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About The Athena press. (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 1908)
A HUNDRED TEARS AGO. Investigations conducted by a number of English phy sicians go to show that women as a class are growing taller, and the statement Is seriously made that a hun dred years from now, at the present rate of Increase, women will be not only taller than their sisters of to day, but they will be able literully to look down upon AUTUMN. Tls now that spiders In the casement weave, Or launch their silken airships on the breeze ; Tls now that boney ripeness feeds the bees Where vine-born amber sweetr their prison cleave, And golden spheres their leafy heavens leave. The same wind whispers through the orchard trees That blow our swallows over southern seas, And stole the robin's vesper from our eve. The spirit of the year, like bacchant crowned, With lighted torch goes careless on bis wayj And soon bursts into flame the maple's spray, And vines are running firs along the ground. But softly 1 on October's blazing bound How laugh the violet eyes of tender May I Edith M. Thomas. The curtain had fallen upon the first act, and Thomas Nash, whose atten tion had been divided between the stage and the girl who sat next to him, was able to devote all his atten tion to the latter. That, be It under stood, as far as he dared; for she was a complete stranger to him. He could not speak to her, but was forced to content himself with little surreptitious glances aside, each of which gave him some further detail of her profile; her bine eyes, her slightly retrousse nose, her arched lips, and the whiteness of her neck and shoulders. There was a man with her, a man with a brown mustache, which Mr. Nash character ized unjustly as scrubby. But for the girl herself, he hnd nothing but appre ciation. The orchestra wns about to com mence the entr'acte, when a man In evening dress stepped before the foot lights and spoke to the audience In a voice which cracked a little In his ef fort to suppress anxiety. "Ladles and gentlemen," he said, "I should feel much obliged If you would all leave the theater at once and quiet ly. There Is no danger, but you must leave at once." He motioned to the lender of the orchestra to play. Everywhere men and women stood up, quick anxiety In their faces, vague questionings In their eyes. In that mo ment Mr. Nash looked at his neighbor, and she did not hesitate to speak to him. "What Is it?" she said under her breath. "Fire?" "1 suppose so," he answered non chalantly, with the wish to pose as a hero In her eyes. "But don't be afraid. There Is nothing to fear. I will help you If necessary. I have been In a theater Are before," he continued, Jlng lng truth to the winds. "The great thing Is to keep one's presence of mind." And then the curtain bulged forward', a vast sheet of flame swept from lis under edge, and the man before the footlights threw up his arms and fell writhing before that scorching blast. Mr. Nash forgot his heroism, forgot the girl, forgot everything save the necessity of reaching the doors as soon as possible and at any cost. He turned and fought his way through the crowd, striking men In the face, flinging wo men on one side, hts mind a panic fear. He felt two hands gripping his shoul ders, but they scarcely retarded him, and he had more formidable obstacles to conteud with. Cursing and thrust ing, trampling upon the bodies of those who had fallen, he forced hts way through, until at length he met the cool rush of air that wns streaming In from the night outside, and found him self safe In the crowd on the ophite side of the street, panting and shaken, Miiaxcd and horrified at himself. A sobbing voice near him called him to his senses. Ho looked round and aw the (Irl to whom he had spoken, Presence of Mind WOMEN AEE GROWING TAIXEH. 1"" TO-DAY. shivering In her evening dress, but too hysterical with grief and fear to notice the cold. "Oh, thank you!" she cried; "thank you I I should never have got through but for you." Mr. Nash stared at her a moment, unable to realize the extent of his good fortune. He had fled In panic and bad earned the reputation of a hero. "That gentleman who was with you?" he queried. She pointed horror-struck to the blaz ing theater. "Oh, go back for him I" she cried. "uo DacK ana save mini You are brave; and I will thank you and pray for you all the days of my life." Mr. Nash's heroism received a nasty shock. He looked about him desper ately. But oiye again fortune be friended him, and he saw the very man, though much singed and blackened, coming toward hlin. "Thank heaven you are safe I" said the newcomer with emotion. "Yes, yes I" she cried. "Thank hea ven I And thank this gentleman, too. He saved me. He got me out of the building." The