davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18
How 'Cy' Avery Started Farming

rotted diving board thht n nceh
thrown on the bank TO return TO
dust-and which had almost COM
pletcd tho tourney, He prizes this
little niece of wood highly. simply
for. the memories It arouscs when
ever he glancea at It. 1t means
nothing to others, for they had
swimming holes Of their own when
they were youngsters. But " the
chunk Of decaycd wood were from
their" old swimming holes--well
that's different,
All of which Is merely a preface
TO tho story that Is to be told.
Cyrus s. Avery returned to Tulsa
a few days ago after motoring
through a large section OF the east,
During his absence he spent several
days at his old homo town-Steph-
cnaville, Pa, near which he was
raised on n farm, and which he lett
30 years Y 20 seek his fortune In
the west. lie brought with him n
wooden yoke, such R7 was us'd thnS"
DAYS on oxen. which were the prln-
cipal beasts OF burden. That, Avery
explained, was I'm "the good old
days" before motor trucks were
dreamed OF and when every farmer
didn't a tractor, or even n
team OF horses or a span OF mules,
AAA UNIV Nv" - 81 49,
iron parts badly decomposed from
rust, IL 4 prosaic and out.af-date
piece OF equipment lt presents only
rasslng Interest to the average per-
son. Nothipg sentimental one
would quickly say, about an old OK
yoke that was such u crude har-
ness and which was used back In the
dark ages"
But this clumsy yoke means more
- 49, -. 1900 Mn than an
years ago, when farming was not as
profitable az It is today} when the
parents OF farmer boys could OF
for them few advantage I'm cducn-
tlon or society, ana when farmers
and their sons worked In the hot and
dusty fields from daylight until
darkness, trying to earn their daily
bread, he had this yoke made by
the village blacksmith at stephens
vile TO ut a team of steer calves
&c had purchased with his hard
earned money, Those calves were
the bride OF his heart. No "a Nv
ing today thinks more Of his high
powered automobile than Avery OF
those calves. And II was only ma
tural he should regard somewhat
highly the harness with which
they were to work,
Il was the yoke that penniea built.
Early In the morning and late In
the evening Avery delivered milk
10 the neighbors, For these services
he usually received a penny from
each customer. Holding onto these
pennies with parsimonious tonacity,
he eventually saved enough to pur-
chase the yoke. Going to the black
smith and 70 n carpenter he prouG-
" exhibited his roll" gave minute
' instructions as TO the construction
and size of the yoke. and then re-
: manned with them mos. OF the time
= untll II was completed, to assure
y himself that no detail would be
$ overlooked that might add TO lis ap.
p%earanc0 and serviceability. Young,
q ster-lke, he feared that II ne lef
'llthe blacksmith or the carpenter
'e might become careless, even though
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

he moro than flesh and blood could
stand without anyhow ringing up the
police. Whereas. Mtwruas, II an
opera singer would sins In an opera
house In a way that would sound
plcagant In the average size living
room OF a New York city apartment.
understand, the audience would
say: Let IN In on this too. We didn't
pay S. to see you Whispering a cuu-
pie OF confidential m to the or
chestra leader, y'understand.'
piano playing II the Same way.
| Mawruss," Abe continued. m Josef
Hoffman would play on my plano
the same thing like he plays on tho
| piano In Carnegie han, Mawrusa, !
wouldn't want to Insult him, yum
dcrstand, but considering the fact
that the average business man don't
buy a piano at the oftcnost more
than once In Is years, MawruAs.
would Kot to remind him that I
five hundrcd-dollar piano II n plant
and not an armored tank, and tina
they build such pianos for eweet
moss, not strength. And yet. Nav
russ, Josef Hoffman In a first-class
A-numbcr-onc pianist, and II n
would play the plano In Carnogi'
hail the way ! wouldn't object q
him playing In my parlor, y'under
| stand. half the people back or TN
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

