NOTES  AND  COMMENTS. 
Thanks  and  Good  Will. — From  Thanksgiving  to  Christ¬ 
mas  !  Is  there  any  period  during  the  year  when  the 
days  fly  past  so  swiftly  ?  And  is  there  any  period 
when  the  best  thoughts  and  feelings  of  our  hearts  are 
so  called  to  the  surface?  It  is  no  wonder  that  we  are 
all  ready  to  make  good  resolutions  for  the  year  to 
come,  at  its  beginning,  for  we  are  in  tune  then  with 
all  that  is  highest  and  best.  Scarcely  have  the  praise 
and  the  giving  of  thanks  for  the  mercies  of  the  year 
and  the  bounties  of  the  Harvest-Giver  died  upon 
our  lips  ere  we  are  called  to  give  thanks  for  the  greater 
gift  that  blessed  the  world  when  the  angels  sang  of 
glory  to  God  and  good-will  to  men.  The  good-will  to 
men  which  redounds  to  the  glory  of  God  possesses  us 
during  all  the  passing  weeks  of  the  closing  year. 
Thanks,  adoration,  good-will  toward  our  brother,  and 
resolutions  for  a  better  future  follow  each  other  natur¬ 
ally.  Could  we  but  carry  this  atmosphere  of  generous 
feeling  toward  humanity  throughout  the  year,  we 
should  add  large  measure  to  the  sum  of  the  world’s 
happiness. 
Holiday  Gifts. — Times  change,  and  we  change  with 
them  ;  yet  since  when  has  it  been  true  that  holiday  giv¬ 
ing  savored  of  indelicacy  ?  We  fancy  that  it  is  largely 
a  desire  to  say  something  a  little  different  from  what 
others  are  saying  that  leads  one  writer  of  the  day  to 
point  out  that  any  gift  of  value,  “  with  its  intimation 
of  obligation  transferred,”  carries  with  it  a  savor  so 
undesirable.  That  rich  gifts  from  a  superior  in  station 
or  wealth  may  at  times  oppress  the  receiver  with  too 
strong  a  sense  of  obligation  is  no  doubt  true,  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  when  there  is  neither  excuse 
nor  especial  reason  for  gift  giving.  But  at  the  beauti¬ 
ful  season  set  apart  by  our  customs  to  the  giving  of 
gifts,  no  one  who  has  the  true  Christmas  spirit  of  un¬ 
selfishness  and  good-will,  can  weigh  the  value  of  his 
gifts,  to  see  whether  he  has  either  given  or  received 
too  much. 
THOSE  OPEN  EYES. 
I1EY  may  see  considerable,  but  a  few  things  they 
may  not  see :  the  contribution-box  passed  on 
Sunday ;  the  points  in  the  sermon  leveled  at  them  ; 
the  manceuvers  of  the  choir  during  prayer  time;  neigh¬ 
bors  with  a  real  inferiority  of  purse  and  a  fancied  in¬ 
feriority  of  brains,  when  met  in  public  ;  the  demon¬ 
strations  of  joy  after  election  by  the  opposite  and 
victorious  political  party  etc. 
Among  the  things  they  should  see,  however,  is 
the  need  of  exercising  judgment.  When,  therefore, 
The  R.  N.-Y.  has  already  published  17  different  reme¬ 
dies  for  the  extermination  of  a  certain  bug,  they 
should  see  the  folly  of  sending  an  eighteenth.  After 
successfully  applying  one  or  two  effectual  ones,  why 
not  turn  the  mind  to  something  else?  The  same  may  be 
said  of  the  training  of  children,  and  the  building  up 
of  character,  etc.,  etc. 
Looking  into  the  tired  faces,  the  furrowed  brows, 
the  disturbed  countenances,  of  many  farmers’  wives, 
and  contrasting  them  with  the  fresh  faces,  the  smooth 
brows,  the  serene  countenances  of  many  other  far¬ 
mers’  wives,  open  eyes  cannot  help  seeing  the  boon 
which  Cheerfulness  vouchsafes  to  her  votaries.  If  we 
are  surrounded  by  those  who  kindly  help  us,  we  can  be 
cheerful  with  them  and  help  them  in  return  ;  if  by 
those  who  annoy  us,  we  can  be  cheerful  in  spite  of 
them,  and  fail  not  to  lend  a  helping  hand.  More 
easily  said  than  done  ?  You  are  harrassed,  perhaps, 
from  morning  until  night  with  never-ending  house¬ 
hold  duties,  besides  caring  for  the  mites  of  humanity 
who  cannot  and  must  not  be  neglected  ?  Leave  them 
all  now  and  then  for  a  10  minutes’  rest  on  the  couch. 
