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Show CACHE AMERICAN, LOGAN, UTAH True Detective That GreatAmerican Institution StorV ALMANAC of drift 1 7 3 S t tv, O , 8,,I 8, ix H" H herein J " ,w ish them. The official placed In charge of the Investigation was Foo Wang, who at the time enjoyed the reputation of being the Sherlock Holmes of China He was patient, he was resourceful. and he never went after his man" without getting him. One of the things he found near the scene of the crimes was a bit of calico stamped with a number of u minted of Th, lonniont, Etlipftr, p ,te w,.ik V'"t f '"'; MTL f M Fmi 5" Vv t r. 0, Lc-- ;. T of years ago Demands for satisfaction came from state departments In all parts of the world, and as a consequence the Chinese government endeavored to ascertain the culprits and to pun- LEAP YEAR Being to Tuft tiw M W ?" ' Cirfm t4' af It ite E1 xUM. Si 0 CM. J 0- -. H, Public Ledger a number of women were murdered In the suburbs near SlmngliaL It was discovered that most of the victims had been killed by means of a poisoned dagger. At the same time chapels and churches belonging to tlie foreign missionary societies were destroyed. Almanack fiir by Vane Wynn Tale of the Poisoned Dagger THIRTY ' j H0 Woot, ml Chinese characters. He knew that It was a certificate of membership In a famous secret so clety known as the Ko Lao Hut. was This originally society formed to battle with Chinese offl dais who practiced extortion upon the natives and they were as nn merous as the autumn leaves In Vallambrosia but later Its objects and antl-ml- s became stonary. Foo Wang went to his home and got out his great pipe and sat down and thougliL And be finally came to the con elusion that the particular bit of calico that he had picked up be longed to Chen kin Lung, who was one of the most conspicuous of the Ko Lao Hu! leaders. China Is a pretty big place, but Foo Wang had plenty of assistants to rely upon, and he sent them to the four corners of the Celestial empire with Instructions to locate the supposed leader. Eventually he discovered that the man he wanted was at an Inn near Pekin, nnd that with him were about twenty of his followers, all despep a By ELMO SCOTT WATSON OT the least of the reasons for re- - Nniemherlng the man whose birthday on January 17 Is that he gave us that veritable American Institution the almanac. Although "B. Franklin, Printer" waB not the first of his Ink stained tribe to Issue one of these little books In this country, his Poor Itlchnrd's Almanack set the style for Innumerable Imitators and successors and It had a record which makes it unique among such publications. Franklin started It In 1733, published It annually for 35 years and often sold as many as 10.000 copies each year. It was the undisputed "best seller" of Its time, and, according to his biographer, Bernard Fay, In Franklin, The Apostle of Modern Times Uttle, Brown and Company), It was the pivot of his commercial success and of his popularity In America." The lodge, the Junto, the library, bad only a local Influence, but the almanac was sent all Over the country. Although only a very few persons owned libraries In Eighteenth century America, every one possessed two books, the Bible and the almanac. The former told you what to worship and what to do and the latter, when and how. The almanac was the guide to both the country and the city people. Neither popr nor rich could do without It . , . This almanac carried the name and Ideas of 'Franklin everywhere. lie had expressly written this book to present his ideas in a bold and lively manner, the same Ideas he expressed secretly at the iodge or the Junto, or slipped Into hls newspaper In phrases of double meaning . . , What Franklin didnt dare say, the good fellow, Poor Richard, said for him. His Instlnpt, which dominated his newspaper, was so obvious that It would have been dangerous to publish biting criticism on Institutions and the Church, but he gave it free rein In his almanac. . . . Here In this vulgar environment, under the cloak of joking and ribaldry, the good man could speak his mind. The International vogue of this little book cannot be attributed to any other thing." Although Franklins Is perhaps the most famous almanac the world has ever known, he was not, of course, the originator of this form of literature. Almanacs of one sort or another date back to the earliest civilization. Both the Greeks and the Romans are said to have had them and there are records of their use during the Thirteenth and Fourteenth centuries. In 1604 a group of London wags, chief among them Robert Herrick, the poet. Issued Poor Robin's Almanack," a burlesque on the astrological almanacs, filled with clever ridicule and some very broad jokes. Such an almanac was an Immediate hit and, although Herrick tired of It after a few years. Its publishers kept It going for more than a century and a halt As will be seen later, "Poor Robin was to have an important bearing on American almanacs. Despite