Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-13
world who find nothing quite 80 hard
to do as the writing Of a letter.

to do as the writing Of letter.
Il recollect." says George German.
the veteran minstrel, when was
first here In Portland % years ago.
The old Puritanical laws were at that
| time In force. ! was walking up Con-
gress street on Sunday afternoon
whistling when policeman rushed
across the road with fire in his eye,
| and threatened to arrest me II thus
continued to desecrate the Sabbath. 1t
| was the last time / ever whistled on
the streets Of Portland"
Ex-President +. NJ. Strout of the
Epworth League believes that the time
is rapidly approaching when the time
limit on Methodist pastorates will be
abolished. Years ago." he says, "a
| Methodist pastor remained in one place
just 800 days, then it was extended
three years, and within the post
decade the limit has been stretched to
five. ! was in sympathy with the
three. but did not like the idea of
raising it two. Still, think it can be
torate in Portland has been longer than
the average Baptist or Congregational
pastorate. l believe the abolishing Of
the time limit will have a tendency TO
shorten. rather than extend the SER
vices of the pastor"
Whatever may be said to the con-
| trary. the fact remains that free text
books have done much to promote the
cause Of popular education. Under the
| old system poor people often found it Il
serious burden to provide text books
for their children and we have known
more than one instance where children
were kept out Of school for this reason.
Text books are as properly part of
the outfit of schoolroom as are its
black boards or its desks. The facii-
tiles for popular education should be
as available to the children of the poor
as they are to the children of the ricn.
and any move which makes them less
so will be decided step backward
The government postofiice and Gus
tom house at Machias has been
polished up" of late. and its interior
now presents most inviting appear
ance. In this connection the Republi-
can says: With all this expense and
more to come next year, II is to be
hoped and believed that all careless
and needless persons will not. as has
been done in the past. litter the floor
with peanut shells. defile the floors
with tobacco juice and scratch and
mar the paint on the walls. and the
younger folks. boys mostly. not taxi
their time every evening to play tag
and skylark in the corridors while
waiting for the mail" This is timely
suggestion. and one that might apply
with equal force to postofiice buildings
in other towns Of the State.
A Brewer drummer at home with n
sprained ankle has been compelled to
listen to the following account of the
origin of his misfortune: One day
while driving through the country. a
deer came out into the road about n
hundred yards ahead of him, and hav-
ing, apparently. not noticed the ap-
preaching team. walked leisurely into
the woods on the other side. Thu
drummer stopped his trOtter. sprang
out. and hitching him to a tree seized
his double barrel shot gun, and ran
ahead to where the deer had gone in.
To his great delight on reaching the
place he sighted the deer quietly
browsing within good range. He raised
his shooter, took good aim and blaZed
both barrels simultaneously. The in
slant he fired it flashed into his mind
that he had made a mistake. In TAX
ing aim he had closed the wrong ey"
and the result was. having fired at It
deer, he hit a tree and killed a chip
bird. And this was not all. The gun
kicked so hard it nearly dislocated his
shoulder, and in pulling the triggers ne
sprained his second finger badly. ami
the report was so loud it frightened his
horse and he tore away from his an
chorage and run madly back about two
miles where he was found in a field
near a farm house. and in running IL
catch the horse our friend, travelling
man. turned his ankle and caused i
bad sprain. We might add: his friends
have lied so much about him since his
heart is well night broken.
Down in York county where there
are no deer or moose for which man
may be mistaken they shoot human
beings for rabbits. Several days ago
Edgar F. Davis near Biddeford hearing
a rustlng in the bushes and thinking it
rabbit fired and filled leg OF
Thomas Mckinney full OF small shot.
Had the gun been loaded with bullets
the ninny in charge of it would have
killed his man.
Years ago West Pembroke man
owned a horse that he fed and other
wise treated well as was his custom
Finally he sold the animal which after
wards led somewhat precarious eX-
istence. What was the mans surprise
the other day to see that same horse