davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21
THIS BOY BEING REFUSED A HORSE BY HIS fATHEES
CULTIVATE HIS ACRE WITH MADE 50 busIELS

agricultural fairs and tells about the
lightweight bushels Of corn they raised
on an acre. saying: That is what me and
my boy done
I'm another Instance continued the
Secretary. Ian Arkansas farmer would
not give his boy a horse to cultivate his
acre. The boy paid to have the land
plowed, and after that he lid ali his Gull
tfvating with a common, everyday goat.
Notwithstanding that he raised fifty
bushels of corn Another boy had not
even a goat and he harnessed the calves,
and made seventy-five bushels OF corn TO
the acre. The department is full OF such
stories
THAT is the kind of work that makes
men. Mr.. Secretary" said l.
THAT is what told the boys who won
the prize trips to Washington. The corn
clubs of the south are making men. ana
the boys who belong to them VIII De
among the best men of the future When
a boy learns how to manage an acre ana
to count every cent that goes in and all
that comes out. as well as to make IL
produce. as those boys are doing ne
comes mighty near to learning how 10
manage a farm. He learns how to work
and how to save. Take the boys who
came down to Washington. Every one
of them appreciated the value of the
cent and the dime. One had been given
$50 to pay his expenses to the capital
and back. and he was to have all that
was left He came from beyond the Mis-
sssippi river When he reached here he
looked rather tired One of men
asked him what kind of a trip he had
had and whether he had slept we'll on the
cars. He replied: Not very Well And
upon further questioning said that he had
sat UP all the way. Said he: A sleeping
car would have cost me S.. and that is
lot of money to me- He was asked as TO
his meals, and he said he had gone into
the diner. but that they wanted to charge
him dollar for dinner. and SO he waited
until he got to Memphis, and there got
some apples. popcorn and bread. and that
was enough until he reached Washington.
Another boy went to Pittsburg, and In
the restaurant at the depot was asked to
nav 10 cents for cup of coffee. He was
Mortified. and that is the last coffee he
drank during the trip.
Joe Stone of Georgia. who is only
twelve years of age. had to pay one-third
Of his crop to the landlord of whom his
father rented the farm. He raised 102
bushels at a cost of % cents.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21

is Europe'S Paradise. The obscurity
OF lis president IS the best guarantee
Of is contentment Nobody could ever
desire 70 throw bomb al Switzer-
land president. because, first. the
terrosist would probably not know the
presidents name. secondly he could
certainly not tell him ~ sight. thirdly.
he would not-since the president has
no official residence-know where he
lived. and lastly, he would probably
not find him at home. for il is a ira
dition or the Swiss presidents Office
that the holder shall not sit in his
house in aristocratic seclusion but
shall live, mingle. drink and play
cards with his fellow men, with no dis
tinction Of rank or class.
The ideal OF Swiss president in
short. is the Greek ideal of a woman
he must not give rise To talk. He is
expected 10 live in decent obscurity
like u hundred predecessors whose
names. records. achievements. virtues
and failings are remembered by no
man. And when he has finished his
brief term of office he is expected TO
return like Cincinnatus to his pillow
the pillow being. however. not a
pillow, but in the great majority of
cases. a lawyers desk.
The President OF The Swiss Confedera-
ton does not owe this happy obscurty TO
chance, but TO the deliberate wisdom OF
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21

