The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1911-02-16
J. II. Carmichael.
Ashton, Iowa.


Did you ever stop to thlilh 'N''
NOT all great men achieve fame
have notion that not one III i'Li
;, dred is ever heard of OUTSIDE ol ~
own little neighborhood, ana, Eo'
know, a prophet is without hoi'o' -
his own country. Well, Of recent ye"i
in every magazine, most. that So'
pick up, is a department teIlins "
great men--little intimate incidents II
the lives of great men studies VI t"N,
character, and so on. NOW uon
doubt the greatness of all THESE n'''
so written about, and the artlcies az
all very interesting, but, it has seem
ed to me that the authors nave "i
ways selected not only great HeH
but famed men-men that we aHeaiS
knew a great deal about from 1ns
publicity of their vocations. So l nave
thought it would not only be Interest,"
ing but original and worthy OF a sFea
er pen than mine to describe 'e"
of the real great men of whom the
public hasn't even an inkling. Some
of these great men would have ai5o
been famous had they set their NINA
to it, but they chose lower walk
in life, lost fame, but Were great new
er-the-less.
Mack his first name was John,
but we always called him Mack,
| owned and conducted, and still owns
ard conducts the one corner drug
store in the little town of Ashton,
Iowa He attended the democratic
state convention at Dubuque, in 1916,
and four years later he went to Kan
sas City to help nominate Bryan
second time. He always voted for Gov
ernor Boies. He didn't believe prohibi-
tion would ever be success during
his life time. He was often accused
of selling booze" during prohibition
ever guilty of breaking the spirit pf
the law He was a member of the
Catholic Church. He was Christian
from the top OF his bald head to the
UPS ". MS 'oe8''. tsAs * ~
little religion. u
That's a pretty fair description Ot
Mack, and I'll bet not few of you
have already turned up your nose at
my conception of a great man. III
tell you, he was just like all other
men, whether they are great or not
he had lot of faults as well as good
traits. The difference is not between
he and other great men, but between
their historians and his.
Mack wasn't handsome man-his
nose turned up bit. his face was
inclined to freckles, and the little
fringe of hair that nature had left for
him was a light brindle--but still he
was mighty good looking to any
man who was in trouble, or who
needed friend. If there was a wild
ow whose coal bin was short in the
middle of winter, it was Mack who
got wind of it some way, and he
had a way of getting a few friends
to chip in on the sly to get that
coal bin refilled. Nine times out CT
ten the widow never knew where that
coal came from If there was new
conner in the town Mack always made
himself acquainted and proceeded to
make the stranger at home as if he
was long lost friend just returned
If there was a dirty faced urchin,
crying with bloody nose, Mack
would call him into the back room
and help clean him up.
Mack was a success. | think it is
safe to say he is a success, for he is
still doing business at the old stand.
| never heard OF his refusing to trust
& man who wanted medicines. | never
heard of his crowding man for
money when the bill was due, and
Yet, I'll swear | believe Mack always
got his money. l know why it was,
hut I'm not sure | have made you
5 it--Mack had a love for his fell
low men in his heart
We had a village drunkard. He
may be living yet, and so | will not
call him by rame l have heard Mack
score that man up the sides and
down the middle; reminding him of
his suffering wife and ragged chill
dren, consigning him in the hereafter
to frey hell. have stood near by
and seen him roast that man, until
actually | expected the skin on The
face to begin to wither and
curl, and then, when the poor whelp
was turning his back and sneaking
away | have seen Mack slip a dollar
in the beasts hip pocket. That was
like him.
Mack always bought everything at
home, except his shoes. He would
have bought his shoes at home but
nobody handled the w. l.. Douglass
shoes, and they were the only kind,
he said. that would give his corns
any rest He was the printers best
advertiser. He hired livery rigs once
or twice week. He bought his
clothes of the local clothier and
when he got married he got the
girl at home and bought the furni-