The Crowder City Guardian (Crowder, Indianola, and Canadian, Oklahoma), Vol. 11, No. 17, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 23, 1915 Page: 3 of 8
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Qtiristmosj
he &
natal
day of the
L/rince of peace^
rings to millions^
f homes only
the memory of
dear ones for-
ever gone and
the gloom
of fading
ik hope
r \T * v • * s
JVO tfroavwos MWG wau
By JERLE DAVIS.
HAT a ghaBtly holiday Christmas
will be In Europe this year. Mil-
lions of families In mourning, mil
lions of women and children starv-
ing, millions of homei1 In rulus,
millions of new graves, millions of
dead men that haven't even the
„ shelter of earth, millions of square
C | miles of fertile land laid waste by
J f * war, millions of men killing fathers,
<"5 husbands, brothers, sous and sweet-
hearts
Belgium, Serbia, northern France and Poland
are a Hades of wreckage. In Germany everyone
Is living on short rations and turning all energies
to the pursuit of war. Even the half-grown boys
of France are under arms awaiting the call to
the trenches. Austria and Italy and England and
Russia and Bulgaria are pouring their money Into
the mill that turns out guns and explosives while
the poor exist In the misery of semistarvatlon,
getting their mite of food and fuel and clothing
by taking their turn In the "bread line."
All of warring Europe's able bodied men are
soldiers In one capacity or another. In the
streets of all the cities and villages of the con-
tinent—excepting the little neutral nations—one
sees only aged men, veterans of other wars, and
maimed men who aro recovering from wounds
A
K...:
, jv-vf.-a
received in this one. Everywhere are hospitals.
III THE PUBLIC EYE
What -,vos perhaps the largest and
most important transaction ever con-
summated In the southwest agricul-
tural publishing Held, was the consol
idatlon, on December 1st, of the Okla-
homa Farm Journal with the Oklahoma
Farmer.
John Fields, who for many years
has been associated with Frank North-
up In the publication of the Oklahoma
Farm Journal, will be the editor of tho
consolidated publication.
There is perhaps no man In Okla-
homa or the southwest with a larger
acquaintance among farmers and bust-
BSD men alike, than John Fields.
Here In Oklahoma, Fields Is given
credit In a very large measure for the
development of the "sure feed crops"
propaganda, which has been of untold
benefit to the farmers of the state.
The new Oklahoma Farmer will be
published on the tenth and twenty-
fifth of each month. The editorial
force, business office and circulation
department, will be located in Okla-
homa City.
John Field*.
ISA***
i
Schools, churcheB, factories, homes—every sort
of habitable place Is filled with wounded. And
one of the most flourishing enterprises over there
Ib the sale of artificial limbs.
Even from Asia comes the wall of sorrow, for
Mohammedan Turkey Is religiously slaughtering
Its hundreds of thousands of Christian Armenian
subjects. News dispatches of tho last few days
describe the terrible plight of refugees—penni-
less, ragged, hungry, diseased, noncombatants and
exhausted, beaten soldiers—who are sweeping
out of desolated Serbia Into Greece We read of
women with children In arms spending a month
tramping through the snow-covered mouutalns,
hoping In the end to find a little warmth and
food and peace. We read of frozen roadways
strewn with the bodies of those that stopped on
the way for a bit of rest—and never went on.
None of the hundred million of us In the United
States can appreciate the horror of It all. Some
of our war correspondents over there have seen
and heard, but none has suffered and endured as
those who are a part of the conflagration.
Santa Claus will have a sorry time abroad tbls
year. Fathers and mothers have neither the
heart nor the means of commemorating the birth
of the Child of Bethlehem and hjs mission among
men. Of necessity they and their children will
fast Instead of feast—If them ts any feasting It
will be a feast of prayer and hope.
