Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1895-02-14
SOME TWENTY YEARS AGO.
A Prophecy of 1919.

The editors attention has been cali
ed bv Mrs. r. Meyer Jr, to an account
OF THE Lyeeum Entertainment
given in the HERALD in 1875. The
entertainment was given in the chap
Ell of the school house with the follow
inc names appearing on the program
Ada Foster, Frank Nathan, Jerre
Dodge. Henry Rothschild, VIM. Clark.
Geo. Cox, Will H. Lewis, Adolph
Schreiner, Oscar Lewis, Richard Fall
lev, Jessie Never. Prof. j. Brindley,
Geo Clark, Clyde Showalter, Adolph
Borah and Mamie Foster The ac-
count saws '.Th paper by Miss Nam
nie Foster was decidedly the very
best of the program, in which Miss
Foster displayed considerable genus
in it's production. Below are given
a few extracts from the paper which
was in the nature of prophecy.
Some time in the goth century an
old man is supposed to return to Lam
caster, his boyhood home, after many
wears Of wandering about the world:
He sought the city historian who
was none other than the venerable
Joseph Barnett and there ascertained
that while many had been prosperous,
a few had but poorly improved the
opportunities for advancement which
this life offers.
OF the BOYS who attended school in
Lancaster in 1875 he learned that
three were members OF the Lower
House of Congress and that one was
a Senator. several held prominent
positions in the various professions
and some were clerking in stores at a
small salary with little hopes of adj
vancement The few who had left
school early in life to get into bust
ness were working for days wages
whenever they could find job.
When he considered that these boys
all started equal in life and saw the
different positions they then occupied
he said: Surely man is the archi-
tect of his own fortune and the
moulder of his own destiny The
curiosity of our hero being now
aroused he determined to learn what
/ hadtbecome of the young ladies and
gentlemen who considered themselves
the elite of Lancaster in 1879. lie
found that Miss Mary Carrier was
practicing law in St. Louis, and Miss
Orah Cox was at the head of an eX-
tensive newspaper establishment on
Madison street; Miss Emma Shrader
was carrying on a large farm in west
ern Grant and Miss Lille Farnsworth
was Surveyor General of Dakota Ter
ritorv; Miss Nellie Barber was rum
ming a drug store at Beloit and Miss
Jennie Church was at the head OF a
wholesale boot and shoe store in j. p.
Lewis old stand; Miss Zurah Farms
worth had purchased the whole OF
Bloomington and Miss Nettie Jones
held a half interest in the wholesale
dry goods store on Maple Street; Miss
Alma Durand had emigrated East
and was CARRYING on a hardware busi-
ness in New York.
He found that 5. G.. Harris had fail
ed in the newspaper business and was
preaching in Slabtown; h. +. Mccoy
had conquered all desire for worldly
gains and had gone to Chicago and
was knitting socks for the grasshop-
per sufferers in Nebraska; Joe Phillips
had succeeded Mr.. Hawkins and was
taking care of the church and Frank
Budd was brakeman on the narrow
guage railroad ..from Lancaster to
Platteville or any other available
point j. H. Howe had married young
and had never more been heard of;
A. r. Bushnell had resolved to spend
. his life in the cause of youthful hui
manitv and was teaching elocution to
the small Winnebago Indians; Rollo
Watkins was All auctioneer in the 3rd
ward A. Riefsteck was Il soldiers Or
phan commissioner and j. Brindley
was running a peanut stand on Fox
and Wisconsin river canal boat.
We are sure many OF our readers
viii remember and enjoy the witty
hits in the above and will enjoy re-
calling the days Of Aud Lang Syne
when they were young and foolish,