400 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY feet of timber a year and only producing 6,000,000,000 cubic feet, and the forest preserve idea is being promoted to keep some of the timber, and in a small way the parks are forest reserves. While Aborfelda is an unused private tract, there is little scenery more beautiful and the owner will be a philanthropist when it is attached to Springfield's chain of parks. It has a natural amphitheater that would seat 100,000 people, and such a place for pageantry ; however, a cloudburst and Rocky Creek would spoil the picture—sweeping the pageant under the Golden Arch and depopulating the amphitheater. Throughout Ohio and the whole country there is an organized effort along the lines of city beautification and the reservation of .rural beauty spots for public playgrounds ; it has developed in Ohio to the point of seeking the necessary legislation, and when carried it will empower county commissioners to use funds arising from bond issues in the purchase and maintenance of suitable reservations. Through this plan it is possible that Fort Tecumseh—now a military leased reservation—may become the property of Clark County. Snyder Park, embracing 217 acres adjacent to Springfield, is recognized as the Clark County playground, and John and David L. Snyder could not have perpetuated the family name in any way more acceptable to the community. It was acquired by the Snyder family in 1827, at the pre-emption price of $1.25 an acre, and through inheritance it remained in the family until it had advanced in value with the general progress of civilization, and it was a worth-while gift to the community. The gift of Snyder Park was accompanied by the transfer of a $200,000 government bond as an endowment, the income to be used in the upkeep, and the Snyder Brothers also placed $25,000 at the disposal of 402 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY the Park Board for the construction of a Snyder Memorial Bridge across the stream midway of the park. The Snyder Memorial Arch at the entrance to the park, dedicated July 4, 1905, was erected at an expense of $8,000 by the City of Springfield. As Superintendent of Parks, and in harmony with the general attitude of the community, A. K. McIntire has beautified some of the old burial plots long since abandoned for that purpose and for which the city does not hold undisputed title, the ownership vested in some defunct cemetery association. While the Park Board does not hold title to such property it has the approval of the community in improving it—showing both respect for the dead and consideration for those who live near such burial plots. Columbia Street and Greenmount are landmark burial plots, but with only a little attention they are divested of their gruesomeness and many persons spend leisure hours in them ; the gravestones are imperishable, but the bodies have long since moldered back to earth. Those buried there were pioneer citizens and there is a feeling against appropriating the burial spots with which they were familiar to purposes that would disturb the quiet and beauty—let them sleep through the ages, in lowly beds that are theirs 'till the end of time. When mothers and children while away a few hours among the gravestones and in the shade of the trees, it is not desecration ; it would be their wish in the matter, a resting place for the living and for the dead, and the Park Board has performed a community service. The Clark County Fair. Grounds is a forty-nine acre tract also open to the public as a breathing spot ; the people walk and drive as they like, and it is of easy access. The old water works property at Lagonda is a forty-acre tract used by people in that locality as a playground, and under the Kessler plan it is included in the system of Springfield parks. In 1907 George Kessler, who is a landscape engineer, was brought to Springfield and he suggested some possibilities unnoticed by citizens. He planned to beautify the whole course of Buck Creek from the city water works to Mad River—at least from city's edge to city's edge—and he also suggested certain street improvements that require time ; city planning demands attention. The City Planning Commission is separate from the park board which pays its bills from taxation, but it may work out ideas of the commission, however, the board and planning commission do not always recognize the same possibilities. Along with the abandoned cemeteries the standpipe square has been taken care of by the park board, and bordering Buck or Lagonda Creek is Cliff Park, Wittenberg Campus, Ferncliff Cemetery and Snyder Park, and Aborf elda, which means beautiful field, is only separated by a mile from this chain of nature parks—the campus and cemetery controlled by other agencies—and along the railroad tracks in the heart of Springfield is a park, restful to the eye, and a place to while away an hour. When the park board improves the boulevard that may in time supplant the race now supplying local industrial water power, it will have to acquire some acreage from Ferncliff Cemetery, or improve land not controlled by it as in the case of the abandoned cemeteries ; with a cement bottom through Buck Creek, this may become an automobile thoroughf ale of great beauty. The grade leading to Wittenberg bridge obstructs the view along Buck Creek, but a driveway under the bridge connects Cliff Park with the acreage along the stream now owned by the city connecting it with 404 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY Snyder Park, except for the holdings of the Cemetery Association. The abandonment of Wittenberg bridge and the removal of the grade would be one generation undoing the work of another, but a roadway tunneled through the grade and away from the edge of the stream is among the future possibilities. This bridge was secured as a result of continued effort, and it is a fixture in Springfield. While Snyder Park is a bequest, Cliff Park was acquired by purchase, although there was a time when it was proffered to the city. While serving as a member of the City Council in the old form of government in Springfield, it was George W. Billow who suggested the possibility of developing the waste land along Buck Creek, and when the Frey quarry was abandoned George H. Frey who had no further use for the hole in the ground from which building stone had been obtained for many years thought to rid himself of an incumbrance, but at that time the council did not recognize its opportunity. It would have been a bequest, although it was a purchase finally. When the Freys operated the quarry, there were shacks in the low ground occupied by the workmen. When they were blasting, pedestrians and nearby residents were warned of the danger, the debris would be thrown for some distance and sometimes windows were broken by the explosion. At one time the bank now traversed by Ferncliff Place extended to the edge of the stream, and it was blasting that rendered Cliff Park a possibility. The promontory still standing well west in Cliff Park may yet be utilized as a band stand. It is solid rock with but little earth covering it, although trees and shrubs grow out of it. With but little effort the ledges may be converted into stairways, and a shelter may be placed over it. There were lime kilns in the quarry, the shale being burned that was found in stratas in the building stone, and it seems that nature takes care of its own needs. When there was building stone available, and before the days of the universal use of cement, man was busy preparing this breathing spot in the heart of Springfield. There is the same outcropping of limestone from Cliff Park through Wittenberg and Ferncliff to Snyder Park—rugged scenery all the distance—and in acquiring it condemnation proceedings were necessary, the city paying full price for much of the property, and the chain is unbroken except for' about four acres included in Ferncliff. As special attorney to assist the city part extension work, George S. Dial, as assistant to City Solicitor Howard McGregor, stated that $35,000 had been expended acquiring the forty acres connecting Cliff and