the West,
then you ask us to put on alien birds,
strangers !
In Somerset county last year we is-
sued 4907 licenses; this year 4246.
Have we in the county received $9,-
000 in protection and restocking or
game in two years?
If you are really interested in this
subject—if you really mean us to be-
lieve your game laws will work, close
Somerset county for five years and
with the $9,000 derived from those
blood red badges, which money you
the county to its full capacity and
then work with us, teach us intelli-
gently to feel and care for those
creatures. We have been feed-
ing them among our poultry and near
our barns for years, but we have nev-
er seen or known a sportsman to feed
or look after them unless he wanted
to hunt.
. Co-operation is what we need, not
criticism. Let us haev done with this
controversy and do rather than say,
for actions speak louder than words.
FLORA S. BLACK.
FIREMEN'S CARNIVAL STARTS
ON DECEMBER 18,
The Firemen’s Carnival which is to
be held from Dec. 18 to Dec. 26 will
be in the vacant store room formerly
the Habel & Phillips
grocery. There will a great variety
of Christmas gifis to be had such as
vases, glasswawre, laundry bags, cush-
fons, Teddy bears with goo-goo eyes,
ornaments etc. Also bed spreads,
blankets, Give the boys a share of
your Christmas patronage.
YOU CAN SAVE MONEY ON GRAIN,
FEED, HAY, STRAW etc, BY BUY-
ING FROM
HABEL & PHILLIPS.
MARRIED.
KLOTZ—FIKE.
On Thanksgiving evening at the
parsonage of Amity Reformed Church
Rev. A. E. Truxal, D. D, united in
marriage, Mr. Louis Klotz of this
place and Mrs Belinda Fike of Vim.
Mr, Klotz moved to town about a year
year ago from Summit Mills, having
purchased a number of houses on
High street. Later he purchased the
Krause property on the hill. Mr, Klotz
is of a genial disposition and has
many friends who are congratulating
him on this event.
‘LOOK AT THE LABEL ON YOUR
PAPER. PAY UP IF YOU OWE.
say: is ‘for restocking every farm in|
would “wait’ for game laws. Not on
them for us. What nonsense! ‘These Your lite! The; ;
‘man ed the dt know he was pro-
hibited from sendifig . gameito his
friends in this way. Persons t6° whom
he wanted to dend the game were
‘willing to aid h in the fine.
The case was tha first of the kind in
this vicinity. :
——————————
PARENT—TEACHER'S
ASSOCIATION MEETING.
There will be a meeting of the Pa
rnt—Teacher’s Association in the
High School Building on Friday id
i
ening, December 10, at 8 o’clock.
Members of the association and all |
others interested in the progress of
our schools are urged to be present. |
Light refresments will be served and
the ' following interesting program
will be presented:
The program—High School Glee |
Club; Report of the Tri-County Par- |
ent—Teacher’s Association, Miss Wil-!
helm; Music, High School Orchestra;
Value of School Libraries, Rev. J. C.
Matteson.
The banner will be awarded on 2
percentage basis.
SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS
AT MT. LEBANON.
Rev. A. S. Kresge, pastor of the
Will's Charge of the Reformed church
last Sunday closed a very successful
series of meetings which had been in
continuance for the two . preceding
weeks. In that time Rev. Kresge had
made 35 visits. Ten new members
were added to the ciurch and a cate-
"chetical class of eight was organ-
‘ized. The communion services held on
Sunday morning was the most large-
1y.observed occasion in the history of
‘the chureh, 100 communing Rev. Kom-
bar, the Armenian, preached in the
evening.
DEER FOUND KILLED.
Game Protector €. H. Osmar is in-
vestigating the killing of a deer, the
carcass of which was found a few
days ago on the W. H. Weimer farm in
Black township. The deer killed was
a doe, betwween three and four years
old. Examination showed it was shot
in the left flank with a shot gun. The
animal had obviously traveled some
distance before it became so weak
from the loss of blood that it feil ov-
er in its tracks. The dead deer was
discovered by H. H. Newman, the
teacher of the Wilson Creek school.
BUY YOUR POTATO CHIPS AT
built for permanency, thus indicating
BITTNER'S GROCERY.
Many tell us they
“are delighted with our
job printing. --
Bring us your work.
Direc-
a Somerset in
is expected that about 500 tons daily | § 3
officers’ ‘wis next
following: were de-
et dfd!C. J. New-
2 'secrétary—R. R.
; treasurer--Josi-
Somerdet; auditor—
ST. PAUL TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE.
Fillowing is the program for an
on December 18, 1915,
Song—Brighten the Corner.
How to Teach Geography— Ada Glot-
felty.