Secretary took charge Of the Department
of Agriculture ii annually amounted to
about four billions of dollars. In 1910 it
was almost nine billions and when the
present schems of farm Improvement and
new crops have been generally adopted
we shall be rich enough to buy Mexico
and Canada and to inaugurate peace
movements throughout the world.
Eighty thousand million dollars.
The sum is beyond human conception.
1t is ten millions more than all the
wealth of Great Britain and Ireland
1t is more than twice the value of all
Russia owns. four times the total wealth
of Austria Hungary, and over fifteen
times that Of Holland or Spain.
Coming down 10 the crops of a single
year, Secretary Wilson tells me that dur
ing 1910 our farmers yanked almost nine
billion dollars out of Mother Earth 5
pockets. That sum would come within
10 per cent of the government revenues
of every country on earth, and 1t would
those governments, including their armies
and nayies and every other employe, from
the kings who sit the thrones to the
women who scrub the palaces and pub
lie Offices
Nine thousand millions OF money a
year means just about thirty millions
for every working day. 1t means more
than a million dollars for every hour,
twenty thousands dollars for every min
ute and over three hundred and thirty
three dollars for every second. Take out
your watch and look at its face. Follow
the second hand as it measures the min
utes. Every time it goes around its little
dial our farmers are adding 10000 to our
national wealth. Now put it to your ear
and listen to the ticking. Every tick
means more than three hundred dollars.
and that three hundred is added with
every tick, day and night. week in and
week out, all the year through
1t is the man who has had much to do
with making this wealth that you talk
with today. ! am merely the phono-
graph, and through me the Secretary Of
Agriculture is speaking to you. We are
sitting in Mr.. Wilson's office and the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21

corn patch Of the central Mississippi val
ley The south is bound to be as much
a land of corn as it has been and is a
land Of cotton"
Tell me more about the boys. Mr..
Secretary
Il could talk all day about that" replied
the gray-haired chief of the Agricultural
Department. I'VE had eleven of the little
fellows here last fall. We gave them
diplomas and a free trip to Washington
and best corn on one acre. They took
land in states that have been producing
on the average from fifteen to twenty
bushels per acre and farmed it. They
worked under our direction, and the re-
suit is they have raised up to as high as
22S bushels per acre. and one OF them has
produced 119 bushels on an acre at a
cost of eight cents bushel. We have
thousands OF boys who have harvested
from the one acre they farmed double
as much as their fathers grew on any
acre adjoining. and some who have pro-
duced five times as much.
Take. for instance the case of one
bright southern boy" the Secretary of
no faith in what he called book farming,
and. besides. he was about as mean as
they make them. His boy had asked for
the use OF an acre. and the father re-
1uS6Q, telling Illul lie WOOlu HoI nave
anything to do with such foolishness.
The boy persisted. however. and the father
finally pointed to a rough hillside over
grown with brush and spotted with
stumps and stones, and told him II he
would grub that acre and move off the
stones he could have it. The boy went to
work. and finally cleared it. Then the
old man said: That acre Is too good for
me to lose. I think ! will plant it my
self The boy cried, and the father
finally said: Well. II you will clear an
other acre beside that 1 won't take it
from you. and you may plant it and do
what you please Thereupon the boy
again went to work and cleared the sec
ond acre. He planted 1t to corn after our
directions. and as a result he made
lightweight bushels At the same time
his father planted and cultivated the
acre adjoining. using the old way. He
made just eighteen. Since then the old
man has been converted to our way OF
farming He goes with his boy to the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21
SEcRETAH WILSON
The MODERN ALADDIN.

secretary'is talking of Uncle Sam. Patri-
arch.
SAYS he
1T is the duty of the government to
take care of the citizen and it should
study his comfort in every possible way.
II should show him how to husband his
wealth. and to develop his property for
himself and the nation. These are some
of the things we are trying to do. and
might also say some Of these we are
doing"
Can you give me an idea of your work
for the farmers?'
eve are not working for the farmers
alone.' was the reply. This department
is for all the people. 1t affects every
man, woman and child in the country.
and it's sphere is increasing each year.
We are now spending about S15.OOO,O 200
per annum, and the whole of this Is used
for Investigations and operations which
tend to the increase of our national and
individual wealth. We have more than
1900 employs. and we have trebled our
force within the past ten years.
Can you tell me some Of the things
you are doing, Mr.. Secretary?'
Il could mention a hundred. and the
work Of each would give you the mate
rial for very good letter. You will have
to visit the bureaus. and l will see that
everything Is thrown open to you. This
is great experiment station. con-
sisting Of an army of practical scientists
who are working along all sorts OF lines.
If you want to know about aerial naviga-
ton I will turn you over to Prof. Moore
and he will tell you the result OF the
latest Investigations of the upper air If
you would know about our forests | can
send you to the chief of that service. He
has 1000 men under him, and he takes
care of 100000 acres of woods
Would you know about cooking? We
have chemists who are studying foods
and who will put you in a glass case and
feed you there. telling you just how much
of each bite goes to make muscle and
how much is pure waste.
Il have recently tested the matter OF
cheese. 1 have Away. had the idea that
green cheese is not good for the stomach
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21
ONE OF THE TWO WIHdS Now In USE