"At that. Abe. I don't think It
takes n whole lot OF practice TO play
good on them big trumpcts," Morris
remarked. (which / watched them
big trumpet %fellcrs in theayter or
chestras many times, Abe, and the
way II looked to me, Abe. n u OF
them big trumpet players was work.
ing piece work and not by the hour,
Abe, and he & I a wag scale Of ten
cents per note, understand, the
most he could pull out OF his job
would be eight dollars and twenty
cents a week. The canoes is that
Josef Hoffman plays more notes in
one hour than q bull fiddler plays
In a lifetime"
We'll, look at the difference in
what they earn, Mawrugs," Abe said.
II bot yer that in photograph rec
ords alone. n big pianist makes al
ready q small fortune, whereas, who
ever heard of a photograph record
Of n bull fiddle player"
And n there was such a record.
they could put his whole repertory
on It and stIll have room on the same
side for anyhow Harry Lauder"
Morris said, (which II IL wonderful
what the photograph has done to
swell the Income OF singers and
fiddle players. Abe, Even several
years after they are dead. y'under-
stand, you could still pay two dol
lara and a half TO hear them sing"
Anyone who lives in n New York
City apartment in summertime with
his windows opon and pays two dol
lars and a half for a photograph
record OF ny singer. living or dead,
Mawruss," Abe said, rs simply
throwing away his money IN tho
...-N. A.autugn AHvr VNn1 Ia VaVs
frontroom you could hear CALI
Curci. Mccormick. Geraldine Far
rar and Harry Lauder all singing to-
gethcr but using different songs,
Mawruss. In fact, Mawruss. COM
pared 20 what me and Rosie has got
to hear on warm nights In our front
p%arlor. counting monographs, self
playing pianos and pianos that some
body plays o y'understand, n young
fcller pTactlcing for his second lee
son as a trap drummer would be
practically dead silence, understand
me-"
ut always seemed to me. Abe"
Morris suggested. that 60 long "a
| they've got laws compelling people
which Lrivca automobiles at night
to usa DINNERS on their lamps 90
that the light wouldn't he thrown
more than a certain number Of feet,
understand, there should ought to
he a law to muffle monographs and
mechanical pianos In summer time,
40 hat there would be a distance
limit on the sob song from Tosca
of FAY twelve feet from the mouth
uf the photograph, with less In pro-
portion for instrumental records till
they got jazz records down to a dis
lance of six inches or twenty-five
dollars fine for the first offence.
understand"
AT the same time. Mawruss, the
monograph has done a whole lot
to give the people an Idea of high
grade music" Abe slid, (which for
less than a dollar and a half. Nav
russ, anybody can now hear abou
twenty per cent OF the finest SYM
phony orchestra in the United States
play from two and a half to five
per cent OF the most wonderful SYM
phony ever written, on account 1t
takes pretty nearly an hour to play
a whole symphony while a record
lasts fom ninety seconds to three
minutes"
And l suppose that IL anybody
wants to hear the remaining ninety
five pre- cent Of the symphony, Abe,
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

the snithy and the woodworker
had fashioned hundreds of Jokes
and were experts at that work.
That yoke was used on the pair
OF steers for many months, mostly
when they were hitchcd TO an old
fashioned OK cart that rumblcd and
creakcd over the rocky roads OF
Pennsylvania between the Avery
farm and the village OF stephens
VILE.
When the Avery's left Pennsyl-
vania. Cyrus "penny-built" yoke
was forgotten. when he was In
Stophensvillo "A few weeks age he
was approached by n stranger who
introduced himself. and after a
short conversation he discovered the
yoke was in tho strangers posses
sion. II was Il matter of only a
few minutes until II had changed
hands. Avery wanted Il, and the
chance acquaintance was not re-
luotant to part with It, realizing II
held more Interests for Avery than
FOR himself.
The old yoke now occupies n place
OF honor at the Avery homo In
Tulsa, and la an ever-prcscnt re-
hinder OF those good old days
that are now but memories.
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

