I 170 
17* RURAL NEW-YORKER 
September 30, 1922 
: • 
' ' 
4 * ' 
•• • .■ •*. 
■■ ?: - 
j 
Mk § zw- 
The .PORTABLE Electric Light and Power Plant 
Investments in Children 
We have heard men make hitter com¬ 
plaint because after a long life of hard 
work they cannot leave their children a 
great sum of money. They have given 
their children good characters and habits 
of industry, but that is about all—and 
llie hoys and girls must go out and make 
their own way—as father did. It is nat¬ 
ural for men to feel that way about their 
children. We all feel a desire to make 
the lives of those who follow us better 
and easier than ours have been, and this 
very desire, might, if we had our own 
way, act to handicap rather than help our 
children. A wealthy man of New York 
City died recently, and when lus will was 
offered for probate they found, among 
other statements, the following regard¬ 
ing his children: 
They have never appeared to recognize 
that they had any duties to me as their 
father despite the fact that to the best of 
my ability I have done my full duty by 
them and have devoted to their care anti 
support the best years of my life. I have 
bad in return only ingratitude and no 
help in supporting the many and heavy 
burdens which I have had to bear. 
These children were cut off from all in¬ 
heritance. Wp have tried to consider 
what it must mean when a man is driven 
to write such words—which are to live 
and be known as his sane opinion after 
his death. It is true that far more chil¬ 
dren are spoiled by wealth than were ever 
injured by honest poverty. That, of 
course will he considered as a trite say¬ 
ing. with more or less of the element of 
“preaching” in it, but the truth is that 
all this scramble and heart-breaking 
struggle to scrape together more money 
than we need in order to pass it on to our 
heirs is the most, foolish and unpatriotic 
thing that the average American can 
think of. Why not invest your money in 
the living—before you pass on? 
“The Child”—A Real Incident 
I have just finished reading the book, 
“The Child.” aloud to my family, con¬ 
sisting of my husband, myself and two 
grown-up sons. One year ago we started 
in with the same problem as the people 
you made so real in the book, a little girl 
of nine years whom we took from a home 
of poverty, and worse. The same ques¬ 
tions were put to me as they were to the 
book people, and every had trait is 
watched for ami made much bigger than 
it really is. 
She litis shown what decent surround¬ 
ings, proper food and care will do for 
children, and is a bright, healthy girl 
now, 10 years old, really a pretty child, 
but is very slow to understand things for 
a child of her age. both at home and at 
school. Just before I sent for your book 
I had been having a losing fight to keep 
her, as my men thought 1 gave too much 
for what I received, with her, and were 
urging me to send her back to lier par¬ 
ents. Her mother gave me papers re¬ 
leasing her entirely to me, so 1 hesitated 
to send her away, and the book seemed a 
direct answer to my question, “What 
shall I do?” and my prayer to be shown 
the right thing to do. Now, I shall try 
her for this Winter again, and see if new 
or different ways of managing her will 
have the desired effect, and the old traits 
and manners cannot he trained out of her. 
We had long wanted to adopt a child, 
as ours were grown lip, and I needed 
someone for company now and help later 
on. Rut most of all. I needed some young 
life in the big. lonesome house where I 
spend so much time alone. And now I 
want to thank you for the lessons your 
hook contains for us all. and for the en¬ 
joyment we get from your paper, which 
is read literally from cover to cover when 
it comes. 
I wish every childless couple who have 
ever thought <>f taking a child to care for 
could read “The Child,” and then that I 
could show them the change that one year 
of care and proper food has made in the 
little girl who is under our care.. People 
often remark, “I would never have known 
her for the same child.” It does not 
mean any great outlay of money or time, 
as many of us have clothing laid away 
that will go far toward clothing a little 
child. And the satisfaction that comes 
from til'- knowledge thut you are caring 
for “One of these little ones” will more 
than repay any thinking man or woman. 
Then, another thing, I think the book 
lias a message for every farmer of these 
times, that he will do well to take to 
heart and think about, for the author's 
saying have sunk deep the past, year; 
one in particular comes to my mind often 
—“Wo must do it ourselves.” MRS. N. 
New York. 
R. N.-Y.—The incidents related in 
“The Child” are for the most part true. 
They deal with common life—just plain, 
ordinary people. Since its publication it 
has led to the adoption of at least 100 
little children in farm homes. The prob¬ 
lem is well stated by Mrs. N. We know 
all the incidents from experience. To 
those who cannot fully understand, the 
little stranger in the. home is often offen¬ 
sive, or worse. To those who have the 
vision and the real joy of service, there 
is probably no earthly glory to be com¬ 
pared with that which comes to man or 
woman when they can feel that they have 
given tin- best they have to suve a little 
human life. 