is about Las. 900 square miles. 1t is equal
to three and one-half states the size OF
Ohio"
Tell me something about the work you
are doing for the farmers boys. MIR. Sec
retary.' said
That is a big story replied Mr.. Will
son. with the assistance of the states
we are establishing schools for the teach
ing of farming. and improved agriculture
Is being taught in the public schools We
are also doing a great deal of practical
work with the boys on the farms"
You may have heard something Of
the boy corn raisers of the United States
They are numbered by the tens OF thou
sands. The movement began In the great
corn patch of the Mississippi valley. and
at the ST. Louis exposition there were
about 5000 separate exhibits of corn
raised in the older corn regions by as
many thousand individual boys. These
boys had each one acre of land. which
he planted and cultivated after rules laid
down by this department. Prizes were
given in each district to the boy who
produced the most and best corn. and
the results were yield which was dou-
BILE. treble and In some cases even five
or six times that which was gotten be-
fore
the Secretary. 1T was before the boil
weevil had begun to bite deep into the
cotton crop of the south AS you know.
cotton has long been the one crop of
VIA. .c1tioH. ne HdNc idioou
almost nothing else They have imported
their hogs and their hominy, have bought
mules and other live stock of the north
and have even brought in the stuff to
feed them. We wanted to make the south
self-supporting, to diversity the crops and
to show what would do for the
land. This has been accomplished largely
through the boys. We, shall soon have
100000 boy farmers who will each have
acre more to cultivate after our
methods. We had more than 10000 last
year. and we have already doubled that
number. We have thousands of southern
farmers who are experimenting with
corn and thousands who are already
raising 1t for the money they can make
from the crop. AS a result Of few
years work we have increased the corn
there until the south is now producing
one-thrd of all raised in the Union, and
it's crop will soon equal that of the great
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21

BILE for them TO- play any demoraliZing
role as leaders OF society,"
X
The presidency is. strictly speaking. an
honorary" office. All that the president
gets is an allowance OF $1,000 francs, or
5000 a year. He gets no representa-
ton or entertainment allowance. and no
official residence. The other six men,
bers of the bundesrath receive 5000 a
year each If the odd $500 a year be
considered extra costs borne by the pres
ident in his function acknowledgment,
he may be said to be paid the same sal
airy as are his colleagues. And this is in
accord with the constitutional theory that
the president is merely chairman of the
bundesrath. The president is obliged to
reside at Berne, and the constitution COM
pels him to abandon his profession or
occupation during his year of tenancy.
so that accepting the presidency usually
means a monetary loss; and unless the
president has private means he Is Pc
cuniarily worse off than any second-rate
tradesman of the city of Berne.
The position Is only possible because
the president is not expected to entertain.
The semblance OF republican court
which exists at the White House. and
still more so at the Champs Elysees, does
not exist in Berne. The Swiss president
may occasionally be seen at the houses
of the foreign diplomats, but he does not
entertain them In return. Once Q year
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21
An Offensive Story.

KIT NEVER saw Mr. Roosevelt riied pot
! once" said a New York banker
TT was over a twin story. Mr.. Roose-
Welt, you know. regards twins, triple's''
and even quadruplets. as great and uh
mixed blessings, and he won't let any
one poke fun at them.
"A schoolmaster told the twin story
in the smoking room of a hot@ OUT
west without intending any onense 10
Mr.. Roosevelt.
He said that a pupil Of his turned
up at school one morning nearly an
hour late.
Tommy the schoolmaster demand
ed. what is the meaning OF this!
1--WE got company at our mousse
Tommy replied.
~ .atr said the schoolmaster.
"Two's company. amt it? said TOM
nv. Well, it's two little sisters They
come early this mornin' with Or smith,
and pop looks awful worried
The banker smiled and shook MS
head. ,;a
But you should have heard" he saio;
the lecture that Mr. RooseVelt neau
that schoolmaster on race SUICIDE
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21