young man shook hands with Nash warmly. "Sir," he said, "we must know more of each other; my sister ow.es you her life. My father and mother will be anxious to thank you themselves. I was knocked down in the first rush. I be lieve that my being so saved my life; for I crawled under the seats and got over Into the pit, and so out that way. This Is a terrible business. Let us get .iway at once and find a cab." They hurried down a side street and found a four-wheeler not 100 yards away. As Mr. Nash sat In the cab op posite to his new-found friend, he be came calm enough to realize the ex tent of his good fortune. The young mnn introduced hlmBelf as William KVEBVWHEUK MEN AND WOMEN STOOD CP. Pearson, a name which Mr. Nash knew well as associated with one of the big Industries of the city. He Introduced also his sister Lucy, and Mr. Nash re sponded by giving his name and men tioning modestly the fact that he was a solicitor. They dropped him at his rooms with further thanks, an address, and a warm Invitation to call upon the following day. The Pearsons lived in a large house lu the fashionable quarter of the town. On presenting himself at the door, Mr. Nash was ushered Into the drawing room, which was filled with people, all talking excitedly. It was Mrs. Pear son's at-home day, and the tragedy of the previous evening had formed an ab sorbing subject of conversation. He be came the center of attraction. Mr. Pearson, a stout man with a gray beard and honest eyes, came forward and shook him warmly by the hand. Mrs. Pearson was voluble and euthusaistlc. Lucy, looking pale from the effects of the shock, smiled wanly and made him sit beside her. Her brother recounted his exploit All the guests poured questions upon hhn and were eager In their praises. In the midst of this adu lation Mr. Nash did his best to bear himself with becoming modesty. In a pause In the buzz of praise, he smiled and spoke. "I'm really very much obliged to you all," he said ; "I don't deserve half the kind things you have said about me. All that was needed was a little pres ence of mind." Mr. Nash became a frequeTTt nmt -wel come visitor at the Pearson's house. lie came to lie looked upon as a close friend of the family ; and when the day came when he asked her to marry tilai, , A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW. Mere Man. Similarly, according to statisticians who deal with Europeans, man has fallen by at least three-fourths of an Inch wltbln the past 100 years ; nor are there any signs that there Is an upward tendency among the males. On the contrary, the average man" of the future will ap pear squat. If not stunted, beside his Junonlan Bister. , her eyes sparkled with happiness as she accepted. Mr. Pearson made no difficulty. "I'm not looking for money with mj girl," he said heartily. "She has enough for two. I'll see that you are comfart able; and I daresay even a solicitor can And a use for a little extra capital, I'm glad to know that my daughter is passing into the hands of a brave man, That is enough for me." Mrs. Pearson said the same, and kissed him. ' ' At the wedding breakfast, Mr. Nash made the customary speech. 'This is an occasion for presence of mind," he remarked humorously. "01 all qualities, it is the most to be de sired. I cannot forget that it is to presence of mind that I owe my present happy position." The guests applauded, Lucy understood and looked at him with shining eyes. Surely Mr. Nash should be a hnppj man. He and his young wife are very fond of one another, and he knows that her love is based on respect for his heroic qualities. But there is a fly in the ointment. Deep within him, a still, small voice tells him at times of the panic in which he fled from that thea ter, and he knows, though he tries to fight the knowledge, that should sim ilar circumstances occur and should his wife wish to take advantage of his, presence of mind, she will have to do so by keeping a tight hand on his shoul ders. J. Sackville Martin In the Sketch. BETTER THAN BERRIES. Harriet Hoimer'i Delight When She First Finds Modeling Clay. An old school friend of the late Har rlet Hosmer, the sculptress, has recent ly related some interesting auecdotes of her childhood. Her first modeling, it appears, came about through a blue berrying expedition. "Hattle," as she was always called, had gone to the ber ry pastures with her foster brother Alfred. "They hnd tramped farther thau usual, when all of. a sudden Hattle stumbled upon a big clay bank. It was Just as if she'd been looking for it all her life. Out went all the berries from her nearly full pall, and Into the pail went big double handfuls of the soft clay. "Then she fairly rushed home, sat down on the back doorstep, and there modeled her first figure, a representa tion of the little, shaggy