KSTABI ISHED 1899 i3cmcerat and Press Consolidated 1905 Local, Personal and Social Items Postmaster J. H. Aiken's ap pointment has been confirmed by Congress. Messrs John Aiken and Gordon Councill are home from the Uni versity. Mrs. Wannemacher'and family have moved into their handsome | new bungalow on Fifteenth St. Mr. and Mrs. Ball have gone to Florida to spend uhristmas with theit people. Mr. Joe Aiken of Gastonia,'will cnend a few days in the city Christmas. 'Mr. John Geitner of McColl, S. C , expects to visit home peo ple during the holidays. Dr. J. M. Lyerly and daugh ters. Mioses May and Maud, have tone to Crescent to spend Christ ill S3* Dr. and Mrs. Farrar of De S)to, Mo., are expected in the city to visit their daughter, Mrs. Blackburn. Messrs Voorheis Garth. Bailey Patrick, Bonner Knox and Henry Menzies have returned from Davidson to spend Christmas. Mr. C. B. Yount, a student in the Atlanta Dental Col'ege, is spending the holidays here with his parents. Mr. W. B. Witherspoon has re turned to Bartow, Fla., after spending a week here with his mother, who is ill. The many friends of Mr. Henry Reichard are glad to know he is improving after an attach of ap pendicitis. Revenue officers last Thursday destroyed a 100 gallon still and 33J gallons of beer four miles from Patterson in Caldwell coun ty. Mr. Frank Houck who has been in Detroit, Mich., for some time, is at home to spend Christmas witri his parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Houck. Mr. Fred Campbell, a student in the Atlanta Deptal College, is jrpcTTTnrrg*ffy flolictays in the city with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. G. P. Campbell. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Flagler have moved here from Jackson ville, Fla. We extend the glad hand to these good people, and welcome them to Hickory. Mrs. Albert Abernethy writes from Philadelphia that the snow wa3 3 feet deep there last week. We are glad we do not have such snows here. Mr. William Menzies, Jr., who hoids a prominent position with the Carnegie Steel Works, of Du- Quesne, Pa., is spending the holi days with his parent?, Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Menzies. Mr. Lum Taylor's store at Oli ver's Cross Roads, this county, was comDletly destroyed by fire Friday morning, the loss being estimated at $3,000 with SI,OOO insurance: The pension checks in Catawba County this year amounted to $10,124. There were four second class pensioners receiving S6O each, six third-class receiving -18, 177 fourth-class receiving v j2, and 126 widows who receive *32. A rural school convention will be held at the Baker Mountain i3:hf;ol December 24-28, 1915. A very attractive prograui has been f r>anged for the occasion. Har vest Ingathering services will be held at the school December 23, at 2 d. m. Miss Adelaide Johnson expects to leave Monday for Ashland, Vi , to attend the marriage of ler cousin. Miss Virginia Potts, to Mr. Herman Droste. Mi«£ Potts made many friends while here on a visit to Miss Johnson 1 ist summer who will be interest d to learn of 'her approaching marriage. Mr. M. M. Colehart, a trayel in«salesman of S. C., and a brother of Mrs. H. D. Wag of this city, was burned to death in a fire which destroyed a boarding house at Monroe Thurs day morning. Mrs. Wagner has the sympathy of the entire city in her sad bereavement. Last Friday morning Mr. W. C. Shell brought to his market a hog two years old that weighed 600 pounds. This is something for the farmers of Catawba to take note of, if this can be done by a man living in town why is it the farmers cannot do even wore out on their farms where they have every advantage of the town man. The stock is the red Tamborah and if they can be made to weigh 600 at two years old that is the kmd of hog to faise, Mr. Cedric Dellinger is spend ing the holidays with his parents Mr, and Mrs. J, F. Dellinger, Mrs. L. A. Berry has returned to her home at Spruce Pine after a visit to her sister, Mrs. J. F. i Dellinger, Mrs. E. B. Turner and little daughter, of Virginia, are visit ing her sister, Mr 3. W. L. Mitch ell, of this city. Mrs. Sourbeer and daughter, Miss Miriam, of Harrishurg, Pa., are the guests of Mrs. Roy Aber nethy and Miss Lenore Sourbeer. Miss Lena whfl has' been spending souie time with her uncle, Dr. W. B. Ramsay, has returned to her home in Salis bury. Mr. I. B. Covington and fami ly of Forest City, are expected to arrive tomorrow to spend