Poor Robin's popularity. It did not materially affect the fortunes of the old style astrological almanac and by the end of the Seventeenth century there were at least a dozen of them being published in Great Britain. One of them, Merltnus Uberatus, started by John Partridge In 1GS0, prospered for nearly 30 years. Then a most unusual fate overtook tL In 1708 Dean Swift, the savage satirist, wrote a solemn prediction" that Partridge would die on August 29 and on August 30 be followed this up by publishing a statement that, true to the prediction, Partridge had Indeed died. Even the astrologer's publishers accepted the statement as true. In vain. Partridge protested that he was very much alive. But Swift came back at him with a long and laudatory obituary Poor Partridge was so harassed by the task of Convincing people he had not died and would continue Issuing hlg almanac that eventually he gave up In despair and suspended its publication I Meanwhile, over across the Atlantic, the Eng Iish colonists were seeing the beginnings of what was to become an Important American Institution. According to some authorities, the first American almanac came from the printing press at Harvard college In 1039. With that Puritan leal background, naturally it was a strictly serl ous affair, as were others Issued In various places In New England soon thereafter. They contained mainly astronomical calculations and scientific items. However, In 1087, John Tully of Say brook Conn., Issued a mildly humorous almanac which was only fairly successful because the serious minded New Englanders doubted Its usefulness More satisfactory to them was the Ames Almanac, first Issued In 1720 by Dr. Nathaniel Ames He had an inquiring mind, an Interest In scien title matters and some skill In writing poetry, all of which were reflected In the almanac which e First Family Welcomed to Cumberland prophecy and, much to Franklins delight, played Into his rival's hands by answering him. It was 1. Cover of the first Issue of Franklin's "Poor Richards Almanack. 2. Frontispiece of the Pennsylvania German almanac Issued In 1779 by Francis Bailey at Lancaster, Pa.f which It said to contain the first reference to Washington at The Father of Hit Country." 3. Cover of The Old Farmer1 Almanac," established by Robert 8. Thomas In 1792, and till Issued annually. he, and hla son after him, Issued for nearly 50 years. But real almanac history In America begins with Benjamin Franklin. During his visit to London (1724-25- ) he bad noticed the large sale of these little books, had enjoyed equally the wit of Poor Robin's Almanack and the wise maxims of The English Apollo, a serious and lit erary almanac Issued by a certain Richard Saun ders. So when he returned to America and founded hla own printing shop in Philadelphia, he had his partner, Thomas Godfrey, write an almanac which he published for three years, from 1729 to 1731. He also printed an almanac for J. Jennann and Imported copies of Poor Robin" from England to sell in his print shop which was also a book store. To economize on the expense of a writer thirty pounds sterling was the price In general he decided to write one himself, thus adding the material and moral profits of an author to the gains of a printer, says Fay. In deciding upon a name for his book he "borrowed from two English almanacs which had Impressed him most Poor Robin" and Richard Saunders and the result was a little volume which bore this pretentious title: Poor Richard, 1793. An almanack for the year of Christ 1733, being the first after Leap-yeawherein Is contained the Lunations, Eclipses, Judgment of the Weather, Spring Tides, Planets Motions and Mutual Aspects, Sun and Moon's Rising and Setting, Length of Days, Times of High Water, Fairs, Courts and observ able Days. Fitted to the Latitude of forty degrees and a meridian of five hours West from London, but may without sensible Error serve all the adjacent places, even from New foundland to South Carolina. By Richard Saunders, Ihllom, Philadelphia. Printed and sold by Benjamin Franklin at the New Printing Office near the Market The almanac had a promising start, for, says Fay, Franklin gave his verve free rein. Rude picturesque and rich In humor, his almanac described the life and preoccupations of the American colonies In raw colors and hold strokes. It was an adequate expression of this country where the people worked hard and economized penny by penny, where the great happenings of the year were the snow In December, the freezing weather In January, the harvests of September and an occasional daring joke on the mmistei when his back was turned. He further guaranteed the success of bis ven ture by a typical Franklin "stunt" In starting his almanac he was entering Into competition with another Pennsylvania almanac publisher. Titan Leeds, w ho had succeeded his father. Dun iel Leeds. Remembering Dean Swifts predie tlon of the death of unlucky John Partridge Franklin In announcing the forthcoming almanac (n his