davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03

and were carried about with singing
and cheering. Even now in England
images made of straw crowned with
flowers are occasionally carried about
and called Ceres-the goddess OF agri-
culture. Apollo was formerly wor-
shipped in Britain and the Maypole is a
pretty relic of those days. They dec
GRATED it with garlands to welcome the
northward coming of Apollo-the sun
at whose appearance the flowers and
fruits began to grow.
Various customs, all containing the
same idea, have prevailed in different
countries. In Scotland, when the reap
ers had finished their work, a small
package of corn, called the Corn
Lady, - was hung up in the house. The
ancient Egyptians offered sacrifices and
made offerings of corn and wine to
Leith, the mother of the sun. Wheat,
according to both sacred and secular
history, was the most important grain
grown in Egypt, and the mode of har-
Vesting it is interesting. Instead of
the usual method the reapers cut the
straw just below the head of the wheat.
1t was carried in bags to the threshing
floor, where it was trodden out by oxen.
Sometimes the wheat was reaped in the
usual way and bound up in sheaves, but
oxen were always employed to separate
the wheat from the straw.
What is known as 1.-THE shouting of
the ehurn' comes down from the time
when Apollo was worshipped in Eng
land. The churn or kern means ring
or circle formed by several persons
holding hands. The word churn also
signifies chaplet worn around the
head or carried suspended on a pole in
| professions. So "the shouting of the
churn" means the merriment that al
ways accompanied wearing a chaplet or
dancing in circle.
Another old custom is the "kemping"
of England, in Scotland called "a nell. &"
Nell is sometimes spelled melee, which
is better, as melee, or row, often re-
suited from contending for leadership
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03
FOR THE sur
FRAGE FIGHT NEXT FALL
Republicans Will Hold State Con-
terence This Month.
COLLECTOR STONE TO CALL IT
Realizing The Serious Problem Before
Them, They Propose To Start
Campaign Early.

Republicans in the State propose, to
lose no time in beginning their fight
against the suffrage amendment which
goes before the people next November.
Most of them realize that it is a more
serious proposition from their stand
point this time than in 1905, and if they
are to defeat it they cannot begin too
early.
Collector William F. Stone will take
the initiative, it is understood, and
early in this month, at his suggestion
and invitation, a conference of Repub-
licans will be held in Baltimore with a
view of outlining plans for the fight.
A number of Mr.. Stones friends from
the counties have asked him to take
some such step to bring together the
representative Republicans, and most
of these who have talked with him since
the election have urged the necessity of
an early start.
The idea at first was to gather to-
gether only the members of the city
committee and certain representative
Republicans IN the city with a view of
impressing the local organization, but
recently it has been pointed out thai the
fight the Republicans want to make is
a Statewide one and that the State
people should participate in the striking
of the keynote. 1t is likely now that
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03
Died.

HEsEN Charles Bruce Hesen, aged
thirty-nine years, son of Mr.. and Mrs
Harmon Hesen, of Oakland, died on last
Thursday morning in St. Joseph's Hos
pital, Baltimore, after an operation,
which was performed on Saturday.
For several months the deceased suf-
fered intensely from an ailment which
resulted from an injury received over
a year ago. He went to the hospital
two or three weeks previous to his
death where he received treatment.
His body was received in Oakland Fri
day night and on Monday the funeral
took place from St. Peters Catholic
church with interment in the Catholic
cemetery. He leaves a wife and a
number of children.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03

in dispatchlng the last days work in
the field. Each reaper left handful
Of the harvest uncut, and the bonniest
lass was allowed to gather these hand
fuls and to make out of them a corn
baby" This was brought home in
triumph, set up at the feast, and pre-
served for the remainder of the year
The lass was called the harvest queen.
Sometimes instead of being made INTO
doll the products of the field would be
formed into mare, and the reapers
would amuse the guests by trying to
cut down the mare with their sickles.
The man who succeeded in the under
taking would declare what should be
done with the mare.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03