Snyder parks, but only an approximation was made of how much was paid for the Cliff property. When Isaac Ward opened the limestone quarry it was in front of his home—now the I. Ward Frey place on Fountain Avenue—but in order to keep his lawn, which is underlaid with limestone, intact, he soon crossed Market Street, now Fountain Avenue, with the quarry developments. On August 22, 1839, Isaac Ward acquired 192 acres, known as the John Compton farm, paying $8,000 for it. The different Frey additions to Springfield have been carved out of the Ward farm, and the story is told that Isaac Ward had one daughter, Jane Quigley Ward, and by inheritance this property became hers after she had become the wife of George H. Frey. In 1839, it became the Ward property and in 1863 it became the Frey property, and I. Ward Frey, who now owns it, was born there. SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 405 Because this property is in the heart of Springfield its history is of interest in connection with the Cliff Park story. At one time G. H. Frey offered the tract lying west of Fountain Avenue and north of College Avenue to Wittenberg with a $12,000 consideration, but the college had no immediate funds and did not avail itself of the opportunity. It later paid half that amount for an outlet to Woodlawn Avenue, and the property included in that offer is now covered with beautiful homes. When the quarry property was offered to the city it was a personal matter, but when it was acquired it was an estate and the heirs sold it to the city. While it was once the policy of the city fathers to keep down taxes, they sometimes paid more in the end than if they had availed themselves of opportunities. Progress is never made while conservatism controls the situation, although following reckless expenditures is the final day of settlement. While the Springfield Park System is a constant expense, it is a source of pleasure. The payroll is met by endowment and taxation, and the chain of parks is a splendid adjunct to Springfield, the old and the young enjoying outings there. CHAPTER XLIV REAL ESTATE—SOME HOMES IN CLARK COUNTY In a Bible story of Creation is the line : "And the earth was without form and void," and that was the condition encountered by John Paul, David Lowry, Jonathan Donnel—by all the pioneers on Mad River —and by James Demint in Springfield. When the earth brought forth grass speculation began, and today the freeholder and householder make up the sum total in Springfield and throughout the county. The settlers had their choice, but when civilization advanced they would not have known what influenced them. It was all good land in Clark County although its metes and bounds had not yet been established in conformity with present day outlines. While agriculture is the oldest occupation, trade in realty concerns many who never followed the plow, and its advance has created fortunes. Under the Henry James theory of 'single tax, the landowner would pay the running expenses of the Government, but those worst afflicted with accumulitis do not seem to fear the consequences. Accumulitis is the most contagious of all Clark County maladies, and when a man acquires one piece of property, he immediately plans to own something adjoining it. Springfield and Clark County citizens who are well-to-do acquired their farms and city homes when they were cheaper, and they have benefited from the advance in values. Sometimes they become land poor by acquiring property from which there is no income, and when they die they, do not take their broad acres with them. When the law takes hold of an estate, its division among heirs frequently results in smaller farms ; the larger farms- with acreage sufficient to designate them as estates are rapidly disappearing, and while many Clark County farms are still operated by the owners, smaller and better tilled farms result from breaking up the large holdings. Men who acquire estates have no continuing city, nor do they hold perpetual leases and no matter how well they may enjoy possession, the time comes when they must surrender their stewardship, and like all other trades and professions, real estate has its rising and f ailing markets. The increase in population has much to do with the advance in land 'values, and under the improved methods of agriculture even the waste -places are being made to blossom as the rose ; what was once seemingly worthless land has come on the market at fancy quotations. The up-to-the-minute real estate dealer is always a booster, helping to build up the community. While little is said about the cemeteries, he always points -out the schools and churches as well as city blocks and improved farm lands. The intrinsic value 'of land is regulated by what it will produce, :and along with other accomplishments the successful realtor understands soil chemistry. It takes attention to details to make both ends meet in land as well as other investments. Some successful men never would have accumulated had they not contracted debt on realty, and when one farm is paid for they buy another. While a few generations ago Clark County farmers bought land for their sons and daughters, under prevailing prices it is easier to say : "Go West, young man, and grow up with the country." While some - 406 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 407 prefer high-priced land in Clark County where it has been tested, others go into the far-country and would not return under any consideration. While but few Clark County farms have never changed hands only by inheritance, there are some well known tracts that are held in the third and fourth generations. While Jonathan 'Pierce once owned 3,500 acres of land in Madison Township, there are still 500 acres that have been in the family name since 1812, and "Mohawk Farm" in Moorefield has been in the Clark family three generations, notwithstanding the ultimatum that fortunes run out in the third, generation—that it is only three generations from "shirt sleeves to shirt sleeves." Of the 15,190 homes in Springfield, according to the figures of the Ohio Building Association League, 6,795 are owned by their occupants while 8,392 are rented, although "for rent" signs are growing more numerous, housing, costs having reached its peak and lower rentals being promised in future. While 6,798 homes are owned by their occupants, at least half. of them are mortgaged, some citizens thinking it easier to pay interest than rent. When debt represents useful expenditure it becomes an investment, and in time title is acquired to property. The 1920 census report indicated that more than half of the 24,351,676 families in the 'United States were living in rented houses, showing the need of men of vision to advise them. It is related of Ross Mitchell, who left an estate in Clark County, that he bought his first property with money borrowed on a life insurance policy ; when he came into the employ of B. H. Warder, the founder of the Warder fortune in Springfield, Mr. Warder recommended to him such an obligation. When one debt was liquidated he contracted another, and when he died he possessed eighteen farmsteads and much valuable Springfield property. He acquired the property while it was cheap, and his posterity is benefited from it. Through good investments he acquired a competency. He was a connoisseur in many lines, and had collected an excellent private library. ARCHITECTURE IN CLARK COUNTY While the primitive American dwelling was built of logs, and the log house predominated for some years in Springfield, it is related that in 1807 Samuel Simonton erected the first frame house in town, and one account says that William Ross built the first brick house on the southeast corner of South and Market streets in 1814—seven years later—but it seems to be an open question. It was known then as Murdock's Corner. Mr. Ross was a partner with David Lowry in shipping pork to the New Orleans market, but Dr. John Ludlow credits the first brick house in Springfield to John Ambler. In 1815 Ambler built a two-story brick house at the northeast corner of Market and Main streets, the site of the Lagonda Bank. It was at