davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
THE DESERT BLOOMS.
All because Man Knew. What to Do.
and Did II.

All because Man Knew. What to Do.
and DID 1t.
In the southwest corner of France,
between the rlvass OF Adolr and Ca
rome, are long stretches of pine woods,
green and cool. Where these pines
now stand was barren waste in the
middle of the last century. Sun and
wind We'd with each other in making
the land drier and dustier. Over the
stormy bay of Biscay came winds that
set up great sand storms and sometimes
buried whole villages. The whole re-
giofr >Yas one Of hopsSessness and de-
spair Fate was against It. BYt at
last there came along man who ac-
kowledged fate only as something
to be overcome. His name was Bre-
monitor, and he was an inspector of
roads. He began fencing in the desert.
He built fence, and behind it planted
a handful of broom seeds. Behind the
broom seeds he put seeds of the pine.
The fence protected the broom seeds,
and the broom grew. Then the broom
in its turn afforded shelter to the deli
cate pine. shoots. Soon the pines
spread, and their tough roots bound
the sandy soil together. The first step
was accomplished. Then canals were
made to drain the wet parts and carry
the water to the dry. Thus did one.
man. by patient effort. turn a dreary
desert ipto home for an industrious
and healthy population. 1t was an,
instance Of triumph over fate. -Phila-
delphia Times.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
Naming o, Nails.

Many children and some grown per-
sons have found 1t in order to ask why
nails were called tens, Fights, skies,
and so on. There are various explana-
tons for this. and the scholar can ac-
cept that which pleases him best. Ac-
cording to one statement. when nails
were made by hand, the penny was
taken as standard of weight and six
were made equal to the weight OF a
copper penny" This explanation is
open to criticism, on account of the
very small size Of the nails, of which
six were needed to balance even the
large-sized, old-fashioned copper PEN
ny. Others are much more probable.
One explanation holds that tenpenny
mails originally sold for tenpence a
hundred, and so on, the smaller nails
sclling for the lower price. Another
sxplS Rtion is that one thousand nails
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

which possesses so many separate and
distinct shops for the manufacture of
a single commodity as Providence does
for the manufacture Of jewelry. There
are at least $50 separate factories de-
voted to the making OF gold. silver,
rolled plated, electroplated, and brass
jewelry ana novelties. In addition
the auxiliary industries for furnishing
supplies of special labor to the jew
elry factories number more than IS.
Many of the jewelry shops are small,
employing only ten or a dozen hands.
while some employ as high as 300,
and in one case 1,4o0.- Nashville Am
erican.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
FACTS ABOUT BANANAS.
why the Rod banana Has Dlsappeare,
Other Phasea of the Trade.

Why the Rod Banana Has Disappeared
Other Phases of the Trade. n
Red bananas are SO scarce nowadays;
as to be practically a rarity; the pre-
vailing banana is yellow. Twenty
years and more ago the red was the
prevailing banana and the yellow the
rare one. The yellow. banana requires.
less care and time in the cultivation,
and SO costs less in that stage. 1t:
sticks to the stem better than the red
banana, and SO stands handling bet
ter. There are one-third more yellow
bananas to the bunch than red. With
all these marked advantages in Its IA
vor the yellow. banana has practically
driven the. red banana out. With yell
low bananas at 81 OF. $3.50 bunch,
red would be worth from Sc to Sill, and
there would be fewer in a bunch. Red
bananas sell nowadays in the fruit
stores as high as 20 cents each. The
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
DEPoRTED IMMIGRANTS.
No People In the World Have sadder
Fate Than They.

