VOL. 56—NO 11
HEMS CONDENSED.
DO YOU want to learn to RESIL
VER OLD MIRRORS and MAKE
NEW ONES? Pleasant easy work.
Profit 5 dollars a day. Sample and
particulars free. THE CROWN CO.,
1432 S St.. Washington, D. C.
John Strasser.a non-union man, was
shot in a walkout of 500 union miners
at Carbon. The men refused to work
beside non union workmen.
Wholesale and retail liquor licenses
profited Dauphin county $42,857.47
this year. This is a falling off of over
700 an compared with last year.
Alonzo Nabors was given .SIO,OOO in )
his suit at Unioutown against George j
W. Lennox, a Baltimore & Ohio eug- I
ineer, whom he accused of aleniation
of his wife's affections.
Thirty-seven high school boys struck
at Sharon because the faculty forbade ;
a scheduled basketball game. There j
has been trouble between t lie teachers 1
and boys over basketball.
McKeesport school officials have dis
carded slates, acting on the suggestion
of the board of health, and will have
the students use'pencil and pads in the j
future. The slates were given to the j
students and smashing contests were
the order of the day in most places.
Pittsburgers are planning a royal j
reception for Theodore Roosevelt when !
lie nears American shores from his
foreign tour. The idea is to charter a
steamer and run out to sea for the
purpose of meeting the ex-president.
A committee of the Young Men's Re
publican Tariff club is working out
the details.
Allen Faltss was found dying on a
bench in the City park at Reading re
cently, having swallowed carbolic
acid. The fellow did not regain con'
scionsness from the time he was found
until he died.
Alderman A. K. Spurrier, of Lan
caster, on Saturday completed the
thirty-fifth year of 'continuous service !
as a justice of the peace in the same |
ward, making a record never equaled I
in the history of that city.
Senior class students in the Reading
high school threaten to strike if the
school board passes a rule passed by
the teachers' committee, relative to I
commencement exeicises and social 1
affairs. The ruling would forbid a pro- i
posed class dance and the class play.
Nine-year-old Naomi Branshaw, of
Reading, probably was saved from
felonious assault by a negro when a !
colored woman yelled at the fellow j
while he was dragging the little girl
into a kiln at Law's brick yard. The \
man had enticed the child away by 1
promising her some blocks and mana
ged to got rid of her brother, who ac- ( '
companied them, wihont exciting his
suspicion. j 1
Dr. Charles Coleman Benson, aged j
73, man of mystery and boyhood ac- I
quaintance of King Edward VII, with
his wife agod C>7 committed suicide in
their boarding-house at Philadlphla, j
by taking cyanide of potassium. Dis- I
appointment over plans for groat in- i
ventious of his that went astray, with '
the poor-house and separation staring
them in the face, is said to have made
the old couple decide on suicido. He | '
was rich once. I i
Leo, a big lion performing in an
animal act at the North Third street
zoo, Harrisburg, calmly walked out
through a door that had been left
open leading from the cage in which
he did his act and put an audience in
a panic. Placidly walking to the
front of the stage, the animal looked
at the fleeing audience, then turned
around and walked to whence he
came. Some few minutes later, a
sheepish looking audience drifted back
to their seats.
The congregation of Tabernacle
Baptist church, Harrisburg, opened
the celebration of its twenty-first an
niversary Sunday. The exercises will
be continued until Friday evening. At
a meeting of the congregation a year
ago arrangements were made to raise
ft, 100 to clear oft' the remainder of
the church debt. Thirty-nine hundred
dollars had been raised on Saturday
and the remainder will be subscribed
before Thursday when a moitgage
buruing service will bo held.
The Marysville police authorities
are to be the defendants in a suit
which it is said a citizen will bring
against them to obtain the reward
offered for the arrest of an outlaw,
the man's brother, Amos Kinert says
that he delivered his brother Albert
to justice. Albert is said to have been
tlio bandit who terrorized the neigh
borhood of Marysville last summer.
Certain parties are trying to oust
Sheriff P. J. Murphy, of Pottsville,
from the office lie has held for three
months. It is said that Milton H. Mas
ters was promised a job as deputy
sheriff by Murphy, before the latter
had been elected, which is contrary to
law. It is alleged that there ant a
number of witnesses to the proffer.
