Heart Lake – While near the Heart Lake pavilion on the 4th, Fred Holbrook stepped in front of an automobile and was knocked down, the machine passing over him, but the wheels did not pass over his body.  He was painfully bruised and cut, but no bones were broken.  The injured man was attended by Dr. Preston, of Montrose, and he will doubtless recover.  The party driving the machine was a lumber dealer, Mr. Welch, who operates a mill near the lake. 

New Milford/Heart Lake – A young man by the name of Decker, of New Milford, had an automobile stolen at Heart Lake on the 4th, by another young from the same town, named Howell.  He took the machine and started toward Montrose, driving at terrific speed.  Not far from Tiffany [Corners] he ran into Druggist F. D. Morris, who was driving a car and [Howell] continued full speed until near Gardner hill, where he ditched the machine, tearing off a wheel.  Mr. Morris and Decker, who was following in pursuit, drove up within three minutes afterward, but the guilty party had quickly made his exit from sight.  Yesterday, in attempting to bring the damaged machine to Cole’s garage for repairs, it accidentally went over the steep bank and at last accounts was lying at the foot of the declivity.  It is stated that Howell has been guilty of another theft previous to this one.

Montrose –Dr. Charles Decker will be fully prepared to do office business after July 15, making a specialty of treating all female diseases; also treating children for worms, bed-wetting, etc.  Urine tested for diabetes or Bright’s disease.  Electricity used on numb hands and arms.  Also during the warm weather, will visit patients in town and any party wishing to take him out of town in auto, to see the sick, will go at any time, except office hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and evenings. ALSO Montrose celebrated the 4th probably in the quietest manner since the town was started.  There were practically no firecrackers or fireworks used in the day’s celebration.  Most of the people spent the day in quietly automobiling to points of interest or with their family circle, while many a sturdy garden patriot got a coat of sunburn in using the hoe.  The shower in the early morning was followed by a beautiful sunshiny day, in which the element of warmth was somewhat lacking until the middle of the afternoon.

Rush –U. W. Larue, the Ford agent, has delivered cars to the following the past week: L. B. Pierson, Charles Green, John Benscoter, Samuel Reimel, Jesse McCarthy, Auburn; S. D. Coleman, J. S. Fitzgerald, F. S. Davis, Middletown Center; John Reynolds, Uzal Kinney, R. H. Hillis, Martin Golden and Oliver Wilbur, Rush. ALSO Among the numerous attractions at the July 4th celebration here, there will be a pigeon shoot.

Kingsley – Private Samuel Barnes, who was seriously injured while on duty at the Kingsley bridge, is reported from State hospital to be doing nicely and his foot will not have to be amputated as at first feared by the surgeons. [Major railroad bridges were guarded during WW1.]

West Bridgewater – During the shower on Friday evening, lightning struck the residence of George Shelp, rendering Mrs. Shelp unconscious.

South Auburn – The storm of Saturday evening did considerable damage around this place.  The barn of Bert Pierson was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.  It contained all his farming implements and two autos, besides other things.  A social was in progress at the Grange hall when the severe storm of wind and rain came on and almost caused a panic.  Trees were blown down, timbers and boards flying in many directions.  Those who left windows with screens in them found a good supply of water in the house on their return.  Chicken coops with tops blown off suffered from the storm.  The chimney on T. R. Place’s house was destroyed, a fine pear tree blown over, barn doors blown down, etc.  E. B. Judson lost 12 large apple trees, some broken, but mostly uprooted.  The roads, which were in good shape before the storm, are now in a bad condition.

South Gibson – In reply as to who is the oldest living person in the county, I wish you to say that Mrs. Sabra C. Carpenter, of this place, was born in Harford township, Dec. 23, 1819, making her age past 97, and the oldest person yet heard from.  Quite good health, but hearing somewhat impaired.  She is the widow of the late Timothy Carpenter.

Forest City – It was a red letter day for the members of St. Michael’s congregation.  The dedication of the church and the blessing of the corner stone of St. Michael’s church was an impressive service and made a deep impression on the large assemblage.  Monsignor Coffey gave the blessing.  In the morning there was a parade of the church societies and many other organizations.  The clergy and town officials rode in autoes.  Emro Polesnak was marshal.  His aides were Stephen Kotvan and Frank Cifersky.  A picnic was held at the Vandling grove in the afternoon and evening.