Christmas here the guests of Dr. and Mrs. J. L. Murphy. Mr. Haze! Aiken of Wilming ton, food inspector for New Han over county, is expected here en a visit to his parents, Mr. ,ana Mrs, J. K. Aiken. Mr. Richard Boyd most de lightfully entertained 14 of his friends at rook Tuesday evening. The prize, a lovely box of candv, was won by Miss Lenore Sout beer. The house was beautiru'iy decorated with holiy and mistle toe. After spending an enjoya ble evening a delicious salad course was served by Mrs. Boyd, assisted by Masters Howard and Dan. The invited guests were Misses Doris Hutton, Helen Springs. Sadie Menzies, Isabella Morton, Katherine Shuford, Le nore and Miriam Sourbeer, Greta Wezen and Messrs. Charles and Donald Menzies, Johnny Cil'ey, Robert Garth, Robert McComb and Donald Shuford. The following young people have returned from college for the holidays: Misses Frances Geitner and Virginia Allen from St. Mary's, Miss Adelyn McComb from Greenville, S. C., Miss Gladys Reid from Washington College, Washington. D, C., Misses Sadie Menzies, Greta We zen, Millie Kate McCcmb and Janie Lyerly from Red Snringp, Messrs Edward Shuford, Claude Abernethy, Cecil Bost and Sher wood Menzies from A. & M , Gordon Councill, Ralph Ballew, John Aiken and Richard Shuford from the University. Henry Men zies, Voorheis Garth, Bailey Pat rick and Bonner Knox from Davidson, Charles and Donald Menzies from Donaldson Military Institute, Miss Charlotte Smith from Hollins Institute, Va. At a meeting of the city council Tuesday night City Manager S, C. Cornwell tendered his resignation to become eSective February Ist. Husband of Former Hickory Girl Dead Mr. W. K. Clark of Atlanta, a civil engineer, was found dead in a swamp in Hyde county recently, he • having apparantlv became lost and Jied of heart failure brought on by exposure The remains wure shipped to Chica go for burial. Deceased is survived by his wife, who before her marriage was Miss Maude Sigmon of this cuy, and one small child. Mrs. Clark has the sympathy of her many friends here in her sad bereavement. Entert&ins Young Musicians List Saturday afternoon the "Young Musicians" and a few invited guests met at the home of Miss Kathryn Hatcher. The program for this meeting which was very well prepared, consist ed of piano solos, duets and trios —played by the following club members: Misses Ellen Stuart Merzies, Mary Blount Martin, Edith Hamrrick, Elizabeth Calla nan, Kathryn Setzsr. Louise CiJiey, Lesta Mitche'l. Alice Ly erly, Hazel Tompson, Ermoine Sherrill. Charlotte Garth, Kvt'i ryn Hatcher, Hszel Crouch, Mas ter Fredrick Holder. In the musical guessing contest which followed, Alice Lyerly was the prize winner wrh Chp.rlottf Garth ajclose second, Christmas crackers and refreshments brought the afternoon to a jolly cicse. Next meeting to be held with Alice Lyerly. A miserly cuss told U3 the other day that he had no use for gold, and a young blood arcund town piously remarked that he never cou!d bear to look at a well turned ankle, and an sncient spinster declared she wouldn't accept the best man on earth, and of course we belieyed every word they told us. Piles Cured in 6 to i 4 Hays 5,.-ir d'uyrgist will refund mor.ey if PAZO OINTMENT fails to cure any case of Itching, JHind, Weeding or Protruding Piles in 6to 14 days. 2he hut application tives Ease aud Rest, 68c. HICKORY, N. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, ISIS Fifteen Pair Applied For in Two Days Newton, Dec. 20, — Fifteen pairs of marriage license were applied for Sat urday and today, and while four were turned down by a skeptical iegister of deeds, 11 permits were granted for the Yuletide, the register religiously guard ing the names of the secretive couples. A volume oi local history written by Pro?. Geo. W. Hahn of Hickory, show ing the part Catawba took in the Civil War, and giving sketches and pictures of hundreds of soldiers, may be placed in tlvs school libraries cf the county by I the board of edrcation. The idea, re l cently conceived, will be presented to | the board at an early date. Mack D. Miller, a farmer living near Newton, exhibited a freak chick jen here today that attracted much at tention from chicken fanciers. The fowl is a rooster of t'ie Black Minorca variety that has eschewed his sable feathers and emerged horn moulting in a coat cf snowy white, The fowl clung to his black during the first two years cf his existence and bred black chick ens. Luring