lTou  cannot  spare  even  so  much  time  ?  Then  stop  a 
moment  and  think  of  the  time  you  wantonly  throw 
away  in  entertaining  nervous  headaches  and  other 
visitors  of  a  kindred  nature.  A  few  years  hence,  your 
wee  mites  will  have  attained  to  the  age  of  young  man 
or  womanhood.  Then  not  the  smallest  feather  in  their 
cap  will  be  the  possible  possession  of  a  graceful, 
happy  mother.  lenore. 
Those  are  bright  open  eyes,  those  of  Lenore  ;  but 
wouldn’t  they  open  wider  if  they  could  see  not  only 
“eighteenth,”  but  nineteenth,  twentieth  and  twenty- 
first,  in  the  very  last  batch  of  letters  ?  But  other 
open  eyes  will  see  that  even  Lenore’s  topic  of  the 
need  of  rest,  freshly  as  she  has  treated  it,  is  by  no 
means  new  ;  indeed,  it  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  re¬ 
jected  from  “  Open  Eyes.” 
And,  oh  !  the  rest  of  you,  would  you  have  thought 
that  this  spirited  Lenore  would  quote  an  unfamiliar  (?) 
saying  about  variety,  spice,  etc. ,  and  end  with  a  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  waste  basket  ?  But  she  did,  and  we  care¬ 
fully  cut  it  out ;  999  have  said  it  before.  We  must 
avoid  the  thousandth. 
And  it  won’t  do,  you  people  with  open  eyes  !  posi¬ 
tively  it  won’t !  At  least  half  a  dozen  late  writers 
have  apologized  for  taking  more  than  200  words,  aver¬ 
ring  that  they  “  couldn’t  say  it  in  200.”  But  if  that  is 
really  the  case,  don’t  say  it !  This  boiling  down  busi¬ 
ness  is  yours,  and  the  editor  of  Open  Eyes  refuses  to 
do  it.  And  again,  several  have  crept  over  to  the  other 
page  in  order  to  discuss  “Open  Eyes”  matters  in  half 
or  three-quarters  of  a  column  !  No  ;  it  will  not  do  ; 
the  other  page  is  needed  for  other  topics. — Ed. 
CHAUTAUQUA  WORK  ON  THE  FARM. 
SOLATED  as  most  farmers  are,  they  certainly  need 
the  benefits  derived  from  a  prescribed  course  of 
study.  But  few  among  us  have  had  the  advantages 
of  a  college  education,  and  very  many  of  us  never 
finished  the  course  in  a  graded  school;  and  whether 
one  is  30  or  70  and  thirsting  for  knowledge,  I  know  of 
nothing  better  than  the  C.  L.  S.  C.  to  recommend. 
It  is  very  easy  to  say,  “  Oh,  I  do  not  get  time,”  as 
though  the  days  were  longer  for  me  than  for  you.  It 
depends  on  what  one  does  with  the  time.  It  seems  to 
be  essential  to  some  women’s  happiness  to  spend  one 
or  two  days  in  the  week  going  to  town.  Some  others 
must  visit  once  or  twice  a  week;  and  as  card  playing 
is  not  only  the  fashion  but  the  rage,  some  spend  one  or 
two  nights  (not  evenings)  in  dissipation.  The  Chau¬ 
tauqua  work  is  not  for  these  unless  they  are  willing  to 
forego  such  pleasures,  and  do  conscientious  and  syste¬ 
matic  work. 
