davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
Romances Of Progress
By Albert Payson Terhune
NEWToN-The Man Who Turned Accidents to Account.

| And the result of this study was the
discovery of the great fact known as
The Attraction of Gravitation." Next
he sought to connect this new discov
cred attraction" with the force which
holds planets to their orbits and pre-.
vents them from whizzing on int1
space. Calico, years before, had
proven that falling body drops 16
feet the first second and with arith-
metically increased force for every
subsequent second. Using this
knowledge, Newton began to calculate
the force necessary to hold the moon
to its orbit around the earth. This, In
spite of many dreary disappointments,
he succeeded. after 16 years struggle,
in doing.
He again startled the world and
made for himself new foes by discov-
ering that rays of white light were
not single in color, but were made
up Of countless rays of many colored
light From this followed a fresh
working out Of the theory of the rain
bow and mastery treatise on op-
tics.
Then came the heaviest misfortune
OF Newton's life. For 20 years he
had been at work on scientific dis
covery and had at last worked 1t to a
completion. All the papers represent
ing that 20 years of labor lay one
Work Of Twenty studn.s,,. It,. LIE
Years Destroyed. spaniel Diamond
leaped upon the table. and while frisk-
ing there upset one of the candles.
Before Newton could run to the res
Cue the precious papers were a
charred, undecipherable mass Of
ashes. Instead of flying into rage
of bemoaning the loss he. lifted the
misunderstanding eur gently to the
ground, saying only:
"Oh, Diamond, you little know
what mischief you have DONE"
Then he set calmly to work on the
20-year task again. But the shock
proved too much for his overstrained
nerves. He broke down mentally and
physically. To make matters worse
he was practically penniless.
But with tardy generosity the gov
eminent came to his relief. He was
appointed warden Of the royal mint,
and SO well did he discharge his
duties that, in 1896. he was promoted
to the Office of mint master. Queen
Anne, in 1705, made him a knight. |
Thus England was spared the eternal |
disgrace of allowing her greatest |
scientist to starve.
In 1927. at the age of IS, Newton
died. At his deathbed some fellow
scientists spoke in high praise of the
lying mans profound wisdom.
"Wfsdom?" echoed Newton. I'll
EEL like a child who. wandering along
he shores Of the boundless seas of
earning. has merely picked up q few
my Shells"
(Copyrighted)
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
TO INCREASE VALUE OF FARM
Proper Application Of Energy and
Skill VIII Reward Farmer In
Working Farm.

The frst thought, on buying farm
is how can its value be increased.
This. naturally. will mean more profit
While making the soil richer is the SO.
luton, 1t Is not SO easily done, when
the entire farm is considered, while
constantly cropping and selling pro-
duce from 1t, says the Philadelphia
| Record.
In great many instances the farm.
er engaging on new land endeavors
to make 1t more productive, and in his
efforts lessons the soil fertility. For
a long time the farm may be steadily
growing poorer and yet annually pro-
ducing bigger crops.
All the manure applied has its
value returned in one or more crops,
and these rob the soil of some kind
Of fertility that the manure itself did
not supply to them. Wherever potash
and phosphate have become SO ex-
hausted that grain ciops cannot be
grown without an application of these
minerals to each crop it is an indica-
tion that the soil Is becoming poorer.
The farmer manures for crop rather
than for the land, and is satisfied If
in each crop the money value of the
fertilizer used is returned, with rea-
sonable profit.
But there are other methods than
making land rich to increase its
value. Some times better cultivation
alone will accomplish this, though al
ways with this better cultivation
comes more rapid soil exhaustion. In
order to secure his living. the farmer
must exhaust fertility. Fertility Is
the raw material that nature sup
plies, and the farmer turns it into
as many forms as he chooses, and of
kinds that will most likely give him
a profit. Here, then, is call for en-
ergy and skill, and If these are prop
erly applied, the farmer receives his
reward and the farm becomes more
Every farmer should en-.
deavor to find new and profitable
crops, so that he may secure a much |
greater income from his land.
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
Cabbage Worms.

