The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-12-29

Ing, but the short days and dark mornings
M AXE chore time extend later into the day
than In summer months and IL was quite
eleven o'clock before the club was called to
order by Mr.. Earl West in the absence of
the regular president. The laleness left
time before dinner only for the reports of the
delegates TO the recent state meeting OF
] farmers clubs. A. Wrigley and j. f Bill
/ himer were on the program for this repoi {
but Mr.. Bilhimer under plea of the neees.
sity OF looking after the arriving ones, left
his part of the program to Mr. Wrlgley
who took up the program presented to the
state meeting and recouLted number OF
the most striking points made by several of
the different speakers. Adjournment was
then taken for dinner and while there was
in all probability much more than the
simple outlay OF two or three small loaves
to start with, there certainly was more than
one basketful OF fragments left and during
the afternoon THE TIMES representative
could detect no trace of hungry look on
the face of any one present nor did any one
even seem to give the matter of supper
thot. Doubtless as all good people should,
they experienced a desire for supper later
Cd. but the dinner was simply feast of
good things.
The afternoon program, with the excep-
ton of the numbers given by Misses Nellie
Derr and Silvia West and the little Miss
Ivah Bilhimer, was taken up exclusively by
the men owing 10 some misunderstanding
on the part of the ladies who were expected
to take part The parts taken by these
younger ladies'. however. were well rendered
and heartily enjoyed.
The first number on the program proved
to be an impromptu discussion of trusts by
j. j. Whelan, who was called on unex-
pectedly In the absence of A. l.. Chandler,
to whom the subject had been regularly
assigned. Mr.. Whelan shrewdly said that
we do not as yet know enough about trusts
to discuss them with full understanding.
Referring to the wonderful progress made
in the arts and sciences In the last fifty
years, Mr.. Whelan expressed amazement
that such large part of the progress of the
world which has been moving OH for so
many centuries, should be confined to the
latter part of this one century but he pre-,
dicted that the next few years would see
improvement which wonld distance these
quite as fully. This thOt should be, he de-
clared, enough to fill every mind with the
desire to develop itself so that it might en-
Joy these coming things. As for trusts, in
sOfar as they restricted the freedom of men
and checked the possibilities of human life
as they seem to be doing In some respects
now, they were simply relics of the old
monarchial ideas and the old feudal sub.
lection. To-Day it is apparently, according
to Mr.. Whelan. not the divine rule of kings
but the divine rule of the dollar which Is
the greatest curse to the civilization of the
world.
Mr.. A. Wrigley then took up the ques-
ton, SIS the Noxious Weed Commissioner
Beneficial to the Farmer" He made the
assertion that not only do the weeds choke
and retard the growth of the crops which
they crowd out but that weeds In themselves
were more exhaustive of the fertility Of the
soil than any Of the plants which were
beneficial to man. In fact the only benefit
which be could see was derived even in
directly from the weeds which infest our
fields arose from the fact that in cultivating
the fields to kill the weeds we stir up the
soil at time when IL best prepares 1t for
the proper nourishment of the tender grow
ing crop. The names and the number of
weeds are legion, and the farmer should
adopt the motto, Conquer or Die. But even
the best farmers sometimes get careless and
q good live weed commissioner Is good in
vestment.