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About The Athena press. (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1911)
SUSIE STUFFED Roosevelt's Trophies Are Being Prepared In Washington. Taxidermists An at Work vWlth the , Specimens and Carpenters Are Erecting the Mounts In the V National Museum. Washington. In an obscure corner of the national museum, on the mall, In Washington, half a dozen men are preparing the skins of the animals killed by Theodore Roosevelt and his party in Africa. Carpenters are bulla lng the framework on which the hides of the mammals will be mounted and taxidermists are working with the skins under the supervision of govern' ment naturalists. , e In the dennrtinont fi-lvnn rrer to the study of comparative anatomy, where' the skeletons of the largest animals are suspended from the celling, are two glass cases. In these are the trophies of the 250,000 Roosevelt hunt The collection consists of the skins of a Hon, cheetah, reed buck, mongoose, r leopard, zebra, hyena, horse-tailed monkey, rhinoceros, Grant's gazelle, Thompson's gazelle and field mice. In another case are . the skulls of a rhinoceros, giraffe, hip popotamus; wart hog, African buffalo and an antelope. Few of the hundreds of tourists that visit the national museum each day pay much attention to the Roosevelt collection as it stands, the guards on duty say, and seldom does a sightseer ask wbeae the Roosevelt collection inajtfe found. "If! a funny thing to me," re marked one of the curators of the museum, "why those skins and skulls don't make more of a hit with the public. The exhibit Is labeled, as you see, and the word 'Roosevelt' in big letters on that placard yonder ought to be an attraction alone. But it Is not" . A number of the skins, those of hartbeests, elephants and hippos are still packed in hogsheads in . which they were shipped from Africa. Brine Is tbnhclpal preservative used and thenlns are In such good condition, taxidermists say, that they may be kept Indefinitely. As rapidly as the skin of (one animal Is stuffed It is set aside, in the rough, and work Is begun on another, 'n finishing touches are left to the naturtkSt and his work is Important "Perhaps you neve thought much about It," said an employe at the museum,1 who Is a student of natural history, ' "but animals have a wonder ful lot of expression facial exDresi slon, I mean. They have their moods Just as we do, and it is a knack coupled with a certain artlstlo sense, to 'build' up a skeleton, clothe It with a pelt and make it appear as it did In life. Particularly is this true of our larger wild animals, the very kind we are working with now in getting to gether the Roosevelt collection. "Lower classes of animal life are not so difficult to handle, birds and reptiles being comparatively easy to stuff and mount It is In- posing the subjects that the real difficulty is en countered. There are many details to be looked after. For example, it Is a good day's work to select and fit the right kind of glass eyes for Just such specimens are we are now working with, It's not hard to pick out ele phant eyeB from those of a Hon or an antelope, but it is a Job to select the right shade and size and it Is not al together practicable to follow models too closely. Of course, the general contour of the specimen is the princi pal thing to pay attention to, but there are any number of little details to be looked after that makes the work tedious. "Tha AninHn nlonhnnf nnri tha ktr. ean elephant, while they are first cou sins and In a general way look a good deal , alike, have distinguishing fea tures, Almost everyone knows that their ears vary in size and shape and that their eyes differ in shape and often In color. It rests with the natur alist to put the finishing touches to a specimen after the taxidermist has done the rough work." The larger animals that go to make up the Roosevelt collection will have ribs of wood. By the first of the year, specimens will be on display In the na tional museum. as to the number of persons who will be brought Into tv- competitive classi fied service until a further analysis of the effect of the order has been made. There were on July 1, 1909, 2,105 as sistant postmasters In first and second class post offices, and on the date named there were 614 second class post offices in which city free delivery had not been established. In which there were employed 1,746 clerks who were unclassified. A considerable number of these second class offices have since been classified by the es tablishment of city free delivery, thus reducing the number of clerks who are classified and who win tin affected by the present order. It Is probable, nowever, that the total number of per sons affected will be In the neighbor- nood of 3.600. Some resrret is helna- exnreRHed bv civil service reformers that the presi dent did not accompany this new or der with, one covering all the fourth class postmasters in the country into tne classified service. At nresent the fourth class postmasters of 14 states tne territory east of the Mlsisssippi river and north of the Ohio river are in the classified service. The number of fourth class postmasters in these 12 states is about 24,000. The total number of fourth class nostmastera in the country is 62,942, so as will be seen, not quite half the postmasters In this class ar.e in the classified serv ice. , It was said at the civil service com mission recently that the