only the federal government gives a din
ner to all the diplomats in the capital.
and at this toasts are drunk ana speeches.
made. If the president is rich man ne
may entertain, but he does SO In his func-
ton of citizen and not as president. AS
rule the presidents have been men or
small or modest incomes: and that is the
case with the president for 1911.
The president for 1911 Is NJ. Marc
Ruchet NJ. Ruchet is a French Swiss
and a Vaudois. hailing from st. Saphorln
near Morges on the north shore of the
Lake of Geneva. He is the son of a
schoolmaster, and like most Swiss presi-
dents a LAWYER Shortly after Marc
Ruchets birth his parents settled In Lau-
same, and there he studied in elementary
school and gymnasium and afterward as
a student of law in Lausanne University
There he produced a dissertation on the
problem Of Property In Works of Litera-
ture and Art and after that went to
Heidelberg and finished his studies.
NJ. Ruchet began his work as practical
lawyer in the Office Of Louis Ruchonnet
Of Lausanne. ex-president of the confed-
Grafton. Thereby he marked himself out
in advance for the presidency. Not only
was Ruchonnet, who died in 1893. Swift
zerland's most famous lawyer, but his
office was known as the nursery for
presidents" owing to the fact that in 1t
were trained several future chief magis-
Ruchonnet. Later he entered politics. In
1882 he was elected to the great council
of the canton of Vaud. and five years
later to the government council" where
he remained for seven years. After a
term of retirement. he became member
again in 1896. Ruchet's special admin
istrative department was that OF culture
and public instruction. He proved an &C
1I~ Iii
friend of innovations. He established
courses for teachers OF infant schools
amended the teachers pension law, pass
ed a law regulating libraries and mu-
seums: started movement for studying
and preserving historical monuments. and
created several new professorshtps In
Lausanne University
In 1899. after President Ruffy resigned
his membership of the bundesrath, NJ
Ruchet became one OF the seven mem
bers. and six years afterward, In 1905. he
became president for the first time of the
confederation. He held the Office with
admitted success. and now-six years
later-has been elected again.
NJ Ruchet is a widower. His wife. who
prominent leader of the very weak Swiss
feminist movement Before her death
she had the satisfaction of seeins
marked feminist reforms introduced IN
the canton Of Zurich. including the open.
ing to women Of activity in social, edu.
cational and chronological questions. NJ
Ruchet himself is marked personality
and thereby he fulhlls the tradition that
all Swiss presidents should be to some
extent Originals Ruchets originality /,
the talk of Berne. First he is Vaudois
which is not quite the same thing al
Swiss, for the people OF Vaud are French
Burgundians by race. who have ole
scores with the mainly German Bernese
The vaudois is in characteristics rattle,
q typical southern Frenchman, intensely
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21

the federal constitution, which. as amend
ed in 1874, was devised so as to deprive
the chief magistrate of much work,
power, dignity and responsibility as pos
sible. There are hundred and twenty
three articles In this constitution; yet
only once-in the ninety-eighth-is the
office of president mentioned, and then
somewhat casually, as if the holder We're
a minor official The constitution treats
the president thus unceremoniously be-
cause it is intended that the president
shall hold no distinguishing position. The
repository of supreme authority in Swift
zerland is not meant to be the president
at all. but the bundesrath or federal coun-
ell This bundesrath. which Is the nearest
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21

dent issue from obscurity. This Is dur
ing the national fetes de tire or marks
manship competitions. held at intervals or
some years. These fetes are always sig
nails for patriotic demonstrations AID at
them the president for once assumes q
certain decorative dignity. When elect
ing a president for a fete year care Is
taken that he shall be a representative
man. who can play the role OF chief on
the occasion with dignity. The fact that
such a consideration Is the only problem
which causes the assembly an hours du
bitation when electing shows better than
anything else the non-controyersial char
acter of a Swiss presidents functions.
Copyright. 1911 In the United States hg Curtis
Brown. All British rights reserved.)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21

