Social Life on the Farm. 377 



really is he, in some countries, called a vulture. And the skunk — 

 ought lie to have a chance to live, ho eats so many worms that 

 would injure grain and orchards — but he eats the eggs of the 

 ground birds and they, too, cat worms, if they can live. And 

 once a year you go to the fair, the county fair. Is that passe 

 and always the same ? To us, perhaps, but how new and wonderful 

 to the children, and they should all go, there is so much to see and 

 learn. One boy notices the machines, and how they differ from 

 those at home ; one the cattle and sheep and the paintings, the 

 beautiful pictures; while the little girl likes the grandstand, be- 

 cause she is interested in horses and still more in people. It is 

 new and interesting to them and is part of their education, and 

 you will never begrudge the time or the money years after, when 

 you look back. And you go to the circus with its trained animals 

 — seen in one brief clay - — but talked about for weeks and months 

 and perhaps years after by the children and their mother. Not to 

 see it seems like defrauding them of pleasure they might have 

 had. There may be evil in a circus, but children will not notice 

 it much if their fathers and mothers are with them, and call their 

 attention to the good and not the bad. 



You have Christmas trees, where every child in the neighbor- 

 hood has something; and Thanksgiving dinners, when the children 

 come home and you invite old friends and new. " You are the 

 first one who ever invited me to Thanksgiving dinner and asked 

 me to bring all the children," says a lady, " and I was so glad. I 

 would rather stay at home with them than come without them." 



A good many years ago three children were burned to death in 

 a home in Elmira. while their father and mother were gone to a 

 dance. The next morning they were looking for their bones in the 

 ashes, and the husband said to the wife: "If you had stayed 

 at home and taken eare of your children thev would'not have been 

 burned up; " and the wife replied : " If you would have stayed at 

 home with me I should not have wanted to go." Many interests 

 in a community are great, but greatest of all are the children, 

 for on them the future of the world depends. They care for your 

 sympathy and your company, now, while they are young, but if 

 they do not have it, and get other friends, later thev do not care. 

 "Do not worry them with fault finding or needless commands; 

 troubles will come soon enough, which yon cannot help them 

 bear. The gulf of absence will open between yon. 