the gathering will take the shape of
dinner, to which will be asked repre-
sentative Republicans from every Con-
gressional district, including Chairman
Thomas Parran, of the State committee,
and Mr.. VIII A. jackson, the repre-
sentative Of the State OF the national
committee. 1t is probable that the
dinner will be held about the middle Of
this month.
The Republican leaders realize that
instead of being split, as they were on
the first amendment, the Democratic
party is going to be united and earnest
in its support Of this one. Four years
ago the Governor, the Attorney-Gener-
al, both United States Senators and a
host of other party men were in the
open against the measure, and most of
them were on the stump against it.
This time it is just the other way
around.
Governor Crothers is enthusiastically
in favor of the amendment and will
probably strike the first blow in its ad-
vocIcy for the Democrats soon after
tn holidays. He will go on the stump
for it, as will Attorney-Genera Straus
and both United States Senators Smith
and Rayner.
Not only this, but most of the indie
pcndents who opposed the Poe amend
ment ar committed to the support of
this amendment, as they participated
in drafting it.
EX-Attorney-General William Shep-
ard Bryan, Jr., who was one of ne
foremost opponents of the Poe amend
mant, is for this amendment anu is ex-
pected to be active in its support.
Mr.. William l.. Marbury and Mr.. r.
w. Gull were both mcInb IS of the com
mittee that framed the measure. and
both of them were exceedingly hostile
to the Poe amendment in 1905.
The Republican leaders also realize
that any proposition to disenfranchise
the negro always attracts a considera-
BILE number of white Republican votes.
To offset all this they know it means
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03
HARVEST HOME"
THEY CALLED It
Thanksgiving Comes From An Old
English Tradition.
BEGAN A GREAT MANY YEARS AGO.
Some Curious Customs of the Past.
Wheat Always the rIost Import
ant Grain-Oxen Always Used to
ThreSh Ii.

The American THANKSGIVING Day is
without doubt the offspring of that
feast which in England is known as
Harvest Home" and in Scotland is
called MEL supper" But the giving
of thanks to some god at the close of
the autumn season for the fruits of the
earth is ageless, and can be traced back
as far as civilization goes. In Exodus
the Isrealites are commanded to keep
an autumnal feast, more explicit direc-
tions for such feast being given in the
book Of Leviticus. The feast was to
last seven days and on the first day the
people were to gather boughs of cedar
and willows of the brooks. 1t NAV be
from this custom that the present day
decoration of churches with greens and
vegetables arose.
Herodotus mentions this autumn Gus
tom Of thanksgiving, and Homer writes
chat "cakes and Jumps of dough thrown
at the head of the sacrifcial victim
formed a part of the Greek offering to
Apollo, the sun god, at the feast of the
ingathering.
In ancient times Apollo received the
honors of the harvest festival, but
the rustics sacrificed to Vacuna, the
goddess. Images of Vacuna were
made of straw, wheat, barley and rye,
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03
When Oakland Was Lonely Bear-Hunters Camp I

