davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-12-17
North Star Never Changes.

The pole star is really the most i'm
portant of the stars of the sky. 1t
marks the north at all times. All the
other stars to swing around it
Onc in twenty-four hours.
But the pole star of Polaris is not
a very bright one, and it would be
hard to identify but for the help of
the so-called pointers in the Big Dip
per or Great Bear. The outer rim of
the dipper points nearly to Polaris, at
a distance equal to three times the
space that separates the two stars Of
the dipper's outer side. Various 1T
dams cal the pole star the "hOme STAR
and "the star that lever moves" and
the dipper they call the "broken back
The Great Bear is also to be remem-
bered as the pointers for another
reason. 1t is the hour hand Of the
wooGman's clock. 1t goes once
around the north star In about twenty
four hours, the reverse way of the
hands of a watch-that is, it goes the
same way as the sun and for the same
reason-that it is the earth that is go
ing and leaving them behind.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-12-17
A Reproof.

DIR. William L. Harris, the govern
ment's commissioner of education. his
complied a series of educational sta &
tics Of an accuracy and comprehensive
ness undreamed of in the past.
Along with these important AID
grave statistics there have cons to III.
Harris a number of trivial and ANUS
ing ones. He has, for instance, a
great many letters written 10y illiterate
parents to school teachers.
One Of these letters relates to- a
young girl whom a teacher had de.
tanned after school because she had
been late in the morning. The letter
takes the teacher to task. 1t says:
Il want you to strictly understand
that you han't hos of my Children if
you keep maria for bein late you will
have trouble you seed not think Wee
are Slaves becas wee liant. We live
in a free land adoo."
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-12-17

The Greeks also call Chris. mas the
Feast of Lights.
The Romans in their saturnalia dec
grated trees with images of Roman
gods as well as with candles and burn
ed Yule logs in honor of these gods.
The early Christians, however, frOwn-
ed upon all such pagan adjuncts to the
Christmas celebration. With them the
Feast of the Nativity was the extreme
of solemnity, and they were as much
opposed to Christmas trees and lights,
music and laughter, as were the Puri-
tans.
The first authentic account of the
Christmas tree is not recorded until the
sixteenth century. 1t appears in a Ger
a manuscript, and, as the Germans
responded least to Latin influences of
all the nations which fell heir to the
Roman empires lands. to them rather
than to the Romans must be ascribed
the honor of introducing it. 1t vas
the marriage of Queen Victoria to a
German prince which brought the mod
ern Christmas tree to England, and a
German immigrant started the custom
in America. The first Christmas tree
in France was lighted in the Tuileries
in 1910 by the Duchess Helena.
To view the great heaps of Christ
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-12-17

tie tree, a young child of the forest,
shall be your holy tree tonight. 1t is
the wood of peace, for your houses are
built of fr. 1t is the sign of an emf
less life. for it's leaves are ever green.
See how 1t points upward to heaven.
Let it be called the tree of the Christ
Child. Gather about it, not in the wild
wood, but in your homes. There it will
shelter no deeds of blood, but loving
Gifts"
Many Germans hold that Martin
Luther first conceived the Christmas
tree. One of the most popular of Ger
man e~ngravings represents him sitting
in the bosom Of his family, with a
lighted Christmas tree on the table
before him. Luther was travelling
alone one Christmas eve. The snow
covered country and the trees cleaning
at. every point with the reflected light
of the winter noon made upOn the
great reformer the deepest impression.
Going home, he went into the garden
and, cutting a little fir tree, brought 1t
into the nursery, put some candles on
it's branches and lighted them to re-
produce the effect of the beautiful
moonlit trees in the forest.
Antiquarians connect the Christmas
tree with the great tree Yggdrasil of
Morse mythology or with the pine trees
of the Roman saturnalia, the pagan
forerunner Of our Christmas. Others
look to the ancient Egyptians as orig
inators of the idea. These men were
wont to decorate their houses at the
time of the winter solstice with
branches of the date palm, emblems of
Immortality and of the starlit firma-
ment. In medieval times there was a
tradition that holiness invested an il
Illuminated tree. Candles were used by
the Jews in their Feast of Lights,
which was celebrated at this season.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-12-17
Christnas tree goes $50 Far

