The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-06-07

III OC "a" Oouh SClit1C VII CllS
evening before Washington's birth
day in 1907, going up from Mime
apolis on the evening train with
Lucas Kells and Frank Eddy. I
had sold my paper at Redwood
Falls after having spent six years
there cutting my eye teeth in the
country weekly field. My previous
journalistic experience covered
twelve years on Twin City dailies
and on the Omaha Bee. I looked
over the Herald plant the day af-
ter nay arrival, liked it, took an
option on it and closed the deal
a few days later, taking the plant
over April 1st. I have never re-
GREETED the decision. During my
six years in Sank Centre I ac-
quired much valuable experience
and some ducats, both of which
have stood me in hand ever since
especially the experience.
The first week l had charge Of
The Herald the two girl compost
tors went on a strike-there was
then no type-setting machine H.
the office. It didn't take long to
handle the situation, for thru the
courtesy of that Good Scout, AL
Uah Eastman, the Journal-Press
linotype at St. Cloud was called in
and my paper appeared as usual on
Thursday without delay. The girls
soon saw things in the right light
and after a week returned to
work. The incident was so valuable
to the Herald that I decided to
adopt the cost system. Like many
another proprietor Of a country
printshop, I had taken work for
low prices simply to get the job.
Sank Centre businessmen, like
businessmen elsewhere, while de-
claiming against the farmers for
buying of Sears-Roebuck, sent
more or less of their printing to
the cities where cut rate shops did
it for low figures. I saw that rate
cutting got nobody anywhere (the
cheap shops in the cities went
under from time to time) so at the
beginning of "a new year l vowed
not to take any job except at a
decent living profit, believing that
the printer is as justly entitled to
make money as any other business
man. During the succeeding
twelve months l lost quite a lot of
jobs, but-my bank account looked
a good deal healthier than it did
under the old plan. That convert
ed me to the cost system and I've
staid converted.
During the summer of 1907 the
first measures were taken to Sc
cure the Home School for Girls.
The Commercial Club appointed a
committee consisting of DR.. J. "A.
Dubois, Hon. j. R. Howard, M.
L. Webb and myself, to lay Sank
Centres cause before the Board of
Control. Leavitt, one of the men,
beers of the Board, visited Sank
Centre and the committee showed
him the present site. Negotiations
followed and Sank Centre won
against fourteen other towns. Ros-
ing and Ringdahl voted for Sank
Centre, and Leavitt against us.
Bids for the first building were
called for May 10, 1910, the con-
tract soon was awarded and in
July work began on the first
three structures. Mrs. Morse was
elected matron and came on and
took charge that spring. The
school has been a fine thing for
Sank Centre and am proud to
have been a member of the COM
mittee that helped to land it.
The Stearns county fair always
interested me greatly. Every year
Sank Centre businessmen made
tours of the county a few weeks
before the opening of the fair,
to advertise it. On these trips Ben
Schoenhoff and | always occupied
the rear seat in one of the auto
mobiles and saw to it that a dodger
was folded and thrown into every
farmyard we passed. Ben and l
got to be expert shots in throw
ing those dodgers, and had the
time of our lives in this particular
line of human endeavor.
At one of the county fairs-I
think it was in 1910-an airplane
was secured as an attraction. 1t
was one of the first Wright models
and little resembled the present
ship. It was frail affair built en-
tirely of wood with thin canvas
wings and nothing under the pi-
lots seat to keep him from falling.
It was bi-plane model. The ma
chine was kept most of the time
in a tent on the fair grounds where