once a dwelling, a tavern and a store and a few years later when Mr. Ambler was county treasurer, before there was a courthouse in Clark County, his office was in it. In 1869 the building was taken down and there is no definite record of the Ross house. When two Springfield real estate men were discussing the lack of business activity, one quoted : "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink," saying many were investigating but none were investing. They were waiting for the drop that seemed inevitable, citing the examples of men who had bought f arms at inflated values, assuming 408 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY mortgage indebtedness, and who were paying for them with lower prices for their products, and prices were being held up in an effort to protect them; the time to buy is on the decline of the market. It is related by Albert Reeder, in his booklet published in 1910, that the real estate now occupied by the Springfield Arcade was once offered in exchange for a cow, and another offer was made of the same plot to cancel a small debt, but both offers were declined, and it is agreed that foresight is sometimes a minus quantity. REALTORS' CONVENTION When the Ohio Realtors convened in Springfield, October 12, 1921, they were enthusiastic about local business conditions. The president of the association, who hailed from Youngstown, described the live real estate dealer as a positive asset in the community ; when he has the requisite vision to insure his own success, the community benefits from it. The realtors assembled were regarded as "the livest wires" in the state, and President 0. E. Hawk, in leaving, commented thus : "In paved streets, public utilities, character and quality of stores, lighting system, police and fire protection and other things which go to make a city a desirable place in which to live, Springfield compares favorably to any 300,000 city. We were royally entertained, and I am sure that every delegate was made to f eel at home by the Springfield realtors, who left nothing undone to make the convention a success." While Paul E. Nollen had served as chairman of the Springfield Realtors leading up to the convention, A. A. Helmuth was chosen president, and it was decided that men in other lines of business would be asked to become associate members, boosting Springfield along with the realtors. Mr. Nollen was given a silver pitcher in recognition of his activities in making a success of the convention. As the cabin was followed by the frame house, and later the brick house had its day and the stucco was a happy way of remodeling all of the others, the builders' art makes beautiful homes a possibility. While there are some very old houses in Springfield, in the better residence sections they have been replaced with modern mansions. In Enon there are many attractive old-time homes that are still in an excellent state of preservation—perhaps more quaint houses in Enon for its population than in any other Clark County town. There are houses in Enon built low to the ground, and standing flush with the pavement that hark back to other days, and the casual visitor is impressed with them. When making the rounds of Clark County towns, no other town shows that marked architecture of other years like Enon. There are old-time rural homes that have served their clay and generation, and yet with Clark County families remaining on their farmsteads those old homes are not abandoned—and their quaint architecture renders them most attractive. Some one writes : "The rural fireside—the furnace-heated home—notwithstanding some of the political spellbinders seeking the vote of the factory men, is still the hope of the country." There are many rural homes perched high on natural building sites where drainage is not a problem ; the dooryards and barnlots are dry because of natural conditions. While the pioneers lacked vision when clearing their farms, and only a few left any of the original forest to shade their dwellings, there is a civic spirit manifest today, and people are inclined to beautify their surroundings both in town and in the country. SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 409 The Pennsylvania plan of building a good barn and allowing it to help pay for a better house has spread to Clark County ; with a good barn, farm products are cared for better and a saving effected, while the house is more in the luxury class. When motherhood was more popular and there were larger rural families the larger house was provided about the time they were through with it. In 1826 James Todd built a brick house in Greene Township that is not much altered ; it was built when the country was thinly settled and was considered a mansion. In the days before community welfare had become an organized charity, it was almost always the home of some one who could lay claim to no other home. It was literally a refuge for the lame, the halt and the blind, and in this way the family was fortunate—here the children were born and lived until they reached maturity, and went out from choice into their own home—a privilege not often vouchsafed to families today. Since walls have ears, there is a wealth of family history in those old rooms. In the Todd family genealogy there is a description of this house. Since 1917 there has been a different ruling with regard to the sale of delinquent tax title land in Ohio, and in Clark County the result is beneficial. When tax titles were sold as soon as the property was listed as delinquent, the land sharks were attracted to the sale, but under present conditions the delinquent is given f our years in which to redeem his property—save himself. The changed law benefits struggling land owners, land certified in 1918 not being available to land sharks until 1922, and Auditor W. C. Mills notified the delinquents of their opportunity until finally only about one dozen properties were open to shark investors ; it was the first opportunity of observing the effect of the law. The ninety-nine year lease is now incorporated into Springfield real estate history. The Springfield Building and Loan Association, which owns part of the realty on which its building stands, obtained the first ninety-nine year lease on the other side, the owners not caring to dispose of it. The Bancroft Hotel improvements were made under provisions of the second ninety-nine year lease operative in Clark County. In speaking of the growing popularity of this system of leasing, H. S. Kissell said that a lease secured in 1921 would expire in 2020, and such leases require careful planning in order not to complicate affairs ; they must provide against changed money values within the century ; to provide against changes in currency, it is incorporated into the lease that the money of the standard weight and fineness fixed by the United States mints at the time the lease is drawn, and it requires prophetic vision to safeguard an estate for so long a period. Such a lease provides an annuity, and relieves the owner of the oversight of such property. There are now a number of such leases in Springfield. SOME UNUSUAL HOMES While the family planning a new domicile once consulted the carpenter, and he constructed the house, the modern house requires the careful supervision of an architect—it is more complicated than the house once built by the carpenter ; it requires the blueprints and relief maps, and the carpenter is not usually a draftsman. While the building code controls the style of building, and the modern house in the downtown section must be fireproof in order to reduce the rate of insurance, there is a great deal of latitude—both in material and in architecture. All 410 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY four-story business houses must be fireproof, and while Springfield has frame buildings in its residence districts, it has been singularly free from conflagration. In speaking of native materials, Robert C. Gotwald said that the glacial region afforded sand, gravel and limestone. While Springfield is underlaid with limestone which used to be regarded as building stone, this is the age of concrete and crushed