allurment as q barroom at g. 80 IN the
morning or a theatre when the char
women are doing their stunt.
Such were my pre-Oakland reveries.
If painted things as l then anticipated
them, the summer vacationist would
write me down an Ananias or some
hotel manager might hand my name to
the Black Hand Society. And on the
other hand, if told the brazen truth as
| dld not find it, there rose up no saint
her visions than that of some hotel
keeper rewarding me with a bit of
cheese in addition to pie for desert,
when next | returned to Oakland
Oakland, on first blush, does not hold
out much promise of being presentabe
to company in winter time. For in
stance, the city would seem to have no
great history, since 60 years ago it con-
sisted Of single building railway
station. Furthermore, the average re-
sort in its off season is just about as at
tractive as comic-opera chorus lady in
her street clothes and real complexion.
But Oakland surprised me even more
than the department store proprietor.
reached the town at night-a cold,
clear, starry highland there is moth
ing to equal the mountain tops on such
an occasion. Oakland then was beauti-
full, invigorating, serene.
Moreover, when | journeyed forth
next morning to inspect the county seat
of Garrett in its less pleasing aspect
CHANGED upon a veritable mine of local
history that entranced me more than that
of the average historical county seats.
The previous night Oakland-a sum
mer resort town-had revealed itself a
winter paradise. The morning Oakland
the city without history became
the town with as fascinating a story as
can be found among Maryland books.
One of those sturdy pioneers who won
the mountainous country of Western
Maryland from the Indians to the white
man, from wild beasts to dOmesticated
animals, from uncultiaated vegetation
to agriculcural-one Of these pioneers,
after having spent nearly half a century
as an adventurer and hunter, recorded
the events of his life in book, and a
wonderful record he made of it.
Meshach Browning's "Forty-four
Years Of the Life of a Hunter, " ap-
peared nearly 50 years ago, and, in the
eastern part Of Maryland except in a
few isolated cases-the volume is prob
ably completely forgotten by now.
In the far west OF the State, however,
the work Is still bought and read and
re-read, and it may be regarded as the
chief and only authority upon life in
what is now Garrett county in the days
before Oakland was founded or the in
FAINT county of Maryland created.
Because Mr. Browning's book is both
reliable and interesting, he may be free
ly quoted in SO far as the history Of
Oakland prior to 1919 is concerned. His
descriptions might have been lifted
without giving him credit, but it We're
folly to attempt to paraphrase the lines
which, according to the author of
Forty four Years Of the Life of a
Hunter, were ghIywrittendown. ="
1t is the simple narrative style of the
author that gives the volume much #
its attractiveness.
There were then prior to l8491 hun
dreds, if not thousands OF acres Of
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03

In the following article which appear
ed in the Baltimore sun Of last Sunday,
a great injustice has been done Oakland
By the writer, who seems to be staff
correspondent of the paper mentioned.
To one uuacquainted with the town the
impression would be that Oakland is
unprogressive, unaDpreciatiye of the
many natural advantages and that we
have made no Improvements worthy of
note during the last quarter of cen
tUry.
The Suns correspondent speaks as
though we have no modern buildings
except the new county buildings and
those owned by the 3. & 0. Railroad
Company, whereas many excellent
private residences are scattered over
the town and nowhere can a better
building be found than that owned by
the First National Bank. He was blind
to the fact that We have many squares
Of paved streets, an excellent electric
light system and the construction of a
system of water works and sewerage
under way.
The Suns article follows and is pub
lished in these columns to show our
readers how narrow minded a CITY
newspaper man can be:
OAKLAND, MD, Nov. %.
If Dickens or Thackaray or some other
author of the DAY when chapterheads
were more informing than the text thew
prefaced had been engaged to write this
paper in the series on THE County
Seats Of Maryland, " instead of me. he
would doubtless have composed intro
ductory lines somewhat as follows
Though, possibly not in as elegant Eng
fish as mine):
"CHAPTER ONE. In which the Author
introduces himself, relates scandalous
scandal of his early professional career.
andgenerally prepares the reader for the
excellent feast he is about to spread. -
a handful of years ago, in city which
/ shall not name, | was employed in
reportorial capacity upon daily news
paper. After much earnest toll | sue
ceeded so far in ironing the natural
brogue from the tongue of my pen that
| was assigned one day to write about
the opening of a ng-forgotten depart
ment store.
When reached the store to collect
impressions found congregated there
some three or more other newspaper
representatives, who We're holding a
heart-to-heart talk with the proprietor
of the establishment.
This proprietor was most accommo-
dating man He showed US gowns di-
rect from Paris that he was selling at
less that S., to make his competitors
crazy. He showed US other offerings
that were equally marvellous.
And then he led US to the door. held
US there moment while ne surveyed
critically the little company of earnest
penpushars, and finally announced with
due regard to the oratorical possibilities
of the speech:
"I'll tell you what, gentlemen-the
man who writes me the best story in
his newspaper, l will give him a cigar. 3"
This little incident of a rather gloomy
past came back to my memory as
neared Oakland. Here is a town, l told
myself, that is a chilly summer resort,
but am interviewing it in bleak No
vember. 1t will present about as much
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03