the past season, after I having changed to white, he bred white chickens, and whereas there for merly was net a white chicken on the Miller farm, there are r.ow plenty oi them—-White Minorcas that ought to be b'ack. The dwelling of Mrs. Rhoda Carter was destroyed by fire here tonight at 9 o'clock, a pait of the contents being saved. Great Antiquity of Florida. For many years the origin of the peninsula of Florida has been the subject cf speculation among scientists. Some sixty years ago the great naturalist Louis Agassiz advanced the hy pothesis th.it the greater part of the peninsula had been produced during comparatively recent times by successive growth of coral reefs along its southern margin, which has thus heen ex tended farther and farther into the waters of the Gulf. A few years later Joseph LeConte re stated this view cf the organic origin of Florida and suggested that the work of corals has been largely supplemented by mud and other sediments dropped by the Gulf Stream. This hypothesis was generally accepted as correct for many many years, but in 1881 Prof. Eugene A. Smith discovered that the greater part of the pen insula of Florida is underlain at no great depth by limestones which are not the work of cor als and which were formed long before the recent epoch, For the last 34 years these fundamental rocks of Florida, often called the Ocala limestone, have been thought to be nearly equivalent in age to the Vicks burg limestone of Mississipi i and Alabama ana have been called the Vicksburg group. A short time ago C. Wythe Cooke, of the United States Geological Survey, discovered that the Ojala or sc-ealled Vickshure limestone of Florida contains many fossil remains of sea shells cf the samo species that occur in the marl? near Jackson, Miss., and that are known to have be come extinct before the rocks 11 Vicksburg were deposited. It therefore appears that the Ocala* limestone is of about .the same ige a3 the Jackson formation and is considerably older than iias heretofore been supposed. Instead cf being of recent ori gin, as was thought by Agassiz and LeConte, the Fioridan pla teau was in existence during the Eocene era —probably two mil lion years ago. Laughter Aids Digestion. Laughter is one of the most health ful of exertions; it is of great helD to digestion A still more effectual help is a dose of Chamberlain's Tablets. If you should be troubled with indigestion give them a trial. They only cost a quarter. For sale by Menzies Drug Co., and Lutz's Drug Store. WANTED—To buy hides, furs. beeswax. Highest prices paid. Write or c.-.il on J. Henry Hill, Hickory, N. C. ltpd. w/f J-(app>j (2/iristmas *J\ew to is t/ie ivisfi of t/ie officers of the -^o ie Ssan/?my dr Jrust (So. "Jhe Peoples SBank" Christmas at the Reformed Church The Reformed congregation of this ciiy recognises the birth of Jesus Christ as the greatest event in the world's history ind provides to observe the fact with suitable services. A beautiful custom cf this church is to begin the day with a service at six o'clock in the morning. This service has been held annually for aoout t?/en ty-seven years and is one of the most helpful services of the year. Persons attejadinaUhis service once desire to go the second time. It is not a Christmas entertainment, but truly a devotional service. The program for the service this year is in keeping with those' of farmer years and promises to be most helpful. A large part of the program is musical. The large choir this will render four select anthems; a n l ale quarret will sing one selection; there will be a mixed quartet and a solo by Mis. Shuford. The most inspiring Christmas hymns wiil be sung and in addition there will be a saxophone duet. This music will be intersperced with suitable scripture readings. A collection for local charity wiil be taken and it will be a most enjoyable service and everybody is invited. ' Members of the congregation and friends will bring any donations which they desire O distribute to the needy to the church and these will be deliv ered Christmas day, The entertainment by the Sunday school will be on Sunday night at sev |en o'clock. Mrs. H. C. Menzies, I whose success in training children is well known, will have charge again this year. The Brookford mission will haye their services on Christmas eve at si* o'clock. Early Services at Holy Trinity The following program will be ren dered at the six o'clock services or*- the morning cf Christmas Day at Holy, Trinitv Lutheran Church: 1. Christmas Prelude —"Nazareth'' —Gounod. 