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| The Standard block as seen in 1899. |
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
Reason to be Glad.
In the
Connecticut valley there died lately a woman who had lived to the remarkable
age of 105 years and 4 months. She had never slumped down to be a chimney
corner old woman, but retained her mental and physical activity to the time of
her death. She remembered the funeral of Washington, and that she was proud of.
There was much in her life, too, that she was glad of and happy over. But
gladdest of all she was, she said, that she had lived in the nineteenth century
and witnessed its wonders.
Well the
aged lady might say this: Since history began there has not been a greater
century than that beginning with 1801. It has seen country after country throwing
off the yoke of kings and establishing a government of the people, for the
people and by the people. It has seen the discoveries of the gold mines of America,
Australia and South Africa. It has brought to mankind the steamship, the steam
printing press, the railroad, the telegraph, the telephone and, last and among
the greatest of all, the bicycle. It has tamed electricity and adapted it to
the everyday use of man.
More than
any century since the birth of time it has shown man the power of mind over
matter. It has demonstrated that there are at his command subtler forces in
nature than those which wield the mere sledge hammer and spade.
It has
freed the slave in the United States, the serf in Russia. It has given education
to the common people of nearly all the civilized nations—those people
whom Lincoln said the Lord must have thought much of, since he made so many of
them. And in spite of millionaires on the one hand and slum dwellers on the
other this glorious nineteenth century sees a wider philanthropy, a deeper
spirit of human brotherhood, than any age ever witnessed before.
Indeed it
is good to have acted in that chapter of history which will close with the
nineteenth century. Let us be glad we are alive.
Vacation
Schools.
More and more it is found to be unwise and
unsafe in our towns and cities to let the children run loose and untamed in the
streets during the long summer vacation. To remedy the evil schools of various
kinds, with instruction different from the children's regular studies, have
been established in some of the cities and with great success. The relief to
the children's parents, to the farmers, gardeners and country dwellers
adjoining the towns in which these children live and have their being, is
untold. There is no greater nuisance in life than the idle schoolboy during
summer vacation.
The instruction in some of the vacation schools
includes drawing, carpenter work, clay modeling and various mechanical branches.
For the smallest children a kindergarten with its useful and gentle teaching
is maintained. For girls part of the instruction includes sewing and
housekeeping. The chief difficulty to be met in establishing such classes would
be the want of funds. In all cases boards of education could throw open the
schoolhouses freely for centers of the instruction, but money would be needed
to pay teachers and get needed material. To defray part of these expenses the
usual methods of giving entertainments, fairs, dramatic and musical evenings
might be resorted to. For the rest, wealthy individuals willing to do something
for humanity should help by generous subscriptions the vacation school, which would
give useful knowledge to children and peace to everybody. Botanical classes in
the open air would be a noble adjunct to the instruction.
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| Caricature of Nicola Tesla. |
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| Henry A. du Pont. |
DUPONT NOT A
SENATOR.
The Senate Decides
That He Was Not Properly Elected.
WASHINGTON, May 16.—By a vote of 31to 30 the
senate determined that Henry A. Dupont was not entitled to a seat in the senate
from Delaware. This closed a long and animated controversy which had become one
of the most notable contests of its kind in the history of the senate.
The result was in doubt up to the last moment
and this lent added interest to the final vote. There had been some question as
to the direction of Mr. Stewart's vote, but it went with those of the Democrats
and Populists, and was the decisive vote in declaring that Mr. Dupont was not
entitled to a seat.
Before taking the vote Mr. Platt spoke for
Mr. Dupont and Mr. Vilas against.
Earlier in the day Mr. Bacon spoke against
the issue of bonds without authority of congress.
A resolution was agreed to for an inquiry by
the finance committee relative to the competition of Oriental products with those
of this country.
Resolutions were proposed by Mr. Morgan of
Alabama for an inquiry as to our treaty rights with Spain and by Mr. Gallinger
relating to the need of additional tariff engagements.
In the House.
The house occupied itself in passing private
pension bills which were favorably acted upon during the two special days given
to their consideration.
Mr. Erdman and Mr. Talbert threw such
obstacles in the way of the bills as they could. Thirty-four were held up
because they were not engrossed, but 100 were passed, leaving about 60 yet
unacted upon.
At the opening of the session Mr. Howard rose
to a question of privilege to denounce as fabrications some newspaper reports
printed five months ago to the effect that he had entered the hall of the house
in an intoxicated condition and had been carried out by two colored porters.
LIGHTNING AT
ITHACA.
Only Three Showers
Remembered Equal to that Thursday Night.
