New England Youths and a Detroit Lawyer Recall a Quiet Counsell
An aging New England community, with an average age well over 80, encounters a debate over a township treasurer who advanced $2 on a teacher’s salary. A young lawyer from Detroit is asked to speak, but an elderly veteran interrupts, invoking the old line about old men for council and young men for war, and forces the intruder to leave.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New England
Detroit
Willie
Detroit Free Press
How to Find the Day of the Week from a Date
The Philadelphia Record explains a calculation method for day of week. For a date like January 15 1868 it shows using year division by four, adding days up to the date including 28 days for February, then dividing by 7. The remainder 5 indicates Thursday.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
Thrifty Bride Pays Minister with Half Crown
A Canadian wedding ends with the bride paying the minister by handing him one half crown and keeping the other, prompting the minister to remark that a thrifty wife is her husband's crown. The scene unfolds as the groom questions the fee and the parson defers to the bride’s judgment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Haweis Endured Hip Disease Treated By Change of Scene
The passage recounts Reverend H R Haweis, noted preacher and writer, suffering a dangerous hip disease from age nine. Sir Benjamin Brodie advised any change of scene would help, and Haweis later thrived, living many decades more with vigorous health, as described by the New York World.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
H. R. Haweis
Benjamin Brodie
Price, Art, and Wit Cheer as General Admission Soars
A press agent touts dramatic wit while the dramatic editor questions the boast. The exchange reveals a profit in general admission at five dollars, highlighting the tension between art and price as observers note the pinnacle of art versus the pinnacle of price.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baltimore American
Be a Man First of All
The passage urges youths to become fully grown men to achieve success. It emphasizes that personal maturity is essential beyond choice of career or vocation, framing manhood as the key to becoming a perfect, successful person.
Ransoming the Dead in Mediaeval Warfare
In medieval times living prisoners were ransomed by friends and even the bodies of those slain in action could be demanded for ransom.
Bankers National Bank and Partners Offer Low-Cost Correspondence
A note describes the cheapest way to access correspondence services through Bankers' National Bank in Chicago National City Bank in New York and Valley National Bank in Des Moines as key providers of low-cost options.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bankers’ National Bank
Chicago
National City Bank
New York
Valley National Bank
Des Moines
Indian Signals The Long Distance Code
A historical overview of Native American smoke and arrow signaling used to relay warnings and battle plans over long distances. It explains how rings of smoke and arrow patterns conveyed threats, danger, or orders to tribes across miles.
California Excursions Weekly to Los Angeles and San Francisco
Two through sleeping cars from Des Moines to California depart weekly via different routes. One leaves Monday night via Kansas City and Santa Fe to Los Angeles. the other leaves Saturday morning via Missouri Kansas Texas and Southern Pacific to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Both are new, wide vestibULEd and steam heated, running from St Paul and Minneapolis to Kansas City.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Des Moines
Kansas City
Santa Fe
Missouri
Kansas & Texas
San Antonio
Arkansas Pass
Southern Pacific
Northwest
Texas
St. Paul
Minneapolis
Chicago Great Western Car Schedule to Los Angeles
Rail service details show a car departing Monday reaching Los Angeles Friday afternoon, avoiding Sunday travel. A car leaving Saturday arrives in Los Angeles Wednesday morning and San Francisco Thursday morning, passing through Waco San Antonio and El Paso. Contact Chicago Great Western Railway traveling passenger agent in Des Moines Iowa for more information.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Waco
San Antonio
el Paso
Chicago Great Western Railway
Seal of Minnesota flour slogan and cough remedy ad
An old advertisement touts Seal of Minnesota flour by T. J. Miter & Son and promotes One Minute Cough Cure as a quick cure for croup throat and lung troubles. It claims success for grippe asthma and whooping cough and mocks home politeness.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Minnesota
T. J. Miter & Son
Tilden & Loughran
Counterfeit China Warns Antique Buyers
A New York dealer warns that the antique market is flooded with fake china and forged marks. He notes that French and English manufacturers imitate many sought after marks, and shoppers relying on age signs can be deceived. Hire a trusted expert to purchase for you.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fourth Avenue
Dresden
Worcester
Crown Derby
New York
China
New York Herald
Advertising Scheme Affects McAlpin Tobacco Sales
A tale from the New York Sun recounts D H McAlpin, a tobacco man, being outflanked by a rival who hid a dime in every tenth package. McAlpin copied the gimmick, spending much to place dimes himself, but the ploy drew farmers to buy his tobacco expecting cash in each pack.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
D. H. McAlpin
McAlpin Tobacco
New York Sun
Boots Turn Trouble in Dublin Barracks
A Dublin barracks sergeant commands recruits and notices one recruit with unusually large boots that prevent his feet from turning. When asked why he didn’t move, the recruit explains the boots are so large his feet turn inside them, leaving the rest of the line to obey while he cannot.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dublin
London
Delicacy Rejection Sparks Witty Irony in Story
A humorous exchange between an authoress and a magazine editor centers on delicacy. The editor repeatedly praises the tale’s delicate touches but rejects it as unsuitable. The authoress quips that her delicate story may have gone into a decline, framing the persistence as comic frustration.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Mail and Express
Pears in Louisiana Asked by Bishop Potter
A San Francisco Call excerpt recalls Bishop Potter asking fellow travelers in Louisiana whether pears were raised there. The reply cites that locals raise pears only “if we have threes or better,” reflecting fruit interest humorously.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Louisiana
San Francisco
Early and late at the desk a merchant chides his clerk
A factory owner rebukes his errant bookkeeper Mr. Adam Upp for inattentive work habits. The owner touts a lifelong rule to be at his desk early and late, while Upp half-jokingly agrees sometimes arriving early and sometimes late. The exchange appears in the Catholic Standard and Times.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Adam Upp
Mr. Upp
Catholic Standard and Times
Libel's shifting meaning from small book to harmful tract
The piece notes that libel historically referred to a small book but evolved to describe personal offensive tracts from early printing days, shaping its current understanding.