2. Carol—"Sing. This Bles.sei Morn.'' 3. Opening Service. 4. Hvmn No. 3 4 —"Hark, What Mean Those Holy Voices." 5. Solo by Mr. Cyril Huffman. 6. Anthem —"Oh, Come all Ye Faithful." 7. Christmas Address by Rev. Murray. 8. Offertory —"Holy Night'' Buck. 9. Anthem—"For Us is Born This Dav." • ' 10. Hymn No. 16. —"The New Born King." ' . 11. Carol —"Who is This Child." 12. Postlude —"Festival March," Christmas at the Presbyterian Church At the Fresbyterian Church the Christmas exercises will begin at 6:30 o'clock on Friday evening at which time the children will render a pro gram of recitations ana songs, and will be assisted by the Junior Choir. —o— Next Sunday evening Rev. C. L. Crane will preach a special Christmas sermon at the Presbyterian Church. On Sunday morning the pastor will preach at 11 o'clcck to the children. His subject will be "The Star of Bethle hem" and it will be illustrated with pictures. He requests that even the smallest children be brought to this service, as they will be interested in the illustrations. The children and young ladies are requested to come dressed in white dresses to carry out the idea of "White Gifts to the King." Owes Her Goorl Health to Cham- j berlain's Tablets. \'l owe my good health to Cham berlain's Tablets," writes Mrs. R. G. Neff. Crookston, Ohio. "Two years ago I was an invalid due to stomach trouble. I took three bottles of these Tablets and have since been in the of health." For sale by Lutz's Eriig Store and Menzies Drug Co. Decides Against Town of Morganton Morirantoa, Dec. 18- -Judge Shaw handed down a decision this week which is giving the town authorities grave concern and which may have the effect of suspending ail city improve ments. hor years here, as in other places, the property owners have been taxe.il with half the cost of permanent cement sidewalks. Upon refusal of Dr. E. S. War iick to pay his half for a sidewalk in front of his residence and of Mrs, A. C, Avery, in frcnt of Ho tel Morgan, the town brought proceeding to collect, holding the property liable, and under Judge Shaw's ruling nothing can be collected and the officials fear a' general refusal to pay for im provements. It is contended by the fearful that the owners of the lot be tween the two in question had paid their part, so they will prob ably demand the amount refund ed, and if the decision stands in the Supreme Court the town as well as other towns throughout the Scate will be swamped with suits. Attorneys Huffman and Avery for the town announced an ap peal to the Supreme Court. * * '* Since the above was put in type Judge Shaw has made a corract tion stating that he had only held that a magistrate had no ju j fisdiction in matters of this sort, ! and that the Supreme Court had held that municipalities had the | right ttf levy on property to pay for street improvements if their j charters so stated. St. Stephen-Mt. Olive Pastorate. Rev, E. J. Sox; Pastor, Christmas services will be ren dered at each of these churches, at Mt. Olive on Christmas Eve, Friday the 24th; at sp. m., and at St. Stephen Christmas Day at 11 a. m." Sunday, 26, Services at Mt. Olive . 10 a. m. —Sunday School. 11 a. m, —Chief Service with a sermon by the pastor on "Heav en's Christmas Messaße to Earth." At this time when ail j nations of the Earth are warring I and studying war, let us halt and j hear this message, that we may see how ve»*y far away from it we are drifting as a nation and as a world. Two Marriages. December 17 at the home of H.; A. Adams, the officiating J. P.,; Mr. Marion Huffman and Miss I Mattie Herman, both of Bandy's' township, this county, were hap pily married in the presence of a number of friends who come along to witness the ceremony. At the same place and by the same magistrate December 19 Mr. Robert Reinhardt of this county, and Miss Lillie Cline of | Burke, were happily married in the presence of a number of rei £tives and friends. Coughs and Colds are Danger ous. Few of us realize the danger of coughs and Colds. We consider them common and harmless ailments. How ever statistics tell us every third person j dies of a lung ailment. Dangerous Bronchial and Lung diseases follow a neglected cold. As your body strug gles against cold germs, no better aid can be had than Or King's New Dis covery. . Its merit has been tested by old and young. In use over 45 years Get