Paint, Poles, Religion, Soap and Calves ☺

 I always figured that the lead in lead-based paint was a secret ingredient.  I thought no one acknowledged it was there on your furniture, walls and toys until clever scientists in the 1970's figured it out. Looks like lead was a selling point and a promise, tho.

The Dutch Boy was a familiar trademark that we all associated with this kid, remember? ►

That Minnesota was the center of utility pole supply makes sense when you think of all the logs that were floated down streams and rivers in Minnesota.  Not every tree was big enough to be used for lumber, but that wouldn't have kept them upright in the woods.  Just think: "..15,000,000 poles holding up the wires of the Bell System" in 1924 (probably replacing the fence posts that farmer co-ops used).

(I tried googling the current pole numbers, but couldn't find any statistics.  I assume there are other sources these days, too).

And this, from the diocese of St Cloud and beyond, useful words like interdiction, promulgated and ascertaining, to make the message clearer.

 That Papal Interdiction.
Bishop Marty, speaking of the Papal interdiction against the order of the Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows and Sons of Temperance, said that the decree had been promulgated throughout the St Cloud diocese on Sunday.  Asked as to what the conditions were upon which those already members of these orders would be allowed the rites of the church he said that it would depend upon the extent of their association with these secret societies.  It was recognized that many carried insurance in these societies.  It was not intended to deprive them of the benefits of this insurance, and the request for a consultation with the bishop or pastor was for the purpose of ascertaining whether they could not continue their membership in a purely formal manner--St Cloud Times
Although Little Falls is in the St Cloud diocese, the decree was not promulgated in the local Catholic churches.  It is likely the decree will be read next Sunday.

 You'd think that selling something called Santa Claus Soap would automatically produce images of sleighs and a jolly chubby elf. The images in this ad send such mixed messages. I suppose there were bad ad agencies back then, too.

This clipping makes me laugh every time I see it.  "Antoine" Hesch would be my great grand uncle, Paul's brother, and the son of (immigrant) John Hesch from the second clipping. John waited 3 months to post an ad, but Anton fed that calf for a whole year before he advertised.  I wonder if this was a legality--that you had to make a 'sincere' effort to find the actual owner before you could sell the animal or make sausage of it. I suspect so.