The greens keeper at Dunwoodie says that the greens have been mowed four times since the latter part of September, when in ordinary seasons the grass is mowed for the last time until spring. The condition of the course is about the same as in May, according to the greens keeper. Up in Bronx Park the grass has not been mowed recently, but it is unusually long for the time of year, and so it is in the other city parks. The same condition prevails in the nearby cemeteries. Out in New Jersey a fine crop of grass is in evidence. Farmers in the vicinity of New York are saving on their usual bills for winter fodder, for with the spring weather and the long grass the animals can pick up a living out of doors. III NEW YORK, Dec. 31.--An order for $2,000,000 worth of shrapnel, to be used in the war in Europe, has been rejected by the Commonwealth Steel Company of Granite City, Ill., it was learned to-day, because Clarence H. Howard, president of the organization, believes warfare should not be recognized. Mr. Howard, who lives in St. Louis, is known all over the country as the "Golden rule steel man," because he tries to run his plant in accordance with the Golden Rule by sharing profits with the employes. He is stopping at the Biltmore Hotel. Although he talked freely of the trouble in Europe, he frowned at the report about the $2,000,000 shrapnel order, and then said with blazing eyes: "Why, our company would not accept an order for $15,000,000 worth of shrapnel! The war itself is a bitter shame. It is something that does not belong in the general scheme of enlightened humanity. If men would only think in unison, and think purely and strongly for the abolition of war, it would stop. There should be a general movement in the United States in this direction. "When I was a youngster I left my home in Centralia, Ill., to win my own way in the world, and my mother gave me five maxims--one for each finger--which I since have followed with great profit. They are: "'Seek company among those whom you can trust and association with whom will make you better. "'Never gamble or go where gambling is done. "'Never drink or go where drinking is done. "'As to smoking, it isn't so bad as drinking or gambling, but take my advice and let it alone. "'When in doubt about where to go, stop and ask if it would be a good place to take your mother.' "Platitudes, eh! Some might call them that; but they have brought me happiness, and they have brought happiness to others. Not long ago I sat down and figured how much I had saved by not drinking, gambling, or the like. I figured it out at $1,000 a year, and it had been 30 years since my mother gave me the advice." III. Notes