America sent no Christmas ship abroad this
year. Why not! some of us may ask. Why not?—
with the United States at the height of prosperity
and blessed with peace. Ferhaps because we
realize what a horror the war Is. A prominent
newspaper man In one of our large cltlcs—a man
who had much to do with the success of the
project last year—had this to say when the ques-
tion was brought up:
"A Christmas ship this year—a boatload or two
or three boatloads of dolls and Jumping-Jacks and
red apples and candy and cake* and mittens and
red-top boots for the kids of Europe? I shall not
dwell on the fact that the warring nations have
become much more deadly In their hate and sus-
picion and probably would refuse safe passage for
the cargoes from one country to another. 1 shall
not concern myself with the fact that the nations
embroiled look upon the United States as a greedy
animal growing fat and sleek feeding on their
life blood, and probably would return our gifts to
us with curt "No-thank-yous."
"Instead 1 shell confess that I am weighed down
with the hopelessness of the situation Here In
America we have all wo may reasonably ask of
Providence—considering our own sins of politics
and social Injustice. Over there they are cursed
beyond the power of words to describe, and the
curse will be felt for generations.
"Millions in Europe are dying in the agonies
of starvation, cold and disease for want of food,
clothing, shelter and medical aid. What a ghast-
ly Joke It would be In these circumstances for the
richest and luckiest nation to offer those millions
of pitiful children a little candy and fruit when
they need milk and broth, mittens when they need
blankets ant) clothing, dolls and toy trains when
they need doctors and nurses and sanitary sup-
plies. No, this Is no time for polite mementoes.
Let us concentrate on giving the only real help
that would suffice and that would be welcome—
peace as soon as possible."
Let us look upon the manner In which Europe
celebrated Christmas before tho war
In France and Belgium on Christmas eve the
baraques, or booths, appear In the streets without
hindrance, and are all ablaze with candles and
glittering treasures, for every bcusehold must
contain some bright tiinket In honor of Noel. The
midnight mass Is thronged; the magnificent
Christmas hymn Is chanted everywhere, and then
all Is gleeful holiday for an hour or so, for It Is
Christmas morning, the peace making morning of
the world!
There Is the boudtn to be eaten, the calen. or
Christmas lamp, symbolical of the star that guid-
ed the Magi to Bethlehem, to be lighted, the lit-
tle creche to bo exposed, and all happiness, all
good-will to everyone to bo expressed before re-
tiring with the grand chorale of peace sounding
In the ears. ID the country the lads and lassies
merrily drag home the buche de Noel, correspond-
ing to our Yule log, which la kindled by the head
of the family; the boudln must be eaten and the
hot spiced wine sent round, and many a misun-
derstanding la mad* clear beside the Christmas
Oklahoma City.—
Constitutionality of the mortgage
lax law, passed by the 1913 legislature,
which levies a tax of &0 cents per
$1U0 for recording of mortgages with
county clerks, was upheld by the su-
preme court In an unanimous opinion.
The law was attacked by the Trus-
tees, Executors anil Securities Insur-
ance Corporation and the Columbia-
Knickerbocker Trust Company, hold-
ers of a mortgage for $111,000,000 upon
the proper!/ of the Kansas, Mexico &
Orient Railroad Company. The mort-
gagees sought to mandamus the coun-
ty clerk of Dewey county to accept and
Ille the mortgage without the collec-
tion of the fee of 60 cents for each
$100 represented In the Instrument.
The original oase was tried before the
late Justice 11. A. Brown, who was
on the district court bench of Dewey
county at the time, lie denied the ap
plication for mandamus, and the litgh-
r tribunal affirmed his decision.
The mortgage was filed by the mort'
gagees and the fee paid under protest,
with the stipulation that It would 1>«
returned in the event the court de-
clared the law void.
More Army Horses Off To Meet Death.
Forty cars of Oklahoma horses,
fire on this, the day of good will.
In Germany and Austria ev^ry housemother ami
every father makes Christmas the feast for the
children, the preat day of reunion, the glad time
when ali meet under the old roof-tree, anJ social
customs prevail over religlcus observances. 'Ilia
Christmas tree is ubiquitous—everyone hau It.
rich or poor—and no one omits Weihnacht
Bescheerung or Christmas gifts. To provide these,
the German people will, If need be, save up hall
the year Each member of the household must
have something as a surprise, generally service-
able presents that aro often needed and alwayB
acceptable. "*
Singularly enough, the Christmas Is not cole
brated as one would expect In Italy. There the
night of the year Is less a religious festival than
a fair, The world seems absorbed In delirious
excitement, and all crowd round Pulclnello and
divert themselves hilariously till the churches
claim them for the midnight mass. But the fun
goes on; they laugh gleefully, as only Italians
can laugh, enjoy themselves to their hearts con-
tent, but the celebrations are not home celebra
tlons; It Is a general, not a domestic, feast.
