A glance in the rearview mirror

January 1922—Telephone neck. Foiling robbers. Adventurer travels 3 years to enlist

by Mary Jo David

The following news excerpts are from January 1922 editions of the Stockbridge Brief-Sun newspaper. These are mostly reproduced in the original, without edits or corrections. Visit the Stockbridge Library to view electronic copies of old local news publications dating back to 1883.

Farm Dollar Cut 62 Cents: The farmer is today receiving for his principal products a lower level of prices than he received in 1913 and 1914, before the war. … It takes 100 bushels of oats today to pay for a new barrow or a single harness. Thirty bushels would have paid for the barrow in 1913 and 45 bushels would have supplied the cost of the harness.  –1/5/1922

One in Ten Will Write “Jan ‘21”: January is the month of mistakes as well as resolutions. At least ten percent of the physicians of Michigan during January 1922, will continue to date birth certificates 1921 … Such incorrect dating of birth certificates adds a year to the age of the child; it may make the child appear to be born out of wedlock; or it may permit parents to force the child to leave school a year too early, to get working papers illegally; and make boys liable to military service before their time. –1/5/1922

To the Voters: Stockbridge Township Voters will vote on enlarging the School Distract at the Spring Election.  … This is preparing the way to a Consolidated School, and is proposed to give a larger tax unit. … We surely want our boys and girls to have every educational advantage and consolidated schools is the only way that the country schools can compete with the city schools. –1/12/1922.

Who’s to Blame: Now and then we hear auto owners complaining that residents of the rural sections are growing “so cantankerous they won’t answer a civil question by a motorist.” The farmer must get his sleep between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. and it doesn’t sweeten his disposition any to have some motorist coming along at midnight turning a spotlight into his window, waking him to inquire road directions …  –1/12/1922.

What do you think? QUESTION: Do you think that the holes in doughnuts should be larger, and if so, why? WHERE ASKED: Stockbridge. RESPONSES: [We’ve run out of space, so stop by the Stockbridge Library and ask to see the responses in the January 26, 1922, issue of the Stockbridge Brief-Sun!]

LOCAL/PERSONAL—Jan. 5, 1922 edition:

• Gregory: The wrecking of the corner store, owned by H.T. Howlett, began Monday morning.
• Gregory: E. Kuhn moved into the room over his store last Thursday.
• South Bunker Hill: Miss Myrtle Mackender began teaching at Leslie this week.
• Local: Andy Palmer has reason to be proud of his bunch of chickens. He has 270 black leghorns which during the month of December yielded him about 5,000 eggs—some record.

LOCAL/PERSONAL—Jan. 12, 1922 edition:

• Clear Lake: Some time last Thursday night hoodlums cut out a screen and canvas covering a door to the kitchen in the Boy Scout mess hall at Clear Lake and stole or destroyed about $50 worth of property. There were evidently three persons in the gang and they made coffee on the range, afterwards used the dishes for target practice and also shot holes in several large dish pans hanging on the walls.
• Munith: The parsonage barn was sold for $40 to Harry Dixon, and will be moved to the Sackrider Farm.

LOCAL/PERSONAL—Jan. 19, 1922 edition:

• The Home Guards held their last meeting at the home of Mary and Dorothy Daniels.
• Who said hard times? For Xmas Jas. Berry sold five pianos, one player piano and six phonographs at Jackson, Leslie, Mason, Stockbridge, Munith, Blissfield, and one to Farmville, Virginia.
• Ladies are warned to beware of the telephone neck. It is due to long standing at the telephone with the receiver at the left ear, causing an involuntary leaning of the head to one side. It is more noticeable with those living on party lines, and surgeons declare the result is liable to be a crooked neck generation in the near future. Of course no lady in or around Stockbridge will contract this disease.

INTERNATIONAL / NATIONAL NEWS

January 5, 1922 edition:

• Rifles for Legion Posts: American Legion posts wishing to stock up on obsolete rifles and blank ammunition for use in funeral ceremonies may obtain them from corps ordnance officers, United States army, under the provisions of an act of congress.
• New Way to Foil Robbers: Holdup men who have been specializing in the robbery of bank messengers and pay-roll carriers will not rejoice in the invention of the latest security satchel … In the lid it carries a monster bell, operated by two dry cells, which are capable of ringing the alarm continuously for six hours. … The alarm can be heard for a distance of half a mile.

January 12, 1922 edition:

• Carl Lehman of Ann Arbor, prominent attorney and former prosecutor, together with his family, were celebrating the coming of the new year … young son Arthur, 14 years old, wanted to shoot off the family shotgun. … To see what the lad would do when the gun “kicked back,” Mr. and Mrs. Lehman stood back in the house to watch the fun. Twice the boy shot it and then hearing suppressed laughter from the house he turned half way round, himself laughing, and in the excitement, pulled the trigger, the charge landing in his father’s left thigh.

January 26, 1922 edition:

• Arctic Adventurer Travels Three Years to Enlist: Nome, Alaska—An arctic adventurer, B. D. Seaman sailed into Nome from the frozen north recently, and, not knowing that the war was over, tried to enlist in the American army so he could fight in France. Seaman said he has been three years getting to Nome from the Coronation gulf country, which lies far east on Canada’s Arctic coast, and during his journey had received no news from the outside world.