Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-07-27


| ucatiOn and bulwarks Of liberty seem
to come in jest right and hit the school
house on all sides at once. 1 fur one
| am standin neutral in this bizness. and
I'd like to hear both sides of the ques-
| ton. Mebbe Silas Lapham, who lives
| next door to the schoolhouse, would
Ike to make few remarks"
LAS fur me-" says Silas as he rises
up. I'm ag'in the idea of a lightnin
rod. That there schoolhouse was built
Is years ago. and durin them Is years
we've had a. thunderstorms. If she's
lodged az, why can't she dodge 200?
Why can't she keep right on dOdgin till
she tumbles down of old age? Forty
dollars fur a lightnin rod means more
taxation. Thar's SIGH n thing as an
emporium of education, but thar's also
SIGH a thing as an emporium of taxa
ton. Jericho Is out of debt and no
one kickin. but let the hand of ex-
cessive taxation clutch her throat. and
how long would it take to strange the
life out of her? I'm askin you to
pause and ponder afore it is too late"
"Silas, you've made n pint and
strong one" says the deacon when the
applause has subsidized. IF the school
house has lodged 80 thunderstorms,
thar's no reason to think she won't
keep up the record. Yes. it's n pint,
and mebbe the lightnin rod man would
like TO answer It."
81 don't think much of the pint"
says the man as he gifts up ag'in.
"Thar's 100000 people in these Unit
ed States. and because none of 'em fell
down stairs last year IL don't foller
that n heap of 'em won't tumble down
this year. I've known a man to go on
dodgin a mules heels fur 16 years and
then git 'em both in the stomach at
once. Mebbc your schoolhouse will
dodge a hundred more thunderstorms,
and mebbe we will skassly hev sought
our virtuous couches this night before
4 thunderbolt as big as bar'l will go
drivin through her and leave nuthin
but a heap OF splinterS to mark the
spot where your emporium of educa-
ton once reared its proud roof to the
blue vaults of heaven. l said $40 to
tie town board today, but in order to
show my interest in the cause of edu-
cation and 10 prove to you that my
/. hand is ever stretched forth to uphold
the prestige of a nation of freemen
I'll make the price $3S."
Hes made a pint. gentlemen-he's
made a pint" says the deacon as he
.whacks on the stove and looks around.
Yes, sir. when he talks about our
schoolhouse rearin it's proud roof to
the blue vaults OF heaven he's made q
pint. and I'm more favorable to the
lIghtnin rod than 1 was. 1 think this
crowd would like TO hear from Enos
williams"
I'm with Silas Lapham," says Enos
as he shets up his Jackknife and gifts
his feet under him. I'm fur lettin
sartin things dodge or bust They
wanted to insure the meetin house "a
years ago, but my advice was to let
her dodge. She's thar yit. I've got n
harm so years old. and she's never had
a lightnin rod or been insured-jest
had to dodge or bust all these years
and she's thar yit. Seventeen years
ago, when 1 built my house. l put q
bell on the front door. Nobody has
rung that bell TO this day. II would
be the same if we put a lightnin rod
on the schoolhouse-you wouldn't see a
thunderstorm around here fur the next
10 years. I'm all right on the empo-
rum of education bizness. and I can
see that thar schoolhouse reaTin it's
proud roof TO the blue vaults Of heaven
as plain as IL IL wasn't . O'Clock at
night, but / don't see no call TO pay
out S3S- Let her dodge or bust-'
5 'Thar's pint thar, Enos-thar's q