no less disgraceful, such as chasing the
deer in deep SHOWS when they could not
help themselves and when neither meat
nor skin was fit for use. Hundreds
were destroyed in this way, and be-
tween the one and the other practice,
the breed of deer in Allegany has be-
come very scarce.
THE early ,ettlers, being but few
in number, had hard time to maintain
themselves, and had they not used the
greatest economy they could not have
lived in the wilderness at all. But they
all made their own clothes, they raised
flax and wool, which the women spun
and wOYe in to linen and hnsey for the
men, and flannel for their own wear.
This was certainly better for females in
winter and not liable to half of the dan
ger from fire that cotton is at this time.
IF any man wished to hire help the
parties would have an understanding as
to what the wages were to be paid in.
Sometimes linsey, pork, beef, honey or
corn, and at others a calf, pig, sheep,
deerskin, bearskin, coonskin, or a wolf S
scalp, together with many other articles,
We're used as substitutes for money,
but if any man was so lucky as have
money the wages he paid would surely
be lower, and a day work ranked from
80 to so cents-differing according to
the length of the day. No difference,
however, was made between harvesting
and digging potatoes.
IF man wore a pair of boots. he
was considered a gentleman, and if a
single lady had on a pair of calfskin
shoes, or, by chance, a pair made Of
morocco, she was at once declared a
belle All the settlers lived in cabin
and fed their children on bread, meat,
butter, honey and milk. Coffee and tea
were almost out of the question being
used by only very few old ladies who
had been raised in other parts of the
country. Meat was generally plentiful,
for if the farmers could only keep the
wild animals away from their hogs the
nuts and acorns would make them very
fat. Pork, beef, bear m at and venison
We're easily obtained and on fair terms.
but wild meat was not thought so much
of on account of its being so plentiful in
every place.
'ln those times politics were but
little understood, and all the voters in
the glade country were Federalists ex-
cept one-old Mr.. George Rinehart.
We always held an election on the first
Monday in October, when would be
seen a goodly array of hunting shirts
and moccasins, and almost every man
with big knife IN his belt.
"A foreigner would have supposed
that the voters We're some military
party going to oppose threatened in
vasion, and if a quarrel occurred they
would take off perhaps both coat and
shirt and fight until one or the other ac-
knowledged he had as much of beat
ing as he was willing to receive.
Then their friends, if they did not
get INTO a scrape among themselves,
would take the combatants to the near
est water and wash off the blood. Ii no
serious injury was done, which was
seldom the case, that would, nine fights
out of ten, be the last of the quarrel.
"Ihe people in the country west of
Cumberland were exceedingly generous
and particularly so to strangers travel
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03