Fate Than They.
The saddest class OF people in the
world, perhaps, are the immigrants
who are rejected as being unfit to en-
ter the United States--the land of
promise; to SO many hundreds of thou
sands of human beings On almost
every outgoing steamer that carries
steerage passengers there is group
OF men. women, and children who
stand out distinctly from among their,
fellows, says New York correspond
ent. They have been brought to the
pier trifle early, arriving huddled to-
gether In large express wagons and
guarded by burly men in uniform. AS
the wagons rattle along the streets in
the early morning the occupants are,
as a rule, quiet enough. They even.
seem interested In the scenes around
them: but. when the wagons draw up
before the pier and the ship comes
into view, a shock runs through the
forlorn groups and the air. is filled with
vocalized grief. There is swearing and
pleading, and lamentation in Yiddish,
oAASA, AtaAlnA, SYRIAN, anu ally one ol
score OF other tongues. There is wild
sobbing In the international code of
distress. There is resistance. some
times even downright. rebellion. The
officers in charge are used to such
scenes. They use persuasion consola-
ton, force, II necessary. Their charges
are hustled aboard the ship. Some go
quietly, in dull apathy Of despair.
Others make the air ring with their
protestations. Occasionally there is a
savage fight for liberty. always end
Ing In one way. The fighter 10 over
powered and put aboard the ship with
out ceremony: The oniclals ass not
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

lbrntes. They have hearts In good
working order concealed about their:
persons, They don't like the work.
but they are carrying out the law, and.
incidentally, posing as angels with
flaming swords. They are deporting
Immigrants excluded from American
residence as dangerous to the welfare
and prosperity OF the country. These.
people have been rejected by the exam
ming board at the Barge Office and
sad. indeed is their state. Many of
them before leaving home sold every
thing they owned, converted It all into
money for the passage. No homes are
waiting for them. Their money Is.
gone. Their hopes are dead. They;
are shut out from the new life OF which
they dreamed, and cannot even take
up the old life where they left on
with it,.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
The Antomatlo Bath rub.

1t Is told OF certain lazy man of,
these parts that, in order to save him-l
self any inconvenience when he had
his house remodeled, he included an
automatic bathtub. The tub was so
arranged that he could lie in bed, and,
by pushing button, the door opened
and bathtub would glide from the
next ROOM to the side Of the bed. and
then all he would have to do was to
roll over into the tub and take his
morning bath. The other day he was
showing party OF gentlemen friends
over the house. and when he came to
his room he said: Let me show you
my automatic bathtub.' He pushed
the button, there was scream. and the
tub came sailing into the room with.
his wife in 1T She now takes her
bath in a washpan, Galesburg Mall.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
rles : snow R.th.

Ed Dletz. prominent athlete Of
Northwestern university. is acquiring
considerable @alebrity in Evanston for
his snow bafks. Every evening before
retiring Diets plunges head first into
q snow bank. After foundering about
vigorously fur a few moments he
throws his rois about him and rushes
into the houss Dietz says snow bath
is not SO bad after you become used
to It." and he ry'eaks in glowing terms
OF the exhilars,'on that follows IT,
Chicago Timee iserald.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
INK ROLLERS USED in 1o4I.
Not un,n Few Year. Ago, However, w.r.

ISOt GAtIl ~ Tow \ CARS az 11VWcS0ft w Gre
They made OF Glue and Molasses
AS long ago as the year 1041, so his
tory tells us, Chinese blacksmith,
Pitching by name, made a paste Of
glutinous earth upon which he en-
graved separate characters. These he
baked, making movable type of earth
enware. Even to this day in China
the impression is made by linking the
type with brush; thin absorbent
paper is then laid upon the face of the
type and pressed lightly with dry
brush. We have now the first way by
which ink was transmitted to type
This way of taking an impression
continued until about 1474, when pelt
balls were introduced. If in perfect"
order these would do good work. They
were made in the following way: A
piece of strong grain pelt or skin was
selected, and from this the grease had
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
in SOUTH AFRICA,
Table seunta,n Mark. tn. Tip End o.