"HE Christmas tree goes SO far
back into the night of time that
it is quite impossible to tell
where or by whom it was first
introduced. Almost every country has
it's legend claiming for it's w the tree
which bears such generous fruit. In
Scandinavia it is said to have sprung
from the service tree" which germi-
mated from soil soaked by the blood Of
two unfortunate lovers, a claim sub
s%tantiated by the statement that at
Christmastide inextinguishable lights
CLEANED from it's green branches. In a
French romance of the thirteenth cen
fury a great tree is described whose
branches are covered with burning
-candles and on whose top is the vision
L.of a child with a halo round it's head,
the tree and candles representing a
kind and the child the infant Saviour.
u A beautiful German story credits st.
LWinfred with giving the Christmas
tree to the world. The story is illus
Strative Of the gospel supplanting pa
lsganism. Before a group of converts
st. Winfred i;elled a great oak which
had been an object of the worship to
the Druids. A fine young fir tree i'm
smediately appeared in it's place, on see
ing which st. Winfred said: "This lit
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-12-17

mas trees which line the market streets
of our big cities just before the holi-
days one would fancy that scarcely a
tree could be left standing of the muir
muring hemlOcks which constituted
Longfellow's forest primeval. Every
hard timber state in the Union is call
ed upon by Santa Claus for it's tribute
Of redolent balsam that he ;nay have
plenty of places Oh which, to hang his
presents.
There is only one true Christmas tree
the balsam fir. The hemlock prOner
has branches too dropping and flexible
to hold a great weight of Christmas
gifts, and the spruce. while otherwise
suitable, lacks the spicy odOr of the
balsam. This is fortunate. for the tree
most priced for Christmas purposes is
utterly despised by the lumbermen.
Before the Christmas tree industry be-
gan the fir lands of Maine were actual
ly exempted from taxation as worth
less. Now they are worth froml$1o to
SIS an acre.
The Christmas tree cutters begin
work early, usually about the middle
of October. While some of the men are
cutting others. follow them and drag
the trees to the nearest open space,
where they are punched and tied so
that they will not come apart in ship
ping. At the nearest depot they are
loaded on cars, $500 trees to the car.
The men receive $3.50 a day ant
board. 1t takes even men working
FIVE weeks to get out three carloads.
The Christmas tree output depends a
good deal on the weather. With an
open fall, when the trees are easy to
get at, the CROP will be much larger
than when the snow falls early and
heavily. If the snow melts and then
freezes on the branches itSmakes them
brittle, and they break in transit.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-12-17
Took His Word.

ssYes," said the tall tramp, II told
dat lady in de wayside, cottage dat 1
was once a senator. She actually be-
lieved it,"
"Great hoboes!" exclaimed his chum
of the ties. I'm what way do you re-
semble a s~enator?"
ooh, | told her two or three after
dinner stories. Dey were so stale
she said l must be a senator Chi
cago Daily News.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-12-17

The Rev. J. e. Gilbert. secretary of
the American Society of Religious Ed
ucatiOn, has been invited to attend the
first international congress of educa-
ton, to be held in Liege, Belgium.
next September. He will present a
paper on the moral and religious in
struction of children in the family.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-12-17

Copyrights 1904, by American Press Association
The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-09-15

that this board composed OF the re-
publican state officials. viii do it's duty
in the future? That this board has
not done It's duty. Let the Omaha Bee,
a republican paper testify:
In it's issue of May IL. 1908, the Bee,
said: Nobody dares contend that the
true value of railroads In Nebraska is
not more than doubled within the last
sixteen years and II assessed ON the
basis Of their earnings, one-slxth Of
their actual value. they would have
been assessed for more than ss0eoe.-
600; aud no amount ~ sophistfs and
No spseioua pIeadinEa will justify the
state board IN making the ar~crsnseat
The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-09-15

less. No amount Of explaining could
reconcile the people 20 the shrinkage in
railroad assessments In the face of the
fact that their market value and their
earnings had doubled. trebled and
uuadrnpled" In It's Issue Of May 20,
1908. the Bee said: "'The board Of
railroad assessment expresses itself as
we'll pleased with its action In appraIs-
ing Nebraska railroads tat the sum az
s27 .o7s 1851 and the railroad managers
railroad lawyers. and railroad tax
knockers are more than we'll pleased
hut the people of Nebraska are not
only not we'll pleased. but are decided
~ siissusted.'
The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-09-15
Remember farmers and workingmen