II sec whore IL a Y in the paper
that poor Caruso. olav hhshoiom. left
more than n million dollars Abe
Potash remarked one morning re-
Gently.
FOR the pleasure which he give to
millions Of people, Abe" Morris
perlmuttor said, "a million dollars is
little enough, understand. but At
the same time, Abe, II anybody "
thinking seriously about taking his
boy out Of business college n
learning him TO become n tenor on
that account. understand me, he
should ought to consider that "A lot
Of decent respectable people is MAX
mig "a pretty fair living IN the pants
business. Abo, because "A voice Ike
Caruso's don't happen onco Ia "A
hundred years whereas there's u
pants manufacturer born every min
uto-nt least as far Ms having the
talent for It Is concerned"
We'll. It amt very likely that the
business colleges Is going to be cX-
hctly deserted by any considerable
humber ~ young men who think
they've got an opening now hat poor
CRruso ~ gone. Abe said.
"Probably not" Morris admitted,
but rs surprising the number %
young ladies which is getting into
training TO step In and take the place
Of this here Calli-Curcl In case her
Voice goes back on her, There's n
lives on the floor below us, Abe, by
tho name stella Rashkind, Abe,
which the board OF health has been
notified twice by the people living
next door-once on account OF the
"Jevel Song" from Faust" and once
because Of what Mrs Rashkind
claims was the mad scene from
Lucia and what some OF the ten-
ants a y was Mysteries when old
Man Rashkind put his foot down and
says he wouldn't pay onother ccnt to
no moro ltalicner singing teachers"
'It'a surprising what them fellcra
has the nerve TO charge" hi com
mented. my wifo's sisters daugh-
ter took from an ftalianer down In
Carnegie hall which he soaked her
as much for an office call ms II he
would be "A stomach specialist al
ready"
We'll, lt's my experience that
what most girls who thinb th"y'v"
got elegant voices needs, Abo, IN q
stomach specialist or anyhow q good
general practitioner" Marris said, he
cause RIA a disease with a whole lot
OF young ladies that II thoy only hnn
n few lessons from an ltalicnor'
y'understnnd, they could already sing
rings around Melba or at tho least
Geraldine Farrar, whereas what they
should ought to do is To find some
doctor who guarantees 20 cure the
worst soprano voice In 10 treatments
which you take this here stella
Raahkind, understand, and II
would be her father and had ny
daughters interests at heart, under
stand mo-. I would see that that g'rfi
voice was attended to right away
even II It took an operation with tw'
trained nurses Il day"
The fact Is, Mawruss, mat youV
got to make an allowance Tor IN
difference between singing for pleas
ure and singing for grind opera
Abe said. Eighty per cent or IN
ladies which i've heard d sing Tor '
nm orchestra seat grand opera, yum
derRtand, II you would hear the sam
thing coming from The flnt neN
door, understand me, WINE 70
might figure that II don't pay TO IN
terfere between man and wife, Mar
russ. still at the same time II wout
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18
nv HARVEY y. RHODES.

II isn't always the intrinsic value
OF an article that determines it's
worth to the p~ossessor. Sentiment
and association often add a value
that In not to be rcckoncd In dol
lars and cents. Furthermore, the
article valued on the hasls OF aenti-
mcnt is usually worthless 10 anyone
except the person with whom 1t has
been associated In eentimenIhl
realms. Others are likely TO speak
~jocosely OF one who values an APP
pnrently worthlegs article or trinket,
or to look upon u with the eyes or
matcrlalista who see nothing but
the material things usod In Its make
up or manufacture, and In whom
the sight OF It does not arouse any
pleasantly retrospective reflections
or memories.
Yet there arc few persons whO do
not now possess somo article that
~ retained and priced only ccau5
of It's sentimental value, others may
have only the pleasant memories OF
an article or n place mat was esso'
ciated with the pleasures or chlld'
hood. Frequently such articles OF
places were not regarded In the
halcyon days or youth with pleas
urable feelings, hut with the pass
Ing of years they have been seen IN
n new and more mature OEAt thhl
causes one 10 wonder. with a feeling
akin to humor, why his attitude IN
the days OF marbles and Minis
holes was one OF aversion toward
them.
For instance, there was the bear
patch i'm the back yard of the old
homestead. -nat bean patch could
r more weeds and less beans
than any other garden In the neigh
borhood. Every time Bin wanted
to 20 swimming the weeds had
had grown 50 high that they were
In urgent need of the application OF
a hoe-and Bin was the only one
at home to do the Job. However,
Bin occasionally vas lured from his
onerous duties when the gang passed
through the alley ON the way to
the creek, the members holding up
two fingera as al invitation to join
them.
when Bill and the rest Of his
bunch had stripped down TO ma
lures garb and dived into the swim-
ming hole, tho bean patch was tenn
porarily forgotten, Nothing else
mattered as long as he could
caVort naked along the bank or lie
Town in the sand and give himself
a sand bath" ana thea plunge into
the inviting water, diving to the
bottom and coming up with a hand
full of mud to prove 90 his pals his
ability 10 reach bottom.
The contrast in Bilrs attitud,
toward the bean patch and tn,
awlmming hole was vivid, Mhil,
today his memories OF the swim
ming hole are more pleasant thar
those OF the bean patch, he noy
looks back In retrospect and de
cides the old garden wasn't such a
unpleasant spot atter all lie woul
I'VE 10 return to It and make a fe,
atrokes with the hoe for old time
sake. The last time he visited tn
ala home town he walked down I
M ~ol' swimmin' hole" and hrougl
s~ar with him a small piece OF Il
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