newspaper, the Gazette, Included In its contents a Prediction of the Death of his Friend which "the stars had made Mr. Titan Leeds, known to him beyond a doubt, and Mr. Leeds knows It very well, too. This was the reason why "Poor Richard who was not rich and had to make a living, had taken up the pen to issue an almanac. Of course, Leeds waa furious at this gruesome r, the best sort of advertising for the new venture and Franklin took care to keep the controversy alive It lasted for eight years and ended only when Leeds did finally die But by that time Poor Richard's Alinannc was well started on the road to the amazing success which it enjoyed for the next quarter of a century. Begun as a 24 page booklet and sold at three shillings, six pence per do7en (seven cents a copy), after 1747 It was Increased to 38 pages, decorated with pretty woodcuts, given a more and more elegant tone" and called "Poor Richard's Improved. Since the price was not Increased even with these Improvements. Franklins little book defied all competition and It Is not to be wondered at that it sold as many as 10,000 copies annually. Of course, It had plenty of imitators a veritable host of Poor Joseph's, "Poor Wills," Poor Tom's," Toor Job's, "Poor Roger's" and Poor Thomass." One almanac publisher of Philadelphia called his book Abraham Weather-wis- e and a New York printer brought out a book called Copernicus Weatherguesser. One of these early almanacs deserves lasting fame if for no other reason than that it was the Hist publication to give currency to Washington's title of The Fattier of His Country." In 1779 an almanac, published in German and issued by Francis Bailey in Lancaster, Pa., apieared with a frontispiece printed from a crude wood-cuin which were depicted several symbolic figures. In the upper left hand corner of the drawing was shown Fame as an angel, bearing In one baud a medallion of Washington with a laurel wreath upon his head and In the other a trumpet from which comes the words Des Landes Vater (The Father of Ills Country). Although almanacs Increased In number during the early days of the republic, many of them passed out of existence after a brief career because better educational facilities and a more widespread scientific knowledge made the common people less dependent upon the almanac as a source of Information. But there Is one survivor of the colonial tradition which has had an unbroken existence of more than 140 years and which Is today the nearest approach we have to "Poor Richard's Almanac. That Is the Old Farmer's Almanac, established in 1792 by Robert Bulley Thomas, who was said to have resembled Franklin In the profession and practice of a certain homely philosophy of life. . . . Franklin, to be sure, was a genius and Thomas was simply a man of talent who knew bow to make the most of the talents he had. "The Farmer's Almanac was the first to exclude from Its pages "the man of signs, or "the moon's man," the figure of anatomy that hitherto adorned all almanacs. Each sign of the zodiac governed" an organ or part of the body, and In selecting a day to treat any ailment, or to let blood. It was necessary to know whether or not the moon was In that sigu. As time went on, the theory of the close relation between man's body and the signs of the zodiac fell Into disrepute, and the anatomy Still the people debecame a laughingstock. manded their time honored monstrosity and anac-makers (until the Farmer's uppeared) continued to include the moon's man, but often with apology. Published In Boston, The Old Farmers Almanac Is still a "family Bible" In many a Newr England home (It has a cicul.ition of more than 230,000) where the coming of the little book at the beginning of each year Is an event to be looked forward to. The cover design has remained but little changed through the years. It bears the portrait of its founder, Robert Thomas, displayed in an arabesque opposite that of Benjamin Franklin, similarly exhibited, and the familiar pictures of plowing, haying, harvesting and watering the stock at a frozen watering trough, are shown In the cornerq to represent the four seasons, just as they have for generations. t, alm- yellow-hacke- G bjr N estera Newspaper Union. d ate men. Foo Wang decided that It was about time for a round up and he gathered bis men together for that purpose. He found the leader In one of the rooms of the place giving an entertainment to hie supporters. The Chinese detective was nothing If not orlginaL He posted himself upon the veranda of the Inn and then sent one of his men In to tell Chen that he was wanted outside on Important business. The unsuspecting leader excused himself to his friends with true celestial gravity and stepped out on the veranda. As he did so a great bag was thrown over his head, two men seized him and he was carried, kicking and gesticulating, to a nearby wharf and placed on a vessel. There, bound and gagged, he waa taken in the direction of ShanghRL Just before the boat reached Its destination