yellow dog who was at that time her chlefest treasure. After that she never forgot the clay bank. "Why, when she was at boarding school with the rest of us she made costs of all our hands, and they were beautiful. She did one of Mrs. Sedg wick's, I know she was our head mis tress and I remember that Mrs. Sedg wick said It was 'truly exquisite,' and wound It all over with the soft, smooth silver paper she used for her finest laces." In a day when the athletic, outdooi girl was yet unknown, Harriet Hosmer, against all convention, at the Impera tive call of a free nature, rode, swam, paddled, hunted, fished, climbed, tramp ed, and studied nature to the horror and dismay of the excellent housewives of her town. "You should have seen her collec tions," said her old friend. "She had bugs and beetles, squirrels, rabbits and blids, and even an old fat woodehuek that she had shot and wounded herself. We girls could never see how she could do It the things are so so smelly and unpleasant." Even when her study of her art had taken her to Rome, among fellow ar tists and great folk who praised her and made much of her. she yet kept cm relic of these happy days, oddly tucKea m amid the clay and tools and glistening marbles of her studio. It was an old, dilapidated crow's-nest, the prize of a daring climb, reduced to dec orous service as a darning basket A Literal Youth. "Why, Johnny," said Mrs. Muggins, "what are you doing here? Is WlllleV party over?" "Nome," blubbered Johnny. "But the minute I got inside the house WIlMe's father told me to make myself tl home, and I came." Dairv Idols. Cows becomes favorites with their owners not altogether by reason of the tnllk they nroduce. We have known cows that their owners thought a great deal of because of the kindly disposi tion of the animals. Oue cow that the writer remembers eave hut a few quarts of milk a day, but she was a pet or the family. She would prefer the company of members of the family rather than that of other cows. If the cows were being taken to pasture she would insist on walking by the side of the one in charge of the herd. It is hard to order a cow of this kind sent to the butcher, and manv neonle will not do It Instead, the animals are kept ror a dozen years, and not only allowed to eat up the provender without re turning a compensation for it, but are aiowea to add to the herd more cows after their own ability not to nroduce milk. These may fairly be called dairy mois. a heir owners claim great things for them without belntt able to substan iate the truth of what thev sav. . But the family pet is not the only brand of dairv idol. There are the een- eral purpose cows that quite generally nave the entire confidence of their own era as to their great value. They are Idols that the single-purpose cow men have demolished again and again, to their own satisfaction, but they are still to be found all over the land. The dairv idol Is n thine that can he dispensed with to the advantage of the owners of the cows. The warfare against them will be kept up, and little by little the factors we are warring atralnfrt will disnnnpnr Tt mav hnw. ever, take about as lona to eliminate them as it took Christianity to drive the idols out of the pagan world. Farmers' Uevlew. RUIC In Drenched Cattle. Doctor David Roberts, State Veterl harian of Wisconsin, gives this advice : Perhaps the best way of demonstrating the danger of drenching cattle is to ad vise the reader to throw back his head as far as possible and attempt to swal low. This you wllj find to be a diffi cult task, and you will find it more difficult and almost Impossible to swal low with the mouth open. It Is for this reason that drenching cattle Is a dangerous practice. However, if a cow's head be raised as high as possible and her mouth kept open by the drenching bottle or horn, a portion of the liquid Is very apt to pass down the windpipe Into the lungs, sometimes causing In stant death by smothering, at other times causing death to follow In a few days from congestion or inflammation of the lungs. Give all cattle . their medicine hypodermleally or In feed, if they refuse feed give it dry on the tongue. The proper method of giving a cow medicine is to stand on the right side of the cow, placing the left arm around the nose and at the same time opf ning her mouth, and with a spoon In the right hand place the medicine, which should be in a powdered form, back on the tongue; she can then swal low with safety. Handy for Sorting; Potatoes. In sorting potatoes a time-saver can be made of boards and common wire. The best wire should be smooth and about the thickness of ordinary clothes line. The side-boards should be about 18 inches wide to keep the potatoes from rolling off the sides. The wires are fastened to a pulley at the ton to tighten