stone used in cement still provides a market for. the product of the quarries along. Mad River. While Springfield has few brick residences, stucco is a compromise and is coming into popularity as a finish ; while not entirely fireproof it offers some advantages over the frame house. There are not many bungalows—only properties built to sell—that style of building has never been a .craze in Springfield. The bungalow is principally roof and foundation, and Springfield is not a bungalow town. While Springfield is a city of commodious residences, there are some outstanding homes and they are in different localities. When the P. P. Mast home on West High Street was built in the '80s, he thought to establish a trend in that direction for the better home in Springfield ; while the house cost $225,000, nothing else in its class was built in that locality. The Mast home was built in the style of the period when house building was changing from the plans submitted by the carpenter to those drawn by an architect. Labor was employed by the day, and there is some expensive built-in-furniture, the sideboard in the dining room being spoken of as unusual for the period. Mr. Mast was his own building superintendent. When the house went on the market, it was bought for $15,000 by the Knights of Pythias and is now utilized as a home for aged Pythians. It is separate from the K. of P. Children's State Institution, although controlled by the same lodge. Mr. Mast even built a street railway past his home, but he was unable to attract expensive residences to that part of town. The B. H. Warder home, built in the early '70s—the high priced reconstruction period following the Civil war—was not so much an effort SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 411 to attract expensive homes Lagonda way, as that he might live near his own business interests. While it is not in the strictly fine residential section, it always has been an outstanding residence property. The Warders were connoisseurs and this home was a social mecca. It is commodious still although no longer a Warder possession. In the '90s came the A. S. Bushnell home of Romanesque architecture, and with its spacious grounds and wall surrounding it, the picture lingers. While the property represented an expenditure of $350,000, the time came when it went on the market for the last five figures in its initial cost—a sacrifice to an estate, but a benediction to the community. In 1900, the end of the century period, came the J. S. Crowell home —Colonial or Georgian—of English type, and while built as a cost of $200,000, the time came when it went to another and at about one-fourth the original investment. In 1920 came the J. L. Bushnell home of Italian Villa architecture, and built at an expenditure of $400,000, and occupied by the builder—an attractive spot—and all over Springfield and in some of the other Clark County towns, are beautiful and expensive homes. The Dutch Colonial type of architecture is in favor, and in Ridgewood some oversight of the class of building holds the residence district to distinctive architecture. The extremes are seen on East High StreetSkibo Castle and Italian Villa. The modern house must have the mirror and powder puff accessories in the kitchen, or the servant girl difficulty becomes a problem, and society has enough perplexities. It is an old proverb : "Know thyself," and the modern version includes a knowledge of the habitation. While there are wide streets and commodious homes in South Charleston and New Carlisle, they do not reflect definite periods. There are some outstanding rural homes as Whitehall and White Oaks, and innumerable comfortable farm homes as there are spacious city residences that are not departures from custom. While the city has its sewer system, the drainage is a consideration at the rural homestead. While the ideal rural condition is reflected in the lines : "A nice little farm well tilled, A nice little house well filled, And a nice little wife well-willed," Whitehall, the home of E. S. Kelly, is described as the old-time commodious mansion modernized, and a replica of the farm shows it to be unusual in its appointments. While Whitehall proper is in Greene County, the estate extends across the Greene-Clark County line, and the business interests of its owner are in Springfield. While 'Whitehall was built in the '50s, it was built for the future. White Oaks, in Bethel Township, the home of W. N. Scarff, is distinctive as a farmhouse, and it is not often duplicated anywhere in its style of architecture. At White Oaks every room is in front, the house elongated and the view of the road is unobstructed from the kitchen in one end to the music room in the other, the dining room, living rooms and parlor in their order, with chambers above, and isolation is not a feature—the house is not built four-square, with some of the rooms cut off from the changing world. There is a spacious front porch, and the 412 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY rear, with western exposure and sleeping porch arrangement, is protected its entire length with a porch, the approaches bringing the indoor and out-of-door advantages together—an ideal summer living condition. The shade at White Oaks renders the lawn inviting, and it is an outstanding country house. While the modern apartment building has its distinctive appeal with no snow to shovel, no furnace to tend and nothing to do in connection with the housing problem but to mail the monthly remittance, Springfield families have adhered. to the family residence idea until on Washington's Birthday, 1922, The Southern Apartment Building on South Limestone Street was opened for inspection. It is the only 'fireproof apartment, and is billed : "The latest and greatest step in Springfield's progress." It provides for twenty-four families, claiming that a three-room apartment in The Southern is equal in point of. convenience to the average five and six-room house ; the kitchenettes are provided with. cooking range, fireless cooker, refrigerator and built-in cabinets, but colony life leads away from the American idea of the separate family home, and old-fashioned hospitality is lost sight of. when the family no longer has its separate and distinctive home environment, the restaurant in the building relieving the housewife from domestic drudgery. Some one writing on architecture says : "The dweller in an apartment imagines there is an advantage in a house, and to satisfy the craving for two stories the builders have made duplex apartments," and in Springfield some of the old-fashioned commodious homes have been made duplex in order to accommodate tenants. While bungalows are not popular in Springfield, the house-dweller desiring simplification has sometimes resorted to the bungalow rather than the duplex or apartment. The woman who keeps house on two floors knows she consumes considerable time and strength on stairways, and while six rooms may be had with less expense three rooms down and three rooms up, the modern housewife favors more roof and basement foundation thus eliminating stairways. Whatever the house, it should harmonize with its surroundings and those who build houses should understand landscape gardening. The modern idea is to study inside arrangement leaving outside appearance as a secondary consideration as applied specially to windows. The furniture was once relegated to the corner, but now the bed is placed between windows and the sleeper has the out-of-door pure air at all times. While the bathtub was once a luxury, it is now regarded as a necessity, and furnace heat, gas or electric light, telephones, the automobile—the modern house contemplates all of them—and while the wealthy leisure class introduce such things in time they are commonplace, and families in ordinary circumstances enjoy all of the advantages. When commodities become common, they are a benefit to society and advance civilization. In writing on the subject, Mrs. Lida Keck. Wiggins of Springfield says : "Perhaps nothing about the modern steam-heated or furnace-heated house is more deplorable than the lack of an open fireplace. Many of the