Another boy named Henry, who came
from Louisiana. raised almost l4o bushels
at a cost Of ID cents, and he sold his crop
at SO a bushel for seed. That boy has
put in five acres this year. and he expects
to get 800 bushels Of corn from them. He
is going to the high school. and the thou
sand dollars he thinks this years crop
will net him Is to be used to pay for his
college education.
Speaking of the making men OF the
boys" continued the Secretary, Il can
think of nothing more educational. This
work develops their self-reliance and en-
courages them to think and act for
themselves Take another OF the prize
winners. little Ira Smith of Arkansas.
He was so bashful when the demonstra-
tor of the Agricultural Department vis-
tied his father that he would not speak
to him. He could not be persuaded to
talk and ran out of the house. Never
theless the boy, after having raised lls
bushels on his acre at a cost OF cents
a bushel. talked with President Taft here
at Washington and was not afraid.
When the boys called at the White
House the President tackled Ira smith
first, saying:
Now tell me the truth, my boy. didn't
you pick out the best acre on your
fathers place for that corn
No replied little Ira. My acre was
just like the rest.
And do you expect to try It again.
said the President
Yes, 1 do. / have already selected
my acre and / hope TO raise more corn
next year than j raised this
But IL is not the effect that the work
has on the boys alone that should be
considered" said the Secretary. Every
one of the thousands of boys who are
working that way represents family
and its neighbors, and I'm this movement
we are educating whole communities ana
whole states. We are revolutlonizing the
work Of the farmer OF the south. and the
changes now going on Will make That
section one of the richest and most
stable parts of the. country. The south
is Just at the edge OF its beginning ana
its growth in wealth from now on Will
he surprising to all the other parts OF the
Union
FRANK G. CARPENTER
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21
NnecdOteS COnce1hinQ
Well-knOWn PEOPLE.
They Were Not Helped.

THE Rev DR.. Aked. at a farewell din
ner in New York. said of an over
jealous missionary:
Neither with the heather nor with our
own people does ii do to advocate religion
on mercenary grounds.
Il know a manufacturer who. last
Easter. told all his hands that he would
pay them If they went to church Ac-
cordingly the hands all went. and a fine,
brave show they made. The nanufac-
turer, scanning their ranks from his pew.
swelled with joy and pride.
But after the service q foreman ap-
preached and said:
Boss, the feflers want me to ask you
II we come TO church again tonight do
we get overtimeT"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-21

and that old and sharp cheese is better.
We fed a man upon the different kinds
and tested it. and we now know which IS
right
Are you interested in bugs We have
a department devoted to them which Is
studying all sorts of insects for the good
Of the people With other things 1T
is working on the gypsy moth ana the
browntal moth, which are now raVaelnS
the trees OF large part of New Eng
land These moths were brought in from
abroad by a scientist for the purpose or
study He allowed a pair or so to get
loose and the result is they have multi
piled by millions and are destroying the
trees over an area of 10000 square miles
We heard that there were parasites which
would exterminate this pest. and DR.. L. ..
Howard the chief of the bureau or en-
tomology. has been sent to Europe thlee
times to find them. One of his trips was
to the Crimea and ii was there he dis
covered the moths greatest enemy We
have imported It. Congress has gwen US
an appropriation to wipe out that pest.
Another interesting Investigation.
continued Secretary Wilson, relates
to the fever tick which has ruined
the cattle in parts of the south
to the extent of something ike
forty million dollars a year. We looked
everywhere " Scl SoIlCtiiiib - 90 -
but failed AT last we discovered that
the tick bred on tile ground and that the
Young fastened themselves to the plants
and crawling up them were able TO get
on such cattle as fed in the pastures. We
found that they had to reach the cattle
very soon or they died. With this knowl-
edge we got the farmers to divide their
fields in the middle and put the stock
on one side. In a short time the ticks
which had crawled up the grass died Of
"a onft Ia
dipped in a bath which destroyed the
ticks on them. and moved them across
to the other side OF the field. Within
a few days all the ticks in the now va
cant pasture had died the same way. and
that land was clear. BY these means
we have already driven this pest out of
between ninety md one hundred million
acres of pasture lands. The total area