450 
Tb* I URAL NEW-YORKER 
March 25, 1022 
HOPE FARM NOTES 
Spring scorns "far behind.’’ indeed, to¬ 
night. We hiive had several da.vs of 
bright weather, and I thought old Winter 
had decided to "pack up," but thi- morn¬ 
ing a cold rain started. In late afternoon 
it turned to snow, and now the ground 
i> white once more. It is a raw, cold 
night—one of these mean lapses of 
weather which make you feel about as yon 
do when some good-natured and trusted 
friend suddenly snarls at you and puts 
on a coat of meanness. Out back of the 
house is a great pile of wood all ready to 
l>e cut up. The buzz saw and engine are 
resting beside it, but this has been no 
dsn for buzzing wood, i hud hoped we 
could start plowing in that, back orchard 
by this time, but this storm ends any 
such performance. I would like to get 
The manure up the hill and around those 
apple trees, hut you could not haul half 
a road up there now. All outside work 
has come to a dead stop while we wait for 
Spring to get ready. Those Baldwin ap¬ 
ple trees have been pruned. They stand 
like a group "f people ready to go in 
swimming, with their clothes scattered 
around them. They are having the swim, 
without a doubt, but we would like to 
pick up those discarded "clothes" and 
burn them. 
* * * * * 
Well, as my okl uncle used to say, 
"What arc the compensations V" lie 
claimed that every calamity brought a 
blessing—every evil was balanced by good. 
The trouble with most of us. be said, was 
that we hunted for the? calamity and shut 
our eyes to the blessing, lie would be 
voted old-fashioned in these modern days, 
hut who will undertake to prove he was 
wrong? "What are the compensations?" 
Well, last year at this season our fruit 
bud*- were all starting. They got going 
too early, and the late freeze killed most 
of them. Tonight there is little sign of 
wakefulness in any of the buds. They are 
still asleep, as they should he. They are 
far more likely to get through than were 
those of a year ago. Then this constant 
snow will surely benefit the ground. Snow 
brings some ammonia and sulphur down 
out of the air. and It has what 1 may call 
a healing effect upon the soil. There 
should he no lack of moisture in the earth 
this Spring. And it requires a night like 
this to make the fireside comfortable. 
If it were a warm, bright, starlight night, 
that blazing fire never would throw out 
the comfort that comes from it now. As 
little Hose comes and crawls on my knee 
with her apple, I look about the room and 
begin to feel thankful that the night is 
raw and wet and cold. 
* * * * « 
I have put on a big chunk of apple 
wood, with light sticks around it. Mother 
is inclined to be cold, and she gets up 
close to the fire. I am determined to 
make that lire drive her back. There she 
goes, with a sigh of relief. She is reading 
"Emmet Lawler,” a new and remarkable 
book—the story of a boy who came up 
through the meanest sort of conditions. 
I have recently had at least 25 calls for 
boys of good size who can "work 1 ' to pay 
for their board. Having been all through 
that myself, I am very shy about nominat¬ 
ing boys for any such job. Boys ought 
to be made to work, but the trouble is 
that some farmers do not. or will not. 
understand the limit «»f a boy’s capacity. 
My daughter and Cherry-top ore to join 
the local Grange tonight. Some one has 
told the boy great stories about the "ini¬ 
tiation" how he may have to walk on 
hot bricks or live coals! The boy has 
carefully washed bis feet and put on 
clean stockings. The Japanese boy is 
working at a homemade "wireless' 1 outfit. 
Our hoys have been carried away by the 
modern craze for exploring the air for 
sound. They will work it out. and then 
I shall get them an outfit large enough to 
be practical. They have already heard 
concerts and speeches or conversations 
through a neighbor's outfit. There can 
be no question about the wonder-** that tire 
to eorne through this searching the air for 
sound. The other day I met a man who 
claimed to know all about it. lie was 
ready to answer any questions. So 1 
asked him bow long the sound waves 
lasted. I to they go on for years? Who 
knows hut that some of us might pick 
out of the air thousand-year-old sounds? 
