The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-05-12
Fertile Farms in that
County Described by
Judge Searle
SAYS WAYNE COUNTY, HOW
EVER, GIVES GREATER RE-
TURNS FOR MONEY IN
VESTED.


Hon. Alonzo T. Searle, President
Judge of Wayne county, who has
been specially presiding at the
Northampton and Dauphin courts re-
Gently, when seen after his return,
several days ago, by Citizen man,
spoke freely of his visit to the
southern tier of counties in Penn
sylvania.
Judge Searle spent a night at
Hummelstown, Dauphin county, with
William II. Ernest, who years ago
read law in his office, and was form
er teacher in the public schools of
Honesdale.
Mr.. Ernest lives at Hummelstown
and practices law in Harrisburg,
having left the Maple City about
ten years ago. He is married and
has two fine boys. Mr.. Ernest is
making a splendid record for him
self, and expects to be a candidate
for the Legislature, next term. He
is Master in the Hummelstown Ma
sonic lodge, and takes an active part
in all the affairs of that thriving
community, by all of whose citi-
zens he is held in highest esteem.
His mother is a member of one
of the oldest Dunkard families, and
comes from the very best people in
that county.
Judge Searle, during his stay in
Easton, also visited the Moravian
schools and institutions of mercy
located at Bethlehem. He was
impressed by the mighty respectable
antiquity of that town, which num-
bers among it's residents the very
best class of people.
These MoravianS are very thrifty
absolutely honest and industrious,
steadygoing and appear now to be
progressing rapidly.
That part of Pennsylvania, ac-
cording to Judge Searle, is growing
as much as any other part of the
keystone State. "They live," he
said, sin a very solid, substantial
manner, and appear to enjoy life in
a solid. substantial way.
sThe school at Nazareth, . contin-
ued Judge Searle, sis one of the
best and oldest schools in the Unit
ed States. A large number OF
Honesdale and Wayne county girls
went to the Bethlehem schools in
past years, and these institutions
of learning are still considered as
among the best schools in the coun.
try.
Take it all the way through
perhaps the finest farms in the
United States are found in that par
of Pennsylvania. The value of the
farm products in Lancaster county
is greater than that in any Other
section of the country. They raise
a great deal of wheat and corr
there. Many cattle are brought tC
that section from the West, and fat
tened
Lancaster county raises a tre
mendous amount of tobacco. Some
of those Dunkards or River Breth
rem or Mennonites have the same
primitive habits as their ancestor!
had two hundred years ago. They
are noted for their simple-temperet
habits, and even mode of living.
UNLESS a person has been dowI
in that part of the State, they havt
little idea of what that part of Penn
Sylvania is like. 1t is a fertile gar
den-spot. There is nothing like it il
the United States. | have Away
enjoyed going there, and / possess
many friends in Reading, York, Ian
caser and Allentown.
These people generally are yer.
hospitable too. 1t would pay any
body to make trip down to tha
part of Pennsylvania and take il
Gettysburg and the surroundin,
counties.
Those Dunkard meeting houses,
as they are called, are very plail
and severe structures. They hay,
a great many lay preachers. Th
Lutheran churches are large, fin,
edifices.
II would rather go to that par
of Pennsylvania than to any othe
part | always feel welcome as
have a good many friends there.
have been going there frequentl,
for the last twenty-five or thirt
years.
Land has gone up very rapid
in the past four or five years; a
much as $500 an acre in many cases
1t is no unusual thing to find farm
ers who are worth from fifty t
seventy-fiye thousand dollars.
''The standard of intelligence an
education is very high. There ar
many colleges and educational in
stitutions which especially serve lo
cal interests. The standard of tn
education of the Lutheran clergy
men is very high. They are men O
great learning. The lawyers, toe
are most excellent set of men, an
try their cases very WE'LL"
Judge Searle concluded his inter
view by reiterating his well-know
loyalty to Wayne county, however
and said:
There is no part of the Unite
States, where for the same amour
of money invested greater return
can be made than in Wayne county
Our land is so much cheaper"