a bottle today. Avoid the risk of serious Lung ailments. Druer j gists, adv't. Apples and Sausage. Remove stem end from large tart apples and take out the core and a iitt.le of the flesh of the apple. Fill the space with 2 tablespoonfuls of highly season ed sausage meat and bake in the oven until apples are tender but not soft enough to lose their shape. Serve hot. Fine for luncheon. Children and Young Part'idges. (Contributed.) Children and young partridges are much alike. They have more enemies and are subjected to 1 more dangers than most any two iiving creatures. Partridges are exposed to dews, storms and hawks. Also, the? are the prey of eats, dogs, boys and heartless men. They are constantly in danger of their lives. They have no protection except what nature gives them— weeds, grass and briars in which instinct tells them to run and hide. | Their parents are helpless to protect them in times of danger. And when about grown, they are bated intd nicely arranged traps and deadfalls. And last, but not least, they become the helpless victims of sportsmen, dogs, guns and shot. So, from first to last, their existence in the world is a ! dangerous and pitiable one.' It is so with children. They, I too, are constantly in danger of | falling, getting choked, catching contagious diseases, getting kill ; ed on play grounds or drowned in ereeks. In towns?-, it is worse. If they play on. or even cross the streets, they are liable to be killed by runaway tesms or flying automo ! biles. If they piav on sidewalks off the protected square, they are liable to be run over by bicycles, as one was the other day. Folks are in an awful hurry on wheels. But start them on foot with a package to deliver, or with a hoe to the garden, and they are gen tlemen of leisure instead of plea i sure. | It is against the law to ride on any side walk after night, yet it is done. And done with speed and impunity. And they have no more lights on their wheels than they have regard for law and human life under their hats. Children are net only subjected i to these and many other dangers, but when a little older, the devil sets all kinds of traps and snares to catch and to lead them off into : all kinds of bad habits and sports I which ruin them for life, physi- Jcally, financially and morally, So children have very little safe- I fy in this ago that is beset on all sides with dangerous temptations and snares, sins, tio, that have been licensed by Christian gov ernments—pool rooms, etc. Now the person, society, state, church or thing that thinks — with present and popular condi tion —parents can insure the safe ty of their best children, even, is simply blinded by the devil, the god of this world. If the exist ance of children, like that of par tridges, ended with this life, it would not be so bad. Yet we say we do not believe it does, while we do like it does. J. F. C. Giant Motor Guns New Defense Plan Gigantic guns mounted on mo tor trucks or railway cars prob ably will be added to the coun try's coast defense system as a result of experiments now being made by army ordnance experts. It was learned that a scheme is being worked out contemplating the establishment of mobile bat teries to protect stretches of coast lines not commanded by the permanent fortification built to or be constructed. Part of the $50,000,000 expenditure for coast defenses included in the adminis tration's program may be devot ed to this work. The European war has demon strated that high power guns can be used as mobile weapons, such, guns as the German 42 centimet re Howitzer having revolutioniz ed land warfare by the easy re duction of forts believed impreg nable. Tne experiments are to deter mine how big a gun can be ef fectively transported and trans ferred from its carriage to a con crete foundation. Consideration is being given to 12-inch, 14-inch, 16-inch and even larger weapons. Beware of Ointments tor Catarrh that Contain Mercury as mercury will surely destroy the sense of smell and completely derange the whole system when entering it through the mucous surfaces. Such articles should never be used except on prescriptions from reputable phy sicians, as tlie damage they will do is ten fold to the good you can possibly derive from them. Hall's Catarrh Cure, manufactured by F. J. Cheney & Co., Toledo, Ohio., contains no mer cury and is taken internally, acting directly upon the blood and mucous surfaces of the system. In Duying Hall's