Remember, farmers and workingmen
Of Nebraska. as well as businessmen,
that this increased burden Of TAXATION
falls upon your shoulders. The re-
sponsibility OF curing II also rests upon
your shoulders. and In your hands liz
placed the means OF curing this in
equality. The election Of Mr.. Berge
alone can not accomplish your relief.
The defeat Of the entire republican
state ticket II necessary 10 accomplish
what you desire. For the same Of
heers who were guilty Of violating your
trust In the past arr seeking your sur
fraae now. VIII you trust them aRAinl
ASSOCIATE EDITOR O.
The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-09-15
Clothes


Clothes to be truly GOOD
must be made from de-
pendable fabrics thoro-
ughly shrunk and tested
before making. After that
all depends on how well
they are made as to the
amount Of good looks
and sh ape retaining
qualities they possess.
Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-06-24
SUE mp TOURS.

TO Mountain Lake and seaside Re
sorts On sale beginning Jnuc lat See
EAty's ager, 'ur is.rt,c.i1is.
Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-06-24

fudge a. ". Noodson w. nominated ior Judge OF
.hc Supreme Court by the uauocratic judicial Cyn-
HcNtlon a, 81. Loseph Tnc-l.r
Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-06-24

The partisan Republican pres, Of the state seem to
be at a loss for ammunition with which to h%ht Joseph
". Folk, now that h. practically has The Democratic
nomination for Governor. Nh Folk fails 70 fail into
aov # ,ae.r little traps with regard t. other candidates
on the ticket and now they have simply started IN on
a tagging" c~9mpaign. It matters not what they DO,
however. as Folk viii be elect BY big iaajor;tr.
Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-06-24

W,;,tn i be q joke on the trust. If Knox wcIc 10
draw au anti trust bill they corld,'t beat, asks the
tau-a, 'uy World. YES, rather an oIhnoXious ,oke.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-15

In single day two great disasters
to battleships, one engaged in active
war and the other in the maneuvers Of
possible war, brought CONSERVATION
and mourning to the people of two con-
tinents. The explosion on board the
Missouri must be credited to bad judg-
ment and Overhead. While the eff
cheney Of the American navy as dem
onstrated in the Spanish war is largely
due to it's incessant practice of all the
details of active service in time of
peace, there are some of these condi-
tions that it is impossible to duplicate
and dangerous to attempt to initiate.
If the batteries OF any hattleship ex-
pertinent with the maximum rapidity
of fire that can be reached, something
will happen. Either a gun will burst,
or an explosion such as that which
filed the turret-4ef-the Missouri with
dead and dying. men must occur. 1t
seems to the average man better not
to force target practice quite SO far;
better to leave to actual warfare the
last possibility in the way Of rapid
firing, than to snrff out score Of lives
of inestinable value.--to the country.
The moral Of the Missouri ought not
to be lost upon oyerZeaious command
ers. -
The destruction of the Russian bat
tIeship Petropaviovsk Is; en- the other
hand, an accident of war.a-It is still
uncertain, and may always remain so,
whether the great flagship Of the Rus
sian fleet met its fate and the admiral
his death at the hands of friend or foe.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-15


Ryan-George N. Brady, Detroit N. G.
Myers, Rugby, n. D.; J; H. Bowman;
Waverly, Iowa; Mrs. F. E. Barrows and
Miss Barrows, Fergus Falls; August A.
Palmquist, Ashland, Wis; p. H. Wescott
Hibbing; A. NJ. Chisholm, Duluth; Will
liam c. White. Duluth; H. J. Dieter,
Nome; D. w. TwOhy and wife, Spokane;
r. J. Adams, Lisbon, n. D.: w. s. Hume
well and wife, Montana; H. w. Child and
wife, Helena. Mont.
Merchants-B. w. Foster. Winona; r.
j. Furlong, Austin; M. j. Woods, Seattle;
w Logan Breckenridge. Rochester; H. z.
Davis, Sioux Falls; j. G. Hunt, Spokane;
c. A. Fosnes, Montevideo; H. r. Mallette,
Milaca; William Sullivan Austin; George
II. Wilder, Grand Forks; G. w Rock,
Sheldon Iowa; H. G. HOrner, CloQuet; c..
G. Gowran, Grand Forks, N. D,
Windsor-D. A. Stuart, Window; c. F.
Czorwinsky, Winnipeg; L., Peavey and
wife, OwatOnna; l.. e. Baker and wife,
Neenah, Wis; Frank E. Gay, Ashland,
Wis; Clark P. Bfsette., Lakefield; G. E.
Rickett, Duluth; Edward Donaldson, Owa-
tonna; E. E. COwles, Cleveland; E. c.
Nieley, Rush City; l.. T. Grady, Foley.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-15
TODAY'S WEATHER