Masters, it is said, is likely to be ar
rested on counter charges.
Arbitration of differences should be
made compulsory.
State Library.
AUTO OWNERS
; HERE TAKE HOLD
It was very much feared that "Good
Roads Day" next Saturday would pass
unobserved in Montour county but it
i now seems probable that the local
automobilists will take up the matter.
The Pennsylvania Good Roads as
sociation in its Statewide campaign
has issued a call for meetings to be
held in every district on next Satur
day, March 19, to be known as "Good
j Roads Day." Every man and woman
is asked to assist in the great campaign
' to secure good roads,
j The call issued asks that persons in
| terested arrange at once to hold a
meeting in the nearest hall, school
J house, or store on Saturday evening,
March 19, 1910, to form a neighbor-
I hood Good Roads association,
j After the meeting the name of the
1 chairman elected is to be sent to How
' ard Longstreth, secretary of the Penn
sylvania Good Roads association,Phil
adelphia,who will arrange for a meet
ing of all these chairmen within the ]
county for the purpose of organizing
a county association. These in turn '
I will elect a representative to the j
: Pennsylvania Good Roads associa- '
tious.
t In many of the townships where the j
j supervisors are organized the latter I
I will hold their annual meeting on j
| "Good Roads Day," when prominent j
speakers will be heard and questions j
pertaining to good roads will be dis- I
cussed.
Unfortunately Montour county is
oue of the few in the State in which i
the supervisors at present have no org- j
anization. The township supervisors !
association of Montour county was !
organized in Danville on February 7, j
lUO7, with W. B. Moore of West Hem- I
lock township, president. The first j
meeting, which was a highly success- I
ful one with representatives of the j
State highway department present, I
was the last one, no call being issued |
subsequently for a convention.
Under the circumstances it would [
seem that what support Good Roads !
Day is to meet with in Montour coun
ty must come from individuals.
The automobilists of town, everyone
of whom is an advocate of good roads,
are showing interest in the matter.
These gentlemen for some time past
have been in favor of forming an j
"Automobile Club,"for the solo pur- j
pose of remedying some abuses that j
occur in road construction. They now j
see an opportunity to accomplish their j
purpose by falling in with the popular
movement and observing "Good
Roads Day," meeting and electing a
chairman as directed,thereby assisting
in the State wide campaign to secure
good roads. Several automobile own- 1
ers liave expressed themselves and
judging by the enthusiasm manifested |
by them by next Saturday there will
be something doing.
A leading automobilist inveighed
heavily against the practice of haul
ing largo stone upon the country roads
and tliere leaving them lie until worn
down by traffic. Roads thus treated,
he said, were rendered impassable for
.automobiles last summer. The same
roads are now in pretty good condition
but he is afraid that before the sum
mer is half over other sections
nearby will be spoiled in the same
manner. This practice, he declared,
is an abuse in the eyes of the law and
is the first thing that the automobil
ists of Danville will seek to abolish.
Mrs. Margaret Hilland.agod 7!3, was
found lying unconscious in a Pitts
burg cellar after a long search lasting
over night. She is thought to have
been walking along the street and to
have fallen down into the cellar,
where she remained about eighteen or
twenty hours. She lives with her son
in-law and bad been at the bank. She
was sent to a hospital where it was
discovered that she had $53 on her
person.
Firemen douse the trees in the pub
lic square at Wilkes-Barre with water
every night, in an attempt to rid the
place, of the thousands of sparrows
that live there. The only effect that
the treatment has hail on the birds
thus far was to drive them into other
trees. After the trouble is over they
return to their original perches. It is
hoped that the continuation of the
water treatment will so disgust the
birds hat they will leave for good.
After walking softly down stairs, a
tall man, and haggard, who had reg
istered at the Merchants' hotel, Pitts
burg, as W. 11. Smitli and who is un
known, went over to the dozing clerk
anil tapped him on the shoulder, toll
ing him to get a doctor, as he was
about to die. He dragged himself
across the room 'and fell gasping on a
couch. Dr. B. F. Mullin was sent for
but. when he arrived the man was un
able to speak. Restoratives were ap
plied, without avail. The doctor rush
ed to a drug store for an oxygen tank,
but when he went back the man was
dead.