A southern correspondent says THAI
the best remedy he ever tried for rid,
ains cabbage of worms and lice is
air-slacked lime. 1t can be sprinkled
on thtckfy and evenly by putting the
limo IN an old guano sack, then shak,
ing the sack over the cabbages. It is
better to put 1t on early in the morn,
Ing While dew is yet on the cabbage.
II may be used once or twice a week
until the worms disappear. Cabbage
win thrive, and the heads grow firmer
and waiter sitter using it. Air-slacked
lime = also valuable for sprinkling on
young squash and cucumber plants to
Drotset them from the ravages OF in
seefs
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
NEW UTENSIL FOR KITCHEN.
Invention That Combines Functions Of
Fruit Press and coIander, Sim
plifying Culinary Tasks.

A new piece OF kitcheS furniture
has recently been invented, which
combines the functions of the fruit
press and coiander, with which it will
be found possible to greatly simplify
many of the culinary tasks. It is de-
signed for removing seeds and skins
from grapes, tomatoes and apples. ric-
ing potatoes. extracting juices from
fruit. smoothing laundry starch and
hundred other uses which will suggest
themselves from time to time to the
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
Butter Cutter.

of Washington. Nor is this cutter
useful in the home alone. In fact, 1t
Is probably of more real use in hotels
and restaurants. where many pounds
Of butter have to be cut in day. and
where an equal portion to every GUS
toner is diplomatic necessity. The
apparatus consists of an oblong
frame, slightly larger than a pound of
butter. with handles at each end.
Running through the center of the
frame lengthwise is a thin sharp
strip of metal, the edges pointing out.
At right angles to this. and crossing
the frame at close intervals, are other
knifelike strips. The device is placed
over a pound Of butter and pressed
down through it. dividing the lump
into about two dozen equal squares.
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24

should be able to determine diseases
and other ailments, their cause ant
cure To make profitable gains he
should thoroughly understand feeds
with their composition and nutritive
value and balanced rations. He should
know what feeds will produce the
highest returns with each kind of ami
mails kept and know what feeds to
buy tn order to get the best results
from the feeds grown on his own
farm. With judicious management
and correct knowledge of farm stock
and feeds the general farmer can buy
feeds and use them with profit, be-
sides adding extra amounts of manure
to his land, which represents a part
o. the net gains. 1t is better farm
practice to buy feeds than to sell
them. and the farmer who keeps
much I've stock is able to do this 10
advantage.
With the growing demand for pure
bred animals of all kinds, the gener-
n farmer can make extra money on
the same amount of land by keeping
pure bred animals only and selling a
part of them for breeding purposes.
OF course. there is some extra ex-
pense In doing this. but the returns
WIN justify the extra expense, and the
pleasure tn growing them Is compen-
sation IN itself, an important point
overlooked by many. 1t Is a pleasure
To keep animals that one is not
ashamed Of and which others are al
ways eager to buy. When one has
established reputation for only
short time and breeds special utility
stock he WIFI soon find more buyers
than he can supply. He need not go
to them; they will come to him. and
that makes a difference.
Horses. cattle, sheep and hogs all
have their merits, but the general
farmer should breed and grow all of
them. with perhaps some one kind of
animal. his special favorite, as lead |
or. 1t Is possible under favorable con-
dftions to make a speciality of several
kinds and make success of all of |
them. but as rule It is not best to |
Try to handle too many 1t goes with
out saying that horses are valuable
and very essential farm animals.
Every farmer should keep few
mares to raise colts for hfs own
needs. and II possible some for sale.
Nearly all of the farm work can be
lone With mares which raise colts
nearly every year, and by keeping
mares only for work and breeding
hem regularly the farmer can make
soluble profit out of his horses.
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
SAMUEL JOE1NSON--- Crank and
Dictionary Maker.

