WASILLA NEWS
Published by the HERNINC. FAMILY fob the people in and near KNIK and WASILLA, ALASKA
VOL. I.
MARCH, 1918
No. 10
ODD TIMES THESE
Maybe We are Learning
a Valuable Lesson
1X7HEN you come to think it over
’ ’ this is a funny time in which we
are living. Not only from our stand
point but certainly with regard to our
customers. (>ne thing in particular
strikes us as amusing and, of course,
it must be blamed directly, with many
other unusual things, on the Big War.
We feel sure you can remember
many a time when some storekeeper
didn t happen to have just what you
asked for in stock but told you he had
something just as good and possibly
at a I etter price. Maybe you bought
what he offered you and perhaps you
didn't. But anyhow, he might have
keen I lamed for substituting. That
word has bothered a lot of us because
it is only human nature that when a
merchant don’t happen to have in
stock just what is called for, he will
naturally try to sell you what he has
got.
'I he funny part of it all is that right
now Unt ie Sam is engaged in one of
the biggest campaigns of substituting
that has ever been inaugurated in the
Instorv ot this country. < )l course,
he's right, because we are now forced
into a position where we have got to
subscribe to the fixed laws of supply
a id demand and (he right kind of an
\merican is substituting something for
everything that is vitally needed to
mpply our armies as well as our allies
and bring this War to a victorious end.
We are having a splendid chance to
find ourselves and to learn in a most
practical way to he satisfied with half
a loaf rather than no bread at all. Vou
may feel sure die national necessity
i 1/eing felt all along the line and if
don’t make a particle of difference
whether we are forced to use cotton
innica*! of wool <ir corn instead ol
v lxat w arc 'loiin; the iiplil tiling' by
out country an<! ahoitl'l not uritmble
altout it We are inclinerl to believe
itial maybe the bij.' necessity will work
out foi i'no‘1 cvrn after all tli*- lipid
mjj i o- ‘ i We may fin<l sonic mighty
(tie ami satisfying tilmtiitiU’s foi lie*
ihlii;/ we have been ai'ClIslottieil to
o JO)/ aiel all of IIS profit by the * * * | e*
ni te e \t an late, let its <lo out pail
(l ■ a hit' job hat e oil llaiel
HARVEST IN FLANDERS
By Louise Driscoll
In Flanders’ fields the crosses stand—
Strange harvest for a fertile land!
Where once the wheat and barley grew,
With scarlet poppies running through.
This year the poppies bloom to greet
Not oats nor barley nor white wheat.
But only crosses, row by row,
Where stalwart reapers used to go.
In Flanders’ fields no women sing,
As once they sang, at harvesting;
No men now come with scythes to mow
The little crosses, row by row.
The poppies wonder why the men
And women do not come again!
In F'landers, at the wind’s footfall,
The crosses do not bend at all,
As wheat and barley used to do
Whenever wind went running through.
The poppies wonder when they see
The crosses stand so rigidly!
O God, to whom all men must bring
What they have done for reckoning,
At harvest-time what byre or bin
Have you to put these crosses in?
What word for men who marched to sow
Not wheat, but crosses, row by row?
Alas! Our tears can never bring
The men who came here harvesting
And come no more! We do not know
What way the singing women go,
Their songs all still! But crosses stand
Bow after row in Flanders land!
Pick-Ups
Many a man exempted from military
service will one day he exempted front
political service.
Il is really expecting too nincli of a
thrift stamp, Harold, to try to make
il serve as Idler postage and draw
interest, too.
The cnthargn on sardines is lifted.
Coincident, it will he noted, with the
(lilting down of passenger service.
When the wives go into polities at
least it should strengthen home title
for the husbands,
Von nevet can tell Many a man’s
power of diction sneettmhs to his
wife's povvci of coinradietion
More \meiieans than ever ate likdv
In go to I'tlinpe tint veto hill the
wallets will not rolled a> malty lips
A proud lineage may be a social asset,
but many a family "tree bears nothing
but wall flowers.
Judge a man's true worth by what he
has in bis heart rather than by what
he has in his pocket.
It would help the country, too, if we
could inaugurate a grouchless Mon
day. _
Keep cool! The weather man is doing
his best.
It’s hard to see the truth in this wicked
world, and it's bard for some people
to tell it when they do see it.
BY POSTAGE STAMP CODE
Information that tire (iovernment has
discovered that < Icrman agents in litis
country have sent military informa
tion to Merlin hy means of codes de
rived f;om arrangements of postage
stamps has been placed before the
American Stamp Dealers' Association.
The codes said to have been discov
ered hy the naval authorities were for
warded from New York, letters con
taining prearranged stamps being
mailed to a Centra! American country
and there remailed to neutral ports of
Kurope, eventually reaching i iermanv.
The persons responsible for this torm
of espionage are declared to he known
and the censors' methods subsequent
to the discovery ol the codes are tie
signed to prevent repetition.
Postage stamps with their multitude
of variations ot si/es. colors, dettomi
nations and so on are particular!)
adaptable to code usage.
LITERALLY UNDERSTOOD
"It's ,i o>l<l world!" sijjlwd the melau
cholv citizen.
"Yes," replied Mos t‘avenue "Hut
don't von think llt.tt now and then we
on*;ht to talk about somethin*; he-tdc
the wealhet and the cost ot fuel
LACK OF TACT
"hick t|iieeted himself with Maine
wlnai lie tried to compliment het on
llei hands
••ilow so?"
"She is proud ol thru hem*; -o
anall and lie told het tliex weir sun
pit rural "