The Methodist preachers are off to
conference. *' ~
DANVILLE- }PA., THURSDAY. MARCH 17, 1910
RECOMMEND
RETAINING WALE
The grand jurors after probably the
shortest session ever held iu Montour
county presented their report at 3 p.
in. Monday, after completing the in
spection of the bridge and public
buildings of the county. They were
immediately discharged.
Following are the recommendations:
That the Sheriff's office be papered;
that the iron work on the first floor of
j the prison tie painted; that the
! cement floor be repaired where
| needed ; that the prison be repaint
ed on the outside; also that electric
j light be installed in the building.
The courthouse was reported in
I good condition and no repairs were re- |
i commended. . -
I At the north end of the river bridge, '
as far as the county property extends,
' it was recommended that a retaining ,
, wall be built, the same to bo well
j guarded by railing,as it was the sense
i of the jurors that this is a very dang
j erous spot,
j As relates to the river bridge it was j
j recommended that the iron work he
J cleaned and repainted ; also that new
j plank bo laid on the sidewalks at sev- j
j eral spots.
| The report explained that it was the
| opinion of the grand jury that the
| bridge is put under too great a strain i
; through fast driving.
! Adverting to the recommendation j
that a retaining wall be built at the
bridge Judge Evans explained that .
this was no new thing; that at other
sessions of court the grand jurors were !
impressed with the need of a retain
ing wall at that point ami made simi
lar recommendations. The county com
missioners for some reason that he |
could not understand. Judge Evans |
said, have ignored the recommenda
tions made successively by men of good t
judgment who had investigated condi
tions. He did not approve of any pol
icy, he said, that might be "penny
wise and pound - fool is h"and was afraid
that eventually an accident would oc- .
cur at that point in which event the
county would be liable.
THREE DEATHS
The grim reaper has, indeed, been j
active in this vicinity during the last
few days,but at uo place has the mul- j
tiplicity of deaths manifested it- j
self so oddly as at the Montour'
House, this city.
At 0:80 o'clock Monday morning
Miss Dalton, chief cook, was called to 1
the 'phone and informed that her sis- I
ter, Mrs. Perry, was dead.
About half an hour later Miss Cas
ey, assistant cook, was informed that,
her uncle, Thomas Mcßryan, had 1
passed away during the night.
It was thought it would end there,
but at exactly 7:80 o'clock, an hour 1
after the news of Mrs. Ferry's death
reached the hotel, Barney Armstrong,
the bartender, was called to the long
ditance 'phone and informed that his |
brother, John Armstrong, of Berwick, <
was dead.
MISUSE OF STAMPS
Several postmasters in this section
have issued a warning against the
misuse of postage stamps that have
been cancelled or partially cancelled.
In several instances where the cancel
lation marks are barely visible, the
parties in question have removed the
stamps from the letters received and
by the use of mucilage have endeavor
ed to use tlie stamp again.
The law against the using of such
stamps is very severe, carrying with a
conviction, a heavy fine and imprison
ment. In cases where the stamp is
discovered,the letter is marked "post
age due"and is then forwarded to its
destination. The postmaster at the
destination is supposed to find out the
sender of the letter and get possession
of the envelope. These ho is supposed
to forward to the authorities at Wasli
intgon and they in turn will bring the
prosecution.
A Birthday Surprise.
A pleasant surprise party was held
at the home of Elizabeth Lees, Water
street, Friday evening in honor of her
seventeenth birthday. Those present
were: Misses Mae Fox, Dora Shatz,
Mildred Foust, Ethel Cromley, Marg
aret Lovett, Elizabeth anil Esther
Magill, Beulah Hoddens, Hose Roden
hoffei, Suo and Anna Lees, Florence
Beaver, Olive Miller,Mae Raup, Bertha
Kessler, Jesse Hemmerly, Bertha Hel
ler, Olive Madden, Elsie, Mabel and
Elizabeth Lees; Messrs. Howard Mor
rison, Allen Fornwald, William Briet
enbach, Frank Cooper, Roy Fox, Guy
Hoke, Howard Ricketts, Charles Hol
ler, Raymond Foust, Frank Wilson,
James Foster.
Lent Is Dwindling.
Lent is rapidly dwindling. The
faithful have but a few more days in
which to deny themselves. Next week
is holy week, after which they may
indulge in many things their belief
i forbids now.