ing through their territory. If there
was danger apprehended Of q stranger
losing his way hunter would pilot him
five, six or even ten miles, until he was
out Of danger Of being lost, and then
would not receive any compensation for
his services.
Browning's description of the coun-
try about Oakland, and of Oakland it.
self, is as it existed prior to 1913. In
that year the engineers of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, carrying the line of
steel rails westward, surveyed through
the heavily wooded country where there
have since grown several popular sum
mer resorts.
A year later work was begun in build
ing railway, and Oakland named be-
cause of the giant oaks that were found
thefe-began to figure as a railroad
point-a very small point however, pos
sesslng little more than a name.
The town was laid out in 1S49. but for
some time its only claim to being town
was single building, and that the rail
way station that had been erected by
the Baltimore and Ohio.
Despite the ideal location of Oakland,
it did not, during the early years of its
existence, amount to very much. 1t
was first the terminus of the Baltimore
and Ohio's lines westward; then it be-
came simply stopping place on the
railway, some 232 miles west of Balti-
more.
The town with its elevation of 2, 500
feet above tidewave did not spring i'm
mediately in to prominence as a fitting
place where people might escape tie
heat of summer, for in those days there
were much less vacationing than today.
Oakland prominence, of its modest
kind, may be said to have begun early
in the 70's. At this time there was
some little agitation for a division Of
Allegany, and when the Legislature
called upon the people of what is now
Garrett county to determine if they
wished independence of Allegany eoun-
ty, there We're 1897 votes for and 4O8
against the erection of a new county,
This election held in accordance with
an act passed by the legislature in the
early part of 1872, also provided for the
choosing of a county-seat On this
question the vote was COS for Oakland,
$50 for Grantsyille and 456 for Nc
Henry's GIades. Thus by a very mar
row majority Oakland was selected as
the governmental seat of the new coun-
ty, which was named Garrett, in honor
Of the master-brain of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad.
The people Of Garrett were not at
first entirely satisfied with the selection
Of Oakland, and in 1873 there was
strong, but short lived, agitation in
favor OF further division. When this
met final defeat, then the people who
had been responsible for the creation Of
Oakland originally went about develop
ing the town.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
erected an enormous hotel which oc-
cupies fine site just across from the
railway station in 1873. A few years
later-lS81-a company of Methodist
Episcopal ministers started Mountain
Lake Park, two miles east Of Oakland,
and since then there has been a big de-
Velopment in Deer Park
With these three resort points and
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-12-03

other summering places adjacent, the
country in which Browning found it
possible to live so wild and adventurous
Ii e, has become one great playground
for very highly civilized city people in
the summer.
In winter time and in the late fail and ;
early summer Oakland is a very sedate
country settlement. It. citizens stroll
the streets at night. or on Wednesdays
go to prayer-meeting, but there are no
frivolous observation-disclosures even, |
believe, a moving picture show.
And yet there is some life to the city,
even in the days when tie good-old-
summertime is resting. The stores of
Oakland, crowded closely together on
the main thoroughfare, keep open very
late on winter nights and so give the
impression that they are doing a large
business, whether they really are or
not. And when the visitor sees Oak
land for the first time at night he OBJ
tains an impression of the town which
the daylight will go little ways toward
spelling.
Indeed, for visiting the county-seat
of Garrett in other than the vacation
months, the most fascinating time is
night. The air Of the mountains here,
especially when it is little cold, gives
the miserable city man his initial con-
seriousness of having lungs. The aver
age lungs that have been doing their
work quietly in the dusty city for 80 or
40 or 50 years need only first Whit of
Oakland's air to swell up like pair of
leather bellows.
The city man who tumbles into Oak
land on fall or winter night is apt to
be taken by surprise when he feels his
chest suddenly becoming unduly inflated,
and he is likely to gloat oyer the taste
Of the pure mountain air as a traveller
oyer dusty road becomes attached to
some welcome wayside spring.
Outside of the hotel and the railroad
station, the most notable structures in
Oakland are the several public build
ings, The Courthouse, but recently
completed is a very beautiful and high
ly ornamental structure. The jail looks
rather pleasing from the outside, but
doubtless from the interior the bars go
far to obstructing the view.
After these buildings, however, the
city does not boast any structure of
great interest. There are cosy resi-
dences and substantial business stores,
but neither is different from what NAV
be seen in almost any town Of from 500
to 5000 inhabitants. There are several
houses Of some little historic interest
such as the home of General Crook. bu
these are few and the interest in them
is more or less local
Oakland is spread out Just bit too
much for her own advantage. The
mountains, which may be seen toward
all points Of the compass, are massive
and digniied, although they lack the
beauty Of the more easterly hills of the
Cumberland valley.
But in the summer time the hotel
managers and boarding house keepers
of Oakland decorate the hills of the
county-seat and its streets and the win
dows sof the houses with pretty city
girls, and then, am told, Oakland is
even more attractive than it ever APP
peared to Meshach Browning during
the Al years of his hunter life.