Show USELESS USEL SS GIFTS by THOMAS ARKLE CLARK dean of meng men university of illinois we are very much addicted tit at our house to the giving of gifts christmas christin in it a birthday anniversaries all come in for consideration sIder atlon nancy has a birthday within three 1 I w weeks eek s wh what a it shall I 1 give ghe her something pretty something 0 r n something purely personal or something useful I 1 generally try to choose the latter not that I 1 am as practical as the woman who give gave her husband the window cur curtains tarns but I 1 do try to choosy choose something tint that la Is useful and something that I 1 think I 1 should very ery much like myself it if I 1 were in her plate no ko one appreciates the useless gift one hundred and fifty years ago george rogers clark with it a little band of men set out to conquer the northwest for the newly established fish ed nation the hardships of ills his expedition have hardly been realized tho the importance ot of ills his work has met with but meager appreciation they marched through freezing ft water ater soaked land the historian tells us crossed swamps and quicksand and forded corded rivers that had overflowed their banks yet singing or praying according to mood the little band pressed on the hie weaker nealer ones were carried in canoes all followed with alth out question tile the daring leader ills efforts resulted in the opening up lip of tiro the great northwest the set fling ding of illinois and kentucky and tile of america westward for lie had find done virginia presented him with a sword a gift quito quite useless to him at that time later when lie was old and living in extreme poverty lie petitioned for a small grant ot of land front from the territory which lie ho had conquered but this request was nas denied and instead lie he was presented with another sword when the representative of the government came with much ceremony and many flattering words word to present him with the second sword d the oli old man acknowledged tile the useless gift by saying young man when virginia needed a sword 1 gave her one now noi I 1 need bread W tel men they had been telling doctor could what the crimson would do to the wolverines rines in football oot ball rind and as I 1 have said they wore were three to one an airplane from little america lew flew over the party and dropped some supplies and a folded sheet of paper on tile the paper was vas written michigan 14 harvard rd 12 and 11 says sa 3 doctor gould could 1 I had 1100 miles of sledge trip left in which to talk about it E 1931 ell kyndl ta anu ser vico |