The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1952-07-31

II
district school reunions-there's the
Black school get-together coming
August 14-also there's the Owens
and Rayl and others we can't recall
at the moment. After all, there was
something of camaraderie between
teachers and pupils of the old-time
district school that was lost in CEN
tralization when schooling was put
on more impersonal basis.
Perhaps it's more efficient this
way and maybe they couldn't have
continued this simple setup, but we
can't help but believe that in the
change there were lost some very
worthwhile values even tho they
can't be measured by graph sheets
or slide rules. The aura of romance
that clings to the little red school
house of an earlier day is treas
ured heritage of an older generation
like the faint scent of delicate
perfume-difficult to describe but
nonetheless real for all that.
Buttons downtown drinking foun-
tain at the Presbyterian church
corner has been a boon during the
summer hot spell-not only to Bluff
ton folks and travellers over the
Dixie highway, but also to birds
which have been taking drinks and
baths in the cool stream. It's as inn
portant now to provide water for
birds during this hot dry weather as
it was to provide food for them last
winter.
And speaking of birds, there's a
half-grown robin, pet of the Lester
Hahns of West Elm street. Thor
oughly domesticated and tame it is,
so much so that it chirps at the
back door every evening at dusk,
ready to be taken in and put to bed
for the night in box in the kitchen.
The bird was found when only a
few days old, apparently having fall
len out of it's nest, and cared for
by the Hahns. 1t spends the days
outdoors, flying to the back porch for
feelings and fshworms and other
delicacies and frequent cooling off in
a nearby bird bath.
More and more this is the era of
the gasoline tractor which now has
invaded one of the last strongholds
of the vanishing horse. At the
Putnam County Farm Bureau field
day, August 21 on the Ottawa fair
grounds the big event will be
tractor pulling contest. The world
has moved a long way since grand
pappy's day when good hossfesh was
an outstanding attraction at any
farm gathering and matched draft
team was an ace in the hole at any
county fair.
Terra firma-it's not as firm as
you might think when an earthquake
comes along, writes Mrs. Delos Ker-
vim of Tarzan, California, near Los
Angeles. She is the former Dorothy
Rae Triplett, daughter of the Cleon
Tripletts. Her first earthquake ex-
perience came a week ago when she
was awakened in the night by shak-
ing of the house which set off a
constant ringing of the 'doorbell. The
eerie tremors continued for some
time, being sufficiently severe to
splash water out of their nearby
swimming pool.
Seeing the motion picture "The
Greatest Show On Earth" at the
Carma the past week gave an added
thrill to Larry and Ronald Niswand-
er, who live on farm west of
Bluffton. The two youngsters, sons
of Mr.. and Mrs. Karl Niswander,
Columbus Grove, took part in the
picture production at Sarasota, Flor
ida, the forepart of 1851 when the
film was being produced at Barnum
and Bailey's winter quarters there.
The third and fourth grades of
the Sarasota Central Elementary
school were invited by the circus
management and the motion picture
company to assist in making the
picture.
Larry, age II, 4th grader, and
Ronald, age 8, third grader, were at
tending the two grades at the time
the picture was under production.
The second grade of which sister
Rachael was pupil was not includ-
ed in the casting.
The two youngsters appear in the
final scenes of the motion picture
following the railroad wreck. The
circus folks, carrying on the tradi-
ton of "On With The Show" des-
pite the disaster, were staging the
big show, using the blue sky for the
"big top" The crowd had followed
the big parade to the circus grounds
and Larry and Ronald were in the
group of youngsters scrambling for
seats in the bleacher section.
Mr.. and Mrs. Karl Niswander and
family were vacationing in Florida
for the winter months and had
placed the youngsters in school at
Sarasota resulting in their oppor-
tunity to be included in the casting.
The boys stated their two grades