Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-03-03

As YOU LIKE IT.
Ssns Stray Lsavss Tsem | Repsrtss'a
 Note Beck.

the weather man, it is probable that
 for every dollar spent on the weather
 bureau $10 are saved. At the time of
 the Mississippi flood of 1897, S15,OOtt.-
 GOO worth of live stock and other prop
 erty were saved as Il result of warn- ings issued q week ahead. Signals dis
 played for single hurricane have de-
 tained ill port vessels valued, with
 their cargoes, at $2OO00.O0O. The
 West Indian stations, established in
 1898, inform us of hurricanes as soon
 as they begin. The course of the hlr-
 ricane that caused the Galveston flood
 was charted for week before it
 struck our shores, for hurricanes move
 slowly. Elghty-five per cent of the
 forecasts now come true, and by the
 aid of rural free delivery 25,00O,O00
 forecast cards were distributed last
 year to farmers, many of whom could
 not have had them five years ago.
 A lady and gentleman were ex-
 changing opinions on music on a
 Baldwin street trolley car, when the
 the latter remarked that he always
 regarded it wicked for one to charge
 for his service in church choir. This
 met with the approval of the lady who
 thought that if one is blessed with
 the voice for singing he ought at least
 to render praise to the Giver without
 expecting to be paid. Why" she add
 ed. "a charge for such service looks
 like making one buy what belongs 10
 him." Both spoke in sweet musical
 tones and may be gifted singers, but
 after all it is question if either had
 the popular idea of the question, d.
 though it cannot he denied that there was a lot of truth in what they did say. But supposing one had a good voice and it takes time and a good deal of money to cultivate 1t, what harm can there be ill accepting little remuneration even from church clloir to help pay bills that the singer may owe his tutor or the boarding boss who trusted him while he was at the conservatory?
 One of the most remarkable instnn- ces of the name of an article surylv- ing it's use is the penknife. We talk of it every day but the purpose Tor which the penknife was originally de- signed exists no longer. The pen. of western civilization was fabricated. as old people remember, of quills ana quill pens are still affected 0y old fashioned persons who declare that no efficient substitute has yet been foun6 for them. The penknife Of OUT great grandfather's days was indeed n triumph of the cutters art i'll the keenness of it's edge. According to rhymed list of the requirements of writer, the scribe needed q "penknife. razor metal,' always ht hand, and people who remember now soon quill became unsuitable m tne hands of vigorous writers will appre- ciate the necessity. To be good pen mender was one of the first es- sentials in a village pedagogue; his penknife was as indispensable to him as his cane. Strangely enough, there were menders of pens who seemed born to fulfill the functi0D, and men who could never learn the art, ler them ary as they might. But the properly so called, is no more. and with its disappearance mas vanished the expert who wielded II.
 ]. year or two after President Me- Kinley had begun the praetiee or law, he distinguished himself in humor- ous fashion in one of his first success full cases. As often happens in court, the humor was not merely for the sake pf the joke, but for q serious purpose. The case was brought against sur geon. whom the plaintiff charged With having set his leg so badly that 1t was bowed. Mckinley defended the sur reon. and found himself pitted against one of the most brilliant lawyers or the American bar. The latter brought his client into court and made him ex- pose the injured limb to the Jury. It was very crooked. and the case looked pad for the surgeon. But Mckinley had both his eyes open. as usual, and fixed them keenly on the mans other i eg As soon as the plaintiff was un- Ter cross-examination by him. he 1 lsked that the other leg should also l De barred. The plaintiff and his coun- 1 ,el objected vigorously, but unavail- ] ng. Then it appeared that the plain iff's second leg was still more crooked ! han that which the surgeon had set. | My client seems to have done better l ,y this man than nature herself did" | aid Mckinley, ..and I move that the | .ase be dismissed. with a recommenda- l ion to the plaintiff that he have the other leg broken and then set by the | surgeon who set the first one"