From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Jan. 5, 1914:

• “Lawrence awoke suddenly this afternoon to find in its midst no less a personage than the Hon. William J. Bryan, secretary of state of the United States of America. It took considerable persuading and manipulating of ropes and strings this morning to bring the Great Commoner to Lawrence for even a short stay of a couple of hours…. The secretary came to the university town from Kansas City to address the students and town’s people at a special gathering in the university gymnasium…. The coming of Mr. Bryan was not known until nearly noon when word was received that the Secretary would ride a special train out of Kansas City immediately after a luncheon…. Mr. Bryan is en route to Topeka where he will address the State Democratic Banquet this evening. The receipt of the word that Mr. Bryan was coming occasioned some speedy preparations in Lawrence. The Gymnasium was prepared to handle the crowd, autos were secured, committees formed and everything was in readiness for the making of the best possible use of the time the Secretary could spend in Lawrence.”
• “Fifteen new pupils reported for enrollment when the city schools opened today. This was more than entered at the opening of the schools after the holidays last year. ‘Things started off very satisfactorily,’ was Supt. F. P. Smith’s comment today. The two thousand pupils of Lawrence public schools went back to their classrooms with smiling faces today. The children seemed glad to come back to work after the two weeks’ rest.”
• “In a fit of insanity yesterday afternoon Henry Westerhaus, Jr., a farmer living two miles east of Eudora, attacked his wife with a hammer, beat her severely about the head and then slashed his own throat with a razor dying almost instantly…. Westerhaus is said to have been afflicted with a mania for singing religious songs for the last ten days. Neighbors say that he has been acting strangely for several weeks although they did not realize the seriousness of his condition. It is said that the man was heavily in debt and it is suspected that he has been brooding over this fact and as a result became mentally deranged.”
• “All day yesterday and today with each incoming train the students poured into the city to reenter their University work after a two weeks’ rest at home…. All of them seemed glad to return, those from the small towns because there is more to do and those from the cities because they need rest from the strenuous social activities of the Christmas season…. It is expected that after this week the social affairs will experience a slump until after the last exam of the semester is over. Few class dances and no dances in the gymnasium will be held before the end of the half year’s work.”
• “The large number of Lawrence housewives who attended the cooking school conducted by Miss Peet last May, under the auspices of the Journal-World, will be delighted to learn that she is to return to Lawrence and will conduct another cooking schools. Miss Peet’s practical methods and entertaining lectures were considered very helpful, and Miss Peet’s pleasing personality won for her many friends while she was in Lawrence. When a number of requests were received for another cooking school it was decided at once to secure a return engagement…. Miss Peet believes that there is no finer work in the world than home making and housekeeping, and she believes that girls should be thoroughly trained for this work. She says no matter how high a position a girl may occupy she always has need for a thorough knowledge of home making and housekeeping principles and she will never regret being trained along this line.”