nollcr will undoubtedly be to fill the places of as sistant postmasters by the promotion of postofflce emDloves already in thl classified service. Postmaster General Hitchcock desires that , this policy shall be pursued rather than a policy under which men unfamiliar with the duties of the office would be brought in through competitive examinations, and the civil service commission sun- ports the postmaster general's views. WANT U.S. TO BOOST GOOD ROAD& Secretary Wilson of the department of agriculture has received a petition signed by eight American delegates who attended the recent International road congress at Brussels requesting that his department consider the ad visability of the United States govern ment becoming a member of the Per manent International Association of Road Congresses. The office of pub lic roads Is a part' of the department of agriculture, and for this reason the matter was put up to the secretary tor his consideration. The special significance of the peti tion is that it discloses the fact that the United States, which has the most extensive system of roads of any country in the world, has been one of the three slowest nations to join the International Road association now formally adhered to by 26 govern ments. Italy and England are the only other large countries which have not joined. The nations of Europe have gone a long way ahead of the United States in road work, particularly in the mat ter of administration and road mainte nance, and experts say that for this reason this country will benefit im mensely in the advantage of collabora tion made possible by membership in the international congress. France, for instance, with its almost perfect system of roads, sends one and one third times as much freight over her public highways as is carried by the railroads. The' freight traffic on the roads of other European countries is almost as heavy. In this country con ditions are reversed and it is estima ted that the railroads carry nearly four times as much freight as the put 11c roads. Yet railroad development depends, engineers say, on the good roads which open up and make acces sible the country adjacent to the lines. , The department of agriculture now has the petition under consideration and, if approval is given, congress will be asked this coming winter for the small appropriation necessary for this country's membership dues. WOMAN BOTH TRUANT AND HUMANE OFFICER Cruelty to animals may serve as an In spiration to the painter's brush In Paris, but It never can In Sapulpa, ' Okla, not at lecst, so long as Mrs, Mabel Bassett Is on the Job as humane officer of : the new state city. She la the only woman humane officer In the state of Okla homa. Time was, not many months ago, when Sapulpa's teamster's mistreated their horses at will, left them In the hot streets for hours without food or water and inflicted all sorts of cruelty, thoughtless or otherwise, upon the dumb brutes of the vicinity. But last March the women of Sapulpa, aided by a few of the men, organized a hu mane society, and determined , to stamp out these abuses. So limited vere the finances of the new society that it could not afford to employ 'an officer to look after the work. , Then into the breach stepped Mrs Bassett who volunteered to fill the office until a regular officer could be employed. So well did she accomplish her task that the city council agreed to pay a salary and appoint as hu mane officer anyone the society might select Mrs. Bassett was urged to take place, and when her name was placed before the councilmen they were de lighted to make the appointment And they went even further. They named her city truant officer as well Before she entered upon her duties it was a frequent occurrence for team' sters to work horses with sore shoul ders day in and day out Mrs. Baa- sett has rapidly remedied that condi tion, and the practise has been almost wholly discontinued. Most of the horses in Sapulpa have been provided with hats this summer and have been fed and watered with greater regu larity, while drinking fountains have been erected In many places over the city. Stray dogs without friends to pro long their lives by means of the brass tax tag are no longer killed by the bullet of a policeman, In its stead gas is used, as Mrs. Bassett believes it to be practically painless. Due to this woman's efforts a roping contest at Sapulpa was declared off last summer. She not only realizes that the day of the "wild west" is long since past in Oklahoma, but it is her desire to put a stop to a form of amusement that results in broken horns and legs and frequently broken necks for the steers that are used. In addition, horses and men also ore frequently Injured. ' - As truant officer, Mrs. Bassett has almost stamped out truancy in the public schools of her home city. With the compulsory school law behind her she is able to enforce her demands EFFICIENCY 13 REQUIRED. The order signed by President Taft placing in the classified service assist ant postmasters and such clerks In certain classes of post offices as are not now within the civil service, does not take effect until December 1. An Important feature of the order ta that assistant postmasters who cannot pre sent an efficiency record will not have the advantage of the order. The offi cial text of the order Is as follows: "It is hereby ordered that the posi tion of assistant postmaster In post offices of the first and second classes and also the position of clerk, of what ever grade, in post offloes of the first auu mcuuu cluavi, uui uiuierio ciassl- nu, Burnt i' uiviuueu u uie ciaasmea service, provided that no assistant postmaster or clerk appointed without examination prior to this examination sunn uu vmoBiuvu nuu uiu 10 esi&D- 11s h to the satisfaction of the not office department his capacity for effi cient service In the position held, and Schedule A of the civil service rules Is hereby amended accordingly. This order shall take effect December 1, 1910."' 