Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-01
Euea1tt1g Gllat


ties of central Pennsylvania will be
keenly interested in the decision of
the bench of Allegheny county, one
OF the most conservative in the Com
monwealth, to wear gowns, as is
done by the members of the ap-
pellate courts of the State, the Phila-
delphia judges and in Federal
courts. This is the custom in many
other states, but what used to be
called the Highlands" of Pennsyl-
vania some 125 years ago, has al
ways been such a stronghold of
Democracy that the judges have
, never donned gowns and in many
churches the clergymen appear
without the robe which their breth-
rem of the same denomination wear
in churches of eastern counties. The
Phlladelphia judges long ago decid-
ed TO continue the colonial custom
OF wearing gowns upon the bench,
although they refused point blank
the suggestion that they adopt the
! other English idea of wearing a wig.
! For long time prominent attorneys
IN Pittsburgh sought to have the
| judges wear gowns, but the same
spirit of simplicity that prevails here
seems to have actuated the judges
/ until very recently when some
! younger men rose to the bench and
| the suggestion was taken up. Judge
| stephen Stone, son of the former
governor, and we'll known here, said
that the Allegheny judges would
wear the gowns which are in vogue
in Philadelphia and that each Judge
would buy his own, enough being
provided for visiting judges who
would wear them sitting in Pitts
I hllrph In this pitu
motions made from time to time
calling attention of the judges to
the custom, but they have never
fallen upon fruitful soil The late
Judge John w. Simonton said once
in regard to the idea that he thought
there should be such dignity about
a court in session that a gown would
mot be needed. Once when the por-
trait of the late Justice Strong was
unveiled in United States court
judges came with gowns and there
was great skurrying around to find
them for the visiting jurists. And
only then did the Dauphin court don
the gowns for the occasion. An
other interesting note from AL
legheny is that the courts have de-
cided to hear divorce cases in open
court, as is done here, instead of
sending them to masters.
Pennsylvana's new series of
farmers institutes designed to be Il
place where the troubles of the
farmers can be told to State experts
and where lecturers familiar with
the special products of the neigh
borhood have been assigned, started
to-day in four counties and will run
until Christmas week. A new series
will be started after January 1. Sec
retary of Agriculture Frederik Ras-
muSSen, who worked out the new
plan, says that he wants to "hear the
grouchcs" and to give the farmers
some pointers through carefully Sc
lected experts on how to put dollars
into their pockets and more food
into the channels of trade in the
State. Special attention will be
given at the institutes to the mar
ke!ing situation and the advantages
of shipment or of local distribution
will be discussed. AS far as possible
the institutes will stimulate local
markets. One of the places where
the institutes start Hogestown, in
Cumberland county, has had an in
stitute for the farmers of the Silver
Spring district for more than twenty
years. Other places in this county
to have Institutes will be 'Newburg
tomorrow, ldlHllelu w WeuHeSudy
and MELVILLE on Wednesday,. The
Franklin county series will then
start at Mercersburg, also a rallying
point for farmers. Susquehanna
county will have institutes with
dairy farming as specially all
week, Greene with sheep and stock
fraising speakers and Cambria with
specialists on potatoes. The Cum
berland valley speakers will discuss
general farming with attention to
wheat and fruit growing, which are
two big lines in that fruitful region.
Pennsylvania has very few drug
addicts among the skilled workmen
in its iron and steel, coal, railroad
and other typical industries, accord
! ing to DR.. Thomas S. Blair, chief of
the division of drug control of the
State Department of Health, who
has been making a study of the stu
alton. The addicts are among the
floaters in industry. There have
been very few found among the men
, who are known as the regular force
of plant or concern and who are
the backbone. The same discovery
appears to have been made in a Sc
ries of studies OF the effect of prohi-
bition upon men who drank regu-
larly. The drug habit did not appear
to affect the convivial drinker, but
the men who had lost places
through drink seemed to furnish
most victims for drugs. The studies
were made in dozens of places in
the State and some of the results
showed that small drug stores were
doing a thriving trade in what used
to be known as household remedies.
Pennsylvania hunting laws do not
permit going after game on Sunday,
but there is certainly nothing in the
public mind that prevents any one
from starting out to hunt on Sunday
if the appearance of many motor
cars seen yesterday afternoon have
anything to do with it. There were
number of automobiles speeding
up the Susquehanna valley and
down the Cumberland which were
loaded with gunners and their para
phernalia, with the dogs looking out
and thoroughly enjoying modern
ways of reaching the hunting
ground. Men who have been OBJ
serving hunting say that there has
| been more of it on Mondays than
on any day, not even excepting time
honored Saturday.