8i6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
December 7 
THE PRIZES. 
November was a wet, muddy and cheer¬ 
less month, take it all through. It was 
hard to get about, and the bad weather 
and low prices kept some people in low 
spirits so that, all in all, it was not the 
best time in the year for getting sub¬ 
scriptions. We got over 1,000 of them, 
however,and haven’t a word of complaint 
to make. Thanksgiving Day brought us 
many things for which to be thankful, 
and the thing of most use in this busi¬ 
ness is a good, fat subscription list. Most 
of the subscriptions came from individ¬ 
uals—one at a time. Most of the clubs 
were sent during the last week. Here are 
the winners, including two who won $5 
for clubs of 20 : 
Yearly. 
1. W. J. Bills, Wayne Co., N. Y. 48^ 
2. Geo. H. Pearson, Fairfield Co., Conn. 39i4 
3. Benj. Kenyon, Fairfax Co., Va. 33J4 
4. John R. Wheaton, Steuben Co., N. Y. 31 
5. Ronson German, Macomb Co., Mich. 28 
6 . Chas. Johnson, Lewis Co., N. Y. 21 
7. John McMillan, Marion Co., Ind. 21 
II. K. Gilbert, Burlington Co., N. J. 20 
Wellington F. Davidsheiser, Mont. Co., Pa... 20 
The prizes, as you know were $50, $40, 
$00, $20, $15, $10 and $5. We don’t need 
to tell any intelligent man that these 
prize winners made good wages. The 
wonder is that others did not fall into 
the contest and get a chance to handle 
some of this cash. It isn’t our fault that 
they didn’t, for we gave a fair statement 
of the true condition of things two weeks 
ago. Personally, we don’t care how 
large these clubs are, for we are getting 
the subscriptions anyway ; but we do 
like to see people get into the habit of 
recognizing a good thing when they see 
it. That’s why we harp on that next 
contest in which $250 in prizes will be 
given on January 15, 1890. 
memory all through life ! It was the 
best part of Thanksgiving—BUT 1 
* 
Finally the stern-faced old maid aunt 
would get up and light the lamp ! With 
the coming of that light, off went the 
sentiment—off for another year. The 
sweet memories were bottled up—’way 
down in some secret corner of the heart. 
Back we came to the old routine of life 
again. Old Uncle Dick would pull him¬ 
self together as though ashamed that 
the firelight playing on Aunt Susan’s 
face had sent him 40 years back into his 
boyhood. I can see him now as he 
shrugged his shoulders and said : 
“ This won’t buy the woman a dress 1 ” 
He meant that he should have em¬ 
ployed his time to better advantage; 
but I observed that he seldom bought 
“the woman a dress’” anyway—at least, 
not willingly. I talk about Thanksgiv¬ 
ing after it is all over in order to bring 
this point out and sharpen it up. These 
old people made a mistake in condensing 
so much of their love and thankfulness 
for Thanksgiving Day, and then bottling 
it up for the other 364 days of the year. 
Of course, it wasn’t as bad as that; but 
they did set apart that one day for call¬ 
ing up the sweetness and charm of a 
happy life when every day in the year 
should be filled with it. Why, I would 
make 365 Thanksgiving Days in each 
year, and if all would agree to do that, the 
world would be better off for it. What’s 
that? You can’t get 365 things to be 
thankful for in one year ? See here, my 
friend—there’s something wrong with 
you ! You ate too much turkey dressing 
and mince pie ! We won’t put that 
answer of yours down till you feel a little 
better and realize some of the good 
things that are just dropping right into 
your hat every day. 
* 
Now that Thanksgiving is over, we 
want to talk about it a little. It is 
singular, isn’t it ? that the best thing 
that has come down to us from the old 
Puritans is this sweet old farm festival 
of Thanksgiving. It’s a day of tender 
and happy memories—the last thing you 
would expect those stern-faced and 
strait-laced old fellows to get up. 