11 V "' The civil service commission U not MHutriMl make a definite statement RENOVATING THE CAPITOL. The capltol has recently undergone a thorough house cleaning and reno vating. Over 200 workmen have been laboring with paint brush, mallet and Ailsel tor months to improve the building. Among the numerous big changes is that of using the power plant of southeast Washington, which will transmit heat and light through, more than a mile of tunnel to the capitol, the . office building and the congressional library. All the rooms, stairways, etc., have been painted and varnished. For year after year paint and varnish have been put on the walls and stair ways until It will no longer stick, but peels off, leaving unsightly spots. Thjs year, the cleaning went so deep that all of the old paint was sandpa pered off and the new coats put di rectly on the walls. The painting of the dome and capltol combined has been an enormous task. It has been estimated that If one man only were to tackle the job it would take him about five years to complete it MOONSHINERS IN THE CAPITAL. An illicit whisky still almost In the heart of the national capital! Now, what do you think of that? The revenue officers made tl discovery a few days ago that in the southwest section of the city is an illicit still with a capacity of 100 gallons of whisky a day, and it has been there for nearly a year. 8ome Important arrests have been made, and It has been discovered that several of the wholesale liquor houses 1 this city were getting their supply of whisky from this still. INTERNATIONAL CHARITY GOAL SET BY BRITISHER Philanthropy has gone for ward a step in the act of , Sir Ernest Cassel. Though many have been gen erous in their home towns, dispensing of their surplus for the general good, and nu merous Carne gles have bestowed handsome gifts for the . use of their countrymen at large, Sir Ernest, has gone them all one better by his interna tional philanthropy. An Anglicized Teuton, his gift takes cognizance of the fact, and the million dollars do nated In the name of the late King Edward, as , a memorial to "The Peacemaker," includes In its benefit his compatriots in the land of his adoption equally with his erstwhile countrymen in the fatherland. . A gift to International charity in memory of King Edward; a million dollar fund established for the aid of the English poor in Germany and the German poor in England, plainly the gift seems designed to relieve the ten sion between these two nations whose "war scares" at the expense of each other are so numerous. However, Sir Ernest says that was not his idea, although if that were the effect of the fund he would be greatly delight ed. The son of a Cologne banker. Sir Ernest was born in 1852 and at an early age went to England, where he made a splendid fortune. About eight years ago, on the eve of his departure to India, he placed at the disposal of King Edward 11,000.000 to be used for charitable or utilitarian purposes. King Edward devoted the money to providing additional sanatoria for the open air treatment of tuberculosis, which were greatly needed at that time. Sir Ernest early became profi cient In financial affairs. In recogni tion of successful - services rendered to the Egyptian govenmen in 1899 hs received the K. C M. Q. "And in addition he has the first-class Soya! Order of Wars (Norway and Sweden), to which countries he wta,or great assistance in railway enterprise, and the Order of the Crown of Prussia, of the first class, one of the highest Ger man decorations. Of late years Sir Ernest had been closely associated with King Edward and was one of the last allowed to call on him before his death. CATALPA TREES FROM SEED Good Wind-Breaks Easily Obtained In Short Time and at Practically No Cost For a number of years we have grown this valuable species of decidu ous tree" from the seed gathered from our matured trees and we do It easily. After thd leaves have dropped we gather the long splke-llke pods from our catalpas and separate the seeds which are dried out and stored away with our other farm seeds.; In early spring when we plant our dwarf peas in the garden we scatter the catalpa seeds Into the trenches with the seed peas. About the time the peas are gone the little catalpa plants come up nice ly and by cultivation we can grow them a foot to 18 inches the first year and we then can set them out the fol lowing year In a permanent location We have a hedge or windbreak about the west and north sides of our orchard grown in this manner, and besides have many growing alongside the border fences and roadways, and upon our home grounds, where they bloom and are very pretty and orna mental the whole year with their broad, attractive leaves and drooping seed pods a foot or more in length. Some of our friends have tried the method of scattering the seed In the woodland or planting it along the fence rows where trees are wanted, but field mice