We don’t profess to be an angel, but we do profess to be a Christian in contradistinction to being an infidel, and there are some things we don’t like to see done in this Christian community. We don’t like to see a man loafing—or meandering if you like the word better—around the streets all the week, and particularly on Saturday, with nothing to do, and on Sunday morning grease his carriage, preparatory to taking a ride. This is an actual occurrence often. We don’t like to see a woman on Sunday morning down on her knees, in one of the lateral streets, cutting grass with a sickle, and two hours after seated prominently in church, with a smile illuminating her face as though she had been eating rhubarb pie without sugar. Such actions as the above and others we might mention should have long ago become obsolete, as they are the relics of primitive man:–we may almost say, relics of barbarism.
There’s a great many things I don’t like to see
And if you don’t like, it’s nothing to me.
Last week we visited around amongst the babies of the town; i.e. we were called in on several occasions to “look at my baby,” and, “ain’t it pretty?” etc. Well they are all pretty. Isn’t it strange as a man becomes older, he loves barboys more? Possibly, there’s an affinity; maybe the second childhood is warming to the childhood of the little babies! Who shall say? There is such a thing as sub-consciousness, and it has been demonstrated that the alienist[i] cannot demonstrate all the […] of the gray matter of the brain, but let this go. Well, the babies! They are all pretty; all were cooing and happy. Babies are better now than they used to be anyhow. No, I couldn’t say for certain, which is the prettiest, but I kinder think Master George A. Goodwin, Jr., son of Mrs. Elizabeth M. C. Goodwin, takes the […]. Certainly, the people of Milton—in this decision—will not accuse me of partiality(?)[ii]
“Do you see that?” said a gentleman with whom I was riding. “What?” “Why, hat big weed pile at a farmer’s house. I set that man down no farmer. He attends more to the improvement of his wood pile than he does to the improvement of his farm. Did you ever notice it?” I had had, and so informed my interrogator. But I have since and concluded there may be truth about it.
If the conferees, or co-workers, or more correctly speaking, the students of the evolutionary theory of Darwin and Wallace are still looking for the missing link, “we think we have it in Milton. We have two, one of each sex. And it will possibly be difficult for the evolutionist to decide between these two specimens, which is the right one. As the science is one of intense study, here is the material to develop the gray matter.
Captain James Conwell is building an annex to his property on Federal Street. As all other men who are zealous of their own interest, he employs the best mechanic in town, John H. Davis is doing the work.
Robert Collins brought in and shipped a car load of potatoes on Saturday to M. H. Chandler at Scranton, Pa. 50 cents a bushel was the price paid.
We were in error, recently, in stating the steamer Marie Thomas had been chartered as a tender to Miah-Maull Shoal Lighthouse. (From official sources we were led to believe this lighthouse was completed last year.)The information was legitimate and given me by Captain Megee, one of the alleged charter party. The steamer was here loaded and is gone to Philadelphia this week with canned goods for Goodwin Bros. & Conwell.
Miss Lillian Cade and mother, and William Davidson and sister, have been attending the camp meeting at Joanna Heights, Pa.
Miss Mary Lamb of Wilmington is a Milton visitor.
Mrs. Lina Pennewill is visiting her daughter at Chester, Pa.[iii]
Captain Silas Dodd of Philadelphia was here on business for a few days last week.
Frank Gray and Joshua Gray are having a sturgeon boat overhauled by J. A. Betts and will make a motor boat out of her. The Crouch company are building a launch to beat “Billy” Robinson’s. W. H. Welch is the architect and builder. Stirring times may be expected on the Broadkiln soon. Times almost equal to the days of old Mississippi navigation, when bacon was thrown into the furnace to make steam, and the boats were often blown up in the races. But the others don’t care anything about the consequences, so they beat “Beat” Robinson.
164 tickets were sold at the Milton station for the moonlight excursion last Wednesday.
C. E. Bacon has removed to his new house, corner Sand and Federal Streets.
Capt. Lance, colored, of the sloop Stella, from Wildwood, N. J., will visit Milton twice a week for the purpose of buying eggs, poultry and other produce. He will also carry passengers, if any should desire the trip. The sloop is both motor and sail boat, and is nicely fitted up for business.