In Russia and Poland the children put their
shoes filled with hay outside the door for tha
horses of St Nicholas; and It Is believed in most
sections that St. Nicholas comes first on a lire
paratory visit ten Quys before Christmas to learn
which children have been good. He leaves nuts
and candy in the shoes of those who have been
good, but nothing for those who have been bad.
who thus know that they may expect no presents
on the real Christmas day.
In Serbia and the other Balkan countries, at
dawn on tho day before Chrismas the sturdy peas
. ant proprietor dispatches his sons to the forest.
On reselling the spot where the destined Christ-
mas tree stands the axbearer ofTers up a prayer;
then he draws on a pair of jfloves, takes a hand-
ful of corn, flings It against the tree, and says,
"Good morning, and a happy Christmas to you.
This done, ho addresses himself to the tBsk of
felling, paying careful attention to the laws at the
"badnyal ." which prescribes amonr «U>w things
that all the cuts he made on one particular side.
Once felled, the tree Is carried home and leaned
against the east side of the house, where It re-
mains till evening. Then tho wife lights two can-
dles and places one on cither side of the door-
way, while the husband foes forth to bring In the
"badnyak."
The master of the house now throws three nuts
Into each of the four corners of the room, saying
as he does so: "In the name of the Father;
In the name of the 8on; In the name of the Holy
Ghost—Amen!"
All night everyone remains gloating over the
crackling, roasting pig, with an eagerness of
anticipation proportionate to the seal with which
they have observed the six weeks' fast enjoined
by the Greek orthodox church. By this time
Christmas day has dawned, and on Christmas
everyone must go to service.
Express Hearing For December 21.
The corporation commission an-
nounced Decembor 21 as the date on
which a hearing will be had for the
purpose of cxpialninu to the shippers
a new system of express rates-to be in-
augurated In Okluhoma. The new sys-
tem Is called the zone and block plan
und Is said to be used by the Inter-
state commerce commission In figuring
rates on Interstate express shipments.
According to Commissioner George
A. Henslmw, the udoptlon of the new
rate schedule means that more than
$600,000, which represents the differ-
ence In the commission rate and tho
rate collected by tv<> companies may
be refunded. Of thiii $60,000 would go
to the stute and the remainder to tha
shippers who paid the money to tha
express companies.
The commission on June 11, t90#,
promulgated u new schedule of ex-
press rates for Oklahoma, to become
effective on August HO of that year.
Tho new schedule provided for a de-
crease in rales of an average of about
20 per cent. The express companies
appealed from tke commission order
to the supreme court. In December,
1913, the supreme court upheld the
commission's order with certain modi-
fications. The companies put the com-
. _ _ , mission lates Into effect, but applied
bound for the French war front, moved tQ the ft>(JerH, CQUrt for un ord))r ^
out of Oklahoma City on two speciul
trains over the Katy last week. Tho
horses were bought by tho French gov-
ernment through Davis & Younger, lo-
cal horse and mule dealers. They
straining the commission from enforc-
ing and requiring the companies to re-
fund the $600,000.
According to statements by James
H. Hyde, secretary of the commission.
went to St. Louis by way of the Katy( the zone and block system for expre
and will lie moved from there to Jer-, companies Is similar to the parcel poat
sey City, N. J.
Major 10. E. Hue and Capt. Henry
Ias Clerc, both French army officers,
were in the city for two weeks before
the shipment, putting their maik of
approval on the animals. All horses
shipped must be branded with a spe-
cial brand before they leave. Tho buy-
ers guard this brand very closely, as
this Is their one way of avoiding sub-
stitution.
About 6!i per cent of th«f animals
shipped were cavalry horses, weighing
about 1,000 to 1,200 pounds and costing
from $110 to $110. Thirty-five per cent
were artillery horses, weighing from
1,200 to 1,400 pounds and costing $125
to $140 apiece.
rute system.