Maunibnl must have shouted orders at 
the battle of Zanm. Richard III screamed 
and shouted on awaking from his dream 
on the night before the battle of Bos- 
worth. Have the sound waves faded out 
of the air? What mysteries does the at¬ 
mosphere contain? My friend was floored 
by the question. lie did not know. I 
am glad he does not. This new inysterj 
of the air will keep men busy for years. 
***** 
That is one thing about these new dis¬ 
coveries and the efforts to adapt them to 
common life. I think the danger is that 
too many people will give most of their 
thought to such things as this "wireless” 
and neglect the little things over which 
they have control. It will he a wonderful 
thing to hear a sermon or a concert or 
a speech delivered 100 miles away, but it 
will be a sad mistake if we let that ab¬ 
sorb our at teal ion away from the school 
or the church in our own neighborhood, 
or the needs of our own children. The 
danger is going to he that these new and 
interesting discoveries, coming one after 
another in rapid succession, will keep us 
all up on our mental toes when we ought 
to he full-footed on the ground. And 
here’s another thing about it: Anyone] 
can see quickly what this wireless devel¬ 
opment is in menu for most people. Yet. 
for those of us who are hard of hearing 
it will mean little or nothing . It may 
make us more than ever "hack numbers," 
unless- we can develop some sort of mental 
conversation or ‘‘instinct" which animals 
possess, and through which they are able 
to converse. It seems evideul to me that 
primitive man. before language was fully 
developed, was able to etmiuiuiiiente 
thought much ns horses or dogs now evi¬ 
dently do. As spoken and written lan¬ 
guage developed, man dropped this art 
or power. 1 think that one of the new 
mysteries to he investigated in the mar 
future will be some effort to develop this 
lost power. It will, no doubt, he part 
of the contribution which the deaf may 
offer to society. These things represent 
part of the "compensations” which come 
to a man on such a night ns this as he 
sits before a cheerful lire with a small 
• >T1 on his knee and an old dog on the 
floor eyeing him with an expression on 
Jiis wise old face which seems to indicate 
that he can understand an unspoken 
thought. 
***** 
One of the girls is down for n debate 
at school next week. It is to be about 
old-age pensions, and 1 am supposed to 
find arguments in favor of such pensions. 
I ant not very strong for that side. I 
should think that if a man lived his life 
with the constant thought that he was to 
receive a pension just because he had ex¬ 
isted HO years or more, that most of the 
"initiative” would be taken out of life. 
What would be the use trying to do any¬ 
thing or of practicing self-denial if the 
nation is sure to provide for you when 
you reach a certain age? I am old-fash¬ 
ioned enough to believe that every reason¬ 
able man or woman in this country has 
a chance to become self-supporting. If 
they throw such chances away, why should 
they expect society to support them, when 
they have not given full service to so¬ 
ciety ? The unfortunate and helpless may 
well be cared for, hut I should think a 
general "old-age pension” would simply 
break down habits of thrift and saving. 
That seems clear enough to me. but 1 am 
astonished to find that a great majority 
of the people 1 talk with favor about every 
scheme that will take money from people 
who have property and hand it to those 
who will not save. In their efforts to 
make the very rich "give up," such people 
are working great hardships upon the 
middle class and those in moderate cir¬ 
cumstances. These grasping taxes are 
calling forth much money, but they are 
nl-o destroying real benevolence and driv¬ 
ing people to harder business methods. 
***** 
The other little girl lias been washing 
the supper dishes and cleaning up the 
kitchen. She takes some time for this 
work, r.s she stops to sing while doing it. 
T am glad that all our children are in¬ 
clined to be musical. Music can fill a 
dishcloth with perfume, make a scrubbing 
brush seem like a dancing pump, nr a 
bunch of weeds oiil by the sink drain seem 
like the entrance to fairyland. Tile little 
girl now has her apron off and is at the 
piano practicing a new song. These two 
girls- sing well. I lmve advised them to 
keep away from "jazz" and the meaning¬ 
less songs of today, and give their young 
voices to some of the old-time music. 1 
like to think of their singing “Ever of 
Tlae I’m Dreaming." "Plow Gently. 
Sweet Afton.” "Douglas. Tender and 
True." "Come Back to Erin.” and dozens 
of others that I used to hear 40 years ago. 