In the worst rainstorm of the sea
son, one day in the middle of the
eighteenth century, man stood on 9
street corner Of Lichfield, England
he was unprotected from the weather
by so much as great coat and wait
ed meekly, receiving the deluge OF
rain and jeers of passersby. He was
a giant in size and strength, enor.
mousiy fat and clad In shabby. soiled
garb. His swollen, red face was
blotched, SCARED and distorted with
scrofula and twitched uncontrollably
his great head rolled from side to
side and he muttered constantly to
himself. This strange figure was DR..
Samuel Johnson, greatest man of his
day, and revolutionizer of the English
language. His vigil in the rainstorm
was but one of thousand eccentric
tiles. AS lad he had refused to go
on an errand for his father one rainy
day. Now 30 years later It had &C.
Cured to him to take this queer way
of atoning for his boyish disobedi-
ence.
Johnson was the son of an old
bookseller. He spent his boyhood
reading ravenously every one of his
fathers books he could lay hands on.
He had the rare faculty of remember
Ing everything he read. At 10, though
miserably poor, he went to Oxford.
Bat his eccentricity, strange appear
ance and overstrung nerves proved
great drawback His wagging head,
facial grimaces, slovenly, dirty
clothes and linen
"eV and uncouth ways
01s made a bad i'm
preston. If he
were asked to a literary reception he
was quite likely to create a diver
sion by snatching on lady's slipper
or clawfng her false hair, or by sud-
denly shouting line from the Lords
Prayer. At the few dinners he was
invited to the half-starved genius ate
tearisg his food like a
wild beast and growing over it.
The English tongue and English lit
erature were growing. Certain ETY.
mologies and lexicons were in use.
but the language had no dictionary !
worthy Of the name. Several book |
sellers combined and hired Johnson |
TO compile. I'm two volumes, a COM
plete dictionary of the English Ian
guage. For this mammoth work he
was allowed seven years times and
$4,000. He was obliged to employee a
small army of lesser writer's to help
him, and this quickly ate up his
profits. He had no rich patron, as
had most writer's of the time, Sor he
could not truckle to the great. He
worked on in poverty. His wife died,
eavinE him alone in the world. These
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
FATE OF A PERPETUAL CLOCK
Its Curious Mechanism and construc.
fIon and Singular Disappearance
After Reaching China.

In the eighteenth century an ingeni
Gus 1eweler named John Cox of Shoe
Lane, London, constructed a clock
which was rendered perpetual by q
cleverly contrived attachment which
utilized the rise and fall of the ba,
rometer to supply the necessary en-.
ergy.
The movement Of the mercury &C.
tuated a cogwheel in such a manner
that whether the mercury rose or fell
the wheel always revolved in the
same direction and kept the weights
that supplied the movement of the
clock always wound up. The ba.
rometer bulb dipped into a mercury
cistern. The cistern hung attached to
the extremities of two rockers. to the
left end of one and the right end of
the other.
The bulb was similarly attached to
the other extremities of the rockers.
which are thus. moved every time
there is a change in the amount OF
mercury in bulb and cistern respect.
lively. The rockers actuated a vertical
ratchet, and the teeth were so ar
ranged that the wheel they controlled
could only move In one direction.
whether the ratchet assembled or de.
scended.
The clock itself was an ordinary
one, but of very strong and superior
workmanship, and was jeweled with
diamonds at every bearing, the whole
being inclosed In q glass case which
while it excluded dust, displayed the
entire mechanism. The fate of Cox's
clock was brought to light in work
called Travels in China" published in
1904 and written by John Barrow.
In this book it is stated that in the
list of presents carried by the late
Dutch ambassador" were two grand
pieces of machinery that were mart
of the curious museum of Cox" One
of these apparently was this perpetual
clock, and it was taken by the Dutch
Embassy to China, where in the four.
ley from Canton to Picking both the |
instruments suffered some slight dam.
,ge. Efforts were made to repair |
hem at Picking. but on leaving the
capital 1t was discovered that tho |
Jhfnese Prime Minister Ho-tchane
ong had substituted two other clocks
II very inferior workmanship and had |
eserved Cox's mechanism for him.
elf.
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24

