The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-11-09
CHAPTER KY

DR. PLANISH said, T learned a O whale Of a lot more a5ouS the writing racket from Bruce Barton than ever did from Wal CT Pater"
 He proved it in wha1 eesane the most beloved feature of Rural Adult Education his witty column called "Cornpone and Popcorn" In thlS appeared his essay Mental Elbow Grease" and this little masterpiece was to be more quoted nan any other foam from his pen. IL began
 AS the swede fellow says, the saws and chiselS in your tool cAest won't yump mp into your hand. And the books on your shelves aren't going 70 crawl down ana get inside your brain
 This pasticcio was reprinted oy ustle treadmil magazines and traoe journals all over the country, ana from these lifted as a filler by some hundreds of newspapers. OccaSloh- ally they even gave credit to Dl' Planish. and he began to receive let ters about it addressed to him m care of everything from the Salt Lake City Mama to the Alabama Departmnt Of Education.
 One of the warmest letters was from the Rev. James Severance Kitto, S. T, D, pastor Of the Aoner Jones Christian Church or EVan- sson. IL, and president oi ne famous Heskett Rural School Fouh- dation of Chicago.
 A. J. Joslin had lunched With Df. Kitto in Chicago. and reported that he was a learned but hearty fellow, who felt tina. the Kremlin was plot tinQ against rural church work m Nebraska. Missouri. and portions ol Southern Illinois But this interested Dr. Planish less than JoSlins up that the paid executives Of the Hes kett Rural School Foundation - known to all professional good-doers as the H. R. s. F. - Weren caSh- ing in adequately on the large funds of the Foundation. pr. hltto had taken MT. Joslin to the Foun- dation offices. and they had touno no one there except the managing secretary. q spinster named Bernar- dine Nimrock, and two stenogra- phers. who weren't so much as send inp out red and green circulars to supply the far-hung wastebasKetS of our broad land with intorma- tion about the beauties Of rural edu- cation. All this Dr Planlsh recalled when there came from Dr. James Severenace Kltto the letter praiSing his essay, and inviting him to ac- cept a National Dictatorship in the HI R. S. F., and to attend its An uual Midsummer Conference
 pr. Planish accepted, and had his own Conference. with Peony.
 HER father made dozen trips II a year to Chicago. and on the next one he looked up certain things, and wrote to the Doctor:
 T went in the Heskett place ana got acquainted, and I even took the virtuous Bunny Nimrock. the secy. nut to lunch. I didn't know was so much of a beau, your father-i -in-laW, the little devil, had her quite mustered.
 T think you ought to let her alone. the poor gal thinks she IS doing a good job and getting city folks to take country schools seri- ously and trying to do a little amateur lobbying with State Leg isIatures, but if you want her job, 20 to it, she does not look so not and imagine you could expand it into a pretty well-paying propo- sition. found. as you asked. that the fellow to honey up to, besides Reverend Kitto, is another preacher Rev. Christian Stern of New York City, a slick politician who is In all the uplift rackets and will certainly be in Chi for the conference,
 T also went out to the North Shore and sponged supper of my cousin Lucy and got to, meet Rev