them so they will not sag and let the large potatoes through. Shovel the potatoes in at the top and the small potatoes will drop throueh the screen into the box. To Tell the Ages of Swine. It may be Interesting to those who do not already know It ,to learn of some way to arrive at the age of nisrs. so we give the following : Pigs having their corner permanent Incisors cut will be considered as ex ceeding six months. Pigs having their permanent tusks more than half tin will be considered as exceeding nine months. Pigs having their central per manent Incisors up and any of the first three permanent molars cut will be considered as exceeding twelve months. Tigs having their lateral temporary incisors shed and the permanent ap pearing will be considered as exceeding nrteen months, rigs bavin their lat eral permanent Incisors fully up will be considered as exceeding eighteen months. Shoeing; Males. The hoof of the mule, being smaller and tougher thau that of tho average horse, does not need shoeing unless worked on bard roads a great deal. It is better not to have them shod If con fined to work on the farm, unless used to haul heavy loads on frozen ground. FOR SORTING POTATOES. Nutriment la Milk. Bulletin No. 51 from the Storrs Ag ricultural Experiment Station. Con necticut 1b a most excellent one on the origin or sources of those small or ganisms called bacteria, which are found so abundantly in ihllk. The bulletin also contains some rnther startling statements and some whole some suggestions. Among the statements which ought to make the average man sit up and think are the following: "A quart of milk at 8c Is equivalent in food value to a pound of beef at 18c. This means that 4c worth of milk gives as much food energy in the body as l)c worth of beef. "The average individual consumes three or four times as much meat In a day as the body actually needs for re pair, and for its highest physical con dition. "If the American people would eat one-half less meat and consume one half more milk, they would save about $150,000,000, in money and in health, enough to make the doctors' bills look small." To Fatten Fowls. Shut the fowls up In a darkened place with Just enough light for them to see to eat, and feed on cornmeal, ground oats, cracked wheat and shorts, which may be mixed in equal propor tions and scalded.'" Feed as often dur ing the day as they will eat up tha food clean. That is to say, stuff them, Take a light and feed again Just be fore your bedtime, and as early In the morning as possible. Supply them with grit and water and keep the premises clean. Half a dozen fowls to gether will fatten more quickly than a large number, as they will not pine for company. Cooked potatoes, rice, corn bread, cracked corn and whole wheat may also be fed. Give no green stuffs, as It is too filling and will do no good. Fowls crowded this way should be In fine condition in two weeks. Shut up longer, they are likely to begin to mope and will go back rather than Increase in weight Itural World. Improved Hog Pen. A large hog pen with space for both sleeping and feeding can be arranged with a , floor on one-half to ensure a dry bed. The size of the whole pen is 8 feet by 10 feet, so that the floored section of the pen is 8 feet square. It is made of strong materials, usually 2 In. by 4 in. stuff, and rests on cleats in. the bottom of the pen. The Milk Machine. There is mighty- little sentiment about a cow. She's nothing but a deli cately organized milk-making machine. Her nervous organization Is well de veloped, though, and is easily disturbed, but If she Is well supplied with mllk maklng material and is let alone she will turn out a good product and plenty of it, provided, of course, she is built on the right lines. A poor machine of any kind is a curse to the owner. Money In Irrigation. Two hundred feet of the levee on the San Joaquin River in California gave way and flooded 4,000 acres of growing crops, causing a loss of $5,000,000. Crops worth $1,250 an acre are not rare In an irrigated district, though the figures above given would look like a misprint to an Easterner. About 800 acres of the Inundated area were in celery, and the value would run far above the average stated. El Paso Herald. Beats the Steam Shovel. A Kansas paper says that If all the hogs raised in that State last year could be rolled Into one hog, it could dig the Panama Canal in two roots and a half, and wants to know how long it would take a Missouri hen to scratch out the canal. We don't know about that but we do know that the Missouri hen can pay for the big ditch In one and a half years.