Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-02-14
Et1rtttt1g Glrat.

It's remarkable the way people
life when a thaw comes after hard
siege of very cold weather. Not
only are the stores and the cars
crowded. but there seems to be an
improvement in peoples disposi-
tions and more work is done and
better done. This Is the way one of
the cfty'S big businessmen put it.
The recent cold spell cost the peo-
pie of this city a lot of money that
they will never know about" said
he. ITO begin with the intense cold
made people slack up. Everyone
felt it and there was decrease of pro-
duction and activity. Now when the
sun is shining almost every day and
the snow is passing off without
trouble, you will find people more
cheerful and working better: 1 have
seen this happen many times in Har-
risburg, but never in a more notice.
able manner than this year. AS a
matter of fact, the weather condi-
tions this week have been as favor
able to picking up as those of last
week were unfavorable to anything
outside. Builders have resumed
operations, more automobiles are
out, wagons are busy and there are
the youngsters are not feelingso bad
ly over having to go to school. We
may be rejoicing a bit early in the
month, but after what we have gone
through there is a reason.
Ex-Governor Samuel w. Penny
packer refers upon a number of oc-
casions in his autobiography now
being printed by the Philadelphia
Evening Ledger to the late Con-
gresham Marlin E. Olmsted. He paid
tribute to his ability in previous ar
ticles, but this week mentions him
twice, saying he was "one of the
very ablest men in the State" and in
referring to the Harrisburg Old
Home Week celebration, in which
he took part. he mentions the
speeches of General Horace Porter,
X-Governor Stone, General Stew
art and others and says: "Olmsted,
always efficient, had general
charge" In one of his recent ar
ticles the ex-governor tells an in
teresting story of how he came to
sell his famous library. The Even
ing Ledger gives it as follows:
"At this juncture l concluded to
sell the greater part of my library.
1t was the most complete collection
of the early literature relating to
Pennsylvania which any individual
had ever possessed. IT is impossible
that any man shall ever again have
one of like importance. 10 part
with it was to tear up forty years of
my life by the roots. / had made a
secret covenant with the Common
wealth unknown to the Common
wealth, that if my future were pro-
vided for by a return to the bench or
otherwise, this record of its life
should be preserved intact. One of
the consequences of its failure to
keep this unknown covenant is the
loss which happened, greater to it
than to me. / kept the faith for two
years and q half. During that time
tthe books, 1900 of them, had re-
mained in my house in town,
| house which cost me $4,000. |
could not rent the house, or sell it.
because there were the books. They
were ever in danger of fire. They
were ever in danger of theft, and now
the time had come when it became
manifest to me that no dependence
was to be placed upon the promises
of the politicians, that the people
were utterly Indifferent and that it
was necessary for me to be giving
some attention to my own needs.
Retaining two or three thousand
books relating to the family and to
the neighborhood of my home, the
Mennonite books, the Schwenkfelder
books and those of special interest
and affection, the rest were sold. |
was too busy with the affairs of the
state to give the sales attention. The
auctioneers were, more or less, care
less and untrue to their contract.
and what / could have myself sold
without expense, could | have given
the time to it, for $4,000 or more,
netted me between $4,000 and t$2S,-
90. Then I rented my house.
Many men in Pennsylvania pub
lie life are going to miss Col. Frank
e. Ziegler, whose lamented death
occurred a few days ago in Texas.
Col. Ziegler was chief official re-
porter of the State Senate and had
not only a wide knowledge of parli-
mentary affairs, but such a splendid
system that the Senate proceedings
were ready in record time. For
years Col. Ziegler had reported ses-
sions and he knew men from every
part of Pennsylvania. He was an
authority on many matters connect
ed with legislative affairs and always
had the information.
While number of members of
the Harrisburg Reserves are discuss
ing entrance into the new Harris
burg company of the Reserve Mill
tia, it is possible that a number of
them will arrange to maintain their
organization for the sake of military
training and exercise and also so
that in event of trouble the sheriff
would have an organized body to fall
back upon before asking the aid of
the soldiery. The Reserves will de-
eide tomorrow night what to do.