January, 1920, he was running 80
per cent OF the trains of 1914: in
May, 1921. ~ was running CO per
cent. In IS months the average
speed of trains was increased by 10
kilometers an hour. Today the
trains are clean. sufficiently heated
and p|unctual; and industry IL well
supplied. The methods of Groener,
who IL nominally a democrat. differ
little from the methods of Groener
when ne was n junker officer Of
L~udendorff's staff.
Germany's military collapse has
cleared the ground for the electrifi-
cation Of her whole railroad system,
I'm ambition proved to be !mpracti-
cable In her days of military power.
The technical and commercial ad-
vantages OF identification were
proved IS years ago when a test
utretch between Dessau, and Anhalt,
and Bitterfeld. to the south, was
electrified with success. But gen
eral elcctrification was vetoed by the
general staff on the ground that a
single enemy bomb or the act OF a
single spy might interrupt transport
on q long stretch of road.
That obstacle has vanished with
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

third row would want to get their
money back on the grounds that
while Mr.. Hoffman Ia "A fairly good
looking man compared to some other
first -class pia niats, they paid to hear
him and moi 10 see him only"
FOR my part, Abe Morris said.
IT very seldom put myself In the
position whore I've got TO ask for
my money back from any profess
slonal pianist's concert, and fiddlers'
neithcr-whiCh while | am Just 80
fond of mussc as anynody could be
who knows as little about II AS | do,
Abe, still I'VE got II all figured out
that professional musicians, whom
they give concerts, prAy the kind OF
music which In - difficult thnt only
n very few musicians could play II,
and the way I feel about music
which which Ii so difficult to play
that only a few musicians could play
II, Abe. is that II II was even a bit
more difficult SO hat no musicinus
at all could play 1t, I would say auci
reCht and let It 20 at that
"But where would be the sonsc IN
paying IS TO hear Krcisler for in
stance. play something which any
body else could play?" Abe asked.
There wouldn't be any II In Il
II he couldn't play It no better thar
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

way and rolling stock were worn
out: 5000 Of the best locomotives
and 10000 Of the hest cars had
hecn surrendered under the armis-
tice; the roads were operating at a
loss, whioh last year reached 49,
000, 100000 marks; tho employees
were unskilled, idle and mutinous;
efficiency In the state construction
and repair shops had fallen to Al
per cent OF pre-war level. In Au-
gust, 1915. only II per cent OF the
pro-war number OF trains were be-
ing run, and these at half pre-war
vpeed, The passenger cars wore
dirty. unheated. battered and tat
tered. and hardly a car had all its
windows whole. Cities frozo and
mills stopped work for lack of fuel
at a time when, through a shortage,
millions OF tons OF coal were accu-
mulating at the pits mouths.
Optimlsts declared that the rail-
roads would not be In tolerable con-
ditiot for at least ten years; pessi-
mists held that without miracles,
one uf which, must DO the haHS.SG
OF half the domoralized employees
they would never be restored at all
Grocncr has restored them. by
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

they could always go to Carnegie
Hall and pay another dollar and a
half to hearit." Morris suggested.
Provided they liked the five per
cent sample good enough" Abe said.
Wen 80 far as I am concerned,
Abe" Morris retorted, 81 am per-
fectly willing to compromise with
any symphony on a five per cent
basis, understand. no matter what
orchestra plays II, Abe, because as a
manufacturer, Abe, 1t always makes
me sore TO see a big orchestra of a
hundred operators getting at the
very least a dollar an hour per man,
loafing on the job the way they do,
In fact, Abe, II | would be running
the business end of any of them or
chestras which 1 seer ii play in Car
negie Hall, understand. either l
would get a conductor which could
keep his men working a hundred per
cent of the time or | would put them
loaters on "A piece-work scale, yum
derstand, because you take for in
stance the harp player In one of
them symphony Orchestras, Abe.
and I watched one for pretty near
two hours up at the Stadium the
other night. and | give you my word
and honor as a gentleman, II that
Teller played on his harp five min
utes during the whole two hours. it
was big already. There he sits like
a takeof the entire evening, and
once in a while when he sees that
tine. conductor has got his eye on
him, he reused himself a little ant
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18
GERMAN RAILWAYS RESTORED.
A Miracle of Rehabilitation Per-
formed by General Grocncr.