finer houses have chimneys and fireplaces, and order firewood each autumn, the owners being able to provide themselves with this luxury. * * * Nothing is more soul-inspiring and heart-warming than a fire of backlogs piled high, and burning merrily. A wood fire is 414 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY one of the things the majority of mankind has lost out of the real comforts ; what wonderful dreams have arisen from the contemplation of the open, roaring fireplace. To sit before such a blaze not only produces inspiration and beautiful dreams, but it is conducive to a greater friendliness among those who form the circle about it. * * * The fire-place presupposes comradeship—community spirit, and 'the cares that infest the way melt in the warmth of the open fire. * * * The doings of the day, its pleasures, its successes, its sorrows and even its defeats are more easily talked over in such a genial half circle of understanding than in a bleak room without a spark of living fire in evidence. * * * The' open fire ! The open road ! The open heart !" but why not add : "Backward, turn backward, 0 Time in your flight, and make me a child again." While some have returned to the customs and comforts of the past, and the open fire and the candlestick are again in favor, a recent writer exclaimed : "Our apartments and homes are snug, upholdstered and as childless as possible. * * * We lounge in overstuffed automobiles instead of using our God-given legs ; we prefer a pale-pink drapery-hung feather-bed existence, and we scorn the activities in which the house apron and the cotton shirt are donned ; we keep the Victrola playing sweet or violent music in order to escape thinking about realities. * * * Our craving for the comfortable, upholstered life is causing the eugenists to sound the alarm ; they fear for the future of America," and yet Springfield thinks of itself as a conservative, progressive American city. So much for the home life of the community. In the way of its community and public buildings,. Springfield's architecture is in keeping with the advance apparent in the study of its private homes. While the Lutherans outnumber other denominations, as yet they have no expensive church edifices. Both the Lutherans and Presbyterians are planning modern downtown church edifices with something of the institutional ideas incorporated as well as utility ; they are to be community centers with athletic and sport advantages. The Catholic churches display a distinctive type of architecture, inclining to the perpendicular Gothic. The High Street M. E. Church is of rural English type with a particularly fine setting, and it has been heralded abroad in postcards. It is said the Central M. E. is the most expensive church in Springfield. It is modern Gothic with the turret emphasized, and the church marked by a spire today belongs to the past in the history of architecture. It used to be said that spires pointed heavenward, but more detail is now worked out in windows and built-in organs. The one-room church auditorium is replaced by the modern building with facilities for accommodating all phases in community development, and the sixty Springfield churches, as the rural and smaller town edifices, are the center of energetic groups of community workers. The Springfield City Hall, built in the '90s, is the Romanesque type of public building, and in its day it was a creditable structure. The West County Office Building is Romanesque, and the remodeled courthouse shows a changed style of architecture,. and speaking of the- rooms occupied by the Clark County Historical Society, some one said that if Dr. B. F. Prince lived long enough a modern art building would grace SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 415 that corner, while the soldier monument will always teach its lesson of patriotism on the other quarter-square—the military square designed by James Demint as the business center of Springfield. Among fireproof office builders are the Bushnell, M. & M., Mitchell, and the two of more modern construction—Arcue and Fairbanks—and the Boston and Kauffman stores occupy modern fireproof structures. The Springfield High School, patterned after the Congressional Library, is a fireproof structure, and owing to the "Million Dollar Bond Issue of 1921," Warder Park, Northern Heights and the Highland schools are promised fireproof buildings. The State Benevolent Homes located in Springfield are architectural models, the Knights of Pythias Children's Home and the I. O. O. F. Home, each costing $500,000, while the Masonic Home was built at an exepnse of $1,000,000, and thus Springfield is highly favored ; its institutional life is an asset to the community. CHAPTER XLV MAD RIVER—CLARK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETIES While it did not leave extensive record of its activities, it is known that in 1870 an organization was effected calling itself The Mad River Valley Pioneer and Historical Association, and its president, the Rev. A. H. Bassett, said : "To rescue from oblivion interesting facts and important information would seem a duty which we owe to those who come after us. The present is indebted to the past, and so the present should provide for the future. Today has the benefit of yesterday's observations and experiences ; so should today preserve and carry forward its accumulated information for the benefit of tomorrow," and while there is record of, but one meeting after the, organization of the society, it was worth while because in January, 1871, Dr. John Ludlow read a paper : "The Early Settlement of Springfield," which by many is regarded as a classic—a comprehensive resume of the past at that time in Clark County history. However, while under the spell of the Mad River Valley Pioneer and Historical Association, the Hon. Thomas F. McGraw prepared a review of the Shawnee Indian overthrow at the battle of Piqua Village which was in readiness ten years later when the Clark County Veteran Memorial Association sponsored ,the centennial and sham battle there. The anniversary was planned by the following. named committee : Captain Alden P. Steele, Col. Howard D. John, Andrew Watt, D. C. Ballentine and William H. Grant, who were empowered to appoint sub-committees, and the McGrew paper was the feature of the anniversary meeting, August 8, 1880, and held at the site of the battle between Gen. George Rogers Clark and the Shawnee Indians. When appearing before the Mad River Valley Pioneer and Historical Association in January, 1871, just half a century before this summary in 1921, Doctor Ludlow said: "While generations follow generations like the waves of the sea follow each other, the great business of life still goes on, and the age in which we are now living is truly a progressive one. It would seem that the Lord is leading us as his chosen people. Refinement and civilization are rapidly advancing, and the comforts of life are multiplying to a wonderful. degree. It now seems that the genius of the American people has reached its consummation. "We see the toilsome sickle and scythe laid aside and the harvest being gathered like pastime. The toil and the fatigue we used to endure in working the transformation have been turned into. the business of pleasure and recreation. We fly in gilded palaces in every direction with the swiftness .of the flight of birds. We are reclining and sleeping on cushioned seats and spring beds. Steam propels our ships on the ocean and it has brought the distant nations of the earth to our doors. The heathen nations are learning to imitate the progress of our _civilization. We have added the use of the wonderful telegraph, and time and space are annihilated. We talk with people beyond the seas with tongues of lightning with the same ease as we speak to them face to face. The .useful and curious art of photography has been invented in. our day, wherein the shadow of substance is made to leave its likeness as types - 416 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 417 upon paper," and with that facile pen wielded in the beginning of so many things, what would such a man have written with radio demonstrations about him? The Mad River Valley Pioneer and Historical Association accomplished two things—inspired the Ludlow and McGrew papers, thus taking care of the historical development leading to the Clark County Centennial, in 1880, and it no doubt fostered the Fourth of July demonstration in Spring-field in 1876, in connection with the first American Centennial celebration in Philadelphia. However, the community seems to have husbanded its vital forces to be expended in connection with the centennial observance of its own beginning in history. Another centennial was drawing near, and in 1897 the Clark County Historical Society was organized and in readiness f or the anniversary of the settlement of Springfield, which celebration it fostered and carried through successfully, enlisting the whole community in it. There was a Grand Army of the Republic Art Loan and Midwinter Fair in Springfield, opening December 2, 1895, and closing the first of January, 1896, and penciled on the margin of a program is the statement : "The organization of the Clark County Historical Society grew out of this fair," signed R.