Proofs of Prosperity

1916

Mr. Boyce's Talks

If there is any one who is in doubt about the general prosperity of the farmers, let him go to the county or State fairs and have his eyes opened. "Seeing is believing," and at the annual agricultural exhibits being held in all parts of the country there is plenty of proof of prosperity and progress.

Where the hitch-racks used to be, the visitor sees parking places for automobiles, filled with cars and frequently "overflowing." In fact, providing adequate facilities for the parking of autos has become one of the big problems at county and State fairs. As an instance of what the auto is doing for the fair, seven cars filled with representatives of twelve families came in a bunch from the little town of Loretto, Neb., to the State fair at Lincoln, a distance of 125 miles. Probably not half of that number of people would have come by train, yet they felt no hesitancy about making the long trip in the autos. This is only one instance. There is no doubt that in many other cases longer journeys are being made, over good roads which the autos have helped to provide.

Attendance has been large at all the fairs that have been held this month and the others which are to open between now and the middle of October are making preparations for record-breaking crowds. This in itself is a big proof of prosperity, to which may be added the reports from manufacturers and merchants telling of unusually good business in the placing of orders, now that the harvests are over.

More and more each season, stress has been laid on quality at the fairs, and progress in quality is especially noticeable in this year of good prices for all farm products. Not only is it to be seen in the exhibits and in the increased number of the educational features of the fairs but in the amusements, which have been put on a much higher plane. "Barkers" still "bark," but the shows that remain are of better class, as a rule, than the old-time tent entertainments. "Bosco, the Snake Eater" has disappeared, along with the sword swallowers and other freaks that used to contest with each other for the dimes and quarters of amusement seekers. Carnival companies which furnish entertainment at many of the fairs have eliminated most of the old objectionable features. Good bands are engaged, to give the people the kind of music they want. Many of the big fairs hire aviators to make day and night flights for the crowds and some of the fairs this year have put on elaborate historical pageants in which the schools have assisted.

For those who view the fairs with understanding and appreciation, the farm exhibits are, of course, the big features of interest. These tell the story of progress not only in methods of raising crops and stock but in the improvement of life on the farm. A visit to the machinery exhibits is an education for the city dweller who may not have kept in touch with the advances that have been made. Thruout these exhibits he will see how the power of motors is being applied to agriculture, to facilitate work, lighten labor and improve results in hundreds of different ways. He will see 1 horse power gasoline engines, selling as low as $25, for pumping water and running electric light plants, and big tractors that do heavy work, such as pulling gang plows. He will see electrical devices for thrashing, cutting up feed, cutting grass, pumping water and for many other purposes, including the family washing and similar domestic uses. He will see how gasoline engines and electrical plants have brought comforts and conveniences to the farmhouse and made it the equal of any city home — and a better place to live in than the average city home.

Then there is the automobile show, which is a feature of every big fair. These exhibits are larger this year than ever before, and the reports on orders, like those of other manufacturers who are selling to the farmer, are proofs of the prosperity of the country.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 6.

One Bullet In 100 Hits Man In War

1916

IT TAKES 3,500 TO KILL ONE COMBATANT.

Massed Formations Excepted, of Course — Shell Fire Not So Deadly as Shrapnel.

It has been estimated that only one bullet in every hundred that is fired hits a man and of those men hit only one in thirty-five succumbs. In other words, it takes 3,500 bullets to kill a single soldier.

In view of the awful slaughter that has taken place during the present war these figures sound rather startling, yet they are well within the mark.

Of course such calculations as these refer to averages only. An enemy advancing in close formation, as the Germans have been doing recently before Verdun, may be mowed down wholesale by rifle and machine gun fire, and in such cases the average of fatal casualties, compared with the number of rounds expended, will be considerably higher.

Shell fire is, as a general rule, even less destructive than rifle or machine gun fire, says a writer in the Boston Post. A modern high explosive shell makes no end of a row when it bursts, kills possibly a couple of men if it explodes inside of a trench, frightens a lot more, and — that is about all. The ruined walls of Rheims cathedral will testify for many years to come that the shell that shattered one statue seldom hurt its next door neighbor.

Shrapnel Fire Is Deadly.

Shrapnel is more dangerous, provided the fuse is timed just right and the gunner who fires it knows his business. A shrapnel shell contains a number of small round bullets, each about the size of a marble. What execution a shell of this sort can do, given a favorable opportunity, was shown at the "battle of the landing" in Gallipoli, April, 1915.