My  experience  was  this:  four  years  ago  I  determined 
to  take  up  the  reading.  I  have  a  purse  of  my  own  and 
if  I  can  manage  to  save  up  now  and  then  a  dollar  from 
the  sale  of  butter  and  eggs  after  purchasing  the  gro¬ 
ceries,  I  sometimes  get  enough  dollars  to  exchange  for 
a  V,  and  on  very  rare  occasions  an  X.  At  that  time  I 
had  a  whole  V  and  invested  it  in  books.  At  about  the 
same  time  I  took  a  few  lessons  in  oil  painting,  and 
from  time  to  time  continued  taking  lessons  as  oppor¬ 
tunity  afforded.  The  books  were  read  faithfully,  not 
by  devoting  exactly  40  minutes  a  day,  for  sometimes 
weeks  would  elapse  before  I  could  give  the  reading  any 
attention.  The  “  Farmer  ”  had  to  be  left  out  for  the 
very  good  reason  that  he  would  not  consent  to  come 
in.  There  was  not  a  circle  within  four  miles,  nor  a 
Chautauqua  reader  any  nearer.  I  was  alone  and  single- 
handed,  but  my  friends  have  sometimes  complimented 
me  by  saying  I  had  considerable  pluck,  and  it  was  ex¬ 
ercised.  The  50  cents’  annual  dues  were  sent  regu¬ 
larly  to  the  central  office,  where  people  are  always  very 
kind  and  courteous.  The  first  year  I  painted  and  read; 
the  second  year  all  my  spare  time  and  money  were 
given  to  painting;  ditto  the  third  year.  The  fourth 
year  found  me  so  far  behind  in  the  reading  that  I  gave 
up  my  beloved  painting,  the  most  fascinating  of  all 
work,  and  devoted  all  my  spare  time  to  my  C.  L.  S.  C. 
work.  The  end  of  the  year  found  me  with  the  required 
reading  finished,  four  page  and  white  seal  memorxnda 
all  filled  out,  and  myself  making  preparations  to  visit 
Bay  View. 
I  have  all  my  housework  to  do  and  Felicie  is  always 
in  great  demand  to  help  from  one  side  of  the  farm  to 
the  other,  and  I  am  familiar  with  the  chickens,  the 
garden  and  the  sugar  bush,  and  only  one  of  my  dresses 
ever  saw  a  dressmaker.  Only  think  of  being  obliged 
to  make  your  own  dresses  to  wear  to  Bay  View,  and 
of  not  having  a  gold  watch  to  show  off  !  But  to  Bay 
View  the  Farmer’s  wife  went  and  participated  in  the 
exercises  on  Recognition  Day,  and  of  a  class  of  13,  two 
were  from  farms.  Mr.  Hall  fittingly  remarked,  “They 
are  not  all  people  of  leisure,  as  two  are  from  farms.” 
It  is  only  fair  that  I  should  say  that  my  family  is 
usually  small,  but  with  a  fair  degree  of  perseverance 
and  a  determination  to  accomplish  something  that 
would  be  of  lasting  benefit,  a  farmer  or  his  wife  may 
safely  undertake  the  Chautauqua  reading  !  It  is  an 
effort  in  the  right  direction — that  of  elevating  and 
educating  mankind.  I  have  ordered  books  for  some  of 
the  seal  courses  and  my  intention  is  to  keep  adding  to 
the  seals  I  now  have  on  my  diploma  until  I  have  at 
least  14,  which  will  admit  me  to  the  highest  order.  I 
know  of  no  one  who  is  so  suited  to  herculean  tasks  as 
the  farmer’s  wife.  felicie  farnsworth. 
*  *  * 
Books  as  Furniture. — A  book,  says  Margaret  E.  Sang- 
ster,  is  really  a  bit  of  embalmed  personality,  the  ex¬ 
halation  of  a  human  soul  saved  to  an  earthly  immor¬ 
tality.  Women  always  love  their  “things”  in  a  cling¬ 
ing  way  to  which  men  are  usually  strangers.  But  a 
man  loves  his  books,  loves  to  see  them  around  him, 
loves  to  sit  surrounded  by  them  as  by  friends  while 
he  enjoys  the  ease  of  slippers. 
IDEAS  WHICH  BEGET  INTEREST. 
NEW  IDEA. — Somewhere  about  election  day  the 
New  York  Herald  struck  out  a  new  idea.  In  a 
paper  that  issues  126  pages  a  week  that  this  should 
have  been  a  matter  of  special  note  is  a  trifle  surpris¬ 
ing.  But  a  momentous  matter  it  was  to  judge  by  the 
way  the  paper  has  boomed  it.  There  have  followed 
editorials,  comments,  reiterations  and  even  the  notes 
of  a  catching  melody. 
And  yet  our  editor  wants  to  receive  from  us,  poor 
penny-a-liners  new  ideas  whenever  we  take  up  our 
pens.  Does  she  think  they  grow  on  our  hedge-rows 
and  multiply  like  weeds  in  waste  places  ?  If  we 
actually  achieved  the  marvel,  would  she  make  us  a  song 
about  it  and  boom  it  through  so  many  papers  a  week  ? 
