100 Years Ago This Month

January 1924

January 5

Trouble Ahead For 1924

The year 1924 is likely to be a memorable one in American politics, both in Congress and on the open political field, until the November election. The whole performance will largely be a scramble between selfish interest to ‘get something’ from the government; in other words out of Uncle Sam’s treasury, either that, or to satisfy personal ambition.

It is not a nice thing to say, but it is our belief that the real Simon-pure desire to legislate for the good of the whole country is a very scarce virtue. We do not believe so much in strength in Union, as in union strength; not so much in United We Stand as that we stand united for ourselves.

The tendency in American politics is away from two great parties, holding to clearly defined differences in policy. We no longer hold to party, but are engaged in trying to hang such amendments to party platforms as represent the most promising expedients for ‘getting ours’.

Republicans and Democrats are alike in this. Insurgents on both sides have largely spoiled the negative so long in use for picturing party differences, and, the outlook is that this diversion will have a free ride this year. Sometimes we lament the fact that there are no more great leaders; none big enough to quell the rioting and lead the hosts to victory. But, it isn’t the leaders that are lacking so much as it is that the mob element is increasing that does not want leaders.

No man can lead without followers. No man can advise those who do not want advice. When arrogance, ignorance, selfishness combine in sufficient forms, advice based on experience, and leadership based on intelligence, are important. When misguided men feel that they are the government, and that they need only to combine sufficient strength to rule, then are boasted self-government plan finds itself on the rocks.

The role of the people operates ideally only when, and as long as, the best people are in the majority, and can co-operate – can hold together and outnumber the irresponsible radicals. That is just the danger this country is facing this year, as it never has before, and the hope of the future depends on how far the American people will permit their own selfishness to obscure their own good sense.

Rural Mail Carriers Carrying White Paint

By order of the Post Office Department in Washington, all rural mailboxes were ordered painted white. As the patrons of the routes were very busy, and help scarce, local carriers concluded to purchase paint and brush and paint the mailboxes themselves. They think asking each patron to contribute $.10 to help pay for the paint would not be out of place, and no one so far has objected to giving the small amount. Quite a few have already paid; others are asked to place $.10 in their mailbox, or give it to the carrier.

Mercury’s Rise Prevent Snow

Children with new Christmas bobsleds and an urge to create snowman and battle with Winter’s elements were cheated out of what promised to be an abundance of snow Wednesday night and Thursday morning when a slight rise in temperature change the first few flakes into rain. The precipitation of rain and melted snow and ice was .91 inches.

Radio Important Farm Implement

The importance of radio in the production and marketing of agricultural products is brought out in a special survey of about 1,200 farmers just completed by the United States Department of Agriculture. 80% of these farmers said they were interested in receiving both weather and market reports.

More than 50% of the farmers replied that they owned tube sets employing three or more tubes. Approximately 50% of the farmers reported having homemade sets ranging from crystal detectors to tube sets.

More than 75 different makes of sets were found among the manufactured sets purchased, Although the bulk of the sets were confined to about 15 of the leading makes that are more or less widely advertised in radio and general magazines.

The average cost of the manufactured set was $172. Comparably few of the owners of homemade sets operated crystal receivers. The average cost of a crystal set was $11. The average cost of a homemade tube set was $50.

Plan Playground For New Midway

Efforts are being made by the patrons of the public school at New Midway to equip a playground for the children of that community. Nevin Smith, Principal of the school, is taking the initiative in a campaign to raise funds for the purpose.

A spelling bee and a box social will be held on Saturday evening. Patrons of the school and the people of the community have been asked to cooperate in making the affair a success. Pickney Richardson, and Samuel Fogle have been named judges of the spelling bee, and Mr. Smith himself will act as the pronouncer. This will be the first of a series of events held to raise money.

The playground will be located on the school premises and will be available for use by the young people of the village and vicinity the entire summer.

January 12

Winter Weather Finally Arrives

Saturday was a real hurry up day, caused by the cold and wind. Many whom had been congratulating themselves that we would have a mild Winter found lots of things to do that should’ve been done earlier, and all outdoor tasks were done with full speed. Caucusing along the streets and lounging about corners, was considerably absent.

Last Saturday morning an oil stove used for heating purposes, due to the furnace being out of repair, caught fire at the home of the Sisters of Notre Dame, on Frederick Street. Sister Barbara, in removing the stove, was badly burned, particularly about the face and hands and was hurried to Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Baltimore for treatment. The damage to the building was small, due to the prompt measures taken by the fire department.