An attack was about to be launched against the British left and a fold in the ground hid the attacking Turks from the British forces. They were, however, observed by the Queen Elizabeth far out at sea and a projectile from one of her big guns was dropped right plump in the midst of them.

It was a shrapnel shell weighing 1,500 pounds and holding 1,000 bullets. The attack was smashed and 250 Turks were killed. This works out at one man per fifty-two bullets, and it probably represents the maximum efficiency of shrapnel fire during the present or any other war. For, you see, the conditions from the gunner's point of view were exceptional and ideal.

When There Were Few Fatalities.

On the other hand, there are many remarkable instances of shell fire — even concentrated and prolonged shell fire — accomplishing little or nothing in the direction of destroying life. During one of the tremendous preparatory bombardments, for example, that ushered in the early stages of the battle of Verdun, the Germans fired between 20,000 and 30,000 shells of all calibers against the French lines in the short space of five hours. Yet the fatal casualties amounted to fewer than 100 out of about 18,000 engaged.

One reason for this is, of course, that modern armies, when acting on the defensive, dig themselves in so deeply and so cunningly that they are practically immune from other than very high angle fire.

Yet the power of the modern shell is tremendous. If the charge of one of the larger caliber ones — say a German "Jack Johnson" — were burned away quickly it would send some millions of cubic feet of gas into the air. But instead it is detonated in a thousandth part of a second, and these millions of cubic feet of gas, with their steel casings, crush everything in their immediate vicinity to the finest powder. Yet men even a comparatively few yards away, especially if they are lying down or under some sort of cover, however slight, usually escape with their lives at all events, and more frequently than otherwise they are not even injured.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 9.

The Story of a Mean Man

1901

This is the story of a mean man. He may not be the meanest on record, but he carries a very fair brand of closefistedness. He had a contract to supply a certain amount of crushed stone. The machine he used could turn out all the work he could get by running eight hours a day.

The mean man had an engineer who was a genius. The genius went to his employer one day and said he thought he could make some improvements in that machine so it would do more work in less time. The genius was paid by the month.

He worked on the machine for several days, taking it apart and putting it together again. When reconstructed, it proved to have greater efficiency than before, so much so that it did the same amount of work in one minute and a half that it used to take four and a half to do.

The mean man, however, could get no more contracts than before. He could fill all his orders by running about three hours a day. The mean man then went to the genius and said: "See here, Henry, I've been paying you by the month, but there isn't as much work as there used to be — not enough to keep you busy. I shall have to pay you by the hour after this." Henry demurred. He had been too faithful, but he didn't think that ought to reduce his earnings over one-half. His employer was firm, however, and Henry resigned. — New York Mail and Express.

An Awful Mix-up

1920

By W. D. Boyce (W. D. Boyce's Talks)

Two years ago, when the United States was in the middle of our active part of the European war, the railroads of the United States became so disorganized and inefficient and the service so rotten that the Government had to take them over in order to save the day. Now, when things are getting back to normal again, it is stated that the railroads will be returned to their owners about March 1. Prior to the Government taking them over, the railroads had to do their own financing and prepare for the payment of interest on bonds and dividends on stocks as well as provide for the upkeep, repairs and new equipment. The facts are that they paid out all they took in during the year in interest on bonds and dividends on stock in order to keep up the fictitious values of bonds and stocks. As a result they let the railroads run down so much they were in no condition to supply the needs of the country at the time that the Government took them over.

Now the Government has spent a billion dollars or more on the railroads and has increased freight rates 50 per cent and the railroad officials, if not the stockholders, are glad to get them back. Some of the railroads, however, seem to be disturbed concerning their return and predict they will not get back the same baby that they turned in to the Government hospital. This the cartoonist for The Saturday Blade has tried to show on page 1 this week.

It is a very serious question whether the railroads should be owned by the Government or be restored to private ownership. Private owners have had the chance to demonstrate in times of peace what they could do with the railroads. They had the same opportunity in times of war and made an absolute failure of it. Now they will get the roads back in times of peace, but with a dividend guarantee which will require another big boost in freight and passenger rates. The public will have another chance to watch the operation of railroads by private owners in times of peace, and, unless I miss my guess, after a thoro trial they will insist that the Government take over the roads permanently.