SCHOOLS TO CLOSE
GOOD FRIDAY
Professor Moyer of the high school
faculty appeared before the school
board Monday eve to determine the at
titude of the members toward a prop-
I osition to organize a high school
: athletic association on a new and more
! approved basis.
He deplored the fact that athletics
as they relate to the high school in
j Danvillo are in a bad state. There has
! been no system. In base ball and foot
ball heretofore many participated un-
I der the name of the high school who
j were not members of the school at all.
The goods belonging to the Athletic
association, too, are missing ,-yid gross
; irregularities are charged against the
' members.
1 Mr. Moyer explained the provisions
'of the proposed constitution and by
laws, which provide for a systematic
method of conducting athletics and
place the management squarely up to j
the high school faculty.
On motion of Mr. Sidler it was ord- j
; ered that the borough superintendent j
and faculty be given permission to
organize a high school athletic as- J
sociation in accordance witli the pro- |
posed constitution and by-laws.
On motion of Mr. Swarts it was ord
ered that the schools of the borough
be closed on Good Friday.
A committee from the high school
waited on the board to determine, if
possible,the date of holding commence
ment.
Borough Superintendent Dieffen
bacher explained that the school term
this year will close 011 Friday, May
27th.
It was the sense of the board that
thero is plenty of time in which to act !
and on motion of Mr. Heiss it was de- !
cided that the making of arrangements
for commencement be postponed until
the next meeting.
The matters of a speaker for com- |
mencement and a preacher for the I
baccalaureate sermon, on motion, were
referred to the high school committee,
it to report at the next meeting.
The following members were pros- j
ent: Sechler, Ortli, Swarts, Redding, j
Purnel, and i
The following bills were approved ]
for payment:
Chas. Motter $1.25
H. S. Reppert 75
Columbia School Supply Co. .... 1.15
\V. G. Brown .. 5. '3O j
IX C. Williams .. 2.00 i
FOR NORTHUMBERLAND
The two coal dredges belonging to
Mr. Kuch, which lay below the water
works all winter, together with their 1
flat boats, Tuesday were taken to
Northumberland, where they will re
ceive an overhauling preparatory to j
entering upon the season's work. The
dredges were taken down the river
under their own steam.
P. G. Baylor has taken liis coal dig
ger across the river, where his new
flat boat is moored. He is giving his
entire outfit an overhauling and will ,
have everything in ship shape by the '
time the river falls low enough to ,
make coal dredging practicable,which
will not be for a couple of weeks, at
least.
Just what success the eoal diggeis
may meet with this season is uncer
tain. Undoubtedly the heavy flood has
brought more or less coal down the
river from the collieries. It is quite as
likely that a considerable quantity
has been deposited in the river at this
place. The action of the water in deal
ing with river coal is bound by no
rule. Coal deposited here at one stage
of the may have been carried
away later.
Proprietors of the dredges are opti
mistic, however, and are hoping for
the best. Owing to low water they
were much handicapped during the
last two years and it is hoped that all
causes will conspire to give them a
profitable season.
A Delightful Quilting Party.
A very delightful quilting party
was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Chas. E. Thomas, Jerseytown I{. F.
D., on Saturday. Those present were
Mr. and Mrs. William" Thomas, Mrs.
August Shultz, Mrs. Boyd Billheim,
Mrs. Barber Shultz, Mrs. Clarence
Shultz, Mrs. John Sees, Mrs. Lloyd
Dildine, Mrs. Gertrude Girton, Mrs.
Fannie Sees, Mrs. Lillie Sees, Mrs.
Jennie Thomas, Mrs. Russell Ilacke,
Mrs. Ira Zeisloft, Mrs. Obot Wagner,
Mrs. David Williams, Mario Shultz,
Ruby Shultz, Marian Hendrickson,
Joe Sees, Myron Sees, Helen Sees,
Roy Rcmley, Jay Thomas, John Dil
dine, Nancy Dildine, Raymond Thom
as, Kimber Billhime, Harold .Zeisloft
Urma Sees, Sara Thomas, Katherine
Musselman and Chas. Thomas.
Died at Shumamtown.