the detectives brought the suspect Into the cabin and put him through the third degree which means something In China. But while Chen kin Lung might have been down he was far from being out He smiled his Inscrutable smile and said nothing. They literally put the screws upon him but failed to eleclt the slightest Information. In the Rowing sleeves of one of bis kimonos was found a dagger with a poisoned blade. It had the appearance of being the weapon with which the Shanghai murders had been committed. Also the investigators found number of letters and communications addressed to the prisoner. In each of them he was addressed aa the Eighth Great Prince. This was proof positive that he was at the head of the secret society and that he undoubtedly aimed at securing the control of the country. Among the other things found were a number of the calico certlfl cates Indicating membership In the Ko Lao HuL Koo Wang now had more than enough evidence to send his distinguished prisoner to the block. But he wanted to get the names of others and he besought the prisoner to make a olean breast of the whole conspiracy. But Chen km Lung was a wise Chinaman and he knew that he was sure to be beheaded. So he remained silent, ne was returned to the hold of the vessel and told that he would be given until the next morning to make a complete revelation of his mysterious society. But the next morning he was and nothing mysteriously gone was ever heard of him afterward. WNU Bor vie. g Economy Son father. Dad You sure are a lucky man, Why sot Son Because you won't have to buy me any school books next year. I didn't pass. Charles E. Pynchon of Washington, at the extreme left, manager of the 63 homestead projects throughout the country, Is shown congratulating Ed Lister and his family, first Cumberland homesteaders and first family to move Into the new stone houses at Cumberland Homesteads, In the Cumberland plateau, seven miles from Crossvllle, Tenn. The furniture and household articles the family is carrying came from their barn home. Wealthy Britons Under Death Watch Treasury Keeps Track of Rich Who May Die. Three-Horne- three-horne- London. The chancellor of the exchequer, Neville Chamberlain, has marked some of Britain's millionaires for the spot and the budget surplus for next year will depend to a large extent on how many are "rubbed out. To balance Mr. Chamberlain's tidy books properly, an expert statistician Is working overtime at the treasury figuring out just how many of the countrys more opulent citizens probably will succumb to the grim reaper. From this actuarys macabre figures the chancellor estimates the amount of Income from death duties for the year. This Is no small Item In the British budget as the duties run from 40 to 60 per cent on estates In the higher brackets; England doesnt allow rich men to pass on much of their wealth. For example, In the fiscal year 1933-3death duties amounted to $426,330,000. An Extra Windfall." The estimate for this year was only $373,750,000, but a few of what are fondly known in treasury circles as "windfalls provided the cash box with an extra $42,600,000. If the outlook Is favorable he can stop the clamoring of those gentlemen from the royal air force, who declare In no uncertain terms that they have to have more planes Oil From Tuscany or else." On the other hand, If so disposed, The finest quality of olive oil la the chancellor can pay a war debt said to be obtained In Tuscany. Dr. Harold C. Urey, who was awarded the Nojel chemistry prize for 1934, sometimes lives up to the Fontaine Fox title, The Professor. One morning np at Columbia, where he Is a professor, he entered a classroom and gave bis lecture. After some time had elapsed, be discovered that the faces before him were all unfamiliar. He had merely wandered into the wrong room. On another occasion. he started out wearing shoes that were not mates. His award came to him for his discoveries In regard to heavy water. The hydrogen content of heavy water, known as deuterium, weighs twice as much as the hydrogen element in ordinary water. It used to cost $8,000 a pound. Now the cost Is only from $8 to $20 a pound. Few laymen know what heavy water Is. No lay man knows what to do with It as yet It Is regarded as extremely valuable to science, however. Scl entists hope to learn atomic secrets through It witness the dnnee of the molecules or something. Absent-Minde- d United States Keeps 3c Postage Indefinitely Washington. The postage rate Is here to stay Indefinitely. An experimental measure, It was to have been supplanted by the rate If it failed to bring old In- creased , postal revenues sorely needed. However, Postmaster General Farley said: The rate should be retained. If It Is not, our postal revenues will be decreased approximately $75,000,000 a year." The department succeeded In wiping out a deficit last year for the first time In fifty years. Youth Makes Dresses to Pay College Expenses Pittsburg, Kan. non Riggs, twenty-tof Kansas City, Kao, who