—perhaps W. H. Rayner. Almost two years later a f older was issued, dated Springfield, December 15, 1897, bearing the following statement : "The Clark County Historical Society has for its object the collection and preservation of information relative to the history of Clark County and the State of Ohio, and accumulating objects, relics and art collections of historic value, with such books, papers and documents of information as may relate thereto," and in its existence of more than twenty years the Society has collected relics rather than manuscripts. For a time the Clark County Historical Society held quarterly meetings, and when interest dwindled it changed to the annual meeting basis and still a few of the faithful assemble to perpetuate the traditions and the facts in local history. On December 6, 1921, W. W. Keifer and Henry L. Schaeffer both addressed the meeting and neither left on file any manuscript containing the address. Sometimes papers are read and withdrawn, the writers promising to do further work and file them with the Society. However, some papers are available for reference and historical newspaper clippings are on file there. Almost from the beginning the society has occupied rooms in the east county building where it has a valuable collection of relics, a clause in its constitution reading: "In order to concentrate and preserve relics of other days many of which are scattered throughout the county, it is deemed proper to provide a suitable room or rooms with proper care for the relics of historic value and open to the general public," and the rooms are kept open from 9 o'clock in the morning until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. For a time the curio collection was housed in an unoccupied room on the second floor of the Clark County Courthouse but it rapidly outgrew the space allotted and the entire east county building was set apart for it. Mitchell Post G. A. R. with headquarters in Memorial Hall was active in assembling the relics now in custody of the Historical Society, the original relics committee being: Ira W. Wallace, 0. N. Bartholomew and Silas Crowell. Dr. B. F. Prince was the first president and has served- continuously. Silas Crowell was the first secretary and T. J. Caspar was the first treasurer. In its recent working organization it Vol. I-27 418 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY has been Doctor Prince as president ; George W. Winger, treasurer, and W. H. Rayner has been more than secretary. He has been curator, spending his time from 9 :00 till 4 :00 in the rooms and explaining, curios to the many visitors. When his health forced him to remain away, many persons called who were unable to see the collection until a substitute in the person of E. E. Shuirr was secured, who was very familiar with it. Mr. Rayner was active in adding to the collection, always soliciting visitors to bring things. In the event of the dissolution of the Historical Society, some of the relics would revert to the donors, but an effort would be made to house all of them in some public place as the collection has a distinctive educational value—it connects the present with the past in Clark County. "Old Curiosity Shop" describes the museum collection accumulated in the rooms of the Society, and articles now treasured as relics were once utility things and necessary in every household. There are candlesticks, lamps and lanterns ; there are lamps for grease or lard oil—tin lamps ordered from the tinner and no longer on the market, and the tin lanterns with punctures for the light—a mere flicker, but when coal oil was first on the market the price was prohibitive—$1.40 a gallon—and thus candle molds, spinning wheels, innumerabl articles in the collection reflect methods of living in the log cabin days of Clark County history. Many things treasured in the rooms of the historical society were brought across the Alleghenies when the settlers were coming into the Old Northwest. While the society does not encourage temporary loans—does not care to assume responsibility for the property of others—it has many things of intrinsic value from the homesteads of the pioneers—the Spinning piano, the first one in Springfield being in the collection. The membership dues are $1 a year and there are incidental expenses. The Clark County Historical Society cooperates with the Ohio Archgeological and Historical Society and more attention has been given to the museum than history. However, when Mr. Rayner has shown a visitor the collection, he knows its history. The society holds title to a quarter of an acre of land upon which it is planned to construct a Clark-Tecumseh monument, the bequest of Leander J. M. Baker, a son of F. M. Baker, who, by marriage with a daughter of Daniel Hertzler, came into the ownership of the battlefield. The tract is without definite boundary, occupying a knoll west of the Hertzler mansion now called Fort Tecumseh because of its military occupation by Springfield companies of the Ohio National Guard. This knoll overlooks the Valley pike, railroad and traction lines. To the gift of Mr. Baker W. W. Keifer, who owns the farm, has donated a half acre to make the approach and the landscape about it. This tract was the peaceful abode of a people gone from the land of their fathers never to return, and when a monument is erected it will show to the world what the wilderness patriots did for humanity. SPRINGFIELD CENTENNIAL Few communities have more centennial occasions than have been vouchsafed to Springfield and Clark County, the community joining in the celebration of the first American centennial July 4, 1876, conducting a Clark County centennial four years later and in 1901 the cen- SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 419 tennial of the organization of Springfield was observed with a program continuing one entire week, the historical society cooperating with the entire community. Since then two centennial dates have been. passed but without demonstration, the admission and the name of the county, Christmastide, 1917, and the establishment of local government a week later, January 1, 1918, making five centenary milestones along the highway of civic progress. In 1900 action was taken in the Clark County Historical Society, and its president, Doctor Prince, conferred with Mayor C. J. Bowlus, Joseph Spangenberger, president of the Springfield City Council ; John W. Burk, president of the Board of Trade, and W. H. Schaus, president of the Commercial Club, and March 13, 1900, the citizens met in the Council Chamber and organized, naming Judge F. M. Hagan, Doctor Prince, Dr. John H. Rodgers, Capt. E. L. Buchwalter, John Foos, W. H. Schaus and D. Q. Fox as a general centennial committee. The committee then organized, naming Judge Hagan as its president, Doctor Prince, secretary, and Mr. Fox, treasurer. The deliberations of the committee resulted in a decision to recognize all lines of business and the professions, as : City government, the bar, the medical profession, religious