New Law Invoked In Employs'* Suit.
For the first time since the work-
men's compensation luw became effec-
tive the state industrial commission
tiled suUt for the benefit of a laborer
for compensation said to be due hln>
under that law. Tho commission
brought suit in Oklahoma county dis-
trict court against the Orogonia Bridge
Company und F. W. Keeney for $3,000
alleged tt> be due Golda C. Gray of Cal-
umet, an employe of tho company, who
was Injured 011 October II, 1915.
The commission asserts that the
company has not compiled with the
workmen's compensation law.
Gray, a telegraph operator by trade,
but employed by the company as a
laborer, was instructed. It Is alleged,
by Jack Dawson, foreman, to go upon
a bridge the company was building
over the North Canadian river at Cal-
State Fair Grounds Not Sold
Failure of the state to sell the quar-|
ter section east of the city, upon
which is located the State Falri mug* and assist in cutting steel. And,
grounds, will In no way affect either holding the Instrument, Lawson
the school land department or the nl|H|le(j mark, ntrlklng Gray with
fair management, according to a state- HUC|, foroe aH (0 cause him to fall,
ment by George Smith, secretary of urHy'„ ]uft thumb was broken In three
the school land board. places and mashed, the commission
"The only action that will result.
says.
will be the leasing of the land to the
fair management for another flvei
years, subject as always, to a sale. _ . , ,
- • . „ , .. . , graph operator. Gray s Income from
As to what the figures for that lease *' *" • *
It Is alleged that the Injury to Gray's
thumb has Incapacitated him as a tele-
will be, 1 am unable to say," said Mr.
Smith -The state received $r,00 a year a„ a , „ of wa„
from the fair for the ground during r ' „,h
the bridge oompany, the petition
states, was $2.00 a day. His earning
the past five years, and as the valua
tlon made at the time of the last sale
was higher than that made this time,
it Is not likely that this amount will
be raised, when negotiations are en-
tered Into for the re leasing."
While $S00 a year, on a valuation of
$18,000, amounts to less than 1«<4 per
cent, It Is considered Improbable that
the same land, leased to anyone else,
would bring more than that, and
this figure, or a smaller one, will prob-
ably represent the state's Income from
$65 a month.
Ruling On Cigarette Question.
Has a school teacher in Oklahoma
tho right to ask a pupil—a minor—
where he got a cigarette or cigarette
materials found in his possession?
That Is a question asked Attorney Gen-
eral S. P. Freellng by E. M. Cooke of
Erick. The attorney general not only
answers that question In the affirma-
tive, but adds that the teacher may
exercise that right at any time and
the school land, on which the State Ht any place, whether In school or out.
Fair buildings stand, for the next five
years.
Short Railroad To Cost $300 000.
Secretary of State Lyon issued a
charter to the Okmulgee Northern
Railway Company, to build a railroad
line extending from Coalton, Okmul-
gee county, to Okmulgee, a distance of
twelve miles. The proposed line will
connect with the Missouri, Oklahoma
& Gulf Railway. The capital stock of
the new company Is to be $200,000. The
Incorporators aro Lee Clark, Frank L.
Halo and H. C. Fowler of Kansas City;
J. A. Price and F.' E. Dietrich of Ok-
mulgee. The estimated cost of the
new road Is $300,000.
and may ask where he gets the mak-
ln's.
City Didn't Maintain Fish Ladder.
Alleging that Oklahoma City has
violated the law requiring the estab-
lishment of a fish ladder on the dam
across the North Canadian river, the
state game and fish warden's depart,
ment requested Attorney General 8. P.
Freellng to bring suit igainst the city
for $22,030. This amount represent*
a penalty of $10 a day for 2,003 days,
during which, it Is said, the city haa
violated the law. Tho purpose of tbe
ladder is to prevent fish from gotna
over tha dam during high water.
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Jenkins, O. D. The Crowder City Guardian (Crowder, Indianola, and Canadian, Oklahoma), Vol. 11, No. 17, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 23, 1915, newspaper, December 23, 1915; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc274660/m1/3/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.