1262 
‘Ihe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
October 21, 1022 
HOPE FARM NOTES 
It seems like old times to l>e here before 
our fire with the wind roaring through 
the trees and a hard rain pelting against 
the windows. It is the first fingerprint 
of Winter. The fuel question does not 
bother us. The shed is filled with wood, 
and there is plenty more just over the hill 
—so pile it on and set up a blaze. Like 
the rest of the world, we are “rationed'' 
on coal, but we will make no complaint 
so long as all have a square deal, with no 
cutting across the corners to special priv¬ 
ileges. Out in the little room adjoining 
us the boys are “listening in" at their 
radiophone. Over the Ionise, stretching 
through the (lark from one big tree to 
another, a long wire reaches out like a 
slim finger to catch the waves of sound 
that float over Hope Farm, Our folks 
can hear the story of the great ball game, 
the market reports, a concert, and vari¬ 
ous other forms of entertainment. They 
do not need to g<> rushing through ’the 
mud a ml wet in order to get in touch 
with the world. That wire, over our 
head, brings it rijit up to us as we sit 
before our fire. One effect of the cheap 
car has been to break up these fireside 
groups in the farmhouse. The power of 
the gasoline engine has somehow appealed 
to youth. It has sent them rushing aim¬ 
lessly about—not knowing exactly what 
they wanted, yet searching for something 
which appealed to them through the speed 
and power of the ear. I think some of 
them are now beginning to realize the 
futility of this headlong rushing after 
something to satisfy life. This radio¬ 
phone, as it is perfected and cheapened, 
is to do great things for the country 
home. It will bring right to the fireside 
many of the things which our young 
people are now rushing about in a hope¬ 
less endeavor to find. I 'think it will 
bring us back to a better idea of the real 
values of home life. 
* * * 4 * 
The big trouble with the young genera¬ 
tion is that boys and girls are not taught 
to entertain and help themselves. Our I 
development in town and city has been I 
along the line of mass or group forma¬ 
tion. The boy thinks he must do just 
what others do—he must, he in a crowd 
in order to accomplish anything, and the 
old self-reliance and individuality which 
were found in boys of i»0 years ago are 
not considered with most children. The 
country home is the place where such 
things are taught and acquired, and any¬ 
thing which holds the children willingly 
in the right sort of a home until 'their 
habits begin lo harden is surely au agent 
of civilization. But here we are, before 
our fire, on the first stormy night of the 
Fall. After the long rainy Summer, old 
drought struck us. and for about 30 days 
there was no rain. Just as I expected, 
we began growling at the dry weather 
just as wo did about the wet. Two of 
Ihe boys have gone hack to college, and 
Jack and his wife have returned to Flor¬ 
ida for the Winter, but there arc plenty 
of ns left here. We have begun picking 
our Baldwin apples. The crop is light 
and the fruit is inferior this year, while 
prices are hardly worth considering. The 
late frost last Spring and the continued 
wet through the Summer have hurt the 
crop severely, luir wo might ns well for¬ 
get about that tonight. The hoy went 
to the city today to see Ihe hall game be¬ 
tween the “fliants" and the “Yankees.” 
lie sat in the "bleachers” through six 
hours of drizzle and rain, too excited and 
happy to realize that he was soaked with 
water. ITe has been telling ns about it. 
I judge from what lie says that those 
"Yankees” rather lost, their nerve in the 
face of impending defeat—as men have 
done since the world began. It is true 
of baseball, as of everything else, that 
victory is not won by bats alone, bur 
refusing to admit defeal until you are 
completely smothered. The hoy wanted 
ine to go lo the game this year, but it 
looked to me very much like a contest be¬ 
tween two big check hooks. The rich 
New York dubs buy 'the services of ex¬ 
pert players when they get into trouble. 
You can build up a great club by pur¬ 
chasing men. but I do not. like to encour¬ 
age contests between hirelings. T see too 
much of (hat in practical life. The agri¬ 
cultural colleges and State universities, 
supported by all of us. train men and 
women who should enter the service of 
ihe people. Let them show any superior 
ability or power and they are promptly 
gobbled up by sonic great corporation or 
some "organization.'' and that is the end 
of them as individuals or as really free 
men. The "public" has already paid 
about half a million dollars to see four 
of these games between these rival check 
books. The majority of people seem So 
go somewhat insane over "success,’’ and 
so long as this form of insanity remains, 
the brilliant and the strong will be 
bought and sold. 