Robert CroEier Long In the Saturday
Evening Post.
Germany's railroads are being
rapidly restored. This fact IL even
more important for agriculture than
for industry. Tho disastrous coll
lapse OF the crops In 1870 was due
mainly to a lack OF cars and loco
motives. which prevented thousands
~ tons Of nitrates, phosphatcs and
potash from being moved to the
fields.
The rapid restoration OF railroads
Is the German republics greatest
achievement SO FAR, IL is the
achievement OF a single man, and he
IL n soldier, the General Groener
who was chief OF field railroads dur
ms the war, and first chief OF tho
STAFF after the military collapse.
Groener has remained In office
throughout all cabinet viCissitudes.
The obstacles which he faced
Geemed insuperabie The permanent
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

terests OF music when n was study
ing I otrill right" Morris said. but
what / want TO know. Abe, is: How
do these here fcllers which plays in
orChestras on the bun fiddle and
them 60~-horsepower twin six dirig-
ible trumpcts ever reach the point
whore they got enough practice 20
earn money by operating them in
strumcnts, y'understand, because
you would thing that along about the
time when they had Learned to play
six or scvcn notes. understand, peo-
pie would he laying for them with
everything from pistols TO machine
guns"
And what for an ambition did
the parents Of such musicians got for
their children that they should bring
them up TO be players on the bun
fiddle" Abe added. (which sup
posing a man Is the best bull fiddler
in the United States, Mawruss, and
MIR. Edison would put into his list
OF questions. i22! Name the best
huh Fiddler In the United States
how many college gradgawatcs
would get a job manufacturing cleo
trio llShFbulbs II they had - answer
! such n question ahout bull fiddler.
trombone players neither? Am
right or wrong2'
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

anybody else Morris admitted. but
when | pay money 20 hear Krelslcr
play the fiddle, Abe, what | want to
hear Is something everybody can
play. but which only kroisler can
play I'm the Kreislcr fashion, y'under-
stand"
"Well. that amt the kind II music
what most people wants when they
go to hear n fi~rst-class A-uumber-
one fiddler oder pianist, Mawruss.'
Abc said. They want n fiddler to be
half n fiddler and hall nm acrobat,
and a pianist Tor them liz a cross be-
tween a musician and a tuggler. In
fact, Mawruss. what the average Car
neEic hall audience wants a must
clan to perform for them is miracles
and not music, and anybody who
atarts nj to take lessons on the lid
die with the Intentions of giving
Krcisler a run for his money. yum
dcrstand. has got several years OF
such hard work ahead OF him, that
whole ncighborhoods viii 20 crazy
over the way he practices before 90
much as M musical cricket will &C
crazy ovcr the way he performs"
j suppose nobody would never
know what sacrifices the people
which lived In the flats above and
below Galli-Curci made In the In
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

played chotzig five or six notes, but
just 80 soon as the conductor looked
away, he sat back in his chair and
practically fell asleep on the job
'Well, with the best intentions in
the world, M~awruss," Abe protested. Z
"a conductor has only got one pair
Of eyes cumberland, and he
couldn't be looking a hundred places
at once. could he?"
Sure l know" Morris admitted.
but he could employ spoilers, Abe,
because the harp player wasn't the
only one which didn't seem to take
no interest II his work. There was a
couple Of trumpet players which
cuold have been spceded up a little,
too, and nee in a while from fifty
to s~cventy-five per cent of the fid-
dlers was left by that conductor with
practically nothing TO do, which It's
the same with an orchestra as with
a garment shop, Abe; the operators
amt going to do no more work than
the foreman can get out of them
you can't compare a garment
shop with an orchestra, Mawruss,"
Abe said. The one Is business and
the other art"
art nothing! 1t costs money 10
produce music from an orchestra
Just the same in proportion as it
costs to produce garments from a
factory" Morris concluded, "and l
bet yer If / would be running that
orchestra. Abe, / could get pust as
much noise out Of them. with fifty
per cent of the working force"
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

all the other obstacles to efficiency
raised by pr%etensions to military
and naval greatness. The prelimi-
nary work of identification is being
done with full speed. Through cleo
%,rification Germany viii, even II she
uses coal exclusively for power, save
half her present railroad coal on
sumption, which is is per cent OF
her whole coal output; and she will
gain the use OF the ears annually
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18
Not the Only One,

Our new minister Is just wonder
full. He brings things home to you
that you never saw before"
Hugh, I've got n la~undryman who
does the same thing