Douglas Island news., 1918-06-28

To II. A. Pingcr, Manager or lfcau
 we'll Store. Trcadwen. Alaska Dear Sir:
 You arc mistaken Socrates is
 dead and has been since 39g years before Christ. Tho Stroller does not tcu you this Co harrow up your fcol- Iinrs. but because it is his duty Co
 set you straight In matters Of his
 tory. You arc probably thinking of Herbert Hoover or Teddy dc Russ
 when you speak of Che greatest lead
 CT ot thc present generation. Both |urc suu living. or were mp Co the Ihour ct going Co press.
 Your statements regarding So- Icratcs would have been pertinent ! had you made thcm twcnty-three hundred years ago, but you did not ! probably think or it at that time.
 During his lifetime Socrates "Ols Socs" his ucishhors called him
 was thc greatest exponent of phi- losophical and ethical life known In Greece. and Greece was a great country then. Ever since Che discoy- cry of Cottolcue shc has been wan
 ing. Socrates was renowned as % teacher and in any district where he was employed Co teach thc winter school real estate invariably ad- yauccd iu price Plato was his most suudious pupil. While other children wcrc s0uirmIng around and poking their toes into Greece. Plato was an attention Co the words which fell from Che lips of hts learned teacher. Plato afterwards became famous as am advocate of platouic love. but for some reason or other Che doctrine never became popular either in pri- yatc Ii'c or In camp meeting circles.
 But che ending of Socrates proved that it Is not good policy Co bc too progressive. Others of us have at times realized thc same thing So- crates was too progressive for his generation and he was run in" on some trumpcd up charge. The dis grace of being in joil was too much for Che old teacher SO he took "thrce fingers" of hemlock tea and closed his career Hcmlock tea may still be had at leading "paint stores" in states chat arc still wet. 10 Is mo . longer called hcmlock. but you arc |apt to get it under any name and at |ouy time.
 You are also in error about Cin- |cuuatus running for vice president on Che Womau's Suffrage ticket with Bclva Lockwood iu 1872. Cincin- hiatus was born 519 years before Christ and died S2 years later So you see he was a dead one long be- fore Bclya Lockwood tucked mp her skirts and entered the presidential race. The track was heavy that year and Belya was badly outclassed. A man by Che name of Grant won that racc.
 Ciuciuuatus was a farmer before being made dictator and for many years his pumpkins and rutabagas took first prize at country fairs held at Rome. His city friends used Co SO out and spend thc summers with him ou Che banks of Che Fiber river and eat his spring chickens and ask fool . questions when on wet days and Sundays. he was iu thc barn punch . ing holes In maccaroni Instead Of working on thc farm. His wife would coax him Go put up a sign. ! summer Bo9rdors Taken" 1s she was working her finger nails oU and | still wearing her wedding hat; but she could never bring "Cin." os she |cauci him. Co Che point of putting Iup thc sign.
 Beuito Pablo Jaurez was once vice president Of thc republic or Mexico land no. a brand Of chewing gum. as you suppose
 Tho Stroller gladly volunteers Che |abovc information for he is aware |that you are surrounded by a bunch |og "classlcs." from tho old man down. among whom it is hard for % man Co hold his own without look | ing up references. Any time, there fore. that you feel Che quicksands beneath your feet, or Che tide-rips carrying you out beyond your depths iu Che sea or argument and desire the ! Stroller Co throw you a rope. do not hesitate to call on him. There is one thing tho Stroller has always ad- mircd In himself. He never fails to respond Co a call for aid from either
 man or woman. but in the event Of both of them calling at the same time he invariably responds to the
 latter first. That is why he Is good
 for a slice of angel cake several times
 every day when wandering around
 town in quest of news and in con