* if if if if 
At one of these ball games this year 
there was given a curious illustration of 
what is known as "niOb psychology.” 
The game was a tie at the end of 10 
innings. There was some question about 
continuing the game, as darkness was 
falling, but the umpires called the game. 
At once, as if were, in a flash, the mob 
spirit broke out. Before that decision 
you might have called that crowd a some- 
vvhal excited, hut, on the whole, harm¬ 
less, group of Americans. In an instant, 
when that game was called and the play¬ 
ers ran off the field, a fair proportion of 
that crowd became insane with rage. 
They were like wild beasts suddenly de¬ 
prived of their prey. The spirit which in 
ihe French devolution drove the mob on 
lo slaughter, leaped over the years and 
entered the brains of these New York 
men. People who saw the game and the 
mob say 'that these rage-crazed men were 
not all foreigners. There were faces un¬ 
mistakably American among (he leaders. 
They attacked Judge Landis, the man 
wlm has done more Ilian all others to 
keep the game decent. He had nothing to 
do with the ruling which ended the game, 
imi a mob never reasons—il only knows 
how to tear apart and trample down. I 
am wondering tonight if, in ibis quiet 
neighborhood, where we all know one an¬ 
other as friends and neighbors, ii would 
be possible to develop any such frightful 
mob spirit. As a rule I think tile coun¬ 
tryman is naturally more inclined to he 
law-abiding than the city man. The lat¬ 
ter has the law clubbed into him if he 
violates it. while the farmer realizes that 
lie and his neighbors are ihe lav\ I 
have no doubt, however, that something 
might arise that would turn our quiet 
people out of their houses, even on such 
a night; as this, with the mob spirit in 
their hearts. T do not want to see it 
l vied. 
***** 
I have put in part of the afternoon and 
evening at a picnic, one of the girls go¬ 
ing along as escort. It was a strange day 
for a picnic, but this was one of the oc¬ 
casions when friendships are well tested, 
and "fair-weather friends" drop out. Wo 
have a soldiers’ rest farm in Ibis county, 
a place where disabled ami shell-shocked 
soldiers are given a good chance to re¬ 
cuperate. It is kept going very largely 
by volunteer contributions, and for some 
weeks inreresled people have been devel¬ 
oping this picnic and sale. They had 
ihings all ready for a great turn-out. hut 
Ibis rain surely did wash Ihe sheep si way 
from the goals, and while the buildings 
were well filled, the attendance was cut 
down. Over in France, some of the un¬ 
fortunate young men who are now trying 
to “come back” nl this farm, faced mud 
and rain and frost and wind such as Ber¬ 
gen (Vainly cannot, equal even in her 
wildest moods of weather. As usual at 
such places and occasions, it was the 
plain folks—the people of moderate cir¬ 
cumstances—those who do more or less 
work with their hands, who came out and 
gave of their service and money. I have 
no doubt some of the wealthier people 
helped with money. Imi such things de¬ 
mand something more than money—they 
demand j/ou --your personal service and 
your personal help. The Hope Farm 
man was expected to make few re¬ 
marks suited to the occasion," and late 
in the evening the wet crowd gal tiered in 
what was formerly the barn- now made 
into an "assembly room.” The lights 
went out. but they lighted a couple of 
kerosene lamps, so that we could see now 
and then a face framed in the shadows. 
Here and there we caught the gleam of a 
cigar or pipe. There were several brave 
women who stood up in the shadows and 
played and sang as serenely as though if 
were a bright day in June, with the birds 
singing and (lie wind humming through 
the trees. They made us forget that it 
was a wild October night, dark as pitch, 
with the wind howling and 1 lie rain 
pounding on the roof. I wanted to tell 
those people in that dim, cheerless place, 
Hull republics are not ungrateful. The 
government, or the so-called “ruling 
classes,” may seem cold and formal and 
forgetful to those who made the republic 
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