The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-07-28

cation is ''hobby mining" in which
amateur prospectors take to the
hills each weekend in search OF
gold. This has resulted in rush for
claims, reminiscent of last century's
gold stampede. These modern pros
pectors aren't finding much gold,
but they have hopes and meanwhile
it's a lot of fun. Some of them will
probably strike it rich.
Career Hobbies.
Then there's also the hobby which
can be joined with your professional
career. An example is Mildred Dill
ling, internationally known harpist
who began her rise to fame with a
secondhand harp. When she re-
tires from the concert stage, many
years hence, she'll have something
more tangible than memories, be-
cause she spends her spare time
collecting old, rare, curious and his
toric harps.
Some hobbies can make you feel
like kid again, which isn't bad
idea. Several years ago some youth
full minded father bought his young
ster an electric toy train for Christ
mas and had so much fun with il
himself that he bought another. That
hobby, model railroading, has
grown overnight until now many a
hard-headed business man spends
his evenings playing with NINA
ture train.
1t isn't child's play, however. The
serious model railroader builds his
own trolling stock" to exact scale
size and has from 200 to 1000 feet
of track on which to run it. Today
you can buy disassembled NINA
ture railroad parts and build your
own system, consisting of engines,
Pullmans, coaches and innumerable
types of freight cars. Train hobby
lists prefer freights because of the
variety they offer.
Or, You Might Try
There's a humorous side to hob.
bying, too. Out in Halfway, Ore,
Walter w. Evans collects-of al
things-official positions! Evans is
vice president and cashier of the
First National bank, city treasurer,
high school clerk, secretary-treasur.
er of the telephone company, key
banker for his county banking asso.
citation, public education committee.
man for the same organization, and
president of the Northwest Oregon
Bankers association. Recently he
decided to run for justice of the
peace.
Then, in Akron, Ohio, we find Wal.
ter Thompson, a gasoline station at.
tendant who in the past two years
has dissuaded 10 persons from sui.
eide. That, says Thompson, is his
hobby. His station is located at the
end of a bridge. At nearby Cleve,
land a strange fellow who jumped
through the trees at Brookside park
clad in a tiger skin breech clout,
turned out to be nothing more than
Tarzan lobbyist. But police
warned him to practice elsewhere.
Maybe the suicide stopper and the
amateur Tarzan aren't true hobby.
lists, but to discover how important
this business has become, you need
only look at one of the exhibitions
staged by people who have found a
happy pastime and are willing tc
tell the world about it.
Famous People, Quaint Hobbies.
Famous people sometimes have
unique hobbies. Jane Pickens, the
songstress, weaves rugs and makes
bobbin lace because it gives he1
time to think. Chester Morris, the
movie star, is an amateur magi
clan and DR.. Frank Black, musica,
director for broadcasting network
plays with chemistry during his
spare time. Right now he is expert
menting with liquid rubber to use
in making sculpture molds.
Perhaps you already have hob
by. If not, take a little sage adj
vice from the experts before de.
veloping one.
The best way, they say, is to fall
into something you really enjoy
Don't deliberately look for hobby
simply drift into a stimulating avo
cation that brings you real enjoy
ment.
Another thing, don't be too strict
about your hobby, because if you tie
yourself up with lot of restrictions
the whole thing will suddenly be-
come very irksome.
If you're not careful, your hobby
is apt to take too much time at first
You may get so enthusiastic thai
life becomes one continual menta
tussle between your hobby and your
better self. But eventually you'll
emerge from this stage with a.bal
anced viewpoint, having learned tt
live with this new companion.
You'll discover that moderation ir
all things is an excellent idea, but
what's more important, you'll mo-
be alone with a pair of twiddline
thumbs the next rainy afternoon!
@ Western Newspaper Union.