Peter Beaver, the father of Mrs
Wesley Deshay, of this city, died at
his home in Shumanstown, Columbia
county, Sunday morning, aged 88
years. He was engaged in farming all
| his life. The funeral will be held
1 Thursday morning at 9 o'clock.
ISAAC GRESH
FOUND GUILTY
A Commonwealth and a civil case
were disposed of at the first day of
court Monday. Isaac Grcsh charged
I with "assault ami intent" and "as
sault and battery" was found guilty
in manner and form as indicted. In
the civil suit of Catherine Foust vs.
Alfred A. Bleclier the jury returned a
verdict for the plaintiff.
J March court convened at 10 o'clock
j Monday morning with his Honor
Judge Evans and Associates Blee and
J Welliver on the bench,
j The constables presented their re
. turns, which showed that there are no
j obstructions on the highways, that
J the index hoards are all in position,
that the liquor laws are all being ob
served and that 110 disorderly houses
are maintained. Judge Evans, assum
ing, he said, that the constables were
j not mistaken, took occasion to con
i giatulate the county on the orderly
I state of affairs, especially, as relates
to violations of the liquor laws and
disorderly houses.
j Harry Ellenbogen was appointed
| foreman of the grand jury. The court
j explained that there were no bills of
indictment to fpresent and that all
that remained for the grand jurors to
do was to examine the public build
ings. But one ciiminal [case was be
fore court, a true bill having been
found by a former grand jury. It de
velojted that not a single case had
been returned to court by any of the
justices since the previous term. Judge
Evans said he regarded this as an en
viable showing and a cause for con
gratulation.
The civil cases were all continued
with the exception of two, those of
Catherine Foust vs. Alrfed A. Blecher I
et al. ; assumpsit, and William R. J
Pursel, surviving administrator of i
Daniel Pursel, deceased, now Blanche
E. Pursel, substituted plaintiff, vs.
The Reading Iron company jassumpsit.
The case of Commonwealth vs. Isaac I
Gresh was called for trial, the charge |
being assault, &c.
The first witness called was Mary
J. Murray, wife of Charles Murray,
the prosecutor. Mrs. Murray, the vic
tim of the alleged assault, related
what took place iu her homo on the
evening of October 1, 190!). She had
only recently returned from the hos
pital, where she had undergone a sur- j
gical ojieration, and was still under j
the care of a nurse. The latter was I
temjiorarily absent from the room
and Mr. Murray, the husband, had j
not yet returned from work. The de
fendant, according to the witness, ob
trusively entered the 100 m and inquir
ing for the nurse, took his seat by the ;
couch on which the witness was re
clining. The testimony that followed i
was of a very serious and incriminat
ing nature— not suitable for publica
tion. On cross examination the wit
ness testified that she detected no evi
dence of intoxication on the part of
the defendant.
Anna Murray, the nurse, and sister
of Charles Murray, testified, corrobo
rating the evidence of Mrs. Murray.
Charles Murray, the prosecutor,
testified after which the Common
wealth rested.
Isaac Gresh, the defendant, testi- i
lied in his own behalf. He is twenty
four years old. On October Ist, the
date of the alleged assault, he said he
was working for A. E. Seidel a part
of the day. On finishing the job he
had a couple of glasses of hard cider.
Later lie had several drinks of whisk
ey in town. He then had some more
hard cider. Beyond this point he has
no recollection of what occurred.
He was given a hearing before Jus
tice Kerswell of Washingtonville,
charged with drunkenness and was J
sent to jail for !>0 days. He soon was I
rearrested and arraigned before Jus- '
tice of the Peace Oglesby of Danville,
charged with the offense for which he
was being tried yesterday. Wesley
Jackson and Charles K. Gresh also
testified for the defense.
W. Kase West, counsel for the de
fendant, went to the jury at 11:20
o'clock. He was followed by District
Attorney Gearhart for the Common
wealth, both speaking briefly.
The civil suit of Catherine Foust vs.
Alfred A. Blecher, administrator of
Jackson Blecher, went on trial about
2 :30 o'clock yesterday afternoon, the
action being one to secure payment on
a judgment exemption note for four
hundred dollars alleged to have been
given by Jackson Blecher. Charles V.
Amcruian appeared for the plaintiff
and William Kase West for the defend
ant.
The first witness called was William
Sunday, justice of the peace in Mah
oning township for twenty years, who
identified the signature on the note as
that of Jackson Blecher. He was fol
lowed by W. L. Sidler, who was also
of the opinion that the signature was
that of Jackson Bleoher.
