Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-10-28
PENNSYLVANIA
is ONE SPLENDID
ROAD SYSTEM
Traverses Badly Denuded
Country Farms Not
Up to Grant County.
The ''Pennsy." is "SOme Road"

the comfort, cleanliness and courtesy
evident on the Pennsylvania system.
The courtesy prevails all through the
train. Instead of being a forbidding
old crab, the conductor is nice fellow
who will sit down and hob-nob after
he has taken up the tickets. The
brakeman runs around doing little
favors for the passengers A porter
walked clear through ten cars from
the diner to bring me my hat and
vanished before l could dig up tip
for him!
l thought SO well of the Pennsyvan-
la way of doing things that when I
reached home | sat down and wrote
the president, Gen. William Wallace
Atterbury, congratulatory letter.
/ believe in that We are all too
prone to howl and kick over poor SER
vice or 1ncivility but when we are ac-
corded genuine courtesy or see a good
piece of work done we take it as a
matter OF course and never say a COM
mending word. Then when people
who have tried all their lives to be
fair and civil and getting no appreci-
alton, die, we run around telling each
other what fine fellows we were.
Having written that letter as a
pleasure and duty thought no more
of it. But the other day 1 had a letter
from Mr.. Atterbury expressing his
appreciation of my comment and as
surfing me that the commentator
would be brought to the attention Of
the train crew and their superior Of
fcers. / rather prize that letter.
Dear Old "Chi."
Chicago you all know. I always feel
when / get near my dirty, criminal,
1oveable old Chicago like old Niger
Jim in Huckleberry Finn. Jim had
run away from slavery, going down
the river with Huck on raft. jim
wanted to reach Cairo, ILL.,, and work
north into the free states" by going
up the Ohio. Every time he saw a
light along shore he would dance out
and sing: "Deres Cairo, Huck!",
But poor, old Jim, one of greatest
characters in fiction, and Huck, the
brain child of master genius, passed
Cairo in the dark and went away down
the river.
When I see Chicago looming in the
distance, it always looks like home
"Clackety- Clack-Getting nearer" say
the car wheels. I say to myself
"Dere's Cairo, Huck!" Even though
we may pass it in the dark.
A General Summing Up.
From a general viewpoint and par
ticularly from an agricultural stand
point, Grant county looks as good or
better than any place east of here.
We have the soil and we have good
farmers. Give us a season like the
past one and we will have prosperity.
People here moan about hard times
who are riding around in fine motor
cars Suppose they had to hoof it like
everybody, except the rich, does over
seas? Suppose they had to put up
with the thin, stony, sandy soil they
have all through the east? Suppose
25G6 of us were "on the DOLE" that is,
on government charity, like they have
in England?
Instead of growing and kicking we
ought to count our blessings. Another
thing-we hear a lot about combines
on commodities, price-fxing and the
like From my observation the Amer
lean has the advantage of buying
things. cheaply and in profusion known
no other place in the world. In fact
articles are produced here and sold in
abundance so cheaply we take them as
matter of course. Many of these
all in Europe When you do get them
you pay big price. Food, shelter
and raiment are cheap in Europe.
Cheap judged by our standards. But
when you have nothing to buy with,
what difference does it make how
cheap things are? That's the plight
of many Europeans. Think of sup
porting a family on dollar day!
Common labor gets that in Paris.
No sir, America is the greatest
country in the world and has the
greatest prosperity. Our mass pro-
duction Europeans sheer at is one OF
the main factors in furnishing all OF
us with an abundance of the commod-
tiles we use daily. Some politicians
call me ian Apostle of Big Business.
Let me voice the belief that intelligent,
industrious business, big and little,
has done more to develop the country
and make life happy and prosperous
for the common people than all the
demagog politicians put together
IF YOU want to really appreciate
YOUR own country and your own nag
lust leave them for while. Then you
will know fully what the word Amer
lean" means.
End of Long Trip.
You readers nave DeeH Will H0 oA
a ten-thousand mile trip. Down to
Canada, across the Atlantic to Scot
land, by motor tour to London, across
tine channel and France to Swftzer--
land, back to Paris, across the channel
nv airship. from London to South
hampton. across the Atlantic, on a
Slow boat, New York and the trip
home. A long trip but an interesting
one.
We cannot help sharing few con-
illusions. Europeans have US beat on
courtesy, thoroughness, thrift, I'D
mess and an appreciation of the beau
tiful. We have them beat on democ-
racy. originality, industry ana hustle'
We can take leaf out of their book
and they can learn from us. But the
big thing is this: The average Amer
lean has no inferiority complex. Here
one person is just as good as another
Any boy can be president here If ne
has the character, perseverance and
brains. Over there you can't even be