When I was a boy, Thanksgiving was 
the great day of the year. We looked 
forward to it for weeks. There was the 
old hen under a barrel fattening into a 
“Brahma turkey”—the pies, the apples, 
nuts, cranberry sauce and all the other 
goodies. But the best part of it all, even 
to a boy with an india rubber stomach, 
was the hour after supper before the 
lamps were lighted, and all hands sat 
around the open fire. I’ve seen the old 
folks sit there in silence for half an 
hour—busy with memories of the past, 
both sad and pleasant. Then one of the 
girls would sit down by the old organ 
and play, so softly, “ Home, Sweet 
Home!” Outside it might be dark and 
dreary, but oh, how that room would 
light up with the music! Old eyes, 
and young ones, too, long starved of 
tears, would be dim and moist. Many 
a hard hand would reach out in the 
shadow with some long-denied caress, 
as the firelight brought the picture of 
the old sweetheart out on the wife’s sad 
and wrinkled face. I tell you, it was a 
picture that one could well carry in 
Well, now—what about all this ? 
Where’s the application ? Its no longer 
than the caudal appendage of a bob¬ 
tailed horse. This idea of condensing 
the tribute we owe to a certain service 
or observance of life, and letting the 
rest of the year take care of itself is 
common all over the country. We ob¬ 
serve it in the subscription business. 
Some of our readers are agents—that is, 
they try to make a business of securing 
a number of subscriptions to win a prize. 
They go into one contest and, possibly, 
get a prize. Then they sit down to rest 
and think about it. 
That won’t do ! While they are think¬ 
ing, some steadfast man is working —and 
he works the prize right into his pocket. 
Others don’t pretend to be agents, yet 
they like to induce a new subscriber to 
get in out of the rain, now and then. 
When the spirit moves them, they talk up 
The 11. N.-Y. and “ lend us the loan” of 
their influence. But like these old New 
England Yankees over Thanksgiving, 
they only thaw out now and then, and 
the rest of the time keep their influence 
bottled up. Now friends—take the cork 
out of that bottle and keep a good word 
for Tiie R. N.-Y. ever on tap. “ Be ye 
always ready ” to tell your friends and 
neighbors that it won’t cost them a cent 
to try The R. N.-Y. if, after fair trial, 
they find that it is not worth $1 to them. 
Remember, also, the $250 in cash that is 
given away January 15, 1896, and also 
that the sooner you renew for next year, 
the sooner the whole thing will be settled. 
S75, $50, $40, $30, $25, $15, $10, $5 
are the prizes for the Subscription Contest from December 1 to January 15. 
Besides, a $5 cash prize is guaranteed to every agent who sends 20 yearly sub¬ 
scriptions, in case he does not t win one of the larger prizes. Besides them, the 
agent keeps his regular commission, and a $l-bill goes back every night to the one 
who sends the largest club for that day. It sometimes goes back for one name. 
See the report of Prize-Winners in November Contest on this page. December 
is the best month in the year. Now is the time to begin. Do you want some 
sample copies to start with ? 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, NEW YORK. 
Some New Books 
From LEE AND SHEPARD'S Fall List. 
Poems of the Farm. 
Collected and Illustrated by Alfred C 
Eastman. Over 80 illustrations. Size, 716x916 
inches. Cloth. Gilt Edges. Boxed, $2.50. 
Essie. 
A Romance in Rhyme, by Laura Dayton Fes¬ 
senden. Illustrated by J. H. Vanderpoel. 
Cloth, $1.50. 
Whiffs from Wild Meadows. 
By Sam Walter Foss, author of “ Back Country 
Poems.” With 40 illustrations. Cloth. Gilt 
Top. Price, $1.50. 
New Edition. Price Reduced. 
The New England Country. 
Text and illustrations by Clifton Johnson. Con 
tabling over 100 views of New England Scenery 
and Life. Size, 7x916 inches. Cloth. Gilt Top. 
Price, $2. 
Two Years on the Alabama. 
By Lieut. Arthur Sinclair, Confederate States 
Navy. With Portraits and Illustrations. Price. $3. 
A Lieutenant at Eighteen. 
By Oliver Optic. Blue and Gray Cloth. Gold 
Pies. Illustrated. Price, $1.50. 
Uniform with 
The Blue and the Gray—on Land. 
Blue and Gray Cloth. Gold Pies. Illustrated. 
Price per volume. $1.50. Comprising 
Brother Against Brother, In the Saddle, 
A Lieutenant at Eighteen. 
