The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-18

We're any better than we are; but we
are bound to admit, they were very
superior people. or we should not
have attained unto our present exalt-
ed stations in society and in the
world round about us. They might
have worn homemade clothes. and
shoes made of home-tanned leather,
and coon-skin caps; eat out of pewter
dishes and drank their soup with
wooden spoons; but they were Chris
tan patriots, and for whatever Vir
tue and lofty patriotism there are to
be found in us today, we are indebted
to those sturdy fathers and upright
Christian mothers. whose lives were
unrretentious.
Pewter ware was equal to silver in
some reSDects-in fact, it was better
than silver, in many ways. For in
stance, if a pewter spoon was mlslaid
or lost, it was of SO little value nobody
need care very much; whereas the
loss of a silver spoon was enough to
make a whole family go into mourn
ing. Again, it required care to keep
silver clean and shiny; whereas, If
man would so to the expense OF buy
ing moulds, he could have new spoons,
looking just as nice as SILVER, every
week. All ne uSttl ~ w "dS W llAIoN
the old pewter. spoons into a ladle,
melt them, and, as fast rs moulding |
bullets, he could mould spoons. AS
everybody did not care to do his re-
moulding, old Thinker Davy Jones.
who carried. in his saddle bags. all
sort of moulds.. took it upon himself
to keep all our pewter ware in good
order. So, about once a month, he
would come around, generally arriv
ing about dinner time, when he and
his old horse could each be fed. and
spend the evening.
When he departed next morning
with a silver quarter in his pocket.
he left upon the shelves beautiful
silver looking milk pans, a dozen
spoons, a dozen table spoons. and
one or two wash pans, as the result of
his visit. Those were the days of
the free and unlimited coinage OF
pewter, and we had just as good times
as they will ever have, when gold
shall become as common as pewter
was then.
Speaking of wooden spoons reminds
me of the fact. that, the Harrison
campaign of 1910. suggested the
thought to a gentleman of ingenuity
and enterprise, living out on Terrible
Creek, that, inasmuch as Harrison
was elected Presl'lanr because lie ate
peas with a wooden spoon, he ought
to be able to make an everlasting
fortune in the wooden spoon business.
So, he improvised some machinery,
suitable to the purpose, and went into
the spoon making business. l forget
who was Governor when he engaged
in that enterprise; but, | heard. when
a boy, that he brought a load OF his
''Tippecanoe Spoons" to Raleigh, eX-
pecting to find a ready and very rapid
sale for them. He stopped at the
Governors palace, as he came in. to
sell some of his ware to the Govern
or's wife, emphasizing especially the
many good qualities of his kitchen
SPOON" He told Mrs. Governor that
his wife had thrown aside both the
iron and the pewter spoons, ana
would not use any other than his
''Tippecanoe Wooden Spoon" which
she said was much lighter and
healthier than metal ware; and that
his cook Di-an-ner. much preferred
the wooden spoon, because it absorb
ed the perspiration on her hands. and
didn't show dirt like metal spoons.
Mrs. Governor allowed him to- leave
one of his "Tippecanoes, paying MS
price for it.; and SO. upon the strength
of that sale, he peddled his wares. ex-
pecting, of course, they'd go off like
hot cakes; but, strange to say, he
found but few buyers. The good
quality of absorbing perspiration
did not seem to commend the spoon
to favorable consideration, Di-an-ner
high opinion Of it. Notwithstanding
SO the TiDpecanoe spoon business
failed to materaliZe and a great en-
terprise was lost to the world. How
and unaDDreciatlve we
mortals are! IF the Terrible creek
Spoon business had been properly APP
nreciated. who can tell what might
have been the wealth of Wake county
today?
John Wilkes Booth shot and killed
President Lincoln April 10Th. 1869.
Sixteen wears thereafter, to-Wit, July
1881 Charles Jules Guiteau shot
President Garfield. from which wound
ne died September 10. 1881. ana
Cuiteau was hanged June 80. 1882.
Twenty years later september .,
1901. Leon CzoIgocz shot President
Mckinley at Buffalo. New YORK from
which he died September IA, l9ol.
Thus we see that, in the short space
of thirty-siX years, three OF our
Presidents have been murdered Two
of those murders may be directly
traced to anarchists who came 10
this country from Germany, RUSSIA
Italy and other countries. These muir
ders admoniSh Us OF danger Whlch
threatens our l1SIILuL.Oi5 "iIlu VNNii
the very lives of our people. We get
q great many good things from the
old country; but with the good come
some bad things among which may
he mentioned that advanced thought
which is very near akin 10 anarchy,
both in politics and religion. Anarchy
i'm this country is the direct result o.
social revolt in Europe. which. uuder
less stringent laws. and greater
freedom of the press, has been able
to develop more rapidly here than
there The stringent laws of Ger
many and the determined opposition
of Prince Bismarck against anarchy,
as wep as similar laws and precau-
tionarv movements in other European
states. caused a great number OF rest
lass spirits to come to this country
who brought with them those hatreds
and evil purposes which had been
giving trouble in the old country. ana
Chicago had the misfortune to be the
citv which that restless element chose
as its abiding place.
Leon Czolgosz. the murderer OF
President Mckinley, was the son OF
Russian Pole who came to this coun-
try forty-five or fifty years ago. TO
find a refuge, after his own country
had been virtually blotted from the
man of the world. Having found
that refuge, it would seem that ms