Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-02-03

hogoIogy and its practical demonstra-
ton and benefits
y great many took an active part
in the discussion, and for depth of
thought, broadness of view and ma
tive power, and for the wonderful in
lsight into the sublime and hidden Sc
lcrets of nature, and native elo-
lquence, has never in the cycles of
time heretofore been approached
Dryden must have peered into the flu
ture when he penned these lines:
! Can il be that souls sublime
i Return to visit our terrestrial
clime?r
1t begins to look that way, and want
to say this Gf you viii pardon this
| liversion). if the parties of whom
Dryden speaks should take a notion
to leap from the blue canopies for
visit To- our terrestrial sphere, they
couldn't find II better place to light
| than Taylor Ridge
] The afternoon session assembled
promptly at l o'clock. The hall was
filed to ovcrflowing, many being
forced 10 remain outside. The old
hunter was present, logged ont i'm his
picturesque garb. with his old and
faithful hatchet and hunting knife
dangling at his side. He was an in
tensely interesting sight Awe. won
der and admiration were depicted up
on the faces of the audience as the
old man rose To speak. His address
in full follows:
Old Hunters Address
Members of the Ground Hog Socie-
", Friends and Fellow Citizens-It is
with more than ordinary embarrass-
ment / attempt to address YOU today.
The matchless cloquence displayed at
the forenoon session is far beyond
my ability to approach, yet ] may
take Il morsel of praise to myself
from the fact that il is from the |
teaching here eNpoundcd upon the |
subject so dear to us all, that has
enabled our brethren to attain such |
wonderful power of calculation, and |
take comfort in the other fact, that |
should l he called upon to cut the
last notch ON my hatchet handle and |
sheath my trusty knife forever, | !
have the assurance that our worl, |
will be left in perfectly competent
hands. Ii is needless for me to dwell |
settled as absolute facts by the great
majority of this community. OF
course there are here very few who
are blinded by their own egotism
who are like a wart upon AN other
wise symmetrical log. enough to fill
natures quota of an exception TO the
rule, eXceptio probate regulam.
Forty years ago ] was the only
person in this community who prac-
:iced and demonstrated to the people
the fact that running water could he
located many feet beneath the sur
face of the earth, by what il com
monty known as water witching-
none of you doubt that fact now,
save perhaps that exception. Some
IF the most noted scientists of Eu-
rope as well as in our own country
have taken up this subject for in
vestigation. and have promised the
world startling developments. You
that year ago / advised
YOU as to the time to plant corn and
potatoes. You know the results.
You had an abundant crop. Your
cribs and bins are all fun and burst
ing with more than plenty. and |
am sorry to say that | see Indications
of unworthy citation and Importance
itself in some of our
most prominent members. There is
orr grain buyer and ELEVATOR pro-
prictor. The Indications are that he
* trying To monopolizc the market
doing away with competition and
making the price for the seller as
well as for the buyer. And there is
our live stock shipper. lie is trying
to make every foot that walks to
travel over his plank. and
thereby compel the railroads to
whack up very respectable rebate.
and there. too. is our station agent
wearing Il high hat and putting on
The airs of Vanderbilt or Il Gould.
There is no chance to dickcr i'm, that
Office. One price and one condition
and those he himself establishes.
And some of our merchants are
spreading themselves, l fear, to an
extent. We all realize
that we have prospered beyond the
hopes or expectations of the most
That the adoption and
of the teachings of our So
riety have brought us unboundcd
* so manifest that all
Who visit this locality must see at
glance. When Billy Mason was out
here last week he told me that no
where i'm all the great state of Hi
lois had he beheld the beauty and ]
grandeur, wealth, happiness and con-
.entment he had observed in this
In Il private conversa-
ion, besides many other things, Billy :
isl<ed me if Payne was dead (politi- {
ally. l said l Guessed he was, but
,rawford still lived, and the coun-
ry was safe. And Billy laughed I'M
Ill | thought his clothes would drop
rom his emaciated body. Billy's q
.lothes hang mighty loose, anyway. a
rou know. He told me he had some i
linz III, Lii. sIncN1. fnt. W.. fn1.Ill.a1s L