Envelopes and Stamps Begin Modern Postal Era
The first use of envelopes for letters dates to 1839 and the 1847 authorization of postage stamps marked a milestone in postal history. This brief notes the shift toward standardized mail handling and prepayment of postage.
Many great men have been poor spell ers
A witty quotation about spelling from the New York World notes that orthography does not determine a person’s worth.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York World
Sarah Bernhardt Plays Fedora For Them In Sullivan
The famed French actress Sarah Bernhardt performed in Sullivan Indiana when a freight wreck blocked the line to Indianapolis. Lacking an opera house, a Masonic hall hosted the show with 35 cent tickets. Bernhardt, glimpsing the audience, exclaimed Mon Dieu Look at the Indians and continued the Fedora role until 11 oclock.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mme. Bernhardt
Divine Bernhardt
Sullivan
Great Bernhardt
Philadelphia
Saturday Evening Post
Salt Test and Apache Chiefs on a Train Vanishing Tale
An 1880s vignette recounts Victoria the Apache chief using salt and pulse-reading to judge men for dangerous tasks. The three Apache leaders and 100 bucks allegedly halted a Union Pacific freight at Green River before the train tore the rope and scattered the lashers. The piece questions Native knowledge of physiology and rail travel.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Union Pacific
Victoria
Nana
Geronimo
Arizona
Sagebrush Plains
Chicago
A Love Letter of Prince Bismarck
A paraphrase from Harper’s Magazine frames a letter describing camellias on a window sill as a poetic metaphor for Bismarck. The narrator contrasts two camellias signals, one pale with buds and ornamented crown, another robust with deeper color and irregular growth, implying differing views on fragrance and character.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Prince Bismarck
Harper’s Magazine
No Royal Road to Success in a Merchant's Firm
Two clerks, Thomas and Clarence, served a wealthy merchant. Thomas was diligent and honest, while Clarence was frivolous and extravagant. Years later Clarence married the merchant’s daughter and became a partner, whereas Thomas remained loyal and hardworking, earning appreciation from Clarence and his in laws. Moral: there is no royal road to success.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thomas
Clarence
Thoms
New York Commercial Advertiser
Not Fatal I Could Die Listening to Miss Triller Sing
Obie State Journal notes a lighthearted exchange where Willie jokes about dying from listening to Miss Triller sing and Cy Nick-Ohh responds that one can pull through, remarking on having endured similar feelings before.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Willie
Also Mentioned on This Page
Thrifty
Adam's
Adarme
Mutual Phone
Story County Abstract Books
Nevada
Iowa
Union National Bank
Ames
W. M. Greeley
Henry Wixson
Nexepham
Ass’t
Doe
Indian Signals
Illinois Central
R. R
Florida
Nashville, Chattanooga
Atlanta
Jacksonville
Fla
Lookout Mountain
Central
South
Mattoon
Peoria
Nashville
Chattanooga
A. H. Hanson
California
F. H. Hunter
Fifth and
Walnut Streets
Potter
Episcopal Church
Sarah and the
Leck and Plack
Chris Sorenson
Hemstreet
J. A. Campbell
Real Estate & Insurance
South Side Main Street
Homeseekers
Iowa Central Railway
Iowa Central
Batty
Marshalltown
Wing's Model Laundry
A. Richmond
M. D
Hutchison
M.D
Drs
Richmond & Hutchison
Physicians and Surgeons
Worth
Rhads
Read’s Market
Ames, Iowa
C.F. Hunt
I. C. Brownlie
D. D
Fiuat& Brownlie
P. 0
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