October 22, 1995
25 Years Ago
Many Matters Get Attention Of School Board – Twelfth Grade Students Permitted To Take Part In Political Campaigning – The regular meeting of the Board of Education of Carroll County was held on Wednesday evening, October 7, at 6:30, in Room 304 of the Board of Education Office. The State Board of Education on September 24 passed a resolution permitting grade twelve students in Maryland public schools to take part in political campaigning prior to the 1970 elections. This participation will (1) offer students an exciting and rewarding experience in the democratic process; (2) provide actual experience in citizenship with far greater educational impact than could be provided by any classroom work or school elections, and (3) give students who are 18 or soon be 18, incentive to exercise their voting franchise when the voting age is lowered in January 1971. Following the guidelines established by the State Board of Education, the local Board voted for implementation of the Resolution, according to State guidelines. It was reported that on September 30, 1092 kindergarten pupils and 15,535 grade-onethrough-twelve pupils had enrolled in the Carroll County Public School System. This is a total of 16,627 students enrolled. In addition to this enrollment, nine elementary pupils and 39 secondary pupils for a total of 48, are home teaching cases. Community Reporter, October 23, 1970.
50 Years Ago
War Fattened Farmers Dig In For Lean Spell – FARMERS ARE PREPARING FOR LOWER FARM PRODUCT PRICES – The war gave American agriculture its greatest period of prosperity. But now that peace had come, farmers are preparing for lower farm product prices, a smaller market, reduced income. In short, says the Agriculture Department, farmers expect peace to bring a depression eventually. Next year will see agriculture cutting back on production of a number of commodities— particularly beef cattle, poultry, eggs, perhaps milk, dry beans and peas, and the so-called vegetable oil crops, such as soybeans, peanuts and flaxseed. These cutbacks will reflect reduced military and foreign demands and perhaps some slump on food buying by civilians a home. The reduction in civilian buying will be determined largely by: (1) amount of unemployment, (2) industrial wage trends, (3) how fast products other than food return to the market. Agriculture, undoubtedly will be called upon, however, to produce bumper crops of corn and wheat in 1946. There will be a need to re-establish reserves in the “ever normal granary” against drought or other emergency. On the whole, agriculture faces a period of contraction, whereas industry faces a period of expansion. The Agriculture Department says the war “restored agricultural prosperity, it raised farm incomes, and it gave farm people a feeling of pride in their work.” But the return of peace is leading many farmers to start hitching their belts for economic storms ahead. Democratic Advocate, October 19, 1945.
75 Years Ago
Great Have Queer Hobbies – Few are the great who had no queer pastime or freak hobby by way of diversion. Peter the Great had a passion for riding about in a wheelbarrow. He said the motion
was soothing to him. On more than one occasion he visited the cities of his realm wheeled about in this homely conveyance by a servant. James Fenimore Cooper couldn’t write unless he had gumdrops to chew. He bought them in large quantities and as he munched them he thought out the stories for which he is famous. George Washington took up fox training as a diversion. He was fond of hunting foxes, and when he could catch a young one he took it home with him and patiently taught it tricks, which later would be performed for the benefit of his friends. William the Conqueror enjoyed a dog fight. From all over his kingdom his friends sent him dogs. He received them by the hundred. From these he would select the largest and fiercest and sit for a whole day and watch them fight. Napoleon spent his idle moments thinking up puzzles. It was a mental relief to him. He would sit for hours trying to devise a puzzle that his friends could not solve. Daniel Webster had a curious fancy for painting the faces of his cattle. One week his cows would walk around with blue faces and the next would appear with red ones. This odd notion grew upon him; he found the idea so amusing that whenever he had a spare moment he would go out to the barnyard and change the color with his paint brush. His friends’ astonishment when they saw his handicraft was his ideas of something funny. President Cleveland, on the other hand, liked to paint the children’s toys and the odds and ends of household furniture. He would sit among the youngsters at the White House and spend hours redecorating their toys in the most fanciful and gaudy colors. Francis Bacon was so fond of fine clothes that he spent his odd time in trying to devise new modes and styles of dress. During his life he made some 1300 drawings of freakish costumes. When he could not get anybody to wear them he hired a number of men to don the grotesque attire and promenade the streets for his pleasure. Union Bridge Pilot, October 22, 1920.
100 Years Ago
Taneytown Items – On last Friday evening, at seven o’clock, the citizens of this place were once more aroused by the alarm of fire and great excitement prevailed for a time, and curiosity as to the
location of the fire. It was soon ascertained to be the large barn of Mr. Samuel Reindollar, at the end of Hanover street. The fire was first discovered at the end of a large straw stack which was built against the barn, by Mr. James Rodgers, Jr., who was coming to town, and when he first saw it it was not any larger than a half bushel; but as everything was very dry the flames spread very rapidly. Before he reached the spot he saw a person running from the stack very rapidly. The barn was soon consumed and the fire also spread to the grain shed, wagon shed and buggy house, which were all destroyed. The barn only contained about 100 bushels of rye, wheat, and clover seed, with the full crop of hay and straw. The buildings were insured in the North American Insurance Company for eleven hundred and fifty dollars, which does not begin to cover the loss. Strong suspicious as to who is the party who started the fire are entertained, and he will be watched very closely hereafter, as quite a lot of damage has been done heretofore, in the way of taking off gates, breaking pump handles, etc., which has been going on for some time. No doubt if such actions are carried on much longer, means will be provided to put a stop to them. American Sentinel, October 19, 1895