Mrs. Leah Magill, whose mother held
the note was also a witness.
The defense contended that the sign
ature on the note in the form and slant
NEGOTIATING FOR
MONTOUR HUUSE
The rumor that a syndicate is en
deavoring to purchase a chain of ho
tels in this section of the State and to
cater especially to commercial trade
by selling coupon books at a reduction
from the standard two-aollar-a-day
rate is giveii color by the fact that
three strangers—evidently agents—
appeared iu this city Monday ami
opened negotiations for the purchase
of the Montour House, which, it is
understood, is for sale.
The men, whose identity and pur
pose was not made clear, seemed very
much in earnest. When informed by
Mr. Johnson, who is in charge of the
hotel, that ho conld not enter into ne
gotiations look ng to a sale until he
conferred with the proprietor at Chi
cago, they seemed greatly disappoint
ed, as they seemed desirous of closing
up the deal quickly. They left town
after a short stay, but Monday even
ing called up Mr. Johnson urging
him to get into communication with
Chicago immediately by long distance
'phone.
The syndicate agents, it is claimed, j
have made a campaign through the I
North Branch Valley. It is reported !
that they made an offer of $25,000 for
a hotel in Berwick, but that the deal
fell through because the owner de- 1
manded $30,000. The men who ap
peared in Danville were very careful i
to determine what was paid for the !
Montour House by the present owner \
before they approached Mr. Johnson, j
According to the Berwick story it
was learned when the agents were
thero that the syndicate is seeking
principally hotels either owned or con
trolled by brewers. There are known
to be many such throughout the State,
the brewers in many instances furnish
ing practically all the capital invested j
in return for the privilege of having j
their beers sold ovei the bars of the !
houses backed.
It is known that many brewers
throughout the State are growing tired
of financing hotels, both on account of
mouey tied up and because in some
counties the courts have looked ask
or believed to be the actual property
of members of the Brewers' associa
tion. The agents are said to experi
ence great difficulty in finding good
hotels willing to sell out, as the maj
ority of them aie not believed to be un
der the tutelage of the brewers. Nev
ertheless it is said that the syndicate
has purchased or taken option on
many houses
It is thought that the projected chain
of hotels will commend itself to whole
sale concerns. Not only will the rate
be materially lowered but it will be
necessary to furnish traveling sales
men with relatively only small
amounts of acrual cash for contingent
expenses.
The bodies of seven miners killed in
tins explosion ac No. f> colliery of the
Lehigh & Wilke.-s-llarie Coul company
at WilUes-Barre have been brought to
the surface. Every mail in tlie zone of
tho explosion was killed. Two of the
miners left the place not long before
and thus escaped death. The end came
without pain to the men, who were
suffocated by tire damp. Six widows
and twenty-four children are left be
hind.
ot some of the letters differed from
Jackson Blecher's signature on his
will and some other documents. It.was
also alleged that no attempt was made
to collect the note during the lifetime
of Mr. Blecher. Alfred A. Blecher
took the stand for the defense.
The case was given to the jury at
4:15 o'clock. At 5:20 the jury return
ed a verdict iu favor of the plaintiff,
Catherine Foust, for $490.07.
Immediately following noon inter
mission the court charged the jury in
the case of Commonwealth vs. Isaac
Gresh. It was about 2 o'clock when
the jury retired. At 5:80 o'clock the
twelve men came to an agreement re
turning a verdict of guilty in manner
and form as indicted, but recommend
ing the defendant to tlio mercy of the
court,.
Court adjourned at 5:30 o'clock to
reconvene on Wednesday morning at
9 o'clock.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Jacob Weirner, of this city, a native
of Russia, was admitted to citizen
ship.
Harry M. Yeager was appointed
guardian of Lorie R. Yeager and Ray
mond L. Yeager.
Tlio report of auditor in the estate
of William Saul was confirmed nisi.
Tho first and final account of Henry
Wireman, executor of Regina Wire
man, late of Mahoning township, de
ceased, was confirmed nisi.
First and final account of Benjamin
F. Ware, executor of Joel Bogart of
Liberty township, deceased, was con
firmed nisi.
First and final account of Harry M.
