The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-12-14
THE EDITORS LEISURE HOURS
Points and Paragraphs Of Things
Present, Past and Future.

there ls now little excuse for any one
being ignorant. Every person has an
opportunity OF learning something oi
what 10 going on IN the world. Books
and papers are 90 cheap that there
ought to be bookshelf in every home
however humble, where the family may
bs supplied with reading matter suita-
BILE for the entire household. And
! along with this We believe that it may
be observed that the spirit of education
has never before been 20 lively in
North Carolina.
Mention has been made in this COL
umn before about the great waste which
results from carelessness with fire. II
is nothing uncommon to see along
railroads forest fires which burn for
days and days, destroying undergrowth
and sometimes larger growth, entailing
great loss to the owners of the land.
Just now, when timber and wood are
becoming scarce aud consequently
more valuable, il is a matter that ought
to claim the attention of every man in
terested in the welfare of his communi.
ty and the people generally. And We
would not say that ruch fires originate
every time with the railroad trains
There are many other ways in which
such fires originate from the careless
handling of fire.
The next General Assembly would do
we'll 10 establish a fire commission for
every county Tor the purpose OF inves-
tigating such fires, properly placing the
responsibility and assessing the proper
damages for the same. Such could be
done without any cost to the State, the
commissions compensation being a
part of the penalty upon those by whose
carelessness the fire originated.
One of the wonders of this progress
i've age is the manipulation OF a feather
duster by the porter on passenger
trains. The wonder is not so much as
to the dexterity with which the porter
handles his duster as it is why he han
dies 1t at all during the runs of the
train.
It is about this way: Train starts
for a long run with no dust to men,
tion. After q short time the train fills
with dust and fair proportion OF it
settles down upon window sills, on seats,
into hooks and corners; and the re-
malnder. what Is not swallowed by the
passengers, keeps floating about In the
unoccupied space OF the car. This
continues tor a time until some OF the
passengers begin to feel like they would
rather be seasick where there Is no
dust than to maintain their stomachlc
eouipoise in go much OF it. Then
comes the porter who commences with
mia feather duster. He futters 1t into
everv corner, up and down, around
every seat, then sweeps with bis broom
mixes floor dust with every other dust
he can stir up until the trains atmos-
phere mixed with little water would
make mortar for brick mason. Then
he has to call out tho station, opens
the front door of the coach as he goes
IN the next coach to call out the sta
|tion and while he passes out great
TUNES of smoke pass In to be mixed
With the now intolerable dust cloud that
liz sitting the tanning passengers.
| When the train starts again the DUST
ling is repeated; and no man living
with the help of all the women, hal
vet been able to tell why the porter
docs not wait until he reaches the end
Of the run before he does his dustlng
In he would think even once he couio
i .oa that however carefully he ssirs uE
ri. dust it has no where to 60 but set
In. hack on the seats to be again stlrree
mn bat twee,, the next two stations. ADO
he Ia sure to stir 1t up again. bu
why does he7
DIR. BULLS COUGH sYhn1
vill prove q quick ana sure cure 81, 70
group. Mothers, when your cnllole'
sre attacked with that dreadful diseases
-. 4 q. RW0H011A I8tYl