The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1913-12-06
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1918
Gustavus and Israel

Skowhegan has two citizens. Gusta-
vus and Israel They claim no place
among the elite of the town. They are
never seated in the front seats of the
Synagogue. One is a cobbler, and the
other q horse trainer and driver. Mel
Their vocation is classed among the
professions. Their livelihood comes,
in the good old fashioned way, as the
product of their hands.
Now these two citizens OF humble
station took note along in August,
that the cattle show and fair was to
be held iE Skop began the following
month They reasoned DIRECTLY that
the enterprise would promote the
cause of agriculture in wblch. BY the
way, neither has directly the slight
est interest 1t also properly occurred
10 them that the big fair would ben
eft Skowhegan and all the country
round commercially, and in that mat
ter, too, they have far less reason to
De interested lIldu SO many W hohi W.
hope will get lesson from these lines.
Having reasoned thus, they did a
most unheard-of thing; they hunted
up the president of the Somerset Cen
trail Agricultural Association and ask
ed for chance to help the big show
along. Just grasp that Did not
wait to be invited, besought, cajoled
or coaxed, but walked right up and
volunteered to serve without pay, or
recompense. Nor did they then or
thereafter even ask for a compliment
tary ticket for wife, daughter, cousin
or friend.
Gustavus is baseball crank, there's
nobody like him. Knows the players
all up and down the river He knew
where he could be useful. Did not
offer to sell tickets, judge the neat
stock or taste the dairy products.
Just said he could get three good
games for less money than the socie-
ty had previously got them, and he
did.
Israel is horse man. Not by any
means the only one in Skowhegan
but among those that know the owners
rivers all over the state. He
could help fill the trotting classes.
He commenced by entering two of his
own horses and then hustled round
10 get others to enter. The result
was the best racing of the year in
Maine. and the best ever seen at Fair
view Park.
What Gustavus and Israel did
was so exactly like what every
one ought to have done. so precisely
like what all could have done, but
really what so few actually did that
we are moved tC this comment upon
1t. There were departments enough
in this great big annual show to en-
ploy everybody's talents. no matter
how varied. May we not all. lawyers,
laborers, doctors. artisans. clergymen,
DdDkPTS, FARMERS, ltICHeIS, Iuci Cudulo
and even printers, whose prosperity
depends so much on the success of
every enterprise, particularly upon the
growth of agriculture, learn a lesson
from Gustavus and Israel.
Older citizens tell us of polling a
raft, in their boyhood days, across "A
marshy waste. from where now stands
the Independent Reporter OGlce to the
high ground at the Kerswell place,
now the residence of d. w. Lewis.
Also OF pasturing cows on the land
north of Elm street and west of Mad
ison avenue. where are Pleasant. Mid
die and Summer streets, with their
many homes.
Those good old times will never
come again. but our progress might
easily be in that direction. were not
few people among us like Gustavus
and Israel.