1520 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 30, 1022 
Drawn by Carlolla Baker, N < ic York 
My Creed 
I would be (rue. for (here are those who trust me, 
1 would be pure, for there are those who care, 
] Would be strong, for there is much to sutler, 
1 would be brave, for there is much to dare. 
1 would he friend to all the foe, the friendless, 
1 would be giving and forget the gif*. 
1 would he humble, for I know my weakness, 
1 would look up and laugh and love and lift. 
By HOWARD ARNOLD WALTERS, 
Our Magic Fireside 
Come gather close about our Magic 
Fire, t >ld friends, new friends, all are 
welcome here. Tl is long since we have 
spoken of the Fireside Circle—this place 
where in imagination we meet to talk of 
MEW YEAR 
Drawn by Ague* Rerglund (IS Years) 
JLZ icltigan 
the big. worth-while things of life, and 
to build our friendship strong and true. 
See! The flames are leaping merrily, 
and in their glowing light thousands of 
eager faces beam with liappy friendliness. 
Kvery reader of Our Page is here, glad to 
belong to (he group, determined to be 
worthy of such company. Now while all 
is still except the roaring tire, let some¬ 
one with a tine, strong voice read again 
the eight lines in the little creed printed 
above. Let the words sink into our 
minds and hearts until they become a real 
part of us. Few such simple, complete, 
wonderful statements of great living have 
ever been written If we can indeed be 
Hue, pure, strong, brave, friendly, gcu- 
erous, humble, high-minded, .joyous, lov¬ 
ing and helpful to others, we shall find 
the best life has to give to boy or girl or 
man or woman. 
A new year is at hand. What kind of 
a year it will be for us depends mostly 
on ourselves. New Year's resolutions are 
easier to make than to keep, but their 
value lies in how they are kept. Wo can 
help each other through Qur Page. The 
very thought of wanting the right to come 
to this Magic Fireside will keep us doing 
our best. 
lias anyone something to say? Last 
month we asked how hoys and girls can 
he most truly happy. Will some reader 
answer? Who speaks? Anna Rogers, a 
15-year-old New York reader. Rood! 
Anna, what have you to say: 
Happiness' is within reach of all of us 
if we will but see it. In order to he hap¬ 
py, we should first strive to have good 
health, having the right amount of work 
ami play. We should live simple, useful 
jives and obey our parents promptly’. We 
should waleh every* day that goes by for 
a chance to help others. So let us all 
try in the coming year to turn over a new 
leaf and to keep it spotless. 
Thank you. Anna. We are glad that 
you have raised your voice. Who else? 
There is plenty of time to hear from 
others. Speak without fear; you are 
among frjemls. 
Edith. JSeemun (10 years), Connecti¬ 
cut : 
It seems to me that outdoor exercise is 
the most wonderful way to live happily*. 
We are rosy and happy—bright, keen, 
ready for Work or play. Mother Nature 
is the finest thine to study. Lessons of 
patience and industry may he learned 
from the ant and the bee; sweetness and 
humility from tlie violet. Strive to be 
simple and truthful in all things. Be 
clean of mind and body, eager to be use¬ 
ful and cheerful: enjoy the simple pleas¬ 
ures jit hand. Be eontcui that our folks 
will do their very best for us. Make 
friends of good books and have plenty of 
music. What more is necessary? Food, 
clothes, father, mother, family, friends, 
health and all the great outdoors to ex¬ 
plore and learn something new about, 
every day. 
Anna Orr. New York : 
The way to be happy is to ho kind, tell 
no lies and do no evil things to anyone. 
Confine Cole (la years), Pennsylva¬ 
nia : 
Happiness is a word whose true mean¬ 
ing is little realized by many. It is a 
great blessing to all who possess it ; yes. 
more than that—it is a blessing to all 
who meet it in others. 
True happiness is not something fleet¬ 
ing. It is not obtained by the short¬ 
lived pleasures of this earth, but comes 
from the innermost recesses of the soul. 
Drawn by Priscilla Hertcl (II Years) 
1/ as.sach uxcