South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-16
STATESMEN, REAL
\ AND NEAR.
By FIRED c. KELLY.
BY FRED @. KELLY.

Bf FRED G. KELLY.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. before he
was fired from the University of Vir-
ginia for lighting a duel, James Ham
iiton Lewis found himself with a great
hankering to go out west and make
his fortune
He particularly wished to 20 to
Denver, because man from his town
had gone to Denver and came back
wearing the most ponderous watch
CHARM ever seen in those parts, be-
sides showing various other Indications
OF having made good.
Lewis was then holding down a
Clerkship in Savannah, Ga, and study
ing law. He got hold Of a book that
gave the list of the legal firms in Den
yer, picked out one that sounded Gu
phOniOus, and wrote them a letter in
a flowing hand. In this letter Lewis
agreed 10 be a bright young lawyer in
their office IL they would only give him
chance, and he confided TO them his
plans for going west and accumulat-
ing great deal of ready money.
In week or so Lewis got a nice
long letter from a member of the Den
yer law firm, man named ShafrOth.
Although he did not give him any job.
Shafroth offered almost two pages and
half of good advice. He said there
young man could do better in the west
than in the east. He had gone west
himself, he said and appreciated
Lewis enthusiasm, but his advice was
not to do it.
Lewis failed to take the advice.
however, and a little later was prac-
ticing law. raising whiskers and en-
gagaing in politics out at Seattle
Wash. He often thought of the kind
letter he got from the man Shafroth
In Denver, and wondered if he would
ever have an opportunity to meet him
face to face and thank him.
After a few years Lewis came to
congress from the state of Washing
ton and he made the acquaintance Of
a Cong. Shafroth from Colorado. 1t
was the same Shafroth
Again they separated and Lewis
moved TO Chicago. They did not meet
again until they met in the United
States senate. There they may be
seen seated side by side talking over
the time the future senator from Illi-
nois wrote to the future senator from
Colorado and asked him for a job.
Earl Venable. secretary to Sen. Bo-
ran, of Idaho, used TO run a little
weekly newspaper out in that state.
One afternoon as the weeks issue
was about TO go to press a man rush
ed in with "a column and half obit-
uary notice. Besides the obituary he
also had about a column OF obituary
poetry.
Venable told him it was too late, he
feared, to get it into the paper
whereupon the man nearly wept. He
said the obituary was that OF a man
whose sOrrowing widow greatly wished
to have the stuff printed. Any editor
who wouldn't grant a request for a
rF-ia = trio 70
man hard-hearted indeed.
Venable was touched by the widow 5
plea and said he would do his best to
print the long obituary notice, but it
would be absolutely impossible TO find
space for the poetry even if there were
typesetters To set it up in time.
The friend of the family went out
TO carry this word to the inconsolable
In a few minutes he came back.
painting.
Say, you'll simply have to get that
poetry in, somehow" he told Venable
THAT woman'll never get over it if
you don't You see it's the same poetry
she had printed when her first husband
died. and if it isn't used now she's
afraid, it might look like playing IA
vOrites"
Rep Billy Kent of California, re-
ceived letter from; a Swede IL his
district a time ago. who had a great
proposition to put up to the govern
ment. He wished, briefly, to borrow a
number of medel-ach-mar raise
more of them, sell them off and divide
the profits with the government. 1t
was perfectly reasonable. The man
would assume all the work and bother
of the undertaking, the government
simply furnishing the medel-ach-mars.
The only thing that was not quite clear
to Kent was what a medel-ach-mar
might be. He got on an encyclopedias,
pocket dictionary, a dream book, a
thesarus. a work on animal husbandry
and an almanac, but could find moth
ing tht gave him much light.
Finally he wrote back to the Swede
and asked him TO get some kind friend
to prepare a letter keeping away from
all scientific expressions and tell in
language intende1 for the lay mind
just what il was he wanted.
The Swede did so and the mystery
was cleared. He had simply taken up
with the modern simplified spelling
cult and had spelled words just as he
pronounced them. BY "medel-ach-
mars" ne meant nothing more or less
than middle aged mares.
Copyright. 1913, by Fred c. Kelly.
All rights reserved.