Table Mountain Marks tho Tip End OF
tho Continent
You land in South Africa at the foot
of mountain 5000 feet high. They
call it Table mountain, and the vail
of mist that, excepting on very clear
days, overhangs it, South Africans are
pleased to term the "table-cloth."
Presenting a front of solid rock 1000
feet in height perpendicular at a wall.
and for half a mile on top quite level,
this mountain offers the best natural
sign board on earth. Time and again
have English firms attempted with
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

beard. Going out CHANGED to notice
a costumer's shop, and was seized with
an inspiration. rushed over, bought
that curio now on the wall, returned to
the bank, clapped it on my classic mug,
and said, Now gimme that money
There was some talk, but got it, and
afterward worked the same scheme
from one end of Europe to the other.
The bank people regarded it as an
amusing American eccentricity With
out it would have lost at least a
month, laying up somewhere. waiting
for my bristles to break out. New
Orleans Times-Democrat.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
A FALSE BEARD.
Why an ANGLICAN in Europe Had to

why an Anglican In Europe Had to
Wear One.
Among the varied bric-a-brac, OBJ
jects of art, and souvenirs of travel
that adorn the walls of one Of the
coolest bachelor "dens" in New Or
leanstis false beard and mustache
put together on a false foundation and
supplied with pair of delicate wire
hooks to go over the ears. 1t is Jet
black in color, and its effect is trifle
piratical These false whiskers,' .
said the young broker who occupies
the apartment. ARE an interesting
relic. When tell you that used
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
Big Tninrs In prov,d.,c.

Providence has the largest silver
ware factory in the world, the largest
screw factory, the largest mandatory
for small tools. and the largest file
works. Perhaps it is especially unique
in producing more jewelry than any
other city in the United States and
nearly as much as the rest of all the
country combined. There is no city
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

In New York hospital moving pic
lures have been made of epileptic pa
tie9ts, as well as OF persons affected
With locomotor ataxia. This is follow
lng the example set in Vienna, where
moving pictures have been made of eel
sebrated surgeons performing critical
operations. The purpose in both cases
AZ to enable students and practitioners
TO study the peculiarities of diseases
s and the methods Of distinguished oper-
.RtorS.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

One of the necessary .adjuncts OF
every military camp which counts ca
yalry among its forces is corps of
farriers. Horseshoeing at the front,
however, is not performed as 1t is in
the well-stocked blacksmith shop. The
cavalry horse requiring a shoe is seized
by two or three soldiers. promptly
dumped over on his side and, while IL
is held down by number Of Tpmmies.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
the soil to be prospected lies but few
feet below the surface, either on the
beach or back in the foothills.

the soil to be prospected lies but few
feet below the surface, either on the
beach or back in the foothills.
There is but little non-producing
dirt to remove, as bed rock is found
five feet below the surface. Men who
have suffered with the gold fever for
fifty years aver that the inland mines
of this district are very similar in geo.
logical formation to the early placer
mines in California. During the min
ing season at Nome almost all the OPP
erations were confined to beach dig
gings. This was due chiefly to the
accessibility to water and to the fact
that little was known OF the interior
mining regions.
Two million dollars have been ex-
traeted from the beach already and no
estimate can be made of what lies hid
den there. Prospectors have gone
ii~sre -; u ilas Of this beach and say
that in evef q 4 here lisL.nre-
cious metal. II.
The beach for man9 20
with mining claims. Tue particular
sand in which the gold is foupd is ruby
red in color and lies in strata from two
to nine inches in thickness.
Labor is the. greatest item of ex-
pense. but this when taken in proper
tion to the net gains dwindles into
insignificance. Perhaps one of the
greatest advantages Of these fields lies
in their accessibility. The greatest
difficulty is manifested in the landing
of both passengers and freight from
the vessels to the shore. The gold it
self has been pronounced by experts to
be of an exceptionally pure quality. 1t
is clean and bright, is easily retorted
and amalgan1ates perfectly on the
copper plates, which lie at the
bottom of each rocker. The
specie is found in fine par
ticles and small grains in the pay
dirt along the beach, while in the in
terror and along the numerous creeks
the product contains nuggets of ex-
ceptional size and weight. These mug
gets are generally smooth worn, show
ing that they have at some time been
washed about or worn by the friction
of ice in some prehistoric period
This is the district into which the
new gold seekers must plunge. The
miner on his arrival at Nome may
pitch his tent any place until he To-
Gates his claim, either upon the beach,
the four stakes, one for each corner Of
the rectangle. AS soon as piece of
land is decided upon by the prospec-
tive miner the district recorder is no.
tified who, for the small sum of $3.50,
examines the records to find out if
there are any previous claimants, and,
if none are found, places the location
on record.
The area allowed Is 500 feet In width
and the length depends on the geo.
graphical formation. The width may
vary from hundred feet to half a
mile. The creek on the borders OF
which the claim is taken up generally
passes through the claim. What Is
known technically as the rim, or rims
forms the boundaries on either end OF
the claim. The rim is nothing else
but that place in the formation OF the
land where the hills forming the water
shed begin to rise. 1t is estimated by
the transportation companies tina.
there will be hegira of gold seekers
numbering some $4,000, to these new
gold fields within the next few months
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

