Mills-McKee United in Marriage

Leon, Iowa area, 1894

Miss Tilda Mills, of Leon, and Mr. McKee, of Garden Grove, were united in marriage at the Presbyterian parsonage Wednesday Nov. 28th, 1894, Rev. Gurley officiating. This couple is well known, especially the bride, who is the daughter of W. H. Mills, one of the successful farmers of Eden township.

Miss Tilda is one of Eden's most exemplary young ladies and will be greatly missed by the young people as a leader of the society. She is one of Decatur county's most popular school teachers. During her time in the field she put forth such efforts that the good example she put before the public in her school room will be hard to fill. She finished the course of Decatur County Institute, in June 1894. By her modest and pleasant manner she has won many friends.

Mr. McKee, although not personally acquainted with him, we understand is a young man of good habits, an industrious farmer and a successful stock raiser. He is the owner of a valuable farm near Garden Grove where the happy couple will make their future home. May they live a long happy life together.


Visiting Parents

Allie Merwin, who is a druggist at Tulsa, is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. Merwin, and other relatives.

Judge F. S. Gardner

Leon, Iowa area, no date given

One of the best known citizens of Decatur county, passed away at the home of his son Frank A. Gardner five miles northwest of Leon last Saturday.

Judge Gardner was born in Syracuse, New York, April 10, 1821, where he lived with his parents until manhood, when he came west. In 1850 he went to California and spent several years in the far west, returning to Chicago where he engaged in the wholesale lumber business and amassed a fortune, but it was swept away in the great Chicago fire. He then came to Decatur county and purchased several hundred acres of land and engaged successfully in farming and stock raising.

He was married to Miss Maria E. Reynolds on Jan. 26, 1847, and to this union were born three children, one daughter and two sons, the eldest son dying in infancy. Mrs. Gardner died in 1887, the surviving children being Frank A. Gardner who lives on the home farm and Mrs. Ellen Perry.

Funeral services were held at the home on Saturday, March 18th, at 11 o'clock, conducted by A. M. Pilcher, pastor of the Leon M. E. Church, interment being in the Leon cemetery.

Judge Gardner was loved and respected by all who knew him and he was a polished gentleman of the old school. He loved to gather his friends around his home, and until the death of his wife, "Ocean Farm," as he named his beautiful country home, was the scene of many pleasant social gatherings. A few years ago he was severely injured by his horse falling on him and of late years has been in quite feeble health.

Note: The article had Marie E. Reynold, without an 's'.

Mamie Dale Sylvester (Mrs. F. A. Bowman)

Leon, Iowa area, 1905

Mamie Dale Sylvester, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Sylvester, was born in New Buda township, Decatur county, Iowa, Feb. 4th, 1874, died at Leon, Iowa, March 10, 1905, aged 31 years, 1 month and six days.

Her last illness dated from Feb. 4th and everything that medical skill and kind hands could do was done, but to no avail. As a last resort an operation was performed on last Thursday by Dr. Ruth, of Keokuk, but the shock was too great and she passed quietly and peacefully away the following morning at 5 o'clock.

She was united in marriage to Dr. Fred A. Bowman at Davis City, on June 12, 1894, and their married life was truly an ideal one. She was from a child a member of the Advent church and faithfully did she live the teachings of her religious faith. Thus ends the career of a soul immortal so far as this life is concerned.

The brief words of the above sketch tell the sad story of the passing of a pure soul whom to know was to love. "Dale" as she was familiarly and affectionately called by her friends, possessed the rare combination of child-like beauty of face and form, with a strength of character, where her highest convictions were concerned, unusual for one even of greater years, yet she never obtruded her faith upon the attention of others. She simply lived it and thus gained for it, and for herself the highest respect from her associates.

The funeral was held at the M. E. church at 3:30 o'clock Sunday and the large building was filled to overflowing with those who wished thus to express their love for the departed and their sympathy for the bereaved. The service was conducted by Rev. Dr. Pilcher of the M. E. church and Rev. W. A. Montgomery of the Presbyterian church. Each read from the scriptures words of promise and helpfulness and added such words of comfort and consolation as they were able to draw from their own experiences of life and of Christian faith. The music under the direction of Mrs. C. E. Gardner was very beautiful. A quartette consisting of Mrs. Gardner, Mrs. J. A. Caster, H. J. Vogt and J. S. Warner sang three selections, the first being "The Ninety and Nine," the favorite hymn of the deceased.