organizations, the press, education, commercial interests, manufactures, labor organizations, agriculture, fraternal organizations, the military and women's work and organizations, with competent committees in charge of the different interests. On December 3, 1900, all subcommittees were called to meet with the general centennial committee, when the special duties of each committee were outlined, and the centennial program was discussed, and at an adjourned meeting, December 18, the committees reported progress ; a number of people were considering the celebration, desirous of making it worthy of the city. While the survey of Springfield was made in March, the celebration was planned for the first week in September, but the conflict with Labor Day caused an earlier date to be chosen, the program beginning August 4 with the Religious Day features. The Clark County Fair Ground was the place of the celebration, and with Governor A. S. Bushnell at the head of a finance committee, and I. Ward Frey named as director, the whole celebration was a success. An interesting feature of the celebration was the building of a log cabin as a replica of the Demint cabin, the first human habitation' in Springfield. While the community built the cabin, its custody was given to Lagonda Chapter D. A. R., who furnished it in quaint and ancient fashion, and Skibo Castle, now the property of C. F. Jackson, is the reconstructed cabin built in the fair grounds at the time of the Springfield centennial. The colored woman living in Skibo Castle has many visitors, who are influenced by curiosity in their investigation, and many have erroneous ideas concerning it. While it is not in conformity with the style of architecture on East High Street, Skibo Castle stands as a reminder of other days in Clark County history. This cabin was removed from the fair grounds by Gustave and William Foos, who then owned High Street property, and it was a matter of sentiment. While Mr. Jackson does not regard it is a good investment because it frequently needs repair, community sentiment seems to be in favor of it—a page from the history of the past, and the present owner will either discard it or spend a little money improving it. 420 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY In the book, "Centennial of Springfield," is a resume of the activities centering at the cabin at the time of the celebration, written by Miss Mary Cassilly, who was then historian of Lagonda Chapter D. A. R., and she mentions the cradle brought to the cabin, in which Mrs. A. S. Bushnell, who organized the chapter, had been rocked, saying many mothers laid their babies in it because of its history. "The fireplace with the cooking utensils of a century ago was complete in every detail, in fact, nothing was omitted in the cabin, even strings of dried apples, peppers and herbs were hanging on the rafters, and there were red wolf skins on the walls. The cabin looked comfortable and home-like, and in the evening, when the candles were lighted, it was very quaint and attractive." On Military Day, when more than 10,000 people were in attendance, a present, past and a candidate for Ohio governor, Bushnell, Nash and Kilbourne, visited the cabin, and Governor A. S. Bushnell, who was in the past tense, said it was the first time such a thing had occurred in the history of the state. Mrs. James Kilbourne, regent of the Columbus Chapter D. A. R., accompanied the party, and a reception was held for her in the cabin, the local daughters wearing caps, kerchiefs and aprons. The weather was favorable the week of the celebration, the exercises were unhindered by storm or rain, and many people enjoyed the program. There was a balance in the treasury when all obligations had been met, and it was turned over to the Clark County Historical Society. The project originated with the Historical Society, and $202.89 was the amount it received after the successful celebration ended, and surplus is better than deficit in any enterprise. Springfield had its beginning before Ohio was admitted as a state, and in 1903 there was a state-wide centennial again, the program ending with Admission Day, February 9, 1903, the activities centering in Chillicothe. CHAPTER XLVI FOREIGN BORN CITIZENS OF CLARK COUNTY While the Clark County Historical Society has investigated many phases of local development, as yet it has not given detailed attention to its foreign population. If the present influx of outsiders to Ohio continues, said a local newspaper, it will not be many decades until native sons will actually be in the minority. The last Saturdays in the months of March, June, September and December of each year are fixed as the days upon which final action may be had on petitions for naturalization. According to the Interchurch Survey, the foreign-born population of the United States is about 17,000,000 with 20,000,000 others of immediate foreign extraction, and since the birth rate among the foreign-born is higher than that of the native-born, about one-fourth of all the children in the United States are of foreign parentage. There are about 1,500 foreign language publications, and that explains why foreigners do not learn to speak English. Mrs. Lillian Russell Moore, once an American stage beauty, was commissioned by the United States Government to investigate conditions among possible emigrants before they come to American, and she recommended more care on the part of the United States in admitting them. Once the immigrants were from northern Europe, but recently they are from southern and eastern Europe, and instead of sending foreign missionaries there is a field in this country. It has been discovered that about 5,000,000 foreigners in the United States have refused to take out citizenship papers, and it is difficult to understand why any one should want to live in this country who does not want to become a citizen. While many immigrants want to become Americans, few of them abandon their own language ; they live in groups and converse among themselves in their native tongues. While many Clark County citizens are only a few generations from the emigrant, perhaps the first influx of new blood among the settlers was the Irish, but they are so identified with community affairs that their alien birth is no longer considered, although the local Irish population has been much interested in the advance of Irish independence from England. JEWS IN SPRINGFIELD When asked who was the first Jew, and when he came to Springfield, Gen. J. Warren Keifer said : "The Jews were here early, I want to tell you ; they have been here pretty continually," and then he had mental concept of the first one, although the name was elusive; it was Michael Kauffman—an Irish name given to a Jew. However, further investigation showed that Michael Kauffman followed Israel Wolfson, although Kauffman is remembered better. He was a clothier in Springfield, but little is known about Wolf son. Jacob Wolff, born March 31, 1846, in Germany, is the last of the original Jewish colony in Springfield. He has been in Springfield since 1866, and is the only living charter member of Temple Ohev Zedukah, organized in 1869 by Reformed Jews. Mr. Wolff was once an Orthodox Jew, but long residence in this country has - 421 - 422 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY caused him to conform to American customs, to observe the spirit rather than the letter of the law, and he worships with the Reformed Jews. There are about 125 Jewish families in Springfield both Reformed and Orthodox—about fifty-fifty, say representatives of both factions, and conforming to the census report on average American families, they number four and five persons to the household. Among early Jews in Springfield were : Abram Aron, who came in 1853, perhaps not long after the arrival of Wolf son and Kauffman, and soon after came M. D. Levy, Louis Stern, Samuel Altschel, Sr. all of them Orthodox until after a time they became more liberal and affiliated with the Reformed Jews. While Ohev Zedukah congregation was organized in 1869, the temple now occupied by it was built in 1917, and it is strictly modern. It has a