The Ithaca News of Friday reports a number
of acres of damage done by lightning in the shower Thursday night and says:
The thunder reports of last night were probably
more violent than any previously experienced in very many years, and were such
as occur very rarely. The only storms in which thunder comparable to last
night's was heard, were those of the years 1830, 1835 and 1857. In the
years first mentioned a terrible cloud burst resulted in the flooding of
Six-Mile creek to such an extent that the overflowing waters piled debris up to
the second story windows of the building on E. State-st. just removed by Mr.
Hollister. Second floor windows of their house were dashed in by trees, planks,
etc., heaped up by the flood.
The stock in trade of a bakeshop on Aurora-st.
was also washed out of doors by the high water.
In 1835 another bad storm and flood occurred.
An old woolen mill on South Cayuga-st. was unroofed by the wind. On July 17,
1857, a terrible cloudburst resulted in carrying away the stone bridge over
Six-Mile creek on South Aurora-st. Great damage was also done to the Halsey
mills, located on the site of the present electric light plant. The thunder on
this occasion was terrific, but much less prolonged.
Dr. S. J. Parker, who has resided in Ithaca
since 1828, says that he can remember many severe thunder storms, where the
reports were perhaps as loud as those of last night, but he is unable to recall
any occasion when they were of such great duration. A noticeable peculiarity of
several reports last night was the terrible loudness, entirely unaccompanied by
any reverberation—the effect being a tearing or crackling sound of terrific
intensity.
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| Emma Juch. |
—Secretary J. H. Osterhout will speak at the
Baptist chapel to-morrow evening at 7:30.
—Dr. H. R. Palmer conducted a music festival
at Peoria, Ill., this week, where they have a chorus of one thousand singers.
—Contractor D. G. Corwin took measurements this
afternoon for the erection of a large billboard on the vacant lot next south of
the Hopkins block on Main-st.
—New advertisements to-day are—Desk Co.,
perfection reading and writing desks, page 4; G. J . Mager & Co., money savers, page 6; A.
Mahan, music festival, page 6.
—A game of baseball was played yesterday
between the Groton-ave. Juniors and the Lincoln-ave. Juniors, resulting in favor
of the Groton-ave.'s, to the tune of 20 to 11.
—The Ithaca High school baseball team
arrived in town this morning at 10
o'clock, registered
at the Messenger House and are playing the Normals at the fair grounds this
afternoon.
—A party of nine young ladies with ample
lunch baskets and mysterious looking boxes took the 11 o'clock car for the park
this morning, where they had dinner and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon.
—The Congregational Church Cycle club will
run to the county house and return on Monday night, May 18, leaving the church
at 7 o'clock sharp. All cyclists, whether members or not, are invited to join
in the run.
—TRAINMASTER W. B. Auger has put up a new bulletin board
in the Upper hall near his office at the Lehigh Valley station. The board
contains the schedule of crews to run on different trains under the changed
time table.
—New York papers will next Monday and
thereafter be received in Cortland about an hour and a half earlier than
formerly on account of the change of time on the Lehigh Valley road. The
carriers will make their afternoon trip each day so much earlier.
—The students in Joiner Business college enjoyed
a pleasant reunion at the rooms in the Wickwire building last evening. There
were present both the day and evening students as well as those who have
previously been connected with the school. Refreshments were served.
—The seventh anniversary of the Epworth league
will be celebrated in the Methodist church to-morrow. The Homer-ave. M. E.
church will give the young people entire charge of the evening service, which
will consist of the installation of officers and a literary and musical program.
—A change of time on the Lehigh Valley
railroad goes into effect to-morrow and every one who is contemplating a trip
on that road should look up his train as very considerable changes are made. The
corrected time table of this division of the road is found on the second page
of to-day's issue.
—All indications point toward the largest
attendance of singers at Mahan's twenty-second music festival, June 1 to 5, that
have been present in many years. All want to hear Emma Juch and the other great
artists, and get valuable instruction and practice at the same time.
—At the meeting of the trustees of Wellesley
college Thursday afternoon it was announced that a gift of $100,000 had been
received from Miss Elizabeth G. and Mr. Clements Houghton, children of the late
William S. Houghton of Boston, the money to be used in the erection of a
chapel. The trustees voted to accept the gift. The building is intended as a
memorial to Mr. Houghton and will be named after him.
May Party Friday
Night.
Daniel Kernan, proprietor of the North Cortland
House, will give a May party at his hotel on Friday evening, May 22. McDermott's
full orchestra will furnish music. Full bill $1. Everybody invited.
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