Saturday night and Sunday morning produce many stories of frozen water pipes and heating experiences; but fortunately not many cases of serious damage or suffering. Those who had good heating plants, and plenty of fuel, had reason for thankfulness. The thermometer registered near zero, the cold being penetrating because of the strong wind all of Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Infant Death

George Long, infant son of Carrie and Franklin Long, died on Sunday at his parents home in Creagerstown, aged eight days. Burial will be at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Woodsboro.

Woodsboro School Improvement Association

The Woodsboro School Improvement Association, one of the leading civic organizations of that town, held its regular monthly meeting in the Opera House Tuesday evening. The meeting was open to the public and was largely in attended.

Mrs. Fizer, President of the Association, presided. Following a few remarks the following program was rendered: singing of the song – America - by the Association and audience; scripture readings and prayer; reading of the minutes of the previous meeting; transaction of business; announcements and remarks by the President.

The Association has a large membership and its meetings are of an interesting nature. The objective of the Association is to promote education and school improvement. The Association also takes an interest in civic affairs and the improvement of the town in general.

Big Delegation Asked For Repairs To Road

A delegation of between 50 and 60 persons appeared before the County Commissioners to urge them to take action in connection with the construction of a hard road on the Creagerstown Road between the bridge spanning Hunting Creek and Creagerstown. At present there is a cement road built to the Hunting Creek Bridge but from there on to Creagerstown the road is said to be in a bad condition.

Children going to school in Creagerstown are required to travel over the road. It was the original intention to establish a hard road over the route, but as the first part of the road was built in 1921, and at that time the war prices prevailed, it was decided to suspend operation for a while.

The delegation was the largest before the Commissioners for some time. The section of road in question is about one and a half miles in length.

The Commissioners expect to complete, sometime this summer, a stretch of about 4 miles between Johnsville to Union Bridge. The completion of this road will make it an improve State Highway all the way from Frederick to Union Bridge. This road runs from Frederick to Liberty, to Johnsville to Union Bridge. The Commissioners contend that the completion of this road will give the City another improved highway to Baltimore it will lesson the heavy traffic on the Frederick and Baltimore Road. It’s also pointed out that the improvement will improve truck traffic to the City from Union Bridge and other points in Carroll County.

January 19

The Sunday Movie Question

It must be that the reason why such a large percentage of the average run of people, fail to take moral issues seriously, is that they fall to take life seriously. Somehow, the conscientious, persistent moralist, is set down as a nuisance and common scold; either that, or perhaps because of certain positions, he is charged with being paid to continue his activities that interfere with popular personal liberties.

Add to this, the fact that even some of our best people encourage the gambling principle – if not actual gambling – wink at moral degeneracy and refused to become actively interested in such matters as Sabbath observation - it is not difficult to understand the source of the courage to some of our political leaders - with strong constituencies back of them – in promoting radical changes in laws and customs because of the so-called modern demand – "more liberty for the masses".

In line with this trend, is the effort sure be made to legalize Sunday movies in Baltimore. If only in Baltimore, then why should the counties be interested? Because any scheme promoted for financial gains, or for entertainment, or as a fashionable custom, of a large city, naturally find its imitators in the county towns, and because with rapid motor transportation, town and communities within 50 miles of a city are now in fact, merely suburban sections of the cities.

Farmers’ Wives Benefited

The human and social phase of farm electrification, as opposed to strict economic phase, was stressed at a recent meeting of the Frederick Farmers’ Association.

"We firmly believe that electricity will add from 15 to 20 years to the life of farmer’s wives. Water in the home, pump by electricity, the electric iron, the electric washing machine, vacuum cleaner, range, refrigerator, percolators, curling irons, are all unknown to most farmer’s wives and daughters. Electricity will bring them. And, most important of all to the household, will be the advantage of electric lighting."

One Killed, Two Injured In Wreck

Three persons were injured, one of them fatally, when the machine of Joseph Pittinger of Woodsboro overturned on the Emmitsburg State Road at the intersection with the Walkersville Road, South of Hansonville, Sunday afternoon.

Clayton Shook, of Detour, and his two sons, Clayton Shook Jr. and Daniel Shook, where thrown out of the auto and all three rendered unconscious. Pittinger himself escaped serious injury. Passing machines carried the injured to the Frederick City Hospital where it was found that Clayton Shook Junior, about 19 years old, had been fatally injured. His death was due to concussion of the brain.