rob the seed and a fail ure results. " i ' The catalpa speciosa, or tall-grow ing catalpa is what we grow, and It Is easily grown from seed after "--our method. If we desire a few trees of this species for planting no easier method can be employed than to grow them ourselves from seed gathered from the true specosia variety. We are Intending next season to grow a large quantity for planting into a grove for post timber, as they are val uable and have out-lasting qualities above many other varieties of timber for this purpose. FEED AND WATER FOR HORSE If Given Grain First Liquid Will Push It Out of Stomach Before Prop erly Digested. t An important fact to know in the feeding of the horse is that its stom ach is quite small and that it will hold about two gallons. If tn horse is fed his grain first, then hay and then water, the grain will be pushed out of the stomach before it is digest ed. The best way is to water first then feed some hay, and then the grain. In ease the horse Is warm it would not do to give all the water it would take, but it should be given a little even ' then. During warm weather It would be well If the horse was watered in the field at least once djirlng the forenoon and In the after noon. A horse will eat too much hay if given all at once. Feed a smaller amount of hay at noon. - During warm weather it pays to take. at least an hour and a half rest at noon and often timfcs even longer, and" then working a little later In the evening. In cool weather the rest hour need not be quite as long. . " ' LIVESTOCK NOTES. The Iamb that cashes In the most trioney for its owner is not a product of poverty. Circumvent the large feed bills by producing better roughage and grain on your own farms. j To allow feeders to eat all the corn they can stow away after reaching the farm is disastrous. A little flock well tended on the small farm well tilled will rarely dis appoint the good shepherd. , Give ewes good pasture and extra feed just before the breeding season. Give them extra feed during pregnancy. Tar in sheep troughs Is said to be generally beneficial for sheep at all seasons, and especially for grubs In hot weather. To get the best financial results from a flock of mutton sheep it Is es sential that they combine a good fleece with a good "leg of mutton." .Dairying and Soil Fertility. No other branch of agriculture pre sents more advantages than dairying disposing of these products of the farm as milk a id butterfat When the latter may be sold to creamery stations and the skim milk fed to calves and pigs along with alfalfa the profits are greater than from almost any other form of, agriculture. No other business tends so rapidly to build up the fertility of the farm, and, when Judiciously conducted, no other branch of farming yields more satisfactory financial returns. Raising and feeding alfalfa will add from 15 to 20 per cent to the profits of dairy ing over the use of any other feedstuff that may be raised or bought The profit problem for the dairyman is con stantly to find the feed that will de crease the cost of bis production. Sheep-Raising Pays. Farms where sheep are depended upon tor the big end of the Income are quite scarce this side of the Mis sissippi- But farms where sheep show net profits that they are never given credit for are numerous. The man who has kept a flock of 40 or 50 ewes ail his life seldom realises how much they contribute to his bank account and to the looks of his farm until he get! "sore on the wool trust" and gets out He'! generally found getting right back m. For the Hostess Chat on Interesting Topics of Many Kinds, by. a Recognized Authority ; A Chrysanthemum Luncheon.'' Judging from the numerous letters from brides-elect, Cupid must have been unusually busy with his Vllttle bow and arrow. There are so many requests for pre-nuptlal functions, I am sure the description of this chry santhemum luncheon will be very ac ceptable. ' It was gorgeously brilliant the color scheme being yellow; especially fitting for this month as November claims the topaz and the chrysanthemum; in this instance it was also the bride's birthday month as well as her wed ding day season. For a centerpiece there was a mound of yellow "mums," kept In place by embedding the stems In sand. At each place there was a little yellow jardiniere containing one stiff, straight little yellow "mum" to which the name card was attached with a yellow ribbon. The grape fruit cock-tail had a wee "mum" In the cen ter of the fruit; around the stem of the glass there was a fluffy bow of white tulle. The plates on which the frappe glasses stood had a wreath of yellow "mums" around them and the ice-cream was in boxes concealed by petals of yellow crepe paper "mums." The,, candle sticks were of silver and had yellow,. shades. - At each place were yellow slippers filled with salted nuts. Just the bridal "Tpnrty, were In cluded in the guests, I mean the girls In the party and two matrons of honor. A Box Shower. A Jolly crowd wishing to "shower" one of their number who was about to leave the state of single blessed ness, conceived the bright idea of giv ing a box shower. The boys were in on it too, and they had loads of fun. All the gifts were in boxes, which in turn were put in a huge dry goods box covered with white paper cambric on which hearts of red, large and small were pasted. When all had arrived, the bell rang and the village express man appeared and said he had a small parcel