The various orders of which Mrs. Bowman was a member, The Eastern Star, The Thirteen Club, of which she was vice-president, and the P. E. O. society were represented by attendance of members and by beautiful floral offerings while the Knights Templars in uniform formed a guard of honor and escorted the cortege to the silent city. The white casket containing the beautiful white robed body was almost hidden beneath its load of sweet flowers.

This was fitting, for no short-lived flower ever shed abroad a sweeter fragrance in the world than did this fair and lovely woman during the short stay she made among the inhabitants of earth. She wore ever "the white flower of a blameless life" the memory of whose fragrance and beauty will linger long with those who knew and loved her and will continue to be an incentive toward all pure, joyous and noble living. Such a life is a benediction, and for the privilege of having been allowed to share and enjoy it, even for so short a time, her friends should now give thanks.

Maria Beavers Paris

Leon, Iowa area, 1906

Maria Beavers was born May 24, 1845, in Highland county, Ohio, died at her home in Leon, Iowa, May 9, 1906, aged 81 years, 11 months 15 days.

The deceased moved with her parents, Joseph and Christina Beavers, to Decatur county, in 1855, where she was united in marriage to William H. Paris, July 12, 1866. They were the parents of nine children, four of whom died in infancy. On April 23, 1897, this happy union was severed by the death of the husband.

The five living children, Mrs. Cora Campbell, of near Leon, Mrs. Etta Rosengrant and Mrs. Nanna Warrington, of near Garden Grove, Mrs. Frank Manning, of near Kellerton and Ralph, of Leon, were present during her sickness. She was suddenly taken with pneumonia May 4th, and lived but five days. All was done for her that kind friends and willing hands could do, but the disease claimed her so far as earthly appearance is concerned, but death is not the victor, for the same Christ who loved her and who conquered death will care for her and take her home to rest. Mrs. Paris united with the Christian church under the pastorate of Elder Hubble about two years ago, remaining a faithful member until death. She was also an esteemed member of the Women's Relief Corps, of Leon.

She was a kind mother and neighbor, and numbered her friends by her acquaintances. Elder D. F. Sellards conducted a short service at the home in Leon and the main service at High Point. The W. R. C. of Leon and Garden Grove assisted at the grave. Services Friday at the home at 11:30 a.m., at High Point 3 p.m.

Easy Company

1900

Frenchmen are born diplomatists, yet in a free and unguarded moment even one of that tactful race will sometimes speak his mind without a tinge of flattery.

Such an ungarnished speech is recorded of a young Frenchman who, during a visit in London, was taken to see Madame Tussaud's famous waxworks.

"What do you think of them?" asked the friend who was acting as guide on that occasion. "Oh," said the young man, with a slight shrug, "they seem to me very like the people at an ordinary English party, only perhaps a little stiller."


Rewards of Fame

The Chicago Tribune intimates that, even if "republics are ungrateful," our great men are not forgotten.

"Still," said the old friend who had called to converse with the venerable sage, "in your advancing age it must be a comfort to know your fame is secure."

"Yes," replied the aged scientist, "I am told there is a new disease and a five-cent cigar named for me." — Youth's Companion.

Thanksgiving Day at Guam

1900

Thanksgiving intelligence from Guam, although somewhat belated, was of a cheering sort, as befits the day.

The governor of the island, in his report to the Secretary of the Navy, in speaking of the services in honor of the day, held in the Roman Catholic Church, says that the congregation in attendance was so large that it completely packed the edifice and overflowed outside into "rows fifteen deep."

"The entire assemblage," the governor observes, "seemed to evince a sincere, earnest and devout interest in this their first American Thanksgiving day."

And throughout the island the people were equally and heartily responsive in their observances of the day, thus testifying to their "cordial and faithful acceptance of the radical change in government," concludes the governor. — Youth's Companion.

Doing It Well

1900

Half-heartedness never wins in this world. If a thing is not worth doing, do not do it, is a good rule. The late Robert Louis Stevenson was always an enthusiast in whatever he undertook, even when at play.

His stepdaughter, Mrs. Isabel Strong, who was for a time his amanuensis, says that Stevenson used to maintain that no one could write a good story who was not a good player — who could not enter fully into the spirit of a game. He himself threw all his energies into whatever he might be playing.

