The Athena press., February 26, 1909, Image 2

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Whether William II. Tart will be the
greatest of the Presidents remains to
be seen; but one thing Is certain, he
will be the bluest. The chair of the
chief executive of the nation has sus
tained ninny men of many weights, but
none of such tremendous hulk as Tuft,
says a writer in the St. Louis Globe
Democrat. This fact suggests a phys
ical comparison with the president
who have gone before. The biggest
men of the presidential line big in
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"HOW I1IU WAS ALEXANDER, PA V"
height as well as In breadth were
Washington, Monroe, Buchanan, Gar
field and Arthur. All of these men
were six feet and upward and large
of frame. The heavyweights of middle
height were John Adams, John Quiney
Adams, Fillmore, Johnson, Grant and
Roosevelt. In the "dumpy" class, short
and stout, might be placed Zach Tay
lor, Cleveland and McKinley. The list
of tall and slender Presidents Includes
set rather forward . on his shoulders,
and, his neck being long, It habitually
protruded when he was walking or
talking.,
Madison, the father of the constitu
tion, was physically unlike any of his
predecessors. Below the average height,
he was small of frame. Throughout
his long and eminently useful life he
was a semi-Invalid, and it is a singular
fact that the two Presidents who lived
to the greatest age were in early life
convinced that death was constantly
waiting just around the corner for
them. John Adams was for many
years morbidly anxious about his
health, but during the last half of his
ninety years of life he was .exception
ally hale and hearty. . Not so with
Madison. From extreme youth to his
death at 85 he was feeble and sickly.
James Monroe was "rather more
than six feet high, broad and square
shouldered and raw-boned." lie was a
man of great physical strength, but
awkward In his moements.
John Quiney Adams bore r strong
personal resemblance to his father,
John Adams, although perhaps ' a
little taller and a little more bald.
Ills successor, Andrew Jackson, had
the physical characteristics, but not
tlis mental, of Thomas Jefferson. He
stood six feet one in his stocking feet,
and was very slender. Jackson's suc
cessor, Martin Van Buren, was the
second of the little men to occupy the
presidential chair. "Little Van" was
the nickname his political enemies ap
plied to him. He was below tbe mid
dle height and slender, but erect. He
was fond of the elegancies of life, and
was always Immaculately attired, a
trait which magnified to the point of
dandyism in his son, "Prince John."
William Henry Harrison was a large
man and his frame wus well knit and
inured to physical hardships by many
campaigns against the Indians.
Tyler is described as a "tall, thin.
THE FIRST FOUR PRESIDENTS OUT FOB A STROLL.
WASHINGTON, ADAMS, JEFFERSON, MADISON.
Jefferson, Jackson, Polk, Pierce, Tyler,
William Henry Harrison and Lincoln.
The featherweights of the line were
Madison. Van Huron and Benjamin
Harrison, all throe being below the av
erage height and slender. Harrison,
however, broadened out after he be
came President, and Van Buren after
he retired. Hayes was of middle
height and thin.
Wushington was tremendously boned
and muscled, but there was not an
ounce of superfluous flesh on his body.
Ills weight was 200 pounds. He wore
ML J
TALI .EST AND llttJUKST I'ttKSlDENT.
No. 13 boots, and his hands were so
lurge he was obliged to have his gloves
made to order, while his finger joints
were so prominent that they were con
sidered "genuine curiosities." Ho had
a large, thick nose that always turned
scarlet upon exposure to the wind. His
hair, in middle life, was a chestnut
brown and his eyes a light blue, some
times approaching gray.
Johu Adams' fl&ure was "large and
round." Jefferson was half au Inch
taller than Washington, but of long
frame, thin ami spare. His bead was
flat, cloun-shaven .man, with a benk
like Roman nose and a prominent Ad
am's apple that was in constant play."
Polk was hardly so tall as Tyler, but
ho also was slender, with an erect
figure and a handsome, scholarly face.
He was never a strong man physically.
Ills successor, for a brief time, Zach
ary Taylor, was short and stout,
"dumpy," as the popular expression
puts it. Fillmore, who became Presi
dent upon Taylor's death, was one of
the big men of the (residential line.
Although under six feet in height, he
was broad, erect. He was what would
now be called "fine-looking." Franklin
Pierce, who came after him, was taller
probably, than Fillmore, but he was
rather slender. Pierce was the hand
somest man who ever became Presi
dent, It has boon said, and his graces
of manner were no loss attractive.