Minnesota-Snow Friday; Saturday fair,
with rising temperature; BRISK to high
north winds. ..t
Iowa-Showers Friday; colder in west
portion; Saturday fair in west; rain or
snow in east portion.
WiSconSin-Snow in north rain or snow
in south portion Friday; Saturday fair,
continued cold, variable winds, becoming
northwesterly and brisk to high.
b. South Dakota-Rain or snow, much
colder Friday; Saturday fair, with rising
temperature.
Upper Michigan-Rain or snow and
continued cold Friday and Saturday;
winds becoming northwesterly and brisk
to high.
Montana-Rain or snow Friday, colder
in west portion; Saturday fair.
North DakOta-Snow Friday, colder in
south portion; Saturday fair, warmer.
st. Paul = Yesterdays observations,
taken by the United States weather bu-
reau, st. Paul. w. e. Oliver, observer. for
the twenty-four hours ended at z o'clock
last night-BarometeT corrected for tenn
perature and elevation. Highest tempera-
ture, 40; lowest Temperature, 81; average
temperature, 36; daily range, s.; barom-
eteT 30 80; humidity, 80; precipitation,
80; p. m. temperature, SS;; p. m. wind,
east; weather cloudy.
Yesterdays. Temperatures
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-15
Smoot and PnIxaamY.

Senator Reed b. Smoot is in full con-
troll of the situation at Salt. Lake City
and will dominate the Republican state
convention. 1t is announced that he
will have the convention adopt a reso-
luton denouncing polygamy in. vigor-
Gus terms. One does not have to in
quire deeply to understand why an
apostle of the Mormon church should
thus cast aspersions upon the admitted
practices of his fellow apostles and fell
low church members. 1t is simply to
create a situation favorable to himself
in his effort to retain seat In the
United States senate. The weakness
of the plan, however, is in it's failure
to provide proof of sincerity.-Pitts-
burg Gazette.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-15
A coNvoLuTED ARGUMENT.

We find some difficulty in getting
the argument from the police situation
in this city that commends itself to the
Republicans Strengthened out in our
own minds. We should be greatly
obliged to any Of our friends on the
other side who would take the kinks
out of it, because there must be many
besides ourselves equally in doubt.
The statements made thus far seem to
run about as follows:
First, the police administration Of
st. Paul is so admirable that the busi-
ness men have demanded that no dis
turbance be made in it's management,
and the Republican organ has spe-
cifically promised that Chief O'Connor
should not be disturbed. This is a COM
plete testimonial Of character from the
opposition.
Second, the police board, being COM
posed entirely of Democrats, is an ut
terly nefarious body, capable Of the
worst iniquities and chargeable with
them, whether it committed them or
not. 1t ought to be wiped out Of ex-
fstence, and that will be the principal
aim in the coming campaign.
Third, this vicious police board, out
Of which no good thing can come, is re-
sponsible for a splendid police admin
3S+r net Ian 6ncf frC yOd
and a successor with exactly opposite
views created, in order that the present
police administration shall not be
changed.
Fourth, this police system, directed
by the police board and the head Of
the department, is, as we have seen, so
satisfactory to business men that lead
ing Republicans have stipulated that
in the event of their success it should
time so utterly evil that they inspire
diatribes against it from the pulpit and
fill columns Of newspapers daily with
denunciatiOn.
Now we submit that there is SEM
! blanoe Of contradiction about these
various planks in the Republican plat
form, all of them ardently advocated
by Republican speakers and newspa-
pers at the same time, that needs to
be done away with. OF course Repub-
licans have to do and say curious
things to get votes, but they ought not
to make such a holy show Of them
| selves as this. We shall await with in
terest some harmony and reconcilia-
ton, from a Republican source, of the
utterly self contradictory and idiotic
utterances thus far made by the party
on the question Of police administra-
ton in st. Paul.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-15

with one which was the laughing stock
of the country and the despair of our
own people. We have. through the aid
of the Democratic party, obtained good
government in place of stolid incom-
petence, at an actual saving to the tax
payer. OF all the arguments in favor
cratic ticket at the polls this spring,
none is more powerful or more unan-
swerable than that to be drawn from a
review of city taxation.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-15
A Sure Thinu.