At one time he was visiting a house where a small boy was "playing boat" on the sofa. When the lad got tired he did not wait for the ship to come to port, but got down from the sofa and walked toward the door.

Stevenson, who was watching him eagerly, cried out to him, in apparent alarm, "Oh, don't do that! Swim, at least!" — Youth's Companion.

Social Memory

1900

Henry Fawcett, says Sir Edward Russell, had an extraordinary memory for persons. One night Sir Edward was in the House of Commons, to hear a debate, under the gallery.

A friend introduced him to Mr. Fawcett, who, learning why he was there, said:

"Oh, then you can look after my old father, and tell him who the people are. He is going under the gallery, too."

Three or four years later, Sir Edward was presented to Mr. Fawcett, who was then chief guest at a political dinner, and said to him, in "the usual conventional mumble:"

"I once had the pleasure of being introduced to you, Mr. Fawcett, but it's a long time ago." "I remember," said he, "you very kindly looked after my father under the gallery at the House." And this was the memory of a man totally blind. — Youth's Companion.

Central American Canal

1900

The following story of a canal in Central America has no relation to the proposed canal across Nicaragua. It is told of a civil engineer who visited the country more than twenty years ago.

At the village of Cabecera, near Tenosique, he was asked by a deputation of the inhabitants, who had heard of his skill as a surveyor, whether he thought a canal could be made from their village to Provecue, which would save a very long river journey. He visited the district, and found that by taking advantage of two small streams a canal of about a league would be all that was necessary.

The committee were delighted with this report, and they begged the surveyor to write an official letter to the government on their behalf, asking that they might be permitted to begin the work at once.

Ten years after this the surveyor was again at the village of Cabecera, and the first question asked him was:

"Do you not think a canal could be made from here to Provecue?"

On his informing them that he had been asked the same question ten years before, and had taken some time and trouble about the matter, the chairman replied that on account of politics, the death of his father, and so forth, the government letter had probably been overlooked. Search was made, the letter was found, and once more all was excitement. Nothing was talked about but the canal.

Some years later yet the surveyor was again at Cabecera. Immediately on his arrival a deputation waited upon hip. "Do you not think a canal —" The speaker never got any farther with that question. — Youth's Companion.

Good Exercise Needed for Body and Spirit

1896

A Vexed Question

The great problem is how to train and keep the physical system at the top of its capacity for work and enjoyment all the time. Those who do not get an abundant of outdoor exercise in their regular avocations must secure its equivalent in some other way, or suffer the consequences.

The more exacting the work of the brain, the more needful is it to keep the whole system toned to the highest degree of endurance and vitality. How to do this each must settle for himself as best he can, with such professional advice as he can command; but to do it in some way is both an interest and a duty.

There is a religion of the body as well as of the spirit; indeed, true religion includes both body and mind. It is not a crusade on calisthenics and the other methods of physical training that is wanted, but a wiser and more general use of them. We have mastered the art of making a perfect tree, and persuading a rose to bloom in any color we may choose; we know exactly how to rear just such a horse or dog as we desire; but who shall tell us how to develop and train the human body to perfection?

When we go back and study the old Greek and Roman models, our pride oozes out and we are inclined to question whether we have not lost in one way quite as much as we have gained in another by this intangible something we call civilization.

Fastnet Lighthouse — First Glimpse of Great Britain

1896

A Welcome Gleam to the East-Bound Atlantic Voyager

The first glimpse of Great Britain that the American tourist gets on his European tour is that of the Fastnet lighthouse.

It stands on a rugged and solitary rock, situated nine miles south of Crookhaven, at the extreme southwest corner of Ireland, and is, perhaps, more storm-beaten than any other around our coast. The rock is eighty feet in height, and the lighthouse towers another seventy feet above, yet, in winter gales, the Atlantic billows literally bombard the massive structure and have even smashed in a portion, of the lantern at the summit of the erection, the seas frequently sweeping over the rock with tremendous force.

Some two or three years ago the stormy weather then prevailing prevented all communication with the rock for many weeks, so that the store of food was consumed, with the exception of some flour. At last a schooner managed to approach sufficiently near to enable a small quantity of food to be dragged through the sea by the hungry men, and, fortunately, the next day the sea moderated, and the stores were once more fully replenished.