Dear,  Faithful  Chief  Cook  !  We  are  readers  as  well 
as  writers  (Good!  here’s  an  idea  Ed),  and  do  not 
care  for  a  rehash.  For  us  she  seeks  the  best,  demands 
it,  inspires  it,  and  how  well  she  succeeds  !  Surely  not 
a  week  brings  its  Rural  without  making  us  its  debtor 
for  some  fresh  suggestion,  some  helpful  idea. 
The  Press  and  the  People. — But  there  are  ideas 
and  ideas  as  we  all  know.  This  one  of  the  Herald’s 
is,  that  if  by  heavy  duties  upon  imports  we  ruin  in¬ 
dustries  abroad,  it  is  but  to  force  to  our  own  shores 
the  pauper  labor  of  Europe,  starved  out  of  its  native 
workshops.  A  genuine  suggestion  for  thought,  none 
can  deny.  It  is  sensible  reasoning,  it  interests  the 
whole  nation,  it  is  timely. 
Another  idea,  by  no  means  new  among  thinking 
people,  insists  upon  the  advisability  of  restricting  im¬ 
migration.  The  influx  of  inferior  races  and  of  vicious, 
thriftless  and  otherwise  undesirable  members  of  even 
our  own  race,  into  our  fair  land  is,  to  all  who  pause  to 
read  the  statistics,  a  matter  of  regret  and  alarm.  Yet 
it  goes  on  unchecked,  almost  unheeded.  Who  ever 
heard  intelligent  Americans  discuss  the  subject  but  to 
desire  that  the  scum  and  riff-raff  of  creation  be  not 
admitted  to  us  faster  than  we  can  assimilate  and  ele¬ 
vate  them?  But  it  has  never  become  a  party  cry;  it  has 
not  sufficiently  menaced  the  personal  interests  of  any 
class  to  influence  votes.  The  papers  give  it  scant  at¬ 
tention  and  the  wish  of  the  people  continues  to  be 
disregarded  because  inaudible.  Though  the  news¬ 
papers  lead  much  of  the  world’s  thought,  they  seldom 
originate  it.  They  are  like  the  boy  with  strongest 
lungs  who  leads  the  game  because  he  can  make  him¬ 
self  heard.  What  all  the  world  cares  for  and  talks 
about  the  newspapers  print.  Only  occasionally  one 
attacks  the  subject  of  our  country’s  becoming  the  sink 
hole  for  Europe’s  refuse  population.  Any  subject  to 
which  the  country  does  not  respond  with  a  fair  show 
of  interest,  will  receive  scant  attention  from  the  news¬ 
papers.  [According  to  this  line  of  argument,  if  the 
subject  really  interested  the  people  at  large  as  intim¬ 
ated,  would  not  the  newspapers  discuss  it  with  earn¬ 
estness  and  vigor?] 
The  Woman  and  Home  Influence  Club. — We  are 
apparently  but  a  few  feeble  women,  but  from  the  great 
aggregate  of  just  such  inconsequent  individuals  comes 
at  last  the  law  that  brings  the  things  to  pass.  At 
present  we  cast  the  ballot  only  indirectly  through 
husbands,  sons  and  brothers;  but  we  are  not  wholly 
powerless.  At  least  we  can  take  an  intelligent  in¬ 
terest.  Without  that  we  should  not  be  fit  to  exercise 
the  right  of  suffrage  were  it  granted  us;  with  it  we 
shall  certainly  do  better  than  the  poor  degraded  floater 
or  the  unintelligent  voter.  prudence  primrose. 
Beauty  often  depends  on  plumpness  ; 
so  does  comfort ;  so  does  health.  If  you 
get  thin,  there  is  something  wrong,  though 
you  may  feel  no  sign  of  it. 
Thinness  itself  is  a  sign ;  sometimes 
the  first  sign  ;  sometimes  not. 
The  way  to  get  back  plumpness  is  by 
careful  living,  which  sometimes  includes 
the  use  of  Scott’s  Emulsion  of  cod-liver  oil. 
Let  us  send  you — free — a  little  book 
which  throws  much  light  on  all  these 
subjects. 
Scott  &  Bowni, Chemists,  132  South  5th  Avenue,  New  York. 
Your  druggist  keeps  Scott’s  Emulsion  of  cod-liver  oil— all  druggists 
everywhere  do.  II. 