Brooklyn – Walter Force, of Binghamton, spent an evening recently with his grandmother, Mrs. Christopher [Mary] Rogers.  Walter is on a walking tour to Washington, D. C.  Owing to the loss of a finger when he was a small boy, he has not been able to enlist in the U. S. Marines, as he is very anxious to do, and by walking from Binghamton to Washington he hopes to convince the authorities that he is physically fit, as well as patriotic. He reached Washington and was successful in procuring his enlistment.

Bridgewater Twp. – The K. K. K. held their regular monthly meeting, Friday evening, June 29, at the Sprout school house, where a most enjoyable evening was spent by all.  Selden Sprout rendered several choice selections on the piano.  The Five Hundred championship was won by R. J. and H. L. Bush.  Their opponents were: M. K. Bush and L. Frazier.  Near the close a delicious luncheon was served. [The resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920’s can be found on line.]

News Brief: The custom of lifting the hat is traced back to the age of chivalry, when it was customary for knights never to appear in public except in armor.  It became a custom, however, for a knight, upon entering an assembly of friends, to remove his helmet, signifying “I am safe in the presence of friends.”  The age of chivalry passed away with the 15th century, but among the many acts of courtesy which can be traced to its influence, none is more direct in its origin than the lifting of the hat to acknowledge the presence of a friend. ALSO J. C. .Jackson, aged 78, a Civil War veteran and a resident of Harvey’s Lake, arrived in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, completing a 4,000 mile hike.  Mr. Jackson left last September and walked to Lower California.  Spending several months with relatives at Oklahoma City, he started for home, walking most of the way.  By the sale of souvenir cards and buttons he was able to pay the expenses of his trip.

200 Years Ago from the Centinel, Montrose, Pa, July 5, 1817.

*Trespassers. Broke into the enclosure of the subscriber on Monday the 30th of June last, one bright brown Mare and a sorrel Horse.  The owner is desired to prove property, pay charges and take them away.  Arad Wakelee. Lawsville, July 3, 1817.

*The subscriber is receiving from New York and selling at his Cash Store, in Montrose, a general assortment of Dry Goods, Groceries, Crockery, Hard-Ware, Cutlery, Liquors, and, in short, all kinds of Goods wanted in the country—all cheap for Cash or Country Produce.

N. Raynor.  N. B. He has also on hand a large quantity of Notes and Accounts that must be disposed of immediately.  July r, 1817

[In honoring the remaining veterans of the Revolutionary War, you will find, on our Facebook Page, an article telling of the veterans coming to Montrose to apply for pensions in September of 1832. Part 2 will appear next week.]

The Trinity Lutheran Church Child Learning Center is a non-profit business in Missouri that provides preschool and daycare services.  As the name suggests, the business is affiliated with a church and operates on church property.  The church property has a playground for the children to use which has pea gravel spread over the ground and under much of the playground equipment.  When the State of Missouri offered a grant program that allowed nonprofit organizations to apply for grant monies to install playground surfaces made from recycled tires, Trinity Lutheran applied for funds to replace its pea gravel surface with a qualifying grant-funded recycled tire rubber surface.

Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources was administering the grant program and it had an express policy that prohibited the award of grant funds to any religious applicants.  In denying Trinity Lutheran’s request, the Department noted that the Missouri constitution provided that no state funds could be provided directly to a church.  While Trinity Lutheran’s application had been ranked as a project deserving funds, the fact that the application was made by a church entity resulted in its denial. 

Trinity Lutheran then sued Missouri in federal court alleging that the denial of the grant funds based upon religious grounds violated the Free Exercise Clause of the United States Constitution.  The case made its way to the United States Supreme Court, which determined that Missouri (and its state constitutional provision) had violated the Free Exercise Clause by denying Trinity Lutheran’s application on the sole basis that it was a religious institution.

Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority in a 7-2 decision, described Missouri’s grant policy as follows: “Trinity Lutheran is put to the choice between being a church and receiving a government benefit.  The rule is simple: No churches need apply.”  Because Missouri was requiring the church to renounce its religious character in order to be eligible for these funds, the majority noted that Missouri’s policy was subject to strict scrutiny to determine whether there was a compelling state interest to justify its decision to penalize the applicant based upon its religious identity, i.e., what was the state promoting by denying grant funds solely because the applicant was a religious entity.  Missouri had no real justification save that it did not want public dollars to go to religious entities. 

In making the point that such a “religion” test was constitutionally infirm, Chief Justice Roberts quoted a speech made by a Maryland legislator in 1829 wherein the legislator was seeking to repeal a state law which prevented Jews from holding public office: “If, on account of my religious faith, I am subjected to disqualifications, from which others are free, . . . I cannot but consider myself a persecuted man. . . .  An odious exclusion from any of the benefits common to the rest of my fellow-citizens, is a persecution, differing only in degree, but of a nature equally unjustifiable with that, whose instrument are chains and torture.”

Chief Justice Roberts concluded: “[Missouri] has not subjected anyone to chains or torture on account of religion.  And the result of the State’s policy is nothing so dramatic as the denial of political office.  The consequence is, in all likelihood, a few extra scraped knees.  But the exclusion of Trinity Lutheran from a public benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our Constitution all the same, and cannot stand.”        

Is it OK to give your dog ice cream?

Shelley came into the pharmacy and she was very upset. She told the pharmacist that Winston, her 110-pound Great Dane, stole her daughter's ice cream cone and now the dog has diarrhea and seems miserable. "Now what should I do?" she asked the pharmacist.

Everyone likes ice cream but not everyone can tolerate it and that includes dogs. Like people, dogs can have lactose intolerance, which means they lack the enzyme needed to digest it. The result is a range of gastrointestinal disturbances ranging from fetid flatulence to vociferous vomiting. Lactose intolerance is not associated with any particular breed. Any dog can have it.

Ice cream is not very good for dogs and the sugar and fat do not help. And absolutely do NOT give the dog any ice cream that contains chocolate, coffee, or nuts, especially macadamia nuts. These ingredients can make a dog sick or even worse. Ice cream, of course, is made from milk. Milk has a higher lactose content than hard cheeses like cheddar and Swiss and, thus, creates more problems than do cheeses.

Currently, there are only two ways to treat lactose intolerance. Avoid dairy products completely, or consume additional lactase enzymes in the form of an over-the-counter supplement such as Lactaid™. Suffering from lactose intolerance is a bit more helpful for those of you who know how to use a toilet. But for dogs like Winston, the world is their toilet, even if it's your white shag carpeting.

While Winston is guilty of theft and hopefully Shelley will guard the family's ice cream supply more attentively, those of you who give ice cream to your dogs should ask yourself why. Rather than allowing them to have dairy products, use other ways to keep your dog cool. A bowlful of cold water with ice cubes in it can make a playful game for your dog. Overall, prevent dehydration by providing your dog with unrestricted access to fresh and cool water both indoors and outside. Frozen chicken broth or beef broth (low-sodium) encourage your dog to take in more fluids and help keep it cool. You can also feed your dog wet dog food during the summer to increase its fluid intake. There are also confectionery products made expressly for dogs, such as FrostyPaws™ and Puppy Scoops™.

The American Veterinary Medical Association also suggests other ways to protect your dog from the heat such as: Never, ever leaving your dog in the car; making sure your dog has access to shade when outside; taking walks during the cooler hours of the day; when walking, staying off of hot surfaces (like asphalt) because it can burn your dog's paws. If you think it's hot outside, it's even hotter for your pet - make sure your pet has a means of cooling off; keep your dog free of external parasites (fleas, ticks) and heartworms - consult your veterinarian about the best product for your pet; consider clipping or shaving dogs with long coats (talk to your veterinarian first to see if it's appropriate for your pet), and apply sunscreen to your dog's skin if she or he has a thin coat.

As for Winston, the pharmacist suggested that he should be given plenty of water to flush out his system and to keep him quiet for a day or two until he gets back on his paws. And no more slurping ice cream!

Ron Gasbarro, PharmD, is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Read more at www.rx-press.com