for Miss B - and Imagine the surprise when he entered with the as sistance of several of the masculine guests bearing the immense box. The honored couple were told they could unpack, but each package was to be shown, the card read and speech made before the next box was opened. Among the articles were boxes of paper, box of matches, box of tacks, box of soap, of thread, of pins, work box, glove and handkerchief - box, stamp box, tool box vand a nest of boxes ending with a wee pill box which contained a collar button; box of tin kitchen utensils, box of paper napkins, box-of lafls, etc. When It came to serving renfehments the hos tess had a dainty luncheon put up in pasteboard boxes covered with rose wall paper, a box for each couple, cof fee and ice cream completed the re past There were salted almonds and bon-bons in pretty heart shaped boxes bearing the monogram of the bride - : and groom elect, which the guests re ' talned as souvenirs. J A Neck-Tie and Aprott Party. Tnis reany is an oiu uiue biuui, uut like many other old thliigs has been reluvenated. The hostess prepares as many cheese cloth aprons as there are men and as many pieces of silk or rib- v bon as there are girls; When all arrive the men are given spools of thread , and told to find the girl who has an aDron to match It. In this way part ners are chosen and the girls put on the aprons after the men have sewed the hems and sewed on the strings. Allow half "or three-quarters of an ' hour for this. Next the girls are giv en the necktie pieces and they are gathered together and put through a door,; each girl having hold of an end, the door is closed and the men are to come in and take hold of an end.' When each man has an end, the door ; is opened and the girl who has hold r of the other end must fashion a neck-, HO IUr UGl Bwaiu. A uu miwt yuuo on and the girl puts on her apr5n", and thus partners are selected for supper or refreshments. This Is a very jolly . party, adapted to private parties or ' for a church social. ' MADAME MERRL To Clean a Black Skirt, i To clean's-Mark skirt lay the) skirt as flatly as possible on a clean jtable. Remove all grease spots wtthhro wn paper and a hot Iron, then with'" a sponge dipped in strong coffe rub over the whole of the dress, paying special attention to the front and sdge of the skirt. When the whole of the skirt has been sponged and Is still damp, Iron on the wrong side until perfectly dry. . All-black hats are seen In satin, vel vets, brocade hatter's plush, velours, beaver, beaver cloth. , f ; More dress hats are in all-black or black-and-white with a touch of metal r Qr color man in any ouier Bunuorr-,. . Ostrich feathers, willow plumes es pecially, are mucn in demand, unaaea and two-tone effects lead in lavor. Brimmed turbans are seen, with ud- 'i! right brims almost as high as the ha itself and close to It except at the back. ;. :.";) .. ' Hat shapes are of three sorts thel f lare, wide-brimmed hat (the most popufcr, tLe clotche, or Charlotte Co: dajajS- the turban. y ' ''As a variation on these4here lthe large hat with the mushroom brim la a wide variety of shapes, all gamjrally following the mushroom type. For Thanksgiving EVERY housekeeper does herself proud In getting up the Thanks giving dinner. Besides the snowy linen, sparkling silver and glass, and savory dishes, Borne decoration is needed to make the festive occasion quite complete. f These decorations are no small Item of expense If purchased In the' art sheps where hand work brings its price. Any woman or 'girl may, how ever, make her own decorations at very small expense and in a short time. We are giving today several designs which work out attractively In color. The candle shade, representing the horn of plenty, always in evidence in Thanksgiving decorations. Is to be traced on thin water-color paper by means of carbon paper, and tinted in water-color. The horn Is to be purple Tnot too dark the ribbons green, and the fruit oi the gay richness of the natural color. The inside of the horn may be tinted dark green. To add to the effect when lighted. put a bright bit of color on the wrong side of the shade under any gay col ored fruit such as orange or apples. Leave a little seam on each end of the shade and fasten with brass brods. Tbvs edge is cut out irregularly around the fruit When the painting Is done go over all Unas with waterproof black in, ana ao tne work jG&refully. rour piace cardsare given, one a demure Puritan maiden to be colored In light gray ga darker gray cape with bright refi uningf to match the cape wljg a White facing and tie and kerchljco Just ehowe a Ufc tie in Wont. Pa Paft the face and hands In the ntie ural color. Red knd yellow, 41 iprof erfymlx3d, . jslve, jatlafcWorr flea co'or beginners. " The lffies in all the cards should, be gone over with a pen and ink out line. The turkey Is to be painted brown, light and dark shades, with a hit of red on the head, and outlined. The pumpkin Is a brilliant orange color with dark green leaves, and '' the apples shaded in light and dark red and green leaves, with brown stems. The water-color cards may be bought by the dozen, or very stiff and heavy water-color paper may be used. Those who do not already possess a box of water-color paints may secure a very excellent Uttle box of a new make with all the necessary colors, for &0 cents. A five-cent Japanese brush, which eomea to a very fine point wiU answer all purposes (or doins fhJa work. ,