Catarrh Cure be sure you get the genuine. It is taken internally and made in Toledo, C.,by F. J. Che ney & Co. Testimonials free. Hold by druggists, Price 75c per bottle. Take Hall's Family Pills for consti pation. Anna Caldwell of Brooklyn, N. , Y,, is 100 years old. New Series Vol. I. No. 47 News of the Week From West Hickory West Hickory, Dec. 21. —The Sun day Schools of the several churches here are making preparations for nice entertainments at Christmas. A Mr. Johnson and family moved here a few days ago and Mr. Johnson has opened up a new stock of goods in the Dr. Hick's building formerly used as a millinery store by Mrs. Litten. This is the second new store for West Hick ory in about two weeks time. Looks like the mercantile ousiness must be on a boom in West Hickory, Mr. R. C. Mann and family of New ton, moved here one day last week. Mr. R, W. Williams, who has been working in Alta Vista, Va.. has return ed to spend Christmas here with his family. Miss Emma Lewis has gone tc her home at High Shoals to spend two weeks. Mr. and Mrs. Cletus Hamrick of Newton, spent several days here last week with Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Jones. Rev. W. N. Cook and son, John, have returned from the Baptist State Convention which was held at Char lotte. Miss Fannie Searcy of Mill Springs, is visiting at the home of Mr. G. W. Branch. Mr. Lowell Gross is spending the winter at Palm Beach, Fla. The West Hickory Band went to Highland Saturday to play for Mr. C. T. Morrison's lot sale. Mrs. Ethel Thomas, known as "Becky Ann Jones" as correspondent of the Mill News, visited the Ivey Mill one day last week. Nearly all the mill hands have been highly pleas ed with her letters published and they were all sure glad to meet her person ally and give her a friendly handshake. Everybody seemed to be well pleased with her visit and hope she will soon visit us again. Mr. J. P. Huffman says that two ministers from Johnson City wiil begin a series of meetings at Saint's Chapel Wednesday night and continue through the holidays. DON'T BE MISLED Hickory Citizens Should Re*»d and Heed This Adyice Kidney trouble is dangerous aod of ten fatal. Don't experiment with something new and untried. Use a tested kidney remedy. Begin with Doan's Kidney Pills. Used in kidney troubles 50 years. Recommended here and every where. A Hickory citizen's statement forms convincing testimony. It's local testimony—it can be in vestigated. Mrs. C. H. Henkel, 419 18th St., Hickory, says: "Doan's Pills, pro cured at Lutz's Drug Store, have al ways helped me when my back gets lame and starts to ache. One of the family was troubled by weak back and Doan's Kidney Pills gave great relief. I have no hesitation in recommending this medicine." Price 50c, at all dealers. Don't sim ply ask for a kidney remedy—get Doan's Kidney Pills —the same that Mrs. Hen kel had. Foster-Milburn Co., Props f Buffalo, N, Y. adv't. Christmas Holiday Round Trip Excursion Fares Via Southern Railway "The Southern Serves the South." Southern Railway will sell low round trip Christmas Holiday tickets to all points every day December 16th to 25th, inclusive, good to return until midnight of January 10th, 1916. Round trip tickets ttill also be sold to points in Illinois, lowa, Minnessota and other Northwestern States. Spend your holiday vacation with friends and loved ones. Travel via Southern Railway. Fast through trains, through sleeping cars and dining cars to all points. Let us route you by the best and quickest schedules. Don't forget the selling dates and limit. For full information, schedules, Pull man reservations and fares to any point ask any Agent Southern Railway, or write. R. H. DeBUTTS, D. P. A., 12-9-3t. Charlotte, N. C. War Upon Pain! Pain is a visitor to every home and usually it comes quite unexpectedly. But you are prepared for every j emergency if you keep a small bottle ,of Sloan's Liniment handy. It is the I greatest pain killer ever discovered, j Simply laid on the skin—no rubbing required—it drives the pain away, It j is really wonderful. Mervin H. Soister, Berkley, Cal.; writes: * Last Saturday, after tramping around the Panama Exposition with wet feet, I came home with my neck so stiff that I couldn't turn. I applied Sloan's Liniment freely and went to bed. To my surprise, next morning he stiffness had almost disappeared, four hours after the second applica tion I was as good as new," March, 1915. At Druggists, 25c*