pipe organ, and excellent music is furnished by a mixed quartet of singers, the regular service being held Friday evening. The Orthodox Jews in Springfield worship in Temple Chessel Shad Ames, and each congregation maintains a local rabbi. Temple Ohev Zedukah has Rabbi Simon Cohen, while Temple Chessel Shad Ames is served by Rabbi Samuel Shapiro. While synagogue is the old-time designation of the Jewish house of worship, Temple is now in common usage. The Reformed Jews use the Union Prayer Book for Jewish Worship, the Hebrew and English rituals being in parallel columns. Through the social order B'nai B'rith the Ohev Zedukah congregation keeps in touch with current questions, and in open meeting Rabbi Cohen discussed the Ku Klux Klan. While it is said that the Jews constitute two per cent of the entire population of the United States, they are less than one per cent of the population in Springfield. The Reformed Jews are best known to the public, and through long years of residence they are Americanized ; they conform to local customs. The Orthodox Jews are a later acquisition, and they are still Oriental in their forms and ceremonies ; however, most religions are from the Orient, this country only laying claim to Mormonism, Dowieism and Christian Science. They require the kosher to superintend their diet, but since it is a matter of education as the Orthodox Jews become Americanized they are less dogmatic, as in the instance of Jacob Wolff, who changed his adherence. Most Springfield Jews are naturalized citizens. While "Rich as a Jew" is a common expressidn, and the Jews are agreed that interest is a great invention, the Jews are not in control of the finances of the world. While there are occasional outbreaks of anti-Semitism, the merest propaganda, these attacks are not of religious inspiration ; they arise from the fallacy of charging the Jew with an ambition to rule the world. The Springfield Jews cooperate in all community movements ; they were active in all war measures, and they bought their share of Liberty bonds ; they do not hold themselves aloof from community requirements. The Jews take care of their own unfortunates, contributing to the National Tuberculosis Hospital in Denver, and to the Jewish Orphans' Home in Cleveland. When the nation-wide campaign was announced to raise $14,000,000 for the relief of the starving Jews in Russia growing out of war conditions, the Springfield quota was $11,000, and the Jews immediately set about raising the amount among themselves. Springfield Jews celebrate the different feast days and holidays, and they always are represented in Jewish conventions. Their numbers are overestimated because they are SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 423 in business and come into direct contact with the public. There are some octogenarian Jews in Springfield. The Jewish burial plot is Section G in Ferncliff Cemetery, centrally located and kept in splendid condition: Many Jews who die in other cities are brought back to Ferncliff. It is estimated that ninety per cent of the Jews in the United States live in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, New Jersey, Missouri, Connecticut, California, Maryland, Michigan and Indiana, and they are watching developments in Palestine under British and Jewish occupation, and in studying sacred. history local Jews say that Jesus was crucified by order of a Roman Governor—that crucifixion was unknown among the Jews, and yet—well, the record bef ore Pilate, who was a Roman, is available to those who wish to know for themselves. Springfield Jews are interested in Hebrew Union College which has graduated 250 rabbis, and, under the leadership of Mrs. Simon Cohen, the women of Temple Ohev Zedukah are raising funds for it. CHINESE RESIDENTS The word citizen seldom applies to a Chinaman ; he is less inclined to secure naturalization papers than other foreigners. When H. G. Marshall opened a laundry in Springfield many years ago, people advised him against it ; they said it would be a losing venture. At that time the Jews and Chinese were the only foreigners in Springfield. There were f ortythree Chinese in town then, but recently they are fewer in numbers. While the Japanese open restaurants, the Chinese adhere to laundries. However, local Chinamen no longer use the old-time "Chinese Laundry" hieroglyphics ; they use pencil and paper, allowing patrons to write their own names when leaving parcels. ITALIANS IN SPRINGFIELD While no statistics are at hand, it seems that Anthony Papania was the first Italian to locate in Springfield. He came in the '80s, according to the "best recollections" of local Italians. Among the early families are Papania, Rosselli and Riggio, and there are perhaps seventy-five Italian families in Springfield. While Amato, Bosco and Longo are well known Italian names, they are later acquisitions to the community. Many are venders of fruit and confections, and while many of them speak English, let a little inquiry be made among them, as this interview, and they immediately discuss the situation among themselves in Italian. The Stroller writing for a newspaper told of Joseph Panania, who for twenty years had been a shoe cobbler, sitting on the bench in one shop until he used enough wooden pegs to make a tree, and enough metal tacks to make a railroad iron; he had used miles of shoemaker's thread, and broken hundreds of needles. Upon a basis .of 300 working days in one year, Papania had averaged handling five pairs of shoes in a day, and in twenty years he repaired 30,000 pairs of shoes. In that time he had seen hundreds of patrons come and go, and still people come to his shop who came there twenty years ago. The little boy with copper-toed boots now brings in his number ten shoes for repairs, and the little girl who brought her tiny slipper was bringing a French heeled shoe, and thus not all the Italians are fruit venders. While most Italian families affiliate with Catholic 424 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY churches and schools, some have intermarried with Americans and have educated their children in the public schools. Anthony Cerisi was the first Italian in Springfield to volunteer in the World war, and the Italians bought Liberty bonds along with other citizens. Springfield Italians are musical, and Edward Papania sings in grand opera. He has had special training in Italy. GREEKS IN SPRINGFIELD A recent survey of the Greeks in Springfield developed the fact that the first Greeks in the community were three Lagos brothers, but in 1905, when the Vlands brothers arrived, they had gone from the community. There is now a "live wire" community of Greeks, and Jerome Courlas, who is a leader among them, estimates their number at 250, with very few Greek women among them. Through the Hellenic Union Club, Mr. Courlas had accurate knowledge of most Greeks in Springfield. Because they all belong to the Greek Orthodox Church—a form of Catholicism—the Greeks mingle more or less with the Bulgarians, Roumanians, Servians, Prussians and Armenians, worshipping together in Columbus and Dayton ; they have no church in Springfield. It is religious rather than social recognition, and young Greeks begin the naturalization process as soon as they are located in America. Many Springfield Greeks have already acquired full citizenship. They were the only group of foreigners who marched in the war chest parade when Springfield Red Cross activities were claiming attention. Twenty-seven Springfield Greeks entered the service in the World war. There are fifty-seven Greek business establishments in Springfield, ranging from shining stands to theater management, with confectionery and restaurant enterprises leading among them. It has come to the time when the Greeks feed the community. Greece is a small, but populous, empire, and the ambitious Grecians find better advantages in the New World. While they enter mercantile pursuits in their own country, the Greeks in Springfield do not become clothiers or dry-goods merchants. While Athens is a center of learning, many of the young Greeks secure an English education at night school in Springfield.