Good Dame Newton. farmers wild
| ow, of Woolstrop, England, was II
despair at the stupidity of her only
son, Isaac. To the horror of all the
neighbors the lad could not grasp the
first principles of farming. He neg
lected his work in the fields, failed t.
show any interest in crops and was
forever sneaking off into corners tc
read some book on science or me
chanics. He had picked up taste
for such matters at the Grantham
Grammar school, and they weaned
him away from all concern about his
mothers thriving farm. He took to
devising mechanical toys In off hours,
and even constructed couple of sun
dials.
Isaac actually wanted to be a
scholar. A scholar, to the simple farm
folk, meant man in tattered, rusty
gown, who was glad enough to eat
the crust of charity and who accom-
plished no good in life. Yet for such
a miserable career Isaac begged leave
to throw away an assured future as
a prosperous farmer. And at last,
worn down by his pleadings, the moth
er consented. At Is, in 1860, Newton
went to Cambridge university. There
he promptly went mathematic-mad.
He discovered the binomial theorem
and worked out the processes since
employed as "Dinerential and Integ-
raj Calculus" Before he reached the
age of "a he was professor of mathe-
mates at Trinity college.
Then the plague swept England, a
scourging epidemic that wasted whole
communities, paralyzed trade and
progress, and killed men, women and
children like flies. The dead were
carried out Of the cities each day by
the hundred carloads. knowledge of
n,...v.... medicine and of
se 'o sanitation was
.,on OF 4ras'fa- limited and the
tion." ....S
be checked. The colleges closed
their doors. Newton, deprived for the
time of occupation, returned to the
farm.
There. in enforced idleness, he
spent many weeks. One day, as he
sat under q tree in his mothers
orchard, an apple fell to the ground,
grazing his head as it passed. New
ton started up from the doze into
which he had drifted. The fall of the
apple set him to thinking. Why had
lt fallen? When 1t had become de-
tached from the limb why did 1t drop
downward? Why did 1t not hang in
air or fall in some other direction? |
What mysterious force drew all de-
'ached bodies to the earth as a mag
net draws PARTICLES of steel? Since
he days OF Adam apples had tumbled |
Yet no one except New
on had troubled to consider the rea-
ION. The idle scholar set to work on /
he problem offered by this accident.
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
sterIIIzInq City Water.

For sterilizing city's water supply
the novel plan Is proposed of using
powerful mercury-vapor lamps with
quartz tubes, which should be 80
placed that every particle of water
should remain two minutes within a
few inches Of lamp. The large pro-
portion of ultraviolet rays was shown
in 1906 to have great germ-destroyinR
properties. Recently Courmont and
Nogier have proven that most disease
bacteria in water within IL inches OF a
lamp are destroyed in one minute, and
that much contaminated water is com.
pletely sterilized In two minutes.
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24

were the darkest years of Johnsont
NE. His mother. whom he had sup
ported out Of his lean purse, also died
and to pay her funeral expenses HI
wrote his great philosophical move
'Rasselas."
Then. In 1855, appeared his great
dictionary. 1t was not only the first
real English dictionary ever pub
lished. but the clearness, scope and
beautiful language of its definitions
formed new literary era and caused
revolution in literature.
Now that he was successful. the
world fiocked to do him homage. A
coterie of writer's, actors and states.
men formed about him. He was their
oracle and idol With pompous superb
ority he tyrannized over them.
Spoiled by Pros t Dunsu TN, anem' rec.
perry them listen in re-
spectful silence to his endless ora
lions. At the Cheshire Cheese and
other places Of the kind he was wont
to hold a species of semi-regal court.
with himself as undisputed king and
despot. He grew indolent, Stunned
work of all sorts and lived on his
past record. In earlier years he had
rallied at the custom of pension Civ.
ing. styling 1t pay given to a state
hireling to betray his country" Yet
when the new monarch, George III.
offered him pension of 81, 800 year
Johnson promptly accepted.
At about this time he met James
Boswell, a young Scotch lawyer.
johnson hated Scotland, but took
fancy to Boswell, saying in explana.
ton: Much may be done with
Scotchman If he is caught young"
Boswell religiously took down all
Johnsons epigrams and later pub
hshed his recollections of the great
photographer in one Of the most fas.
cinating biographies ever written.
Johnson filled his house with beg.
gars and decayed gentlefolk. whom he
supported and who quarelled among
themselves and bullied their benefac.
tor as he bullied the world.
But at length these mendicants died, |
as did many Of Johnson's closest
friends. Alone in the world, embit
tered, and suffering from a combina, |
lion OF fatal maladies, the man who
had revolutionized the English Ian. !
suase, and who feared death with
terror almost childlike in its unrea,
condolences. died on December IL.
1874, leaving an unparalleled record
u long and successful battle against
circumstances. and standing out for.
aver as the oldest, most picturssoue
igure in the world Of lettera.
Scopyrishtsa.a
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
KEEP ONLY FOWLS THAT PAY
No Profit In Feeding Lot Of Old
Hens That Have outIived Their
Usefulness.