Buchanan was tall and large of frame.
He habitually carried his head with a
lean to one side, and he had another
physical peculiarity that was even more
unusual one of his eyes was hazel,
while the other was light blue.
Lincoln was one of the few Presi
dents whose physical characteristics
are popularly known, but his own de
scription of them Is worth repeating
here, "I nin," he wrote to au Inquirer
in 1S50, "In height six feet four Inches
nearly ; lean In flesh ; weigh, on aver
age, 100 pounds; dark complexion,
with coarse, black hair and gray eyes;
no other marks or brands recollected."
It may be added that he was the first
President to wear a beard, as Grant
was the first to wear a mustache. All
the Presidents who preceded Lincoln
were clean-shaven, as to lip and chin.
Of those who followed him no more
need he said thau has been already
said In the comparisons with Mr. Taft.
They are so recent that few of us have
any mistaken notions lu regard to their
personal appearance.
Thirteen of the twenty-flve chief ex
ecutives of the nation have been above
the average In height and most of these
have been In the neigh borhood of or
above six feet. If one cannot be great
poriondieularly the matter of girth
must be sedulously cultivated. Though
not above the middle height, the two
Adamses, Johnson, Grant and Hoose
velt, and even the still shorter ones,
Taylor, Cleveland and McKluley, could
be properly classed -as big men by rea-1
son of their weight. The little man.i
the man who is both short and thin,
has a mighty slim chance of getting
into the White House. ;
" ALBERT B. CUMMINS,
Iowa'i Governor. Who Succeeds
William B. Allison In the Senate.
Albert B. Cummins, Governor of
Iowa, has ' been elected to fill the place
of the veteran Allison lu the United
States Senate. Perhaps It would be
more accurate to say that Senator
Cummins will fill part of the place left
vacant by Mr. Allison. No man with
out many years" experience In national
legislation could hope completely to oc
cupy the shoes of such a man as Alli
son, whose brilliant mind and vast ex
perience made him a power In Washing
ton. Ills experience was almost unpar
alleled a"hd his judgment was accurate.
Moreover, Mr. Allison had only friends
In the Senate. Mr. Cummins will b
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ALBERT B. CUMMINS.
handicapped in a measure because some
of Allison's friends will not readily for
give 111 ni for trying to secure Allison's
sent while that veteran was still alive.
They reason that the veteran's services
to his country were so great that he
should have been permitted to retain
his place without fighting for it. ..
Mr. Cummins. Is a man somewhat oi
the La Follette stamp mid is expected
to join forces with the Wisconsin re
former. On the matter of tariff he
says : "The time has come to quit talk
lng tariff reform and take action. Re
vision must come quickly and we mus
get the best we can." Utica Globe.
NEW LAW OF HEREDITY.
Certain Qualities Appear Incapable
of Destruction in Stock. .
Some time ago an English scientist,
W, Beach Thomas, contributed to the
English press an article on Mendel's
great discovery concerning heredity in
plant and animal life. "The scientific
world," he said, "Is on the point oi
giving full recognition to a new, strange
and deep-rooted law, and it is a satis
faction to know that in a few mouths
some of the most striking of its prac
tical results will be published by a
body of English scientists.''
Briefly, the law, which seems to
touch the ultimate mysteries of hered
ity, is this : When pure stock or strains
are crossed, It is found that a certain
list of qualities remain, so to speak,
Indestructible, and appear uucontaiul
nated In a definite proportion of the
offspring of all generations after the
first.
Some concrete examples will best
show the practical effect of the law,
says the Technical World Magazine.
When the tall variety of sweet pea and
the short variety of sweet pea are
crossed, the first generation are all tall.
Tttllness is the dominant quality over
shortness, which is called recessive. But
In the second generation it is found
that Just one-quarter are dwarf, and
not only are they dwarf, but they will
remnln pure dwarf, without any rever
sion, and when crossed with dwarf will
never ngoln show signs of tallncss. The
other three-quarters will be tall, and
of these tall again just one-quarter will
be pure tall, and never again show
signs of dwarfness. The remaining two
quarters will be impure, but agaib
when crossed with their like will give
both pure tails, pure dwarf and mon
grels in due proportion . So that we
find lu all grandchildren, so to speak,
of pure strains, the proportion 1:2:1
has a mystic application that Is, one
quarter of these grandchildren will be
exact or pure reproductions In one qual
ity of their grandmother, one-quartet
will be pure reproductions of their
grandfather, and two-quarters, though
resembling one grandparent, will havt
latent lu them the qualities of both.
