164 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



of the people, and which, it seems to me, must 

 have a great effect in bringing about an amicable 

 adjustment of the Kansas difficulties. It shows 

 conclusively that those difficulties have l)een oc- 

 casioned by the enormous frauds attempted by 

 the pro-slaveryites in that Territory. 



We have had here during the past week a sing- 

 ing party, composed of some thirty or forty per- 

 sons from Reading, Mass., who style themselves 

 "The Old Folks." They dress in costumes from 

 one to two hundred years ago, and sing mostly 

 the old music that you and I heard when we were 

 children — we wont mention how long ago that 

 was, lest we should be ranked with the "old folks." 

 They have given several concerts at the Odd Fel- 

 low's Hall, a large room capable of seating at least 

 1200 people, which has been literally crammed, 

 and hundreds have left the door, there being no 

 room inside for them. I believe the performers 

 compose a musical class, taught by a Mr. Kemp, 

 of Reading, formerly of Boston, who is styled in 

 the programme "Grandfather Kemp." He is a 

 very pleasant, gentlemanly man, and manages his 

 class most admirably. I attended the Thursday 

 evening concert, and was very much interested in 

 the performance. It was i-eally refreshing to hear 

 sung, in perfect time and tune, and by some of 

 the best voices I have ever heard, "Denmark," 

 "Majesty," "Shurburne," "New Jerusalem," &c. 



They also sung, with great effect, "The Dying 

 Christian," "Strike the Cymbal," "The Star Span- 

 gled Banner" and the Marseilles Hymn. When 

 "Coronation" was sung, "Grandfather Kemp" in- 

 vited the audience to rise and join them ; he said 

 he wanted every person in the room to sing. The 

 request was complied with so far as rising was 

 concerned, and I should think every one who 

 could sound a musical note, put in his or her 

 share, for such an 



"All hail the power of Jesus' name," 



I have never heard before, and hardly expect ever 

 to hear again ! They closed their performance by 

 singing, at the special request of the audience, 

 better than I had ever heard it sung before, 

 "Home, Sweet Home." The whole performance 

 was most admirable, and I was carried back — no 

 matter how many years — sometimes laughing and 

 sometimes — not laughing! I have formed the 

 acquaintance of Mr. Kemp, and some others of 

 the company, and they are true Yankee honest 

 men and women, and an honor to old Reading 

 and the old Commonwealth ; God bless them ! 



I have not said much about farming in this let- 

 ter, but as soon as spring opens, and I commence 

 my spring work, look out for a letter about my 

 tbj.-ee-quarters-of-an-acre plantation. 

 Your faithful friend, 



B. B. French. 



HOME ON THE FARM. 



The farm preserves the family in its integrity. 

 The home has in that charming word, and that 

 more charming thing, the fireside ; around which 

 parents and children gather, and where the bright 

 and cheerful blaze upon the hearth is but a true 

 type of the flame of love that glows in every 

 heart. The parents have been drawn together, 

 not by sordid motives of wealth, or by the ambi- 

 tious desire of social display, but for "the person- 



al qualities seen in each other. The glory of that 

 fireside to the husband is that the wife is there, 

 and to the wife that he is there, who is head of 

 the woman and the band in that home circle. 

 Here they gather at morning, and at noon. Their 

 board is almost always surrounded by the same 

 circle. Here they spend the long winter evenings 

 together, enlivened with the school-books cf 

 children, the newspapers and journals and worki 

 of history and science. A constant homogeneous 

 influence goes forth from this circle to the hearts 

 that are moulding there. Parental vigilance 

 guards the young against wicked companions. 

 If the religious influences are right in that home, 

 they will grow up to be good citizens, to be the 

 pillars of society, wherever their lots may be cast. 

 The sons follow the business of their father as 

 soon as their labors are available. They are with 

 him in the field, and by the way, and at home. 

 They form industrious habits, and are prepared 

 for the responsibilities of life. — American Jo ir- 

 nal of Education. 



For the New England Farmer. 



ILLUSTRATIONS—POCKET PRINTING 

 MACHINES— A MEAT-CUTTER. 



I am very happy to see in the Farmer notices 

 of many valuable inventions, and drawings of 

 many of them. While some of your more suspi- 

 cious subscribers are inclined to the belief that 

 you receive pay for so doing, and thereby save 

 the proprietor or inventor the cost of advertising, 

 and at the same time secure the more favorable 

 notice consequent upon an editorial puff, the 

 most of us, who are not always looking behind 

 the faces of probabilities for the chance of seeing 

 a possibility, look at them as given to us at a 

 cost and trouble on your part, for which your 

 only compensation is the satisfaction of benefiting 

 the numerous readers of the Farmer, whose in- 

 land location and home industry prevent them 

 from going abroad to examine the new works of 

 inventive minds. 



But let me request a little more full explana- 

 tion of the more complicated machines as they 

 appear in your columns, that I may be able to un- 

 derstand their operations without re-inventing 

 the same in my imagination. 



I recently heard of a pocket printing machine 

 — who can give us more light upon the subject? 



You also gave us a drawing of a meat-cutter — 

 probably simple, but we don't all u rstand its 

 operation. 



If I am not already taking too much of your 

 space, I will describe a meat cutter already in the 

 hands of every farmer, viz.; a board two feet 

 long and wide enough to hold your meat. Jack 

 Frost, and a common plane. Let your meat be 

 packed or piled closely on the board, let Jack 

 freeze it tight, and then, with the plane, in a few 

 minutes one can chop sausage or pie meat for a 

 regiment ; and my word for it, you will not find 

 square meat" upon the table. P. J. 



Middlesex, Vt., 18oS. 



Remarks. — The suppositions of our corres- 

 pondent in regard to the manner of our publish- 

 ing cuts in the Farmer, are correct. The en- 

 gravings which we give our readers are an ex- 



