Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-01-21

for lost time. Friday the sth, at eight
a. IN, the thermometer indicated 120
below zero, which is pretty low tenn
perature for this latitude. Until few
days ago the weather has been for the
most part warm and pleasant, carpen-
tiers worked out Of doors without suffer-
ing but little inconvenience from the
cold, many days coat was uncomforta-
BILE, 1t was so warm. Christmas day
was one of the most beautiful ever saw,
warm and pleasant as springtime. The
only trouble about that kind of
weather is that one can have no conf
dence in it, It may last an hour or
week, but no calculation can be made
regarding it. The 5th and 9Th were
warm and pleasant, men worked at
framing the roof of church here with
no discomfort, but the 7th was one of
the worst days / ever saw, in fact the
worst. One day no fire is needed, the
next it may he almost impossible to
keep warm with red hot stove in the
room. The remark that "nothing is so
certain as uncertainty" is surely true
when applied to Kansas weather.
Harper is going steadily on improving,
it is hard work to make strangers be-
lieve that all the growth has been ac-
complished in eight years; massive
brick and stone buildings are seen on
every hand, some of which would be an
ornament to city much larger than
Harper. The stores are larger and car
ry HEAVIER stocks of goods than any in
Napoleon. There are two hardware
stores here either of which will double
discount anything of the kind found
there. The same as to grocery and
dry goods stores. In drug stores there
is nothing which can approach to eth
er Saur's or Humphreys, both of those
being far ahead of anything of the kind
l have seen in Kansas.
The city government is seriously con-
templating the putting in of water
works in the spring, which will insure
protection against fire.
There is the largest and best equipped
fair ground here in Southern Kansas
and the fair held here last September
was credit to the county, the only dis
creditable thing about it being the
number of gambling devises allowed
on the grounds, but understand the
Harper fair was not the only one thus
afflicted last fall. When the managers
of the fairs have more conscience and
are less grasping and avaricious these
gambling establishments will be kept
out, but as long as missionaries are sent
to the heathens in foreign lands and
none to these heathens at home, I sup
pose these and kindred evils pertaining
to fair management will have to be en-
dured.
In church buildings Harper is behind
the times, there being none at present
worthy the name, but there will be
soon; the Baptist church building be-
ing about enclosed and hurrying on to-
ward completion and when finished it
will be one of the neatest houses in
Southern Kansas, and much finer than
any church in Napoleon, excepting the
Catholic, it will cost, when furnished,
some seven thousand dollars.
The Presbyterians here have just
finished fine parsonage at cost of
about two thousand dollars, and are in.
tending to build ten or twelve thou
SAND dollar church next summer, so Har
per will be ahead in church buildings as
in nearly everything else.
A very heavy immigration is looked
for next spring. The Southern Kansas
is offering extra inducements to lane
seekers and pushing as rapidly as pos
sible to the extreme western part of th'
State. The road branches at .Attica
fifteen miles west of here, one line run
ming southwest to Kiowa, and the 9th
er is just completed to Medicine Lodge
thirty or thirty-five miles to the west
What will be next the point, or wha
the future plans of managers of tn
road are, no one can tell, as they keel
their own councils, but one thing ma.
taken as foregone conclusion they will
leave nothing undone which will il
any way tend to add to the usefulness
of the road; it has done an immens
amount in the past and promises to dt
much more in the future; it has al
ways pursued very liberal policy will
the people along the line, and is nov
reaping the benefit of its dealings, a
the Southern Kansas is regarded by ev
ervbody as the road in this part of tn
|, State, and there are many. One com
ing west cannot miss it if he travels b,
the peoples route, for he will strike th'
very best part of Kansas by SO doing.
G.. l.. E.
Au Important DISCOVERY.
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