the army horseshoer goes to work and
has the charger shod before he could
eat feed or oats. "A small portable
bellows and forge enables the farrier
to travel about the lines and do his
work whereveI wanted. The accom-
panying illustr ZION shows one OF these
army horseshoe putting shoes on an
'obstreperous IRIS mount In South
Africa. IL
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

vi the tenpenny size used to weigh ten
pounds, one thousand of the sixpenny
size six pounds, and SO for other sizes.
OF the ordinary sixpenny nails there
are eighty to the pound; of the eight
penny there are fifty; tenpenny, thirty
four; twelvepenny, twenty-nine.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

Horace Greeley. the famous editor,
had thrashed over the question OF
women's rights with an able represen-
tatiye Of their sex. and wound UP with
the contention that in times of war
women We're useless. What would you
90. ne demanded, Sin the event of a
civil WARP? Just what you would do,
Mr.. Greeley" replied his opponent,
promptly; II should stay in my office
and write articles urging other people
togo and fight"
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

The remark is often made that the
Swintersof 1Ss9-1soo has been, in great
4 part OF the country. bad for some
branches Of business because of it's
1 mildness and dryness. The statement
~ quite undeniable, since business"
practically means the spending of
money. and not the saving of it.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
s1edlcinal Propert,e. Of Fruit

It rtadYf1y %ass Hi inspiration ssSpiiftaftion that d.
Tee,ed the'members of the human fam
lily to the trees as the means of heal
ing for the nations. Fashion and
custom have prescribed various fruits
as suitable to eat with other heavy
foods. Among the products of the or
chard, the apple is unquestionably the
most valuable. Apples contain acid,
and are an almost unfailing remedy
for govt and some rheumatic affec-
tons. It is said that any person who
will eat half a dozen during the TWEEN
ty-four hours of the day will never
have need of a doctor. Whether or not
this be true, it is certain that this
fruit, partaken of freely in a raw state,
will ward off many diseases and cure
many others. Corpulence,, dyspepsia,
some forms of kidney disease, liver
complaint and govt have disappeared
as if by magic after diet of apples,
brown bread and milk This combina-
ton makes a most relishable meal, and
one of which few people become weary
Corn bread is also good, and those who
suffer with any of the diseases men
toned will find it greatly to their adj
vantage to try this diet.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05
] Q. y. HULL. Publisher.
THURSDAY, APRIL S, 1900

An ounce Of essence is worth gall
lon OF fluid. A wise saw may be more
\ valuable than a whole book, and the
plain truth Is better than an argument.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

The man who will pay real money
for the privilege of witnessing the bluff
TO be put up by Jeffries and Corbett
need not draw upon the public for
sympathy.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

Sir John Murray in recent address
drew vivid picture of the time, in
the remote future, when temperatures
as low as those which Professor Dewar
produces In his experiments at the
Royal Institution will prevail all over
the earth. The atmosphere and the
oceans VIII then have disappeared
/: within the rocky crust of the globe.
their elements having entered into
Aew combinations. In other words, to
use Sir John Murray's expression, "the
waters Of the But ov ei!l l have balo ne
will roll the waves of a new and most
wonderful sea, IAN ocean of liquid air
about forty feet In Depth AT that
j time, .of course, life as we know it will
have vanished from the earth.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

A few years ago a landowner mado
his neighbor tear down and rebuild a
four-story block because it overreached
SIX inches into the next lot. A still
more selfish contention, concerns the
Sproprietorship Of five inches of space
three hundred feet above the sidewalk
The bringer of the suit declares that a
neighboring cornice projects five inches
over his own modest roof, and he
claims large damages therefor. To,
once Doctor Hale's look up and not
down seems at fault. Thackeray's
irony is more apt: If your neighbours
foot obstructs you, stamp on it; and
do you suppose hewon't take it away 2"
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

