Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-02-23

lGNenlD6 CbAT|
What's the use of establishing a
zoo up in Wildwood park, anyway.
We've got it right along the River
Front If we could only spot it's men,
oers and it appears to be in exist
ence summer and winter. Everyone
knows that in Springtime ducks are to
be seen along the rivers banks and
that in summertime snipe. song SPAR
rows, robins, snakes, hop toads and
bull frogs which have calcined inter-
iors not minding sewage have been
noted. Turtles will soon be back to
the portions of the bank passed in the
march of the public Improvement
gang and maybe when the river is
cleaned up that a kingfsher or a blue
heron may be seen along with that
other visitor of bygone days. a Balti-
more oriole. The presence of rabbits
in Harris park has been noted from
time to time in the Fall and the other
morning pheasant tracks were pointed
out in the snow, the birds having evil
dently come to the city in search of
food And the latest addition to the
fauna of the Riverside parks is a ro-
bust specimen of the mephius Amer
icana.~
Old Harrisburgers were telling to-
day of the events of fifty-three years
ago in this city. On February %, 1861
Abraham Lincoln was here on his way
TO Washington to take the oath as
President of the United States and it
was o'clock in the morning of the
23rd that he made his famous secret
departure from this city. The place
where he made his speech to the peo-
pie was from the portico of the Jones
House. now the Commonwealth Ho-
tel, singularly enough the same cor
ner from which George Washington
addressed the people Of Harrisburg
some sixty-two or three years before
Washington came here on his way to
the southwestern part of the State to
put down the Whisky Insurrection and
remained a short time in Harrisburg
being escorted to the Square over
much the same route taken by Lin
coin in later years and speaking from
the same corner. The stone on which
Washington spoke Is preserved by the
Dauphin County Historical Society, to
which it was presented by the late
William A. Kelfer.
Such events as the indoor athletic
meet of the Harrisburg Academy stu
dents held at Chestnut street hall on
Saturday night are not only excellent
for the school, but for the city be-
cause they show the public what
we'll conducted school can accomplish.
The idea of dividing the school into
two organizations, the Greeks and the
Romans, the English plan which was
introduced at the Academy by Prin-
cipal Arthur r. Brown and James
Boyd, Jr., few years ago has en-
couraged a healthy rivalry and the
manner in which the boys rooted for
their "sides" on Saturday night was
inspiring. There is nothing livelier
than a school meet, not even an inter-
collegiate having the enthusiasm that
boys Of from nine to fifteen can kick
up and the admirable training in ath-
letics which had been given to the
boys under Prof. Benton G. Wallace
combined with the ginger of the stu
dents made Saturdays indoor meet
something which everyone hopes will
be repeated next year. The old Acad-
emy has been making wonderful prog
ress and the old-timers who went to
see their sons and neighbors' sons go
through their PAGES on Saturday night
had to open their eyes. A good many
people have been saying for years that
the city needed a good private school
and a good public library. It's got
both now.
Knocking down icicles is now about
the best and most profitable amuse-
ment that the average kid can engage
in and while the passersby and occa-
sionally some breakable property may
suffer during an attack upon the stall
actites that hang from roofs the boys
are doing a good work. The other
day a couple of youngsters swept down
on building on one of the small thor
oughfares and opened fire on a fronge
of icicles about 100 feet along the
building. They had been dripping on
pedestrians and making the pavements
slippery from their accumulations. In
less than three minutes every icicle
had disappeared, the pavement was
Uttered with broken ice, two men
were swearing and a dog bowling, but
the boys had enjoyed a fine time.
The frsky squirrels and the fat
clumsy pigeons in Capitol Park are not
the only quadrupeds and bipeds that
have essayed terms of intimacy with
the average person in the hope Of
landing something to eat, but folks
living on the outskirts have remarked
the friendliness of crows. Ordinarily
the black coated birds remain a re-
spectful distance from houses and only
come around when no one is in sight.
Since the SHOWS began the birds have
been lowering close to barns and
chicken coops and any place where
they can get food. Dozens of crows
have been seen in Reservoir Park and
they have been numerous up along
the river.
Perry county people say that the
closing of the wild turkey shooting
has resulted in multiplying of the birds
at rapid rate the last year or so but
that they fear that the SHOWS will
prevent the birds getting much food
for a while. The winter up to ten
days or two weeks ago was not unfa-
yorable for the turkeys and they could
be seen scratching about in the woods,
but the deep SHOWS will hit them hard,
lust as it will hit the quail and the
wise sportsmen will take the advice
| of DR.. Kalbfus and provide some feed
for the birds if they want any to hunt
next Fall.
| (<WekEKnO OW19peOpl&
Sheriff George H. Jefferfes, of In
diana county, is rejoicing over the ar