THE HAZELWOOD STORIES: 
“ Little Daughter.” 
By Grace Le Baron, author of ‘‘Little Miss 
Faith.” Cloth. Illustrated. Price, 75 cents. 
The Boy Officers of 1812. 
By Everett T. Tomlinson. Illustrated. Price, 
$1.50. Uniform with 
THE WAR OF 1812 SERIES. 
Cloth. Illustrated. Price, per volume, $1.50. 
Comprising 
The Search for Andrew Field. 
The Boy Soldier of 1812. 
The Boy Officers of 1812. 
Decisive Events in American History: 
The Campaign of Trenton 
1776-7. 
By Samuel Adams Brake. Cloth. Price, 50 cts. 
Watch Fires of ’76. 
By Samuel Adams Brake. Cloth. Over 50 
illustrations. Price, $1.25. 
Our Illustrated Catalogue Mailed Free. 
LEE AND SHEPARD, Publishers, 
BOSTON. 
HERE IS AH OPPORTUNITY. 
You want all the weekly news of the world, as 
well as all the best information about the farm. 
The Rural New-Yorker 
AND 
The New York Weekly Recorder 
fill this want. You can get them both in com¬ 
bination, one year, for $1.50. 
THE NEW YORK WEEKLY RECORDER, the 
largest cheapest and best family newspaper. 
THE RECORDER publishes all the news all the 
time—publishes exchange advertisements for 
subscribers FREE. The great Recorder Jr., in 
every issue for the children delights alike both 
old and young, while THE RECORDER’S Funny 
Page carries with it a whole year’s fun every 
week, and the Sports and Pastimes Page is in itself 
a complete journal of American sports. There are 
also departments on Farming and Gardening, 
and a special Department for Women, EDITED 
AND ILLUSTRATED BY WOMEN, containing 
latest New York and Paris fashions, and practi¬ 
cal ideas for practical women. 
The Presidential Campaign will soon be here, 
and a most exciting time it will be. We shall 
print more campaign news than any other paper 
and you want all the news. 
The above offer refers to new or old subscrip¬ 
tions to either paper. Any subscription to THE 
R. N.-Y. on this offer will count for agents just 
the same as when taken alone. 
First Lessons in Agriculture. 
By F. A. Gulley, M. S. This book discusses the 
more important principles which underlie agri¬ 
culture in a plain, simple way. It is just what 
the practical farmer, without a knowledge of 
chemistry or botany needs. Cloth, $1. 
Practical Farm Chemistry. 
T. Greiner. This is intended for the prac¬ 
tical farmer who is not a chemist, and is writ¬ 
ten in terms that he can understand, although 
a.11 its statements are based upon true scien¬ 
tific principles. It treats of the raw materials 
of plant food, both organic and mineral; the 
available sources of supply of both manures 
and chemical fertilizers; and gives the prin¬ 
ciples of economical application, as well as 
discussing clover and other plants used as 
fertilizers. It is condensed, yet comprehensive, 
and easily understood. Cloth, $1, postpaid. 
Horticulturist’s Rule Book. 
By Prof. L. H. Bailey. It contains, in handy 
and concise form, a great number of rules 
and recipes required by gardeners, fruit 
growers, truckers, florists, farmers, etc. Dis¬ 
cusses injurious insects, fungicides, and gives 
tables for planting, etc. Cloth, 75 cents. 
Third edition, revised. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, New York. 
PIANOS! ORGANS! FREE!! 
Test trial for 30 days in your own home. NO MONEY REQUIRED. 
PIANOS-ORGANS FRO M $25.00 u P, 
Including a Complete Musical Outfit. CASH or EASY PAYMENTS. 
, NEW SOUVENIR CATALOGUE 
charges on it and send it FREE, all you have to do 1 m to n*k lor it to-day 
r - plea»e. Remember this is the old established house of CORNISH & CO., the — _ 
Lonly Him in the world selling exclusively from Factory to Family direct A single instrument at wholesale' 
[►price. We t^ve yu from 825.00 to SmOQWriteat once, CORN IS1I A CO.^ Estab.. 
yrs.,Washington,N. J.' 
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