The Royal Packing Company shipped a car load of canned peas on Saturday.
If anyone has the care of the lawn around the P. E. Church, they are not attending to their […]. Its condition at present doesn’t look pretty contrasted with other appearances on Federal Street, The weeds need pulling put and the grass wants cutting.
The decadence[iv] in the M. E. Sunday School has set to a change of venire.[v] Instead of the afternoon, the school is scheduled to meet at 9.30 a. m., just before preaching. This is not the matter with the Sunday School. Many of the people of the town cannot get up in time to go to the morning preaching services. Surely they cannot get up earlier to go to Sunday School! What is the matter with the Sunday School? General Weber once said, in a conference at the Relay […]: “The third Delaware has as good material as any regiment in the service; all it needs is proper officers.”[vi]
The canneries have disposed of their stock and are getting ready for the next pack. The appearance of the tomato vines looks as […] those who have not contracted and […] will make a good thing but suppose they get […] cents a basket? Better contract.
Revenue Collector Burton was in town on last […]. Dr. Hopkins’ […].
Prospective patrons of Lavinia Camp Meeting raked the leaves from within the circle of the camp ground on Saturday. They should be burned and not allowed to lay within a few feet of the tents, a harbor for chiggers, ticks, and bacilli galore; as the remains of a year ago testify.
A nice rain—though not enough—came on Sunday and everyone was happy.
People of Milton have almost decided to corner the meat trust. Many have quit eating meet and vegetables are in demand. The butchers are terrified at the condition and meat must come down. Wonder how long the beef trust can stand it.
Money is being raised to take Charles Burton, the “paper maniac,” to the University of Pennsylvania for an operation. Rev. Jackson of Georgetown has been to Philadelphia to see what can be done for the man. The conditions are satisfactory and encouraging. It is thought Burton will be taken to the hospital on Friday or next Monday.
Several couples of young men and misses are tenting on Broadkiln Beach. It didn’t used to be thus when we were a boy. The girls then were bashful and the boys frightened if anyone caught them with the girls. Now the girls court the boys; will go to their parents’ home, and visit them and all live together in a summer outing, O, my.
Mrs. Jane Lekites and her uncle are Milton guests.
Crouch and Maull have rented Mrs. Mary Field’s tent on Lavinia camp ground.
The sick people on Broad Street are all improving.[vii]
Captain George A. Goodwin made a business trip to Baltimore on Monday.
The razzle-dazzle man who is operating at Rehoboth was here on Tuesday to negotiate for the location of his machine in Milton. Mayor Jones told him it would cost $5 a day to put his apparatus in town. Presumably he will not come. The consensus of opinion is, we don’t want him. The poorer people of the community need what little money they may have for other and more beneficial purposes that riding on razzle-dazzle.
Edwin P. Johnson has built an aerie in a mulberry tree for his son LeRoy. And now on warm days Leroy will roost to the tree.
Harriet Adele Johnson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Johnson, died in Coolspring of typhoid on Monday, aged 13 years, 7 months, 13 days. Funeral at Burton’s Chapel Thursday afternoon, and burial in cemetery adjoining. Rev. Robert Wright conducted the funeral, and S. J. Wilson & Son inhumed the body.
———————————-
[i] An archaic term for a psychiatrist or psychologist
[ii] George A. Goodwin, Jr., is one of David A. Conner’s grandchildren
[iii] Her daughter was Rilla Pennewill Finkbine.
[iv] In the sense used here, decadence means decline (not in morals but attendance). This is another archaic use of a word.
[v] If the word used by Conner is indeed venire, it is not only an archaic usage but an incorrect one. Venire is a pool of persons from which a jury is drawn; in a more abstract sense, it could refer to law or jurisprudence, although that is not a common usage. The meaning of the sentence would have been better served by using rules.
[vi] This reference is probably to General Max Weber, who commanded the Third Brigade, Third Division which included the 1st Delaware Infantry. The latter fought at the Battle of Antietam and suffered almost 40% casualties. A reference to the specific speech is not available at this time. Conner’s use of the excerpt is to make the point that the M. E. Sunday School’s leadership could have worked out a better solution to the problem of attendance.
[vii] There were several cases of typhoid fever among Broad Street residents at the time.