looks aa If he might be a football tackle, la working hla way through State Teachers college here as a dressmaker. Riggs, whose father Is a tailor and whose ambition It Is to go to Paris and serve as an apprentice In one of the great salons there, has set up shop in a little three-roowo, apartment By L.L. STEVENSON It was his first to get Into print After writing It, he laid It aside for six months. Then, one day, seeing a newspaper advertisement of a high priced magazine, he concluded the editor would want that yarn. The editor did. He not only accepted It but along with the check sent a letter telling the author how good It was. While the story that was to be a prize winner the title la No More Trouble for Jedwick," and It deals with the escape of a Degro slayer from a chain gang waa gathering dust, Paul wras at work on a nivel. He finally turned out two. Both have been accepted by a SWISS PRESIDENT publisher and the first will be out in the spring. The winner of the O. Henry award looks much like a somewhat dated football player. He la thirty-twyears old. He weighs 215 pounds and hla muscles are well developed. They should be. When he was sixteen, he quit schoo. and joined the army, xn that way, be saw the country, having been shifted from camp to camp until hla total reached seven. After the Armistice, he served as an orderly In Walter Reed hospital In Washington. Tiring of that after a time, he quit and went West On the Pacific coaat, he waa a movie extra. Also a stevedore. Also he held down various jobs on railroads. In addition, he bad other Jobs in all of which toll was spelled with capital letters. Then he came East. For the last three years he has been doing nothwithout making a ing save write nickel. But he's on hlg way now. o Leaving prize winners and turning to a Fifth avenue hat shop. Hat shops are common on the avenue. But this one Is different. In It, It Is possible for a man to get a new hat for a dollar the price Including a Fifth avenue labeL It isnt a cleaning establishment The old hat la turned wrong side ont a Dew lining and a new sweat band Inserted and the patron can again hold np hla head without spots showing. Doctor Urey Is forty-onyears old. He received his degree of bachelor of science from the University of Montana and his Ph. D. in chemistry from the University of California. He came to Columbia as an associated professor five years ago In addition to the Nobel prize, he was awarded the Willard Gibbs medal by the Chicago section of the That American Chemical society. too was for his work with heavy water. But his spare time reading Is detective stories and S. S. Van He Dine Is his favorite author. also likes to fool around the garden and play the piano. His wife will spend bis prize money. e Another recent prize winner was Louis Paul who lives In Kew gar dens. He received the O. Henry memorial award of $300 for the outstanding short story of the year. Steer Exhibited in Zoo Hershey, Pa. A steer Is one of the exhibits at the Hershey Zoological garden. The animal was presented to the garden by Walter M. Dunlap, of the Union Stock Yards, of Lancaster, Pa. Ward Walker, director of the zoo, said he would break the unwritten law of zoological gardens against exhibiting freakish animals and keep the yearling steer. Installment to a friendly power. Therefore, the hard working statistician was hired a few months ago to work out the expectation of life of known millionaires, on the line adopted by life Insurance companies. Figures on Deaths. To bear this out, the Income Tax Payers society, which ought to know, says: In the treasury departments secret archives are figures which will enable actuaries to tell the chancellor how many millionaires are liable to die In any particular year. Mr. Chamberlain planned on receiving $380,000,000 from the death duties. But apparently he has underestimated things a little, for about a dozen millionaires died In the year Just closed, and revenue returns from the first quarter showed an Increase of $27,000 000 over 1933. Because of these heavy death duties, most wealthy men who have their fortunes tied up In specific Industries, carry death and duty insurance to take care of payment of taxes and obviate necessity of the family selling the business In order to settle with the government. Premiums on these policies often exceed the net Income from an estate, thug the man with a fortune coming In every year might be losing money. But only by losing on his income is he able to protect his prlncIpaL LIGHTS OF NEW YORK. d Rodolpho MInger, reorganizer of the Swiss army, who waa named president of the Swiss Confedera tlon for 1935 by the federal Several times reference has been made in this space to those Times Square subway change makers who bo throw coins that one bangs back and la overlooked by the hurrying sardine. They used to be content with a nickel Late reports have it that now when a dollar bill Is changed, the retained coin is a quarter. Cb BU Brndlcftt.WNU Service |