-HumansvIlle (Mo.) Star. Not the Farmers This Time. Prof. Trueman of the University of Illinois, after maklug a searching In vestigation, declared that milk dealers of Chicago systematically adulterate and water milk delivered to families In the poorer sections of the city. In many instances the stuff Is entirely un fit for food. In the better residence districts, Tiowever, the milk was nearly always up to standard. Milk Vessels. Cse no wooden milk vessels, and after washing milk vessels set them out to dry scalding hot' Never rinse out with cold water after the final scalding. Leave them hot so they will dry quickly aDd not get musty. Notes on Orchard Work. Select only standard varieties. Spray frequently and thoroughly. -Clover crops prevent soil washing Buy only of responsible nurserymen. Go slow about planting dwarf varie ties. Sell direct to the consumer whenever possible. Form strong symmetrical heads on all trees. Prepare the ground the fall previous to planting. Supply an abundance of plant food at ail times. - PEN WITH SECTIONAL FLOOR. THEWEEKLY kHSSTORlAH i 'i T, - 1522 Tonstall, Bishop of Durham, printed the first work on arithmetic in England. 1535 Jacques Cartier discovered the Saguenay. 1C20 The English Pilgrims sailed from Plymouth in the Mayflower. 1G51 Cromwell defeated Charles II... at Worcester. 1G75 The Indans under King Philip at tacked the town of Deerfield, Mass. 1082 Delaware was granted to William Penn by the Duke of York. 1700 The French defeated by Prince Eugene at Turin. 1724 Sir Guy Carleton, who was commander-in-chief of the British forces in America, born in Ireland. Died r in England, Nov. 10, 1S0S. 1720 Beauharnois appointed governor of Canada. ' ' ' 1752 First play performed in ' America by a regular company of players, at Willianisburgh, Va. 1755 British defeated the French and Indians In battle of Lake George.. .. Sir Charles Hardy arrived at New York to succeed De Lancey as gov ernor of the province. .. .Public an nouncement was made of the exile of the Acadians from Nova Scotia. 1703 Indian battle at Bloody Ridge, Mich. v. '- . . 1705 The subject of medicine " firs taught in America at the College of ' Philadelphia. 1767 Charles Townshend, the British statesman whose bill taxing tea and other commodities brought about the American Revolution, died in Eng land. ' ', 1774 First Continental Congress assem bled in Carpenter's hall, Miiladel. phia. 1777 Washington completed the de fenses of hifl nrmtr at Wilminwfnn " Del. . 1781 Washington and Rochambeau re ceived In Philadelphia. .. .Americans victorious in battle of Eutaw Springs. 1783 Peace made between Great Britain and the United States by the treaty of Versailles. 1792 French republicans slaughtered 100 persons in the military prison of Albaye, near Paris. 1804 'Nineteen Dominican missions es tablished along the California coast from San Francisco to San Diego. ... .American squadron under Com modore Preble made its sixth attack on Tripoli. . . .The American ship In trepid blown up in the harbor of Tripoli. ' 1812 United States troops repulsed the Indians in battle at Fort Harrison. 1814 The British sloop of war Avon sunk by the American sloop Wasp. 1829 A grand fete given in Lyons, France, in honor of Gen. Lafayette. 1837 An extra session of the United States Congress convened to devise measure! to rcliavA the Bnnnninl am. hflfpetfiemanfa nf tha inhnf.if ' 1854 Grand opera first produced in Cas tle Garden, New York.' 1855 The first Hebrew temple in the Mississippi valley consecrated in St Louis. 1803 Forts-Wagner and Gregg, nea - Charleston, bombarded by Gen. Gil more. . 1864 President Lincoln issued a proo lamation of thanksgiving because of the successes of Farragut at Mobile . - and Sherman at Atlanta. 1868 "No Papery" riots in Manchester, England. .. .Steamer Hippocampus foundered in Lake Michigan, with loss of thirty-eight lives. 1883 Last spike driven in the Norther Pacific railroad, near Gold ' Creek, Mont. 1894 One hundred and thirty-four unl dentified dead, Victims of the forest fires, buried at Hinkley, Minn. 1894: Labor day observed for the first time as a legal holiday throughout the United' States. 1904 Telegraphic signals sent around the world in honor of the opening of the International Geographical Congress In Washington. 1906 President Roosevelt ordered re formed spelling to be given a thor ough test by the public printer. . . . Senator Heyburn attacked the for estry policy of President Roosevelt In the irrigation congress at Boise, Idaho. 1907 Anti-Japanese riots occurred in Vancouver, B. C Seven persons killed and many injured In a Cana dian Pacific railway accident near Caledon, Ontario. Adds Zest. -nonest now, do you really enjoy competition?" "Yes, indeed. You see. I advertis. and I'm getting about all the blx."- ashlngton Herald. Different Viewpoints. Mabel There goes that youne doctn? la his automobile. Isu't he Just too k'U ing for anything? StellaOh, I don't know. The be hasn't an practice to speak of.