No candidate is nominated until the
seems to us that the nomination of
President Roosevelt is barely less GER
tain than was the denomination of
President Mckinley four years ago.
This has come about in the natural
course of events, aided rather than di-
rected by the clever and energetic ef-
forts of the president in his own be-
half. He wants to be nominated, and
it is evident that the people want him.
This is combination quite impossible
to break.-Minneapoli Tribune.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-15
Contemporary Comment
A Rooseveitian Fad.

All great men have their fads, and it
is not surprising that President Roose-
welt should be afflicted in that way.
The Rooseveltian fad is that other men
should have large families. He has on
several occasions, the occasion usually
being the birth of the twelfth or four
teenth child, referred to large fam
lies as being rtypically American"
This thing of asserting that thing is
American or un-American usually does
harm to no one, however silly the ex-
preston may be. 1t is true that Amer
lean families are not larger than those
OF many other countries, but there can
be no objection in the president re-
ferring to numerous progeny as be-
ing 'typically American if he chooses.
New Orleans Times Democrat
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-15

endures gross suspicion. Ira Harde was
excellent as Lord Algy's remorseful
jockey, Mawley, who tore up his mas
ter,s check because he failed to win,
and Miss Mabel Roebuck presented a
Hfe-llke picture Of the wavering wife
OF Brabazon Tudway, who has mind
to elOpe.
Il am sure" says Mrs. Tudway. con-
ndlng to Lord Algy her conviction that
his brother loves her. that he has
given me his heart!"
Yes, 1 know, but you can also be
sure he has given you his liver"
F. G. H.
The Saint Paul globe., 1904-04-15
OPPOSED TO HEARST.


For a time the candidacy of William
r. Hearst was furthered diligently by
those in charge of it with the asser-
ton that it had the friendly support of
Mr.. Bryan. Naturally this had great
effect upon the multitudes who admire
and follow him. But no evidence was
ever offered to establish the whispered
assertion as a fact, and we have never
for a moment credited it. He has set
it finally at rest in the letter sent to
the banquet Of the Iroquois club at
Chicago, in which he says:
Il trust that those who are honored
with an Invitation to speak at your
banquet will raise a note of warning
against the attempt now being made
by the money magnates to control the
Democratic convention and to secure
the nomination of a Democratic candi-
date who will be obligated in advance
to betray the hopes of the Democratic
masses"
This repudiation of the desires of
Mr. Hearst is as clear and emphatic as
it could be made without mentioning
him directly by name. He and he alone
has been spending enormous sums of
money to control the Democratic con-
ventiops There has been open and law
iSh Of in to
procure a Hearst sentiment and to set
up an organization favorable to his
ambition. He has sought to control
and establish newspapers for the same
purpose, spending great sums in this
way. He has endeavored to rent all
the hotels of st. Louis for his sup
porters in advance of the convention.
In different ways, all repugnant to the
ideas of Democracy, he has sought to
introduce into this campaign the power
of an unlimited bank roll
1t was not to be supposed that Mr..
Bryan could look with Indifference
upon so bold a crusade against all the
principles Of political action that he has
advocated. He has other reasons for
distrusting and opposing Mr.. Hearst
He has made a great fight against the
imperia1fstic idea, as represented by
the Republican party and it's rule, and
in that he had no sympathy or sup
port, but opposition from Mr.. Hearst
The men are infinitely removed from
each other, and it is gratifying that
Mr.. Bryan has spoken with such force
and freedom of this money magnate,'
whose reliance is upon his millions
and who would be obligated in ad-
vance to betray the hopes of the Demo
! cratic masses.
1t needs no mention Of name to in
| terpret the warning thus given against
an impossible candidate, since the ref
erence is couched in terms that admit
of no other application than to Mr.
Hearst. We feel sure that Democrats
| the country over who are looking fol
party success viii applaud highly this
| timely protest, uttered upon an inn
portant occasion, against the aspira-
| tions and the campaign methods OF
Mr.. Hearst. With the final pricking by
Mr.. Bryan's letter of the bubble blown
so diligently and to such proportions
by Hearst's ieutenants, the latter
| ceases to be serious element in the
| situation.