Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-11-07
EVENING CHAT

Ralph Gibson, the Lycoming coun-
ty legislator, will retain the honor of
being the shortest man in the next
House of Representatives, while the
credit for the greatest stature will go
to Mahlon Shaaber, of Reading. Glib
son is around five feet, but is an ex-
perienced member and will fight so
that his lack of inches does not put
him in the rear ranks by a good bit.
Shaaber was elected the other day.
He was active in politics in Reading
Tor years and was in public service
for some time. He is Republican,
but this is a Republican year even in
Reading. Shaaber stands about six
feet eight inches, which will make
him top the Governor. Incidentally, it
might be remarked that Governor-elect
Brumbaugh will keep up the reputa-
ton of Pennsylvania for tall Cover
nors. He is around six feet and will
loom up when he makes his inaugural
address.
well do / remember that Tannery
run that YOU were writing of the other
evening in Evening Chat l was near
ly drowned in it when l was q young
ster of years." said an older resi-
dent of Harrisburg yesterday. THE
run came down about Third street,
and l remember there was a lane
where Forster street is to-day. / was
fooling around in the meadow there
and playing along the run when l lost
my footing and fell in where there
was a pool, probably caused by a
spring. That article was an interest
ing contribution to little known facts
about Harrisburg of years gone by"
Another friend remarks that he re-
members very we'll the one-story brick
building which stood on the south
side of Tannery run. 1t occupied the
site of what is now the residence Of
James Mccormick and was torn down
when he built the handsome house
which now occupies the corner
Girard, writing in the Philadelphia
Public Ledger, makes this interesting
reference to Uncle Henry" Houck,
the Secretary of Internal Affairs, who
was reelected the other day:
They can elect DR.. Henry Houck
Secretary of Internal Affairs until the
Susquehanna river flows back to its
source at Cherry Tree, but they will
never make the people of this State
accept him as a politician. In the
language of his own beloved Pennsyl-
Vania Dutch he amt.
This Lebanon evergreen is a
teacher and such he will remain to a
million men and women who heard
him when they were boys and girls in
country school. DR.. Houck began
holding State office almost fifty years
ago, and he has held one almost con-
tinuously ever since.
His new office will carry him we'll
past fourscore, but he doesn't look it,
and that's why l call him Lebanon's s
evergreen. He knows more Pennsyl-
vania Dutch stories than any other
man in the State, and he can tell all
of them better than anybody else can
tell one of them.
|. 1T is uncommon enough to elect a
man of rs to any responsible position,
but Henry Houck is an uncommon
citizen. This apostle. of the public
| school began to teach even before
| Thaddeus Stevens - the father OF
Pennsylvania public school system
had reached his prime. DIR. Johnson
might nabe had such a man in mind
when he wrote
An age that melts in unperceived
decay,
And glides in modest innocence away
The present outbreak of the foot
and mouth disease, which is causing
so much trouble among the cattle
owners and dealers and forcing the
killing of many valuable animals, re-
calls the outbreak of half a dozen
years ago. Then Dauphin was under
quarantine and things were pretty
strenuous around here. There was
heavy loss among cattle.