Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-02-25
BURDETEE,s PHILOSOPHY.
Reflections On a Sign B0ard-A REM
fniscence OF Illinois.
+bo Foo o1


You know how like house afire it rained
Philadelphia to New York, and by and by
we ran alongside a swamp. A creek had
overlooked its banks and swarmed all over a
whole township. That's why called it a
swamp A wide waste of water spread all
over all the land in sight. In the midst of
the food sign board bravely lifted its head
above the muddy seas. It's chin was barely
in sight, the water was tapping the lower
line, but it vas doing its duty nobly, and
this was what the sign board said, in big,
brave, black letters: "No picnics allowed on
these grounds"
just like that sign board. They had occasion
at some time to say something that was
needed to be said right at that time. For
day and a summer they just filed the bill.
They were the right men in the right place,
called to say the right thing at the right
time And then
They never could say anything else.
And they kept right on saying it. Day
and night summer and winter, flood or
drought in season and out of season they
kept on Saying it. Nobody was going to
>picnic in that swamp yesterday. Nobody
in while you will find the man in the
swamp shouting "Keep out! Keep Quit"
Keep out!'' when the whole United States
army couldn't drive anybody in. Having
once said or done good thing, the man
keeps on at that one thing, until by and by
the people who don't want to picnic on his
premises mock at him and laugh him in scorn.
The lonesome Jersey signboard, standing
chin deep in the food and over head in the
rain warning people not to have picnic in
flannel suits and lawn dresses that afternoon,
brought to my mind long, dreary, dismal
November day once passed-how Z passed
it, only a merciful Providence knows-in
not quite so large as the Eagle bust
ness office. 1t rained all that day. 1t
got up about daylight to rain and kept on
raining harder every hour. had to wait all
day long for the train wanted. In the at
ternoon, when my letters were all answered
and nv newspaper work was accomplished, L
stood at the window and looked dolefully out
on the flooded landscape. The trees stood
knee deep in the water. Everything was
soaked Everything drip, drip, dripped.
Whatever could float hoated. What couldn't
float sank. Water, water everywhere. In
the the clouds, in the air, on the ground, drip,
eurgle, splash, drop and stream, swamp
and torrent. And right in all
his universe moisture a great big sign,
painted in white letters, black shaded, on a
board fence, sign so big that you could
read it half a mile away, and it stared me in
the face even when I shut my eyes and turned
my back to it, Bethesda Water at
Hatchs."
Now, who the mischief wanted any of any
kind of water on day like this? 1t made
me so mad that tried to quit looking at IL.
But couldn't If I crawled under the bed,
it was there; if I thrust my head into the
| fiue, it stared down the chimney BY and
by, in utter despair, completely knocked out
| and exhausted, yielded to my fate, went
r;obt straight to Hatch's and drank glass of
Bethesda water, and if there was anything
| in the world hated, it was Bethesda
| water.
| AS newspaper man could only draw one
moral from this: Persistent advertising
| will tell