Recitation—Louise Compton.
Impromptu Class,—Mary James.
Essay, Florence Livengood Emeigh.
Why Men Quit Teaching—
Bender.
Duecker.
Queries.
Song—Help Some One.
Debate—Resolved, That it is more
profitable for the United States to
Annex Canada than Mexico.
Affirmative, S. E. Moser,
Smalley
Negative, Bess Engle, Elizabeth
Newman.
My Duty as a Teacher—Floyd Beegh-
“ley.
Recitation, Lizzie Yoder.
All friends. of education are invii
ed to, be present,.
© ~ COMMITTEE.
Clyde
sini] UPHE LYCEUM.
The ‘meeting’ of the Lyceum in Ly-
ceum Hall, .on last Friday night, was
a grand success. The attendance was
unusually . good and the. . discussions
were exceedingly interesting. F. A.
Bittner and Fred Rowe, Jr., did their
part with credit to themselves as well
as to’ the town. There was no hesi-
j taney ‘on’ ‘the part ‘of ‘the audience
A in following up the discussion so well
Plea for 76 ship Subervision
Dr. Richard Henry Lee delivered a R
most excellent address on How Shall
We Evaluate Our Schools?
Wednesday morning session was
opened by devotional services by the
the Rev. I Hess Wagner, of Somer-
"set Dr. Chas. H. Albert, of the Blooms-
burg State Normal School, addressed
the convention. He pleaded for better
‘school buildings and better advanta-
ges for the boys and gig The Con-
solidated Rural Senco opened by
Prof. J. H. Moore; d further dis-
cussed by J. H. Bender and J. W. Bar-
clay, Compulsory attendance law and
the Child Labor law was ably dis-
cussed by J. A. Hartman, of Windber.
The Committee on Necrology next
made its report. They reported that
{during the past year A. L. G. Hay,
Esq., president of the Somerset
School Board, and Jas. B. Farrell, a
member of the Milford Township
board, had died. Several members
of the convention offered fitting trib-
utes to these men, calling atention to
the excellent services rendered as cit-
izens and as members of their respec-
tive Boards. .
How Can We Make Our School
Houses More Attractive? was epened
and further discussed by F. B. Shaffer
and H. D. Naugle.
Prof. C. D. Koch, State High School
Inspector, delivered a very instruc-
tive address.
The convention was one of the bess
if not the best ever held. Much inter-
est was manifested and we believe
will mean better schools and better
educational advantages for our coming
generation.
NEW MOVING PICTURE THEATRE,
Mr. F. J. Hemminger, of Somerset,
has leased the Gurley Theatre and is
at present having it fixed up in good
shape. His applances are all new
and there will be some important
changes made in the room which will
mean the comfort of the patrons and
the effectiveness of the pictures Mr
Hemminger is experienced and quite
successful in this line of work. He is |
prepared to give first class pictures
will not start before everything is just
ready.
Begin our new serial to-day, The
Double Dealer. You will enjoy
Begin our new serial to-day,
Double Dealer. You will enjoy
opened. by’ Messts Bittner and Rowe,
and ‘there ‘was no doubt left in the
mind of any one present that. the peo-
ple of Meyersdale were, far from a u-
| nit on. the question of a large army
{and navy in the United States.
“There were’ strong arguments made
: for and’ against the resolution, which
clearly shows’ our people are doing
Institute to be held at St. Paul School]
J. NH.
Qualifications. of a Teacher—Ideela |’
MANY DEATHS
~~ IN COUNTY
Many Friends Whom You Knew
and Loved Who Have Passed
Away Recently in This Vicin-
ity.
DAVID STARKS,
One of Somerset county’s respected
citizens, died at his home in Addison
aftr a lingering illness of a few days
ago, aged 64 years, 7 months and 14
days. On June 2g, 1876 he was mar-
ried to Miss Maria Richards. To this
union were born three children: Har-
ry, who died on March 4th, 1895; the
surviving children are Mrs. Harry
Witt, of Addison and Robert Starks
of Chester, Pa.; also four grandchil-
dren survive as do the following
brothers: John and George L., of Ad-
dison and James of Illinois. The de-,
ceased was ‘a member of the J. O. U.
A. M. and this order attended the-
funeral in a body and the funeral
was largely attended. Mr. Starks was
a fdithful' and consistent member of
the Disciple Church and when the
time came for him to leave this earth
he was ready and willing to go. Rev.
O. M. Rishel delivered the funeral
sermon which was an excellent one.
‘Interment was made at Addison. The
pall ‘bearers = were—Calvin Tissue,
James Hook, Chas. Nedrow, Frank’
Wright, C. H. Springer and ‘John Van.