Yeager, administrator of Ellen Yeag
er, Valley township, deceased, con
firmed nisi.
ESTABLISHED IN 185 c
PARENT-TEACHER
ASSOCIATION
The Parent-Teachers' association
held a regular meeting in the high
school room Tuesday eve. There was a
good attendance. The Orpheus Glee
club rendered a couple of selections
, and Miss Jessie Kimerer gave a recita-
I tion.
j The feature of the evening was a
i paper read by Dr. R. S. Patten,
( entitled "Some Conditions That In
fluence Progress of a Child From the
j Standpoint ot the Eyes." The paper
was a most excellent one on a subject
, that has probably been given too little
attention in the past.
I The subject resolved itself into two
j divisions,first as "diseases of the eye"
and second "abnormal refraction.''
The diseases and defects of the eye,
j the speaker said, are common enough
' among school children, but are too of
ten ignored by parent and teacher. We
i fail to recognize their significance and
! to what extent they are preventing the
children from accomplishing the things
; we so much desire and expect of them,
while at the same time school duties
■ are made laborious that under more
favorable conditions would be quite
j easy anil enjoyable.
Under the head of diseases of the
eyes Dr. Patten dwelt upon the var
ious forms of "conjunctivitis". The
simple form of this disease is an in
flammatory state of the conjunctiva or
that thin transparent membrane cov
ering the eyeball and acting as inside
lining to the eyo lid. The disease is
characterized by congestion, loss in
transparency of the membrane, some
dread of light usually being present
along with the twitching of the lids
and a discharge sufficiently great to
glue the lids in the morning.
The cause of thisjform is made veid
ent by observing certain types, such as
may be termed "associated conjunc
tivitis" as seen in eczema, facial ery
sipelas and nasal catarrh, as well as
another type known as "exanthemat
ous conjunctivitis," which accom
panies or follows, as the case may be,
measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough
and the like.
.n. '■»«» xaaioirjr IIMS CUIIIH lO OUl'
attention a great deal this winter due
to the more or less prevalence of the
above named diseases. The effect on
the vision of the child is about the
samo as that produced by looking
through a dirty glass. The result must
be evident—an overworking and strain
ing'of the eye, which is made manifest
by the child's report at school.
The second form of the disease may
be termed "acute contagious conjunc
tivitis," or more commonly known as
"pinkeye." In this firm we have
the same conditions h* in simple con
junctivitis, with the I'xcoptiou that
the symptoms are more evere and that
the discharge from tin- eves contains
a specific bacillus or genu, making it
a markedly contagiot iseasr.The in
jury to the child's vi> .1 is even great
er than in the form \ ariety. It has
a tendency to repeat itself and by
these repeated attacks more or less
permanent damage is done.
The third and final form of conjunc
tivitis is one designated as "granular
conjunctivitis" or the form known
better as "granulated lids." In this
variety the inflammation of the con
junctiva causes the membrane to lose
its smooth surface,owing to the form
ation of rounded granulations, which
leaves the scat-like changes on the
eye-lid— at first producing a sensation
like saw dust in the eye. The damage
to the structure and especially the lid
of the eye is greater in this form than
in those previously motioned. Often
as an effect the eye-lids are drawn
away, losing their proper relation to
the eye.
Under the head of "Abnormal Re
fraction" is included '•far-sighted
ness,'' "near-sightedness," and "•as
tigmatism. "
All these are very common but are
often not discovered by the parent.
The pupil at school is unable to see
figures on the blackboard and thus at
a lato day the defect of the eye may
be discovered. The strain on the
child's eyes is apparent in the slow
progress made in studies.
Dr. Patten urged that parents be
more attentive to their children in re
lation to the eye. He suggested that
school children be periodically subject
ed to an examination to determine
whether there are any among them
whose eyes need treatment.
Were Wedded.
Brittain Harris, of Buekhorn, and
Mrs. Minnie Middleton, of Blooms
burg, were wedded by ;the Rev. J. R
Shaffer, at the Methodist parsonage,
Bockhorn. After a wedding trip to
Delaware they will take up their resi
dence in Buckhorn.
A Great Strawberry Year.
Strawberry growers promise that,
this will be a great strawberry year.
It is figured that the winter conditions
were just right, and that the crop
ought to be a recor4-br«aker in all
parts of tlio country.