The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-05-03
Rural Happenings.

SENECA, May 1st-May day Bright, beau.
lful May. The air il filed with insect life,
and songs of birds are everywhere heard Cher
ry.trecs are white with bloom, and the soft,
velvcty greensward is gemmed with tiny bios.
sons, never planted by the hand of man, but
were scattered there by Natures hand" In
fact, Springs delights are now returning"
but we greatly fear for the delight" of autumn
if the nights continue TO bring frost.
On Saturday last one OF tie State temper
ancc workers arrived herein other words
"struck" Seneca. He had not been properly
heraldcd and advertised, but the news Of the
arrival Of Ii. \. Calkins, of Peoria, soon
spread. On Sunday, Mr.. &. attended the ).
Schools, and addressed the children, who were
greatly pleased at the mark of attention. In
the afternoon, at ,IaCkson's hall-which has
been rented by the r. Il. C.-Mr. Calkins made
an address, one of the finest we ever heard am
,rhere, and proved himself capable IF holding
an audience spell.bound. The hall was well
filed, but perfect quiet rcigncd, and at the close
of his address were no signs of relief, but many
expressions of disappointment that it had not
been longer. In the evening, Mr. G. spoke to
IA large audience in the NJ. f. church His
principal theme was "Tho influence of Sur.
roundngs" Deep as was the subject it was
handled so skilfully, and anecdotes and illus
tratiOns SO well brought in, that not only did
the speaker command the interested attention
of the older part of his audience from first to
last, but not little boy or girl succumbed to
Morpheus, or toyed with books &c to keep
from doing so This, we consider tribute not
often paid to speakers From all that we
have heard, we think it safe to predict that
when Mr.. Calklns again honors Seneca with a
visit, he will be warmly greeted, for all were
delighted with him.
Our pastors wife, Mrs. Chippcrtield goes to
Joliet tomorrow, to give an address on 1.-THE
Signs of the Times" at a meeting of the for
cIgn missionary society. Ii is prolific sub.
jcct, but we are confident that Mrs. G. can and
will do ii justice. Misses Thaycr and Hultz,
milllners, have been spending some time IN
Chicago, giving attention to the art of grace
fully combining laccs, ribbons, flowers, &c,
and converting them into becoming head-cov-
crings(0 We have not seen the stock, but
have heard that it is a good one,
We hear that the housekeeping fraternity
are determined not to take out license, the
price being too high, and we are very glad to
learn that our new board will not grant license
for billiards, pooltables, &c. unless the itquor
license also is taken, thus they will give no one
an opportunity to cvadc the law
GARFIELD His, April 30,h.-Thcre is an ap
parent determination in the elements TO keep
dry this time in this part of the county
Farmers are well along with their work small
grain IL doing well, and yet modest shower
oi rain would be an Improvement
A. H. Fowler is Smelling about ten thousand
bushels of his corn this week.
Some Of the farmers east of us a few miles
planted considerable corn this and last week
Charles Parker of Strcator, in making the
round trip among the farmers, gave us call
this week Mrs. j. l.. Suor will leave here
next week TO visit friends IN Iowa, and meet
her husband, who has been through Kansas,
Nebraska and Texas looking up location,
Robert Davis has returned from California
where he spent the winter for the purpose of
|rcgaining his health, but is not much benefited
thereby. INCoGNITo.