Some hens are not worth their keep:
others produce enough to cover the
cost of their handling. The hens that
pay are those that more than meet the
expenses of money and time necessary
to make them worth while. There art
three classes of hens and the last is
the one that We all desire and the one
that we can have If we are willing to
pay the cost
What is necessary to own birds that
pay? 1t takes more than money. You
can buy birds that can pay, but it is
another thing to have them pay you
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
SUCCESS in BREED
CARE MUST BE EXERCISED IN Sc
lEcTING STOCK.
Farmer to Be Prosperous In Growing
Livestock Must Exercise Good
Judgment and General In
teliigence In Caring for
Animals.

To become highly successful In
breeding and growing farm animals
one must love the animals be works
with. He must have an Unborn or ac-
CURED sympathy for them and ever
be ON the alert to make them comfort
able and happy with feed, shelter and
other necessary things for healthy
growth and perfect maturity.
The man who is not content day Or
night till he knows that his farm
stock Is cared for in the best possible
manner Is sure to succeed with them.
AS the man thinks and works, so will
his results be. Even when all things
are right he will light the lantern aft
er supper on winter evenings and go
to the barn and other buildings to see
the animals and know positively that
they are warm and comfortable for
the cold night. He will do this, not
because he suspects neglect in some
line. but because his heart is with
them. and because he cannot help do
Ing IT. Going the rounds Of the stalls
and stables he talks to each animal
~ to human being. and each animal
seems to appreciate the human SYM
pathy extended. 1t is a good way to
make friends with the animals and
gain their complete confidence. The
men who do this from right motives
and Kindness are good stockmen.
The successful growing of live stock
on the general farm requires good
judgment and general intelligence on
the part Of the farmer. The animals
require good shelter. proper amounts
of right kinds of nutritious feeds and
their physical structure must be I'M
derstood In order to handle them IN
breeding and maternity. The grower
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
Grow Pure Bred Corn.

In cooperation with the county fair
associations over so bushels Of pure
seed corn was distributed free by the
University of Wisconsin Agricultural
Experiment station to the young peo-
pie who grew small plats and exhib-
tied their product at local fairs. This
work has been introduced into 26
counties. and has proved of immense
value in interesting young people in
agricultural matters.
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24

A difficulty In making fllaments of
nonductile metals, like tungsten, has
been ingeniousiy overcome in new
patented process of the Siemens-
Halske firm of Germany. The tung-
stem or other filament metal is inclosed
IN a thin coating Of ductile metal, and
the whole is drawn through a die
plate until the required fineness is
reached. The coated filament, at
tached to conducting support, is
then mounted in the lamp bulb. The
air is exhausted from the bulb. and an
electric current Is turned on, when the
heat quickly drives on the ductile
metal. leaving the refractory filament.
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
Electricity In The.ter.

Within the past few years electricity
has been utilized to produce some Of
the most remarkable stage pictures n
is possible to conceive. withou. the
faithful agency of electricity the Thea.
ter would lose half Il IL scenic q.
fractions.
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
Electricity in FertiIlzInc lndu.trv.

Several representatives from Eu-
ropean concerns interested in the
manufacture Of heterogeneous fertilizer
from the air are In this country look
ing for options on good water power
for hydro-electric development in con-
nection With the fertilizing industry.
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
NOVEL HANDY BUTTER CUTTER


Among the infinite variety OF 40
vices that tighten the housewives
burdens and add to the attractiveness
Of the dinner table is the butter-cut'
ter devised by two men Of the state
The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-07-24
Three-WheeI Motorcycle.

lance riding this motorcycle will in all
probability be found superior to the
ordinary motorcycle.