Care for Dipsomania.
Flesh food Is the chief cause of dip
somania. When men are properly nour
ished upon non-Inflammatory diet that
is rich In proteld and nerve and tissue-building
substance such as nuts
of all kinds and their products, cereal
foods wheat meal, oatmeal, macaroni,
rice, etc.), legumes (haricots, lentil
and peas), fruits of every sort and
dairy produce (cheese, milk and eggs)
they do not crave for strong drluk.
nor are they In danger of taking alco
hol to excess. London Health Record
la the Dlnie Museum.
"What did you do with my ther
mometer?" demauded the doctor , wht
had been called In to attend one of the
freaks.
"I swallowed It, doe" answered tht
glass eater. "Thought It was my medi
cine." nttsbnrg Press.
Cheap and Simple Ice House. -
An Icehouse Is one of the simplest
of farm buildings ; In fact, many farm
ers make a mistake in putting up too
elaborate a building, which fails to en
dure and to afford sufficient ventilation
for keeping the ice. The simple build
ing shown in the drawing, which Is re
produced from Farm and Home, was
put up with about one day's labor.
The framework was made of refuse
hard wood, some 2x4's and some 2xG's.
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SECTIONAL VIEW OF ICEHOUSE.
Second-rate pine boards were used for
siding, which was nailed on the Inside
of the frame. The roofing was made
of similar material as the sides, but of
a little better quality.
In Ailing, a space Is left between the
wall and the Ice, to be packed with
sawdust. The crevices between the
cakes are filled with fine Ice shavings,
but no sawdust is used between or on
top of the layers of lee until the filling
is done, when about one foot of saw
dust is placed on top.
Openings must be left near the peak
of the roof to secure ventilation, and
the sawdust filling at the sides must
be kept firm and solid while the Ice
is being removed in summer. It is
important to locate the Icehouse
where there will be good drainage.
Poor -drainage at the bottom of the
Ice or allowing air to circulate at the
top will quickly spoil the contents of
the house. . . ....
Light for the Barn.
Light is one of the great sanitary
conditions which promote vigorous
health. If the germs of tuberculosis
are. exposed to the sun a short time
their vitality Is destroyed, but their
infecting power can be preserved for
several months If kept In a dark recep
tacle. The State veterinarians who Inspect
dairy accommodations now recommend
plenty of light, and the new dairy
barns are featured with an Increased
number of windows. If possible the
windows of a dairy barn should be so
placed as to cause the sun at some
portion of the day to shine on all parts
of the floor, as the rays will search for
disease microbes and destroy them.
Sunlight acts as a powerful disinfect
ant, .and nothing Is cheaper nor more
effective In preventing disease than
sunlight
Dark, underground stables are now
condemned as Insanitary and disease
breeding. Dark stables are often also
damp, and present especially favorable
conditions for the evolution and propa
gation of tuberculosis. Cattle on the
plains, which live only under the shel
ter of the firmament, are Immune to
tuberculosis and many other diseases,
and barns for housing live stock should
be constructed with plenty of windows
to promote the sanitary condition of
their occupants. Goodall's Farmer.
Automatio Cheese Press.
This form of cheese press maintains
a constant pressure for any desired
length of time by means of a rope
- 1 .
A shabby coat may cover a fat parse
but the combluat'.ou tsu't always a soft
one to bet on, '' ?
wrapped around a pulley at the end
and over a small pulley on a beam
overhead. The 140-pound weight Is suf
ficient to keep the screw pressed up
to the cheese, A close cheese is ob
tained, free from any mechanical open
ings. Better Results with Cora.
According to the estimate made by
the government, a few weeks ago. the
average per acre of corn produced in
Texas this, year Is only' about five bush
els below that of Iowa, one of the
greatest of the corn-producing States.
In the amount produced It was esti
mated, that Texas wouid be fifth In the
States" of the Union. This Is a splen
did showing compared with what It
was only a few years ago, and la ac
counted for by the fact that the Texas
farmer Is beginning to reolixe the great
advantage there is la raising his own
meat and bread, and in the further fact
that the Texas Corn Growers' Associa
tion has done eonie splendid work in
not only pointing out the blessings to
the farmer In growing corn, but also
In promoting the study of seed selec
ting and cultivation. Galveston Neva.