The Education of the Bootblack’s Son 
Your article entitled “Lawyer and 
Farmer,” under “Hope Farm Notes” of 
September -, had a particular interest 
for me, and, no doubt for other * boot¬ 
blacks’ sous” who have already hud the 
educational advantages which the boot¬ 
black of your article dreamed of for his 
son. The editor of “Hope Farm Notes” 
will notice in a study of the Italian con¬ 
tribution to civilization that the. Italian, 
like tin- editor, is by nature a disciple of 
the sage who wrote that “All great things 
come from the heart.” Those of us who 
are anxious about the product of the 
“melting pot” will find hope in the 
thought that all the impoverishing in- 
llu-mes, all the ruining greed of a horde 
of foreign and domestic tyrants that made 
of Italy a storm center of their conflict¬ 
ing ambitions for centuries have not been 
enough to smother that spark of loye for 
the finer values in the soul of the Italian. 
Thanks to that spark, education makes 
of that bootblack’s boy un enthusiastic 
scholar, educator, professional man or 
artist, and. what is of especial interest, a 
person with a ready interest in the social 
problems of the transplanted Italians. 
You ask if the bootblack’s boy will 
forget his country people. Many of them 
will, and we cun blame the materialism of 
the day for that, ns much as anything else. 
However, some of them are devoting their 
whole lives to the welfare of their people, 
and at a great but willing sacrifice. Just 
recently I came across two young lawyers 
who had worked their way through Amer¬ 
ican colleges, and who refused to practice 
law because they considered Its practice 
too mercenary, and preferred to devote 
their time to social problems among their 
own people. There are others of the same 
stamp. One cobbler’s son who had been 
unable to get a common schooling studied 
alone, and at the age of 2*2 eot a vision 
of service to his people. With the handi 
cap of age, lack of funds, and parents 
and friends opposing him. he completed 
high school and college, on completion of 
which lie served as an officer in the last 
war, and now without home, and with a 
wife and child to take care of. he is plan¬ 
ning to work his way this Fall through a 
school ot social service in order to serve 
his people more intelligently. Were it 
not a labor of love, it would indeed be a 
great sacrifice. 
Those of is with higher educational 
advantages are relatively few, and fewer 
still those who have become inspired with 
a high idealism of service to onr race; but 
we all realize our great debt to this 
Tinted States, and time will show that 
the Italian pays bis debts. Time will 
also show that the people whose native 
genius has contributed so much to civili¬ 
zation during the past Couple of dozen 
centuries are destined to have u large 
share in tin fusion of the Anglo-Saxon 
ami Latin cultures in (he United States, 
and paradoxical!** as it may he taken h> 
people whose measure of human values is 
the edge ( if a dollar bill, the children of 
Italian bootblacks, cobblers and fruit 
venders are to exert a great influence in 
American life when we start to outgrow 
our materialism. n. della, volpe. 
Pulling Blighted Potato Vines 
You once published an article on po¬ 
tato rot caused by blight. This told how 
one man pulled the vines, leaving (he po¬ 
tatoes in the ground, and thus saved them 
from rotting. Can you tell me when to 
pull the vines? Every field is badly 
si ruck here. s. n. t>. 
New York. 
It is true that we have had reports 
from people who pulled the blighted vines 
ns soon as they were dead—leaving the 
tubers to be ling later. These reports 
seemed to show that where the vines were 
promptly pulled in this way there was 
little or no rot—less than where the vines 
were left. 
When you zvrite advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
HOMELITE 
MANUFACTURED BY 
c The Simms Magneto Company 
EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY 
Smith-Meeker Engineering Co. 
123 Liberty Street, New York City 
Distributors for Eastern New York, New Jersey 
at\d Western Connecticut 
Walter H.Moreton Corp. 
780 Commonwealth Ave., Boston 
Distributors for New England 
except Western Connecticut 
Ample current for 20 or more 20-watt lamps direct from plant 
and 35 or more from battery with plant running. Sufficient for 
cooking, ironing, milking, churning, etc. Power for any purpose 
up to V 2 -h*p. Portable weight without batteries, 100 pounds. 
CAN BE PLACED ANYWHERE 
PRICE 
12-volt without batteries - - $174 
12-volt with batteries - - - 225 
32-volt without batteries - - 178 
32-volt with batteries - - - 245 
Also made in 110 volt. 
LIBERAL PROPOSITION FOR DEALERS 
Address. 
The Joseph Si Feiss Co. 
2163 West 53rd Street 
Cleveland, Ohio 
Name 
Will the Suit You Buy 
Stand This Test? 
/'"XDULD you soak your suit in 
^ water — a whole suit, made up 
of so many little, yet important 
parts (fabric, findings, haircloth, 
canvas, thread, etc., all put together 
carefully)—and then after it has 
been soaked, dried and pressed, be 
sure that it would be as good 
as new? 
Read the dramatic story of the 
test in this little folder. But 
don’t be content with reading. 
Examine the actual serge samples 
enclosed in the folder. Test them 
critically. 
We’d like to send you one of these 
Swatch Folders without charge. Just 
fill in the blank below, or simply 
use a postcard. 
Light 
HOME 
You CAN, if it is a Clothcraft 
Suit! 
THE JOSEPH 8C FEISS CO. 
Cleveland, Ohio. 
Please send me, without obligation, folder con¬ 
taining actual swatches of Clothcraft Serge. 
CAMP 
WOPKSHOP 
CHURCH 
BOAT 
HEN HOUSE 
Everywhere 
Human Interest Notes 
