Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-04-28


sand moved by the restless winds that
swept across the Atlantic, continued
their unceasing march across the fair
plains of southern France, burying all
before them-felds, meadows, vine
yards, houses, churches, even villages
leaving behind them only gray bill
lows, to which clung punches of braek.
en-. few starved bushes of scrub oak.
and thickets of white and purple
gorse, fighting stubbornly for a hold
upon the shifting sands, with here and
there some struggling groups of pine.
the protesting remains of great for
est which wind and sand. and fire and
water had spared.
"On the seaward side the great fur.
rows, lying one within the other, were
bare and gray. The western winds lift.
ed the light sands and dropped them
just beyond the crest to drown and
smother the shrubs which struggled M
the leeward side. Here and there IN
favorable places few scattered yines
marked the location of the ancient for
est to which the Greeks ard the Ro.
came for timber and pitch and left
their names on the shore to mark the
limits of forgotten commerce. They
brought with them not only reckless
greed, but still more reckless fame.
which, cooperating with the steady
western winds and the sand thrown
up by the restless waves, ate away
"a md loft Io cIas
dunes-great sand billows that crept
inch by inch andsyear by year. entomb-
ing more of the bright-blossomed bruy-
ere and .genets, no matter how brave
ly they fought for existence, leaving
behind them only dry roots, which the
forestiers' gathered for their hearths.
March of the Sand Dune.
I Whenever the foot of the sand
dune rested, there was hopeless blight
A little wiry grass grew in the shad-
ow. of the heather and 'gorse on which
| the sheep browsed under the eyes of
solemn-faced shepherds perched on
stills and knitting as they watched.
On and on erept the phalanx of the
/ terrible dunes, slowly but surely blight
ing all in their path, not only Great
ing desert but destroying hope. As
long as the winds blew from tie west
the dunes marched to the east; ) the
desert fires ravaged the intervening
| spaces; fiocks grew fewer, the desola-
tion more extreme In the heart OF
sunny France desert was established,
ever increasing in extent and threat
ening to stretch across it's fairest fields
the aridness Of the Sahara"
Then this consul of the United
States who also was writer told US
how today .The dark squadrons of
the pin maritime are posted on thou
sands of sandy slopes faithful gardians
in the shelter of which the vineyards
| and wheat fields rest secure. The
gray dunes which were sweeping over
1 the land have become serried for
tresses which shelter civilization and
prosperity.
So ends the gripping story told in
an obscure corner of an obscure PAM
nhlet published as one of Uncle Sans
daily consular reports.
Books and Presidents.
White House, but the atmosphere
within it changes as the American
people change their presidents The
tastes of presidents and the tastes Of
men who are not presidents differ ma
terially. 1t would be possible for
person of comparatively small discern
ment to learn something on entering
the White House of the nature of the
man who occupies it even if he did
not know SO much as the occupants
name.
Mr. Wilson, like Mr.. Roosevelt is
student. Mr.. Taft also was stu
dent, but the studious desires of the
three men have led them in different
directions The books in the White
House perhaps furnish the best index
by which to judge of the mental habits
of the chief executive of the United
States
: President Wilson was lawyer be-
fore he became teacher. He still is
lawyer. He has law books about
him standing cheek by iowl, so to
l speak, on the shelves with books on
: Epolitical economy and history. He is
a deep student of the histories of all
countries, but he is especially interest
ed in the history of his own land.
/ What might be called political history
: as differentiated from other records
: of the various nations particularly ap-
/ peals to the presidents mind and in
!. terest
n ff,a IF Will
+ son there are scores of books upon
subjects other than those of the law
d and history. Poetry is there, with it is
$ good fiction. Added to these are many
J books on music and the composers of
e music. The presidents family, is de
q voted to this art.
: Taft's and Roosevelk's Books.
When Mr.. Taft left the White House
!. to make place for Mr.. Wfbson he took
: with him a cargo of books." Nearly
every volume was big one and q
heavy one, for Mr.. Taft's library large
= ly was devoted to the Law, Of course
like Mr.. Wilson, he was interested IL
= things apart from the law. and he al
; ways had at his elbow some histories
! and some books of the lighter kind
> but just as Mr.. Taft always has beer
= known as the judicial minded. 81
might his library be termed.
: There is a marked change in th'
. library of the White House from th'
\ days of Theodore Roosevelt. The colo
I mel was an omnivorous reader OF
every known subject, but his specia
" delights were history and nature
e
n. A Loyal, Employee.
q Conductor, do you call this sceni'
a route we are traveling?" asked th'