The great playwright and novelist,
Dumas. once found man fast asleep
In the Theater Francois during the
performances Of play by his friend
Sonnet. You see that?" said he. Chat
is your work. Next evening Dumas
piece was being played aud the two
friends again went to the theater. Once
more they found sleeping man. You
see, my dear Dumas, that your works
can produce Sleep" said Sonnet. .Do
you refer to that mani, asked Dumas.
why, he's the man we noticed last
IiI1 $500 - nnf 4 = II 1rnt
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

The clothing Of our minds certainly,
ought to be regarded before that 81
onr bodies. Steele. ssSsss
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

Killed Herself by shooting,
At Springfield, Mass, William Met
calf, well known local printer and
publisher. killed himself BY shooting.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

DR.. Thomas Wilson of the United
States National Museum, discussing
Iome Of the problems of American an
thropology, points out among the pc
culiarities yet unexplained, that a
fringe Of country lying between the
coast range and the Pacific contains
a greater number of stocks, or families
Of Indian languages than all the rest
in North America combined. The ar
row and spear-heads of the Pacific
coast are notably different from those
Of other parts of the country. Pottery,
although made by neighboring peoples
IN Mexico and in the Pueblo county,
was absent from the arts of the Pacific
coast. while. on the other hand, the
finest specimens Of basketry perhaps
In the world, either in ancient or mod
sern times, are to be found in Califor-
MIA. Doctor Wilson regards the ia
nous Calayeras skull as a genuine
relic of ancient man on the Pacific
slope.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

fabulous sums to secure it for advertis-
ing purposes, but as yet there has been
no such DETACHMENT. Table mountain
marks the tip end Of the dark CONT
nent. Below it nestles the city of Cape
Town, a beautiful bay stretching out.
in the foreground. On the west the
mountain breaks off abruptly, and the
railroad skirts about it to the interior.
On the east it slopes into hilly. pic
turesque formation known as the
Lions Back" and then gradually
rises into the Drakensburg mountains.
This is the only great mountain range
, south of the zambesi, and by noting
its location one may understand in a
trice just what South Africa is geo
graphically. Steaming along the east
coast from Cape Colony northward,
you have the Drakensburg in view
nearly all the way to Beira, distance
OF. Z, 600 miles, IN Cape Colony and
Natal the mountains III many places
dip to the waters edge, and with field
glass one may see on their crags and
peaks smoke curling up from the ma
tive villages. Ainslie's Magazine.
Il II ~ =. 1
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

will there be any more English
Carlyles and Ruskins, or American
Emersons T" The Chicago Tribune
thinks not. But neither will there be
another Chinese Confucius, or a Greek
Plato, or a Roman Seneca. 1t does not
follow that the world will lack lead
sers. teachers. prophets, and sages.
merely because duplicates are rot
forthcoming. Besides, whatever light
comes to mankind with the advent of
wise men shines on undimmed after
they vanish. And they live on in
spirit and attend US as Frightening
ideals.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-04-05

Fuseli, an eminent historical painter,
was rather fond of sarcastic remarks
at the expense of his friends. North
cote, contemporary, exhibited his
Judgment of Solomon" Fuseli look
ed at it with smirk on his face. "How
do you like my picture?" inquired
Northcote. Much" was the answer;
the action suits the word. Solomon
holds out his fingers like pair of open
scissors at child, and says: Cut it,
/ like it much" Northcote remem-
bered this when Fuseli exhibited a pic
ture representing Hercules drawing his
arrow at Pluto. How do you like my
Spicture?" inquired Fuseli. Much"
said Northcote; sit is clever, very
clever; but he'll never hit him" He
shall hit him." exclaimed the other,
land that speedily Away ran Flu
sell with his brush, and as he labored
to give the arrow the true direction he
was heard to mutter: "Hit him! BY
Jupiter, but he shall hit him!"