The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-03-31
AMONG THE
BACHELORS

There are a. good many phases to
this bachelor question that have re-
ceived attention at times and been
forgotten and deserve attention
again. for each generation has to
learn the same lessons just as lessons
have to be learned In school by the
different classes. About a genera
ton ago there was a lot of discus
SION about married men and bachel-
ors on the splitting question. The
turning question was Where should
man spit?" and married women
and girls said 1t concerned them
more than anybody else and they had
a right to discuss it, and discuss 1t
they did. Some Of them said man
should spit on the stove, and gave
as their reasons the fact that that
liz where they do spit, or did at that
time. There were strenuous objec-
tions to that view, but 1t was urged
that If God had intended that they
should spit anywhere else He would
have had them splitting there. 1t
was said that they do spit there.
That they spit any place and every
where and without consulting the
wishes of the lady Of the house. This
was emphatically denied by women
who said their sons and husbands
did not do that, and one woman
brought forth runt of son who
was poor and peaked and chewing
tobacco and swallowing the juice.
She declared that he didn't spit at
all and the neighbors said that was
the reason he was poor and peaked
and never did anything. A man was
pointed out who was six feet one
way and three feet the other, and he
was always splitting and smiling and
telling funny jokes, and was consid-
cred model husband. They auizzed
his wife to find out why she preferred
him and found out that the first i'm
preston she ever had Of him was
when she noticed how beautifully he
could spit between his teeth. When
he took her out for drive he chew
ed tobacco and spit at every rock
by the roadside and they used to
laugh at his efficiency in hitting the
mark. But these cases were both
ruled out as freaks, both the slim
boy and the fat man, and the women
got back again to the original ques-
ion. Where shall a man spit?"
The matter was taken up in The
Grange, and it was said that man
generally splits on the floor and his
wife mops it up. This evidence on
he part of the married women
threatened to stop all marriages in
he community, and as a modihca-
ion Of the trouble somebody offered
in meeting tending to
how that a man does not spit all
,ver the floor, but splits in the direc-
ion Of the stove and his wife has
,nIy to mop it up from a compare
lively small piece of territory and
lot from the whole house. Under
his welcome news several of the
iris in the community accepted pro-
osals of marriage and there were
1eddings.
When the question was again agi-
ated it was found that men were
bserved to be splitting in the stove.
ONE of them took the poker or lift
r and removed lid and spat into
he fire, thus making crematory OF
he stove, and it was adjudged to
e sanitary in way, but repulsive
, the cook. In a meeting OF the
,omen's club it was decided to keep
he poker in their pockets or at
ached to string attached to their
elts. and men went to splitting into
,e hearth. When this was objected
!, they spat under the stove and In
,e corners of the room where IT was
arder to mop, and still the women
licked. The men tried splitting out
,e door and it worked all right in
lmmer, but when winter came they
ad to buy cuspidores (polite word
n spitbox) and that added to the
,st Of living, for men will spit.
In cities and towns laws were
assed against splitting on the walks
|, floors Of buildings and halls, and
en- had to confine their splitting to {
10 streets. Then the sanitary COM {
issions were established and they {
und that splitting and sneezing
,read disease, for germs float in
e air 1t become subject OF such
idespread Importance that Presi-
mt Roosevelt made an order Tor
70 government printing Office TO
int several carloads of white pla-
.rds and send some to every post !
fice and federal building in the