Every one of them brings memory, and 1 
hope these girls will go along through life 
carrying the sweet old message which 
these songs contain. So. you see. ns we 
sit here before the fire, life is “full < f 
compensations” after all. Over in uttr old 
stone house one of the boys is home from 
college on an enforced vacation. lie lifts 
quite a ease of I he mumps, and is quaran¬ 
tined with his books, He will recover. 
'I’lie hours will slowly pass away until 
his ease of "swell head” Is over. Such 
things must be endured with philosophy 
since they cannot he cured before their 
time. 
***** 
I have been reading two books. I 
usually do that, turning from one to the* 
other every half hour or so. That tills 
the mind with "streaks" or layers—some- i 
thing like a mental sandwich. I like to | 
take books of quite varying character. 
Tonight I am reading “Queen Victoria" 
and "Nutrition and Growth in Children.” 
That surely ought to give variety. "Queen 
Victoria” js a remarkable book—one of 
the most, interesting studies of royal life 
that one could find, I was brought up in 
a community where we were taught that 
"Good Queen Vic” was the highest p s- 
sible exponent of intelligence and stern 
character. I had pictured her as some 
great. Amazon, sitting on a great throne, 
dealing "tit judgment with a liberal hand 
Since rending this hook 1 can mc’erst 'nd 
the re- :irk made by Jeff Leonard .l<ff 
read "Lucie Tom’s Cabin” several times, 
and formed the conviction that Harriet 
Beeelier Stowe was the most wonderful 
person in the world. He heard that Mrs. 
Stowe was to he r.t Taunton for u lecture 
cr reading, and Jeff walked 12 miles just, 
to see lu-r. When he came hack l>e looked 
disappointed, and the boys at the store 
asked hitn : 
“Well, Jeff, bow’d she size up?” . ' 
• "Well, boys, I hate to say it. but xhr 
ain't nothin# but « woman , and she wears 
them darn side curls at that !” 
This book, however, has given me a 
better idea of the character of Prince 
Wishing for sleep 
is a poor way to get it 
A LITTLE wisdom in the daytime is a better 
assurance of rest than any amount of anxious 
wishing when nerves are a-jangle at night. 
What you do at noon often has more influence 
on sleep than what you want and hope for, 
at midnight. 
Coffee’s drug element, caffeine, whips up the 
nerves, and when its use is continued there’s 
usually a penalty which no amount of mental 
effort can avoid. 
The part of wisdom, as so many thousands 
have found, is to turn away from nerve-stimula¬ 
tion and adopt rich, delicious Postum as the 
mealtime drink. Postum delights the taste, but 
brings no disturbance to nerves or digestion. 
Even the little children can share in the enjoy¬ 
ment of Postum at any meal. 
It’s better to anticipate warnings than to be 
driven by them. 
It’s better to encourage and preserve sound 
nerves and complete health than to listen to the 
clock ticks at night and sa3% “I wish!” 
You can get Postum wherever good food or 
drink is sold and served. An order today may 
be the beginning, for you, of the great satisfaction 
and comfort which so many others have found 
Your grocer has both f orms: Instant 
Postum (in tins) made instantly in the 
cup by the addition of boiling water. 
Postum Cereal (in packages of larger 
bulk, for those who prefer to make the 
drink while the meal is being prepared) 
made by boiling for 20 minutes. 
Postum for Health 
“There’s a Reason” 
Made by Postum Cereal Co., Inc. 
Battle Creek, Mich. 
in Postum. 
THE JOYNT BRAND 
PURE. UNLEACHED. HARDWOOD ASHES Tbe Resi Fcrtilinr by Tut 
A rompl.t. iiml |iro!liu.lilr friull/er fori* 11 ifiewing crops, 
fruit, totuu-co unit truck gi uw tug. top clrcv lug unit wcil- 
tug down. Agrnta II nuhil. C'nMKfcM’OWPKXCE IXVJTkU. 
AildrchH JOHN JOYNT * Lucknow, Ontario. Can. 
V 
When you write advertisers mention 
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a quick reply and a “square deal.” .See 
guarantee editorial page. 
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is . * -.^**--- L. 
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hoeing when 
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1316 Dorr Street, - Toledo, Ohio 
rrr 
