Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-02-21
JUNGLE JOHN SCHELl
100 Per CENT-FATHER
Typifies Father And Son Week.
And Should Be So Honored
Says Times

The Louisville Times prints 4
picture of Uncle John Schell.
aged l5l, of eslie county and his
5-year-old son. The youngster
looks very much like his ancient
sire too. The Times then says:
keItucky bears the distinction
OF having the champion father
Joining III the Father and Son
Week " celebration which is being
Esaab2sYeryed throughout the length
land breadth of the country. He
lis "Uncle" John Schell, 131 years
!Sld, living on Greasy Creek, Les
he county, thirty miles from
Hazard, whose picture is shown
with his 5-year-old son.
The prize parent took his FIRST
train and automobile ride last
fall when he attended the Blue
grass and Kentucky State Fairs.
tie also went up i'll an airplane at
the State Fair. Grounds.
While attending the fairs at
Lexington and Louisville, where
che was quite an attraction"
I"Uncle John" collected enough
money to pay off a mortgage on
his small mountain farm. One
of his proofs of his age is a re-
ceipt for taxes he paid on the
farm in 1869.
The aged man waited for 12S
years before any honor was paid
to the father or son. Mothers
Day had been observed, but I'm
til three years ago, when the
Father and Son Week" was in
-augurated, no attention was Civ
en- the dad or lad" except on
Saturday night when the pay en-
velope was turned over to the
mother.
Tchn Schell came into the world
in 1888. He was born in Tennes-
see He remembers clearly the
!country's anxiety over George
Washington's attack of Quinsy
and the death of "The Father of
His Country"
/. When the Civil War broke out
in 1867, Uncle John tried to en-
list, bit he was rejected He
was then 73 years old.
Uncle John is till mighty spry,g
4do;ng the chores about his simple
noutain cabin He is also teach
ing his son, Albert how to shoot.
When that is accomplished, the
young idea will be turned out a 8
finished product by father, for
Mr.. Schell, can neither read nor
write. He is feet 5 inches tall,
weighs 1O5 pounds, stands very
erect. and never wears shoes.
After he had passed the cen.
tury mark, he married a second
time, for his first wife had died
and he felt that a man getting
along toward middle age ought
to have helpmeet. Albert, the
boy in the picture, was born of
this union five years ago, aston
ishing everybody but the neigh
bors in Greasy Creek who knew
Albert's father.
The case of Mr.. Schell may well
be studied during Father and ]
Son Week. He has been faith
er for more than 100 years and
he's still working at it.
Fathers who cherish a secret
land unexpected hope of emulating
the noble example of John Sche1l
are urged to contemplate the
facts and profit thereby.
Up to year ago Uncle John
had never Seen movie. He had
never heard a jazz band He had
newer read serial stories in the
magazines. He had never read |
Eanything. He had no voluminous
! correspondence to annoy him. He
had never written anything.
Other men spend their leisure
ffussing with the car, on the golf
links, fox trotting, drawing to in
SluC ~ Sll diSilo, SCIdl DICWIitSsN
playing bridge, collecting stamps,
writing articles for newspapers
and in similar prohtless avoca-
,tions that contribute not at all to
their efficiency as. fathers.
/ Uncle John has never done any
lof these things. His simple
tasks discharged, he meditates,
land he meditates solely on father
hood. His mind is troubled by ne
other problem. He doesn't even
fish in summer.
His cerebral equipment Is
hardly toe be described as men
4tal complex. 1t is a mental sim
lplex. He has a one-track mind
! that produces. Though wars ragE
/ still, he works with a will at hi5
peaceful trade of his. He is l0e
j per cent efficient
j Let us pause this week to hol<
s Or him a strong OntSta0dlup MAJ