Except in very calm weather, the Fastnet is surrounded by a fringe of foam, and the only means of landing is by the aid of a "jib" fifty-eight feet in length, so placed on the rock that, in moderate weather, its end reaches outside the surf. When a visitor wishes to land (an unusual occurrence) he is rowed in a small boat as near as the waves permit, and the light-keepers throw out a small buoy, attached to a rope, which is secured by the man in the boat. The jib is then swung out, and the visitor, placing one foot in the loop and catching tight hold of the rope, is hoisted about forty feet vertically, and then the jib, being pivoted at its foot, swings him horizontally about 100 feet on to a safe landing. — London Sketch.

The Great Sargasso Sea

1896

Sailors have always been superstitious fellows. No wonder, then, that the ignorant sailors of Columbus, anxious for some excuse to turn back to Spain, believed the "sargasso sea" — that tangled mass of seaweeds in mid-Atlantic — was a trap set by Providence to catch them. Science to-day analyzes and explains all such natural phenomena once deemed supernatural. What is it that causes that mysterious sargasso sea?

Simple enough. The rotation of the earth, the rush of the tides, the steady winds unite to cause a vast surface current in tropical waters, moving at about ten miles an hour from east to west, known as the equatorial current. This, in the Atlantic Ocean, feeds the Gulf Stream, which then is shifted by the contour of the North American continent out across the Atlantic to warm the outlying shores of Northern Europe and only spend itself away on the frozen borders of Franz Josef Land. What results? An eddy. Put a few bits of wood in a basin of water and stir the water till it acquires a circular motion. The bits of wood will all collect in the center of the whirling mass.

So the Atlantic Ocean is one great eddy, and the sargasso sea is only the center of it. A "marine meadow," the Spaniards first called this stagnant water. Later it came to be called the sargasso or sargassoa sea, from the Spanish word sargazo, meaning seaweed. Here the seaweed detached from the bottom of the ocean collects, buoyed up by peculiar little air-cells.

Woe to the ship that wanders into the meshes of this great net, six times as big as all France. The same conditions that produce the great sargasso sea of the Atlantic make similar eddy-spots in various regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, though much smaller. The Chinese, always ready to utilize whatever is at hand, use the sargasum weed as a food, and as such it is both palatable and nutritious. — Pathfinder.

The Cuban Girl

1896

A Cuban girl's life is very restricted, and she is never allowed to go out alone nor receive callers of the other sex except in the presence of her chaperon or some member of her family. If during her childhood she attends a day school, a maid or some family servant takes her there every day, and she cannot go as short a distance as across the street unaccompanied.

In some instances Spanish customs are absurd and incongruous. Every well-fitted establishment in Cuba is provided with a concierge, to guard the entrance and admit callers. This man, usually an ignorant peasant, sometimes escorts the young ladies of the family he is serving, and that is considered perfectly proper, whereas it would not be proper for them to go out attended by a gentleman, even if he were old enough to be their father, and an old friend of the family as well.

Of late years, however, the frequent intercourse between Cuba and the United States has somewhat modified the customs. For instance, two ladies can now go out alone in Havana in the day time, which would have been considered an unheard of and almost shocking proceeding a few years ago.

The social pastimes a girls enjoys in Cuba consists of balls, parties, concerts, receptions, the theatre and opera, and picnic, for Cubans have adopted this American division, although in a modified form, to suit the requirements of Cuban etiquette.

Wise Words — "Whatever Love Undertakes"

1896

Whatever love undertakes to do, it does well.

A sunbeam in the heart is bound to light the face.

Some people might as well be crazy; they have no sense.

Labor is drudgery only when we do not put heart in our work.

A pessimist is not blind, yet he can not see even a bright prospect.

It is to live twice when we enjoy the recollections of our former life.

Some people prepare their excuses before they make their failures.

Everyone believes in friends until he has had occasions to try them.

Nothing succeeds like success. It can convert a traitor into a patriot in five seconds.

When we come close to a giant, he often turns out to be only a common man on stilts.

A little lovers' quarrel or two is a good thing by which to take each other's measure.

It is a question with many bright young men whether they will practice law, medicine or deception.

Never lie in bed thinking that the cat that is howling in the back yard will grow weary and go away.

A single man has nobody but himself to blame if things go wrong. A married man can blame it all to his wife.

It is not in the power of a good man to refuse making another happy, where he has both ability and opportunity. — The South-West.