No doubt many things which the railroads should have done under Government operation they did not do. Remember that the Government was obliged to keep at the head of the road those officials who had been at the head of them under private ownership. There is more than a suspicion that many of them did not care to do their best in operating them because they wanted the roads returned to private ownership and if a good showing was made they never would be handed back. Now we will be in the position of Finnegan and it may be a case of "On again, off again, on again, strike again."

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Jan. 3, 1920, p. 6.

Berlin Smoke Free

1902

The German Capital Has Demonstrated that Smoke Nuisance is Curable

One of the cleanest cities in the world, so far as soot and smoke are concerned, is Berlin, Germany. Although a busy manufacturing city, it is of the cleanest and best kept in Europe.

The smokeless condition of Berlin is ascribed to three facts. The preponderant use of coke and briquette, which are practically smokeless; the skillful scientific construction of boiler furnaces and chimneys, and, finally, the high standard of skill that is taught and enforced among firemen who stoke furnaces with coal for steam and manufacturing purposes.

Before a man can assume such a charge he must be taught the theory and practice of economical, scientific firing by which the coal is distributed in such a manner and quantity over the grate surface as to secure the most perfect combustion of its volatile elements.

The Silesian coal used in Berlin in most large steam plants and factories is rich in bitumen and would rank below many of the bituminous coals of the United States, and yet the long, dense, trailing clouds of smoke from mill and factory chimneys which are so familiar a sight in many American cities are rarely seen in that section of Germany, where the indiscriminate shoveling of a raw bituminous coal into the steam and other furnaces is considered an ignorant and wasteful proceeding.

Cooperative Farming in Europe

1904

British experts who have been trying to discover what is the matter with the English farmer assign as one of the causes of his having fallen behind his brethren in other European countries, that he has not followed their example of cooperation with his neighbors.

In Denmark, France, Holland, Germany and Belgium, within twenty-five years, the farmers have adopted modern methods of doing business, and by so doing have raised agriculture from a low estate and made it profitable. In France, for instance, in 1880, a professor of agriculture, convinced that if the farmers could be persuaded to buy artificial fertilizers their lands would be made much more productive, succeeded in inducing a group of farmers to club together and send a large order to the manufacturers. The wholesale price and a low freight rate brought the fertilizer within their means. From this small beginning "agricultural syndicates" have grown until they contain nearly six hundred thousand farmers, who purchase every year fertilizers, seeds and machinery worth twenty million dollars.

Combinations for selling their produce have not yet succeeded in France, but in Denmark, Holland, Belgium and Germany the farmers have united to raise produce of uniform quality and for securing favorable markets for what they raise. The market-gardeners in Holland have cooperative societies which inspect the goods, reject those not up to the standard, and label with a registered trade-mark those that are passed. In this way they have established a reputation for their product. — Youth's Companion.

Post Office Workers Listen to Music for Morale, No Jazz

1921

Music for P.O. Night Workers Improves Morals[*]

Minneapolis Postmaster Informs Postmaster General Hays that Psychological Test Proved a Success but No "Jazz" was Allowed

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17. — Music to improve the morale of workers whose duties take them well into the wee small hours has been tried out in the Minneapolis postoffice and proved a success, E. A. Purdy, postmaster, today informed Postmaster General Hays. The idea was tried, Mr. Purdy said, after he had made a psychological study of conditions under which his night force worked. He found men working away from the general noises of the day as a rule showed a low morale, inclined to be morose and generally worried at being away from their families, which resulted in an absence of enthusiasm in their work.

As an experiment a phonograph was installed and records, which it was thought would rest the nerves and enliven the spirits of the employes were tried nightly with gratifying results, Mr. Purdy said, although he was careful to explain that no "jazz" was played, until the fag end of the night as he "did not want the men juggling and tossing about letters and parcels." Everybody was more alert, he said, and at quitting time went home less tired, less worried and with more efficient night's work done. The postmaster general approved the idea and said he would watch further experiments with interest. Mr. Purdy who was characterized by Mr. Hays as a "bird of a postmaster with a batting average of 1,000, although a Democrat," is in Washington to give the department some of the ideas which has made the Minneapolis office one of the most successful in the country, Mr. Hays said.

—Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, CT, Aug. 18, 1921, p. 1

[*] "Improves Morals" is the original erroneous headline, kind of funny. And, hey, it's not that jazz was entirely disallowed, but allowed at the "fag end of the night." That's kind of funny, too.

Note: Back then "post office" was one word, which looks weird, and "employes" generally ended with one "e" like that, also odd.

Things You Shouldn't Oughta Do For Good Economy

1916

Anti-Economical Don'ts

Don't save too many paper boxes.

Don't save all your paper and string.

Don't save cracked or mutilated dishes.

Don't save dirty rags. It does not pay to wash them out.

Don't have the kitchen drawer littered with paper bags; you might use one, but you can't use a dozen.

Don't save too much dry bread. Keep a supply of bread crumbs, but the chances are that you will not use all your stale bread for bread pudding.

Don't save many bottles. The amount of space they occupy is not compensated for by the amount of money you receive if you sell them.

Don't save opened bottles of liquids without going over them to see if they still are good; many lose strength or spoil after being opened. The too-careful housewife is apt to clutter her shelves with iodine that has grown too strong, oil that has become rancid, or furniture polish that is merely dregs.

The Husband of One Wife

He Quoted St. Paul

A Bishop's Blunder and the Clever Way It Was Corrected

A certain bishop of one of the middle states is described as a man who possessed great learning, but had not the saving sense of humor. In "Reminiscences of Bishops and Archbishops" Bishop Potter gives an instance of the absence of this quality.

It happened on one occasion that an episcopal election had come up for review in the house of bishops, and questions as to the bishop elect were being asked and answered with considerable freedom. A bishop who knew the bishop elect in a very intimate way was on his feet and was being catechised, when a bishop called out, "What kind of wife has our brother elect?"

"His present wife"— began the bishop thus challenged, when the middle state delegate sprang to his feet.

"One moment!" he cried. "Do I understand my brother aright? Did he say 'his present wife,' and am I to understand that by that phrase he means to imply that the brother elect has had a previous wife? Because, if so, I cannot vote for his confirmation. St. Paul says, 'A bishop must be the husband of one wife.'"

For a moment the house in which were a number of bishops who, having been bereaved of their earthly partners, had supplied their places, sat still in stunned silence, until a prelate, whose sense of humor was as keen as the last speaker's was feeble, rose in his place and said, "Do I understand that the bishop regards the language of the apostle which he has just quoted as mandatory?"

"Certainly!" exclaimed the man who had objected.

"Very well, then, Mr. Chairman," said the interrogating bishop blandly, "if the bishop regards the language of St. Paul, when be says that a bishop must be the husband of one wife, as mandatory, I should like to ask him what he proposes to do with the bishop of" — naming a bachelor bishop — "who hasn't any?"

There was a shout of laughter, amid which the bishop who had objected took his seat, hushed and angry. The humor of his blunder was wholly unperceived by him.

--The Indiana Weekly Messenger, Indiana, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1907, page 3.

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Pointed Paragraphs

Every good farmer has three or four jobs laid up for a rainy day.

The man who is old enough to know better is usually old enough to die.

People talk about "different temperaments," when they really mean different tempers.

Some men are so mean they like to take their wives' advice so they can tell them later how worthless it was.

There is this important difference between a friend and kin: Every time you see the friend you don't have to explain something.

How "set" old people are in their ways! If an elderly person should be asked to change his seat at the table, how it would rattle him!

People are not devoted to your interests. You must have noticed it. Therefore you should give your interests a lot of intelligent attention. For if you don't do it no one will. -- Atchison Globe.

The Indiana Weekly Messenger, Indiana, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1907, page 3.

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"Please" To Be Omitted

Hereafter the 450 girl operators of the Keystone Telephone company of Philadelphia will not say "please" to the subscriber and the subscribers have been requested not to say "please" to the operator. A. J. Ulrich, traffic manager of the company, has issued the order and both the girls and the subscribers are happy with the new arrangement. According to Mr. Ulrich the girls, in answering calls and the patrons in making them, use the word "please" 900,000 times every 24 hours. Estimating that it requires half a second to say the word 7,500 minutes are consumed every 24 hours, which is equal to 125 hours that are lost every day by the use of the word.

The above would be a good ruling in any telephone company. It would save nerve exhaustion and telephone girls would not break down so soon in their onerous duties.

--The Indiana Weekly Messenger, Indiana, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1907, page 5.