The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-07-25
THREE OLD KANSAS MEN
oA REFUSE TO GROW OLD
Preacher Prints a History, Teacher
Collects Insects and Farmer Goes
in for Sculptorlng.

SVilcCNS lHSCCAS anu Y dTncT SOco
in for Scuptorlng,
Topeka. July 25.-The vacation per-
iod oil life, years well along towards
the horizon. has brought pleasant oc
equations to three aged Kansas men.
Having retired from active pursu Is
each today is following the bend OF
his inclination3 and declares he is
enjoying his pastlme immensely. one
writing and printing book, another
co Letting insects, and the third as
sculptor Of stone.
Dr. a. N See. so. retired Methodist
preacher who with h - wife Ives In
the .Methodigt Home for the Aged in
Topeka has Just completed history
OF the lTorlhwest Kansas conference.
He not only gathered. the historical
data aud wrote the manuscript for a
zoo page book, but also printed the
pages on a little hand press and bound
the volumes. Or. See was a pioneer
circuit rider IN tho Northwest Kansas
conference and alaterp nor many years
Mas superintendent OF the district.
Karl Steacher. 80, OF Wichita, artist
and educator, chose TO purse what he
c aims always hat been his hobby. col.
lect,ng insects. An extensive cOllec-
! ti0n of ca .erpil,ars. e. gathered and
mounted ~ Dir SteGher. recently was
displayed in the show window eol a
Wichita bank. II includes specimens
obtained by b IN on his travels through
six countries, Switzerland, France
Italy, Turkey, Canada and the United
SlJtos- Air. Stecher was born in Ober.
kich, Germany He gained most OF his
d education In Paris where ho resided
twenty years, making art his specially.
/ Hi painting are confined largely to
scenes OF nature in the various coun-
tries he has V s,tcd including one OF
Mt Is anc, and several OF New York.
BY his brush he gained considerable
recognition, both in Europe, and Amer.
lca. He still paint e, having several
canvasses under way at present Sew
eral of his paintings are dated 1920.
MIR. Stocher came to America IS years
ago.
Having made comfortable fortune
! farming since he came to this country
With his father Sc years ago from his
native OF Belgium, Chas DeLeye OF En-
met, long since made famous as the
! town that produced less w Hard, de-
votes much Of his time. to sculnuiring
and making unique stone decoration
4 for his house and lawn Some OF these
\ which include large stone gate arch,
la Vorsuye wall huge basin sur,
mount ng q stone base ten feet in dia.
! meter, are OF mosaic design OF yari
colored stones set In concrete and
decorated with the sculptor's chIse'
The decorative wall is l27 feet long
and inlaid with more than 200 kinds
OF rocks.
in fact the most difficult job OF all
was the gathering OF the many kinds
OF stanes," said Mr.. Del.eye. Il have
been gathering them for twenty-five
years. Most CT them came from within
scyenty-fve miles of my 'home, but
some came from Colorado. numerous
other states and even from Belgium.
In the gate MIR, Deloy carried out a
design common to Belgium His faith
or was stone mason and before they
came to America they erected numer
Gus decorative stone structures, such
as arches public park bases, crosses
| fish ponds we'll houses and stone dc.
, signs on buildings. Tho gate cons sts
4of two pillars foot square surmount
ed by an arch of stolld stone. the larg
keystone being carved to resemble {
IgrotesQue skull In his yard stands .
stone cross seven feet high, the tcrmin
ais OF the standard and the, cross
! arm beng rounded to resemble I
. gigantic heur de.lis He also has con
structed stone well house OF unique
, design, ten feet in height the top o
, which resembles a Chinese temple
with overhanging caves In each 0
the four we'll house pillars he has inlai'
, glass beer bottle. They will be con
sldered real relics in few years,
remarked the tarmer.scuptor.