Pray To Build Up

PRAY TO BUILD UP

Whitmore Lake from a Village to a Lively City.

THE FARMER'S PICNIC

Of the Tri-Counties Will Be Held There Aug. 28.

Whitmore Lake, July 31. - (Special to Daily Argns). - In nearly every paper you pick up you will see long eulogies on some prominent man who has "Shuffled off this mortal Coil," but we have a live man in our town who is deserving of more than passing notice and that man in Jay G. Pray of this village. Mr. Pray flrst saw the light of day on March 9, 1872, on the farm where he now lives and went to the district school until the age of 16. In 1889 he went to the Ypsilanti normal and graduated and then took a course in the Cleary Business college, after which he taught the district school here and assisted on his father's farm. His father, Joseph Pray, died in 1896, and the management of the homestead devolved on Jay. He bought his brother Charles lumber yard and conceived the idea of making Whitmore Lake boom and went to building houses for poor men on the installment plan and his business has grown to huge proportions he having built more dwelling houses in the past two years than were constructed in the 30 years previous. Men who had only enough money to buy a lot now own their own home which they paid for by work furnished to Mr. Pray, and his whole attention now is attracted toward making Whitmore Lake a city and he will no doubt succeed. Mr. Pray says we need a first class flouring mill here and he will bend his energies toward having one constructed here next season. His word is as good as any man's bond and he is universally respected for his honesty, integrity and capacity and a citizen whom Whitmore Lake is proud of to own.

E. B. Norris, wife and family are whileing away the time at Shady Nook cottage, and if you can judge by appearances they are enjoying themselves.

On Farmers' Picnic day the hotels and business men will assist in arranging boat races on the Lake among the sail boats row boats and two steamers and other amusements outside of the general program of other years will be had which will add to the attraction and amusements of the people.

Miss Blum, of Toledo, is visiting her sister Mrs. Maurice Robins for a week.

Mrs. N. E. Gilbert and daughter Millie, of Detroit, are spending a week with her sister Mrs. F. N. Barker.

Mrs. Markey, of Ft. Wayne, Ind., who has been visiting her parents Mr. and Mrs. Edward Roper, for the past six weeks, returns home Friday.

G. Tensdel, of Green Oak township, sold 300 bushels of choice apples from his young orchard last year and he says prospects for the crop this season is as good as last year.

Frank N. Barker of Whitmore Lake, and C. E. Burns are on a business trip to Frankfort. They left this morning and Mrs. Barker says it took four of them to get Frank ready and then he nearly lost the train.

A rabid dog is at large near here. On Wednesday evening he bit Chas. Hewett's dog, which Mr. Hewett soon dispatched and Edward Hewett, who saw the strange dog, says he is certainly mad as he snapped and frothed at the mouth. It's too bad he could not have been killed before he does any further damage.

Prof. L. C. Hill, of Colorado, is here visiting Prof. Frank Rane. Mr. Hill is from the State Technical School of Mines, in Golden, Colo. He is very much taken up with our summer resort and says he is sorry he could not make arrangements for a protracted stay. Mr. Hill is a graduate of Ann Arbor and for several years lived in Detroit Friday.

Charley Manly, Fred Showerman and Davie Robinson bet that one of the colored waiters, Harvey Robinson, wouldn't dare walk around Whitmore Lake after midnight, but Harvey accepted a bet of $2.50 and started off. It was stipulated that he set off four cannon fire crackers at four different points which he did and made the trip of five miles in 55 minutes and won the wager.

The officers of the Farmers' Picnic Association as follows met at the Clifton house parlors yesterday: President, Philip Duffy; secretary, Si Starks; Mr. Merrill, of Wesbter, Mr. Lovell, of South Lyon, and Wm. Ball, of Hamburg, and decided to hold their tri-county picnic on Aug, 26, provided the Whitmore Lake people would raise sufficient funds to pay expenses. Forty dollars of the amount was subscribed by parties present and no doubt the whole amount will be raised with very little effort.

John C. Rane, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs.. W. B. Rane, left here on Wednesday night to accept a position in Douglas Island, Alaska, for Hamilton Smith to take a practical course in mining at the Tredwell mines. He will stop in San Francisco a week where he will meet two of the company who hold stock in the mines and then proceed to Alaska. It is only a short time ago since John wore knee pants here but he has turned out to be a thorough business man who attracted Mr. Hamilton Snrith's attention who will no doubt push him to the top of the ladder as Mr. Smith is a millionairee.

Prof. Frank Rane, son of W. B. Rane, of this place, is home with his wife and two children for a month's vacation. Frank is one of the boys who got his early education in our little old school house and then went to Ann Arbor high school. From there he went to the Ohio State University from which place he graduated. He then took a post-gradnate course at Cornell University and was appointed professor in the state university at Morgantown, W. Va., and remained there three years. He then got an appointnaent in Durham Agricultural College, which position he holds today with honor. We are all proud of Frank for he is a self made man, who by his indominable energy and pluck has set an example which it would be well for our young men to follow.

A large number of our citizens went to Island Lake to attend the Farmers' Club picnic today.

MOSS.