September 20, 1901

When you hear it said of a man, “O, he never does any harm,” you may feel assured he never does any good. These meek, mild, gentle men, are not the ones who make history. We never heard of one of them who created a revolution, or made an invention, or discovered an idea. The men who run this world are the men who overcome difficulties; they are the men who go right at a thing and do not spend days in trifling. They are the ones who, like Alexander, when presented with the Gordian Knot to untie. Instead of spending days in a fruitless task, he drew his sword and cut the knot and became master of Asia all the same. When Napoleon talked of invading Italy, one of his marshals said, “but sire, the Alps!” And Napoleon, rising in his stirrups and pointing with his sword toward that loft barrier, exclaimed: “There shall be no Alps!” And the famous Shiplon Pass[i] was made, the wonder of all engineers of modern times. We see a young man who was born in affluence, and was educated at the first institutions of the country, he was petted and reared more in a feminine than in a masculine manner. At last his father died and left him a small fortune; but he never did anything and hardly had sense enough to take care of his money. He was born and raised with a silver spoon in his mouth. We see another young man, born under all the circumstances associated with poverty. Grow up without education, and hardly knowing whether or not he had any parents. Yet this young man grown up on the streets becomes not only familiar with life, but habituated to its necessities, there is none of the dilly-dally about him. If he succeeds by steering clear of life’s shoals and breakers, he becomes among the first men of the land, and writes his name upon the scroll of fame. He was born with a pewter spoon in his mouth.

We have seen cases similar to these above. We have known boys who, in the schoolroom, we though dunces; who are today many times better off than their former schoolmates.

Mr. G. W. Atkins started on Monday, on his regular business tour of Virginia and West Virginia.

Miss Mary E. M. Atkins[ii] is assisting her sister, Mrs. Estella Darby, in Camden, N. J.

Mr. Theodore Messick is now engaged in the lumber trade; purchasing in the lower part of the county and shipping to northern ports.

The piling business continues to be one of the principal industries of the town; and although the schooner Stetson and Nelson, together with the vessels of Captain Scull are continually on the move, they cannot keep the docks clear; so great is the quantity hauled thereon.

Mr. R. Davis Carey, of Philadelphia, is a guest of Milton.

Miss Edith Fisher left for Philadelphia on Monday.

The pikeing sport is getting to be epidemic in the upper waters of the lake. Last week two elderly brothers went out to try their luck, when one succeeded in catching the other in the finger to such an extent as to require the hook to be cut out.

Mrs. Emma Hones, who has been absent in New York for quite a while, has returned to her Milton home. She is accompanied by her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Wrought.

Mr. William Snyder, of Camden, N. J., was in town last week.

For several years past, there has been a coal famine in Milton brought about by the want of proper precaution of the part of dealers. Each dealer would give the people to understand that he should keep a stock on hand during the cold weather. Consequently, consumers laid in but a small quantity, and when their stock was gone, dealers were out and everyone else was out. From the trend of indications, it does not appear that this will be the case the coming winter. At present, the dealers are well supplied and most of the consumers have a stock on hand sufficient top last them during the winter. And it does not appear that any apprehension need exist of a scarcity of coal. It is now selling at $5.15 per ton, and plus the price of hauling, which is thirty cents a ton, makes it cost delivered, $5.45.

The flag on our school building has been flying at half-mast in grateful remembrance of President McKinley, and in sorrow and sympathy at his unnatural death.

Little Dan Wagaman was hit on the head with a horse shoe on Monday, and Dr. James A. Hopkins dressed the wound.

Mr. John Wilson, who has been suffering with gastric fever for several weeks, is slowly recovering.

Miss Asa King, Misses Lizzie and Hettie Conner, were visitors at Mr. Coard Warrington’s on Sunday.

Isaac W. Nailor has so far completed the two building he has in course of construction at Lewes, as to have them ready for the plasterers.

A gentle rain fell here on Tuesday afternoon, laying the dust and invigorating the air; and it is hoped cooler weather will now prevail.

Many farmers are about done saving fodder; peaches are scarce, apples are plenty, and grapes are fine.

The railroad excursions to Rehoboth are on their last legs; Massapequa yet lingers though freight is scarce; yet Sunday excursions to Broadkiln Beach are in order.

At present there is little mechanical work in Milton. The Shirt factory, Beardsley’s brick-yard, and Wagamon Brothers flour mill keep the town alive and prevent a business stagnation. This however is often the case.

Business goes by spurts. One week everything is booming, and the next a general depression supersedes. Wherever there is an over stimulus there must be a corresponding reaction. This is the case in everything in nature; from the physical system to government affairs, and the business of the general world. When nation, like individuals get drunk they must get sober and this getting sober produces a partial paralysis of the nerve centers, and a consequent stagnation of the whole general system, or governing power. Witness a nation recovering from the effects of was as was the case in this country thirty-five years ago. We had been drunk for four years; every nerve had been stretched to its utmost tension, and when the war ended and we began to recover from its effects of over stimulation, inflation, and the like, many of us remember the failure of banks, the collapse of business firms, and the general depression that prevailed through the country.

This was the effect of over stimulation and it is the case in anything and everything, I did not intend to write this paragraph when I commenced to write, but have been led to it by the remarks I made at the beginning (of the paragraph). Consequently some other items I had intended to notice, in this communication are necessarily left out.

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[i] The correct name is Simplon Pass. Napoleon Bonaparte built the first real road over the pass, not for trade but to transport his large cannons. After conquering northern Italy, he wanted a more efficient way to get his heavy armaments across the Alps. When the Swiss refused him, he conquered Switzerland. This was in 1798, and the road was completed in 1807. It was the first carriage road to cross the Alps.

[ii] This is one of the very few references to Mary Emma Maloy Atkins other than David A. Conner’s eulogy after her untimely death in 1905 at the age of 19. The young lady was memorialized on a window of the Milton M. P. Church by her grieving family.