It is understood that the party had been in Thurmont and was on the return trip. Making the turn into the Walkersville Road the machine, one of the tires of which had been punctured, overturned. Clayton Shook Junior, was hurled onto a stone pile. Mr. Pittinger who is driving the sedan, was not thrown out, the machine was completely wrecked.

Whats New High School

A petition for a new high school building at Liberty, will be presented to the Frederick County Board of Education at its meeting Saturday morning by a large delegation of the school patrons headed by the Liberty Patron Teachers Association.

The committee was appointed at a meeting of the Association held in the Liberty High School building Tuesday night. Dr. Stone provided over the meeting. An address was delivered by Superintendent Palmer. A very pleasing oratory and musical program was rendered. The next meeting will be held the second Tuesday evening in the month of February.

High-Water Begins To Recede In County

High-water caused by heavy rain Wednesday, had receded to considerable extent by Thursday night. While streams were still running full, and in places, out of their banks, danger of damage has passed. The Monocacy River, however, is still high.

While the rain was general, the downpour seemed heaviest in the northern and eastern sections of the county. The Monocacy was out of its bank in a dozen places and inundated acres of adjoining land. Mountain streams where out of their bank and fields beyond Lewistown, along the Thurmont division of the trolley Road, were covered with water, in places several feet deep.

The rain was much the heaviest of the year at Walkersville and Woodsboro. In some localities roads and fields were badly washed. Some of the dirt roads were water bound from fence to fence and have been left in very bad condition. Culverts and waterways were unable to carry off the volume of water and roads and adjoining fields were flooded.

January 26

Winter Returns Again

Old King Winter set a new record Sunday night and Monday morning when he shot the Mercury down to a point 5E above zero according to one instrument. It was a sudden drop, which was from a maximum of 43E on Sunday afternoon. Unofficial thermometers situated in other points about the County, showed wildly different temperatures however, one showed at 4E below zero as did one at the drugstore. At some places in the County temperatures ranging from 2E below to a few degrees above zero reported.

The frigid weather was driven through cracks and crannies during the night on the wings of a strong westerly wind, which continued to blow throughout the day, permitting little rise in the temperature under the force of a strong son.

By noon, the thermometer still stood below the 10E mark, and few residents ventured outside of their homes during the morning unless driven by the press a business. Coats were tightly buttoned and hands thrust deeply in pockets by those who were seen in the downtown section during the morning. A number of autos ‘froze up’ along the roads and many households had trouble with frozen pipes.

Klan Ran The Wedding

Mrs. Harry Meiser of Creagerstown, who has filed charges of non-support and assertion against her husband is unable to tell who were the witnesses at her wedding. They were all members of the Ku Klux Klan, she says, and were hooded.

Harry Meiser, with whom she had been keeping steady company for 12 years, had refused to marry her, she said. The Klan took up the matter and one evening conducted the pair to the parsonage of a local church where the wedding ceremony was performed. Meiser promptly left, but recently was apprehended in charge with desertion and non-support.

Mountain Communities Still Talk Witches

There are witches, but no ghost. This is the firm belief of many persons living in the rural parts of Catoctin Mountain.

The question arose when a teacher in one of the public schools asked her pupils if they believed in witches. A majority of the boys and girls said they did and that their parents did. An interrogation brought to light many queer stories told by the pupils in a general discussion of the subject of how members of their families have been bewitched and the methods used to remove the spell of the witches.

One little girl related that a broomstick placed under the carpet at the door would prevent a witch from exercising her power and that it has been used successfully at her home. A boy said that a spike driven in a fence over which the witch had to cross would cause her to drop dead, and to remove the spike would bring her back to life. Another boy said an old shoe placed over a door would prevent a witch from entering the house, or if she did get in, she would fall dead.

A popular method of curing spells was taking a strand of hair from the person bewitched and placing it in a hole bored in a tree into which a peg is driven. Another plan suggested by one of the pupils was to take a hair from the mane or tail of a horse and crushed them with a stone on a fence. This will break the hand or fingers of the witch, it was claimed.

Many women in the mountain will not purchase articles from women peddlers for fear of being bewitched. The superstitious women believe that if a witch can borrow or take something from a person, the one giving it can be bewitched.

The teacher admitted that she was amazed by the extent of the superstitious beliefs of the children and their parents in regard to witchcraft.