The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-08-29
MEN WHO PROVIDE BASEBALL
LOSE MONEY.
OLD SPIRIT STILL OBTAINS
Practical Charity That characterized
Early Days Continues to Find
Substantial Application.
From Thursdays Daily Gazette.

b. SL DAAAAA6o Ndu IN lOuSCI lay Clalm [
the distinction of being the best has,
ball town in eastern Montana. Til
days when it was wont to turn out b
the thousands to see the sphere swa1
ters cavort about the diamond an,
yell its encouragement to the pei
spring, painting men in guady uni
forms seem to have passed, neve
to return. Notwithstanding that v
better ball is being played on the loca
diamond this season than ever before
the attendance at the various games
is discouragingly small and the patri
otto gentlemen who are furnishing
the sinews of war are beginning tc
wonder where they will get off when
the season is over. AS the thing now
looks they will have to go deep down
into their pockets and take their pay
in h satisfaction that comes of the
knowledge of having done their best,
and like the a posing for his pic
ture "look pleasant"
Next Saturday and Sunday the new
champions who have arisen in the
east, the brawny sluggers from Miles
City, will be here and games worth
going miles to see r promised. Ger
tain it is that judging from the man
ne in which the Milesians have been
treating the teams that have ventur-
ed to tackle them ON their own
grounds they are dandies and league
ball will be the article put on tap for
those who care to be the spectators.
notwithstanding the p%roneness of
the men who came here during the
days when whiskey sold for "two bits"
n every man carried a ~six-shooter
n rife, to deplore the d%ecadence of
the old western spirit and bemoan the
adoption of tenderfoot ways, there
still remains much of the broad char
ity and practical humanity that were
the characteristic of the men who
settled the country and wrested it
from the grasp of it's savage owners.
Ever though money may have a high
er value than it then had and men
are inclined to part with less freely
than in those days, plenty still re-
main who are as free to respond to
the appeals of distress as ever.
Illustration of this was afforded
yesterday afternoon when a man re-
siding down the valley and who the
night before had lost his house and
all it contained by fire came to town.
The victim of misfortune is known to
his widely scattered %neighbors as a
good man and a desirable citizen. AS
soon as they learned of his loss some
OF them quietly organized themselves
into a relief committee and left an
order at n of the stores to honor
his draft to a generous AMOUNT, SO
that he might provide his family and
himself with the necessary clothing
and supplies, they having lost all in
the fire that deprived them of their
home. So unostentatiously and Sc
cretly was it all done that it was ONLY
by the merest chance that a few
learned of it's occurrence. So long
as men of that kind continue to re-
side in a community it may be con-
sidered safe, for they are possessed
OF the sort of hearts that will not
permit wrong to be done if they can
avoid it.
Copies of the programme of the In
ternational Mining congress-, which
convenes at Butte, September 1, have
been received. They show that while
the most of the business expected to
be done by the congress and that a
majority of the subjects considered
Will pertain to the mining and mill
ing Industries, a little time will be
to a subject of general in
terest to the residents of the west,
particularly the settlers of the arid
regions. F. H. Newell, who was here
last week and addressed the people
OF the city on the subject Of irriga-
ton, is down for a talk on the water
Resources of the West" Because
OF the position he occupies. chief n.y.
drographer of the reclamation serv-
of the interior department. he.
above all others, is we'll qualified to
speak on this particular subject and
MS address will no doubt be highly
interesting and entertaining. I'm
doubleday Mr.. NewelI's talk will inter.
est tue delegates from the non-miner-
sections of the country more than
all others and his most attentive
listeners will be the men from local
tiles such as this.
The suggestion has been made that
a view OF the shortness of the days