‘Sickle.
The family of the deceased desire
to express their appreciation to
both the Lodge and the friends for
their kindness during the sickness
and death of husband and father.
GODLIEB MERRBACH *
me ‘reading and thinking. It surely
floc
8Ccts great credit upon the people :
of this ‘community to maintain an or-
a where, we can ‘come togeth-
of common
‘ | Somerset High School;
d
better known.
GOOD BASKET
The Rex Club of Meyersdale played
their first game of the season at Salis-
bury on Thanksgiving evening and
a large and enthusiastic crowd was
on hand. The first half did not look
very well for the Rex Club, the score
being 6 to 11 against them, but in
the second half of the game the vis-
itors scored 8 points while the home
team made but a single score. The
feature of the game was the guarding
of Siehl and Gress. Both teams played
| fast, clean basket ball.
T. R. C. 14.. Position
Brant F.
Benford F.
Griffith C.
Siehl G. Thomas
‘Gress G. Harding
Hady played for Benford during the
second half. Score , field goals: Ben-
ford 2, Lichty 2, Brant 2, Hady 1.
Foul Goals:Hicks 8; Griffith 2,
Siehl 1, Brant 1. Referee, Rev. Monn;
Timekeepers, Glessner and Harding:
Scorer, Holzhauer.
.. Salisbury 12
Thomas
Hicks
Lichty
SPELLING CONTEST WINNERS.
The spelling. contest heid in con-
nection with the Teachers’ Institwte
last week attracted considerable at-
tention, 65 boys and girls competing
for the prizes. Two hundred words
‘were selected from the lists publish-
ed in the county papers and when
hese were exhausted nearly all of the
contestants were still standingg. In
order to shorten the contest 100 words
other than those printed in the news-
papers were selected. The names of
the pride winners are Luther Brugh,
of the Gebhart school in Milford town-
ship; second, Irvin Frease, of the
third, Lleyd
M. Hay of the Berlin High School,
junior grade; Fourth, Fred Baker of
the Eighth grade, Somerset; Fifth,
Ernest Shultz, of the Seventh grade,
Somerse.
All kinds of Guns and
Repairs at—
GURLEY'S SPORTING
GOODS - STORE,- a
Godlieb Merrbach of Lonaconing,
{ Maryland, brother of William H. Merr-
bach and Mrs. Carl Vogtman of his |
| Place, died very suddenly on
morning, aged 64 years. In
Eight children survive, The
was conducted by his pastor, Rev.._
‘Soffron of the Lutheran church, assist.
ed by Rev. English of Lonaconing.
The deceased was a member of the
I O. O. F. and also of the Knights of
Pythias .
—
GEORGE STAHL
George Stahl 65 years old, died sud-
denly Sunday morning at the home of"
his son, Jacob Stahl of near Davids-
ville, of neuralgia of the heart. The
funeral will take place at 10 o’clock
tomorrow morning, services to be cog-
ducted in the Blough Mennonite
church by James Saylor and Levi A.
Blough. Burial will be in the Church
cemetery. The deceased was born in
Conemaugh township December .20,
18560 and spent all his life there. He
was a son of Benjamin and Susanna,
Stahl. He ws married Nov. 4, 1869 to
Miss Carolina Mumma of Conemaugh
township. He is survived by his wid-
ow, one son, Jacob, with whom he
lived, eight grandchildren and one
great-grandchild. He is also survived
by three brothers and one sister, as
follows: John and Elijah of Soap Hol-
low, Alexander of Kent county, Mich.
and Susanna of Rosedale, Johnstown.
MRS. JOHN BOWMAN
Mrs. John J. Bowman, 51 years old,
dropped dead Tuesday evening at her
home in Stoyestown. She had appeared
to be in good health and had not com-
plained of feeling ill. She is survived
by these children: Mrs. R. W. Horner
of 412 Hickory street, Mrs. A. W. Zim-
‘merman of Ralphton, Mrs. Daniel
Stuft and Mrs. George Hunt of Stoyes-
town and Miss Anna Bowman at
home. These brothers and sisters.
also survive: Jerry and Albert Ber
key, of Johnstown; J. M. Berkey, of
Pittsburg; Herman Berkey, of Stoys-
town and Mrs. Idella Ott and Mrs.
Valentine Muller, of Stoyestown.
JOHN CUNNINGHAM,
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Cunning-
ham, of Somerset, died Wednesday fol
lowing a few days’ -iliness frem pneu-
monia. He was 32 years of age and un-
married. He was a well known paper
er and painter. His parents and one
brother and two sisters survive.
Sr