Morse Value of Country.
AJmost . $2,000,000,000 worth tt
horses are owned In the United States,
according to -the Year Book of the De
partment of Agriculture. It Is prob
able that If the horses were taken at
their real value, instead of their as
sessed value, this figure would be great
ly Increased. According to this report,
there are 19,992,000 horses in this coun
try, with a value of $1,807,530,000, and
the average value per head Is $93.40.
Anybody knows that has tried to buy
horses of ; late that the average per
head is too small, for even an ordinary
work horse Is worth more than that.
However, the showing Is very encour
aging. In the last ten or twelve years
the number of horses In this country
bas almost . doubled, and, Instead of
there being too many horses, there are
not enough to do all the business that
Is required, and if it were not for the
use of automobile trucks in the large
cities the merchants of this country
would be hard pressed for methods of
transportation for their goods. W'Jlh
business increasing, as every sign Indi
cates, there will be a greater demand
than ever for horses during the com
ing year. . In view of this, breeders
can go on Increasing their, business,
with every confidence that all the
horses they can produce will find a
ready sale at a good figure. As for
good trotters, horses capable of going
out and winning in their class, the de
mand is greatly in excess, of the sup
ply. Auction sale managers complain
that there are not enough of the good
ones to supply the gentlemen who are
in the market for likely prospects. The
coming year will be a banner one in
the horse business, especially in the
breeding business.
Making; Use of the Don,
This sketch shows an arrangement
for making use of the dog for carrying
water. It simply consists of a -wheel.
a, 8 ft In diameter and 18 in. wide,
with room enough Inside for the dog to
walk around, where he acts ds a tread
, DOO POWEB FOR PUMPING WATER.
power, which causes the pump, c, to re
volve. In southern California there are
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DOO POWEB FOR PUMPING WATEftt
a number of these dog-power pumps,
which cost less than $15.. A good-sized
dog can easily earn his living In an
arrangement of this kind. Farm and
Home. '.
Twin Lambs. .
An experienced breeder says thai In
the case of twins It Is well to iftnce
them with the mother in a small, sep
arate pen for a day or two, In order
that they may become acquainted, and
to avoid the danger of one of the lambs
straying away, yhlch may cause trou
ble. When- lambs are born weakly
more care is required, and unless the
shepherd Is with them to see that they
are suckled soon after birth they are
liable to become chilled and die. If
the lamb Is too weak to stand up and
suck, It should be held up' and some
milk milked into its mouth, -when it
will soon take the teat and help Itself,
or the ewe may be gently laid upon her
side and the Iamb brought to the teat
in its knees or side, and held, as above
indicated.
When Buying "Porkers."
If you hear that your neighbor's hogs
have the cholera, do not rush over to
see them. Keep away from them and
do not let anybody from the Infected
lot come near your own hogs. If you
buy pigs from a point distant from
your own neighborhood, keep them by
themselves for at least two weeks, as
during that time tbe disease will show
if they have it.
Sorghum for the Silo. ''
Under Florida conditions sorghum
makes the best and cheapest crop for
the silo. Analysis shows sorghum silage
to be a little richer In total digestible
nutrients than corn silage. It makes
a heavier field of green forage per acre
than corn. The station favors sorghum
for silage.
.Winter Poultry Notes. ; -,
When your hens sing know then that
they are feeling good and will lay.
Hens will not lay well or thrive un
less they have plenty of sunlight Keep
tbe windows clean. '
Don't fuss around your hens too
much. Like some people, they want to
be let alone at times. '
Take the chill off the water. Hens
will , not lay many eggs if they are
compelled to drink ice water and- eat
corn mixed with snow.
Get rid of te useless cockerels and
old hens. Stuff them; and they will
grow fat and tender not too tender
but enough to grace a boarding house
table." "V : " ; . '
Throw some rusty nails in the drink
ing trough. The hens need the iron as
a tonic. . But do not let. any thing else
besides clean water go In with the
nails. -
Dressed fowls, wrapped In clean,
white paper and packed in new boxes
will bring enough more to pay well for
the trouble. It is not hard to get top '
prices by a little thought and work.
1C72 A .monthly post was established
between New York and Boston.
1775 British under Lord Dunmore de
feated by the Americans at Norfolk,
W. Va.
1777 Washington's awny went Into win
ter quarters at Valley Forge.
1787 Pennsylvania (the second State)
ratified the federal constitution.
1789 The first circulating library mi
established in Salem, Mass.
1804 New York Historical Society in
stituted.. ...Spain declared war
against Great Britain. .. .Two-scoM .
of houses on Wall street, New York, .....
destroyed by fire.
1807 A unusually large and brilliant
meteor was seen in Connecticut.
1811 Americans under Gen. Harrison
left the battleground at Tippecanoe
. on their return "to the United States.
1810 Indiana admitted into the Union
as the nineteenth State. . ..
1817 Mississippi admitted to statehood.
1830--National Republican party, at Bal-
,. timore, ' nominated Henry Clay for'""
President.,., The first locomotive
built in the United States was fin-
ished and tested at tbe West Point
(N. Y.) foundry..
1833 The House of Assembly in Jamaica
passed a bill abolishing slavery.
1835 Patent office and postofllce in
Washington burned.
1840 The first regiment to fight against
Mexico was organized in Pittsburg.
1854 United States and Great Britain
concluded a treaty of commercial re
' ciprocity. -
1856 Christ . church, Montreal,'' do ";
stroyed by fire. - . ' - .; .
1804 Gen. Dix issued an order for re-
- prisalg on Canadians because of the
St. Alban's raid ; order annulled later
by President Lincoln.
I860 French occupation of Rome ter
minated. - ' . - 1
1808 All disputes . between Mexico and ;
the United States settled by treaty. '
1870 J.- R. Rainey of South Carolina,
- the first negro ever elected to the
, House of Representatives, sworn In. :
1872 Eleven servant girls perished in a
fire in the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New
"--York.
1S73 New England celebrated the cen
tennial of the "Boston Tea Party."
1S91 Sir Oliver Mowat, Liberal prime
- minister of Ontario, issued an ad
dress declaring vigorously against . ...
. American assimilation. -
1893 A provincial plebiscite in Prince :
Edward Island supported prohibition
of the liquor traffic by an overwhelm
lng majority. .
1894 E. V. Debs sentenced to six .
months' imprisonment for contempt
of , court during1-the great railroad
strike in Chicago.
1898 Gen. Galixta Garcia, noted Cuban
leader, died in Washington.
1899 Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood appoint- ,
ed military governor of Cuba. '
1900 Mgr. Montagnini, secretary of the .,
Papal Nunciature, expelled from
France by the French government. -
1902- Germany and England joined. In a
naval demonstration against Ven
ezuela. 1903 William L Buchanan appointed
United States minister to Panama.
1900 The new , law separating church
and state went Into force in France.
1907 Norwegian Parliament conferred
the ' Nobel prize upon President
Roosevelt in recognition of his ser vices
in ending the Russo-Japanese
' : . war. " '" .:
Justice C B. Elliott of State Saprem
Court opened the second annual conven
tion of the Minnesota Academy of Social
Sciences at the University of Minnesota.
Other addresses were delivered by Judge?
C. L. Brown, Attorney General E. Ti.
Young and Prof. II. J. Fletcher of the
law school. ' Tbe discussions 'all related! '
to conditions in Minnesota, r
- The overwhelming defeat of Nebraska,
by Carlisle, together with Carlisle's de
cisive victory over St Louis, goes to add '
to Minnesota's glory. Carlisle beaten by
Minnesota defeats two western teams sop
posed to be of strength approximating
Minnesota's. This lifts Minnesota's vic
tory into its true proportions and shows
how well the Gophers played in defeating
the husky Indians. Carlisle won from Ne
braska by a score of .37 to 6. Minnesota
beat Carlisle 11 to 6.
Many agricultural colleges sent exhibits
to the live stock show In Chicago this
week, among them Minnesota and Nebras
ka. Students from most of the leading,
agricultural colleges participated in tha
Judging contests.
In the judging contests at tbe Chlcag
live etock show, a farmer's son J. G.
Troutman of Manhattan, Kan. pitted
his practical knowledge against the theo
retical experience of the college students
for the J. Ogden Armour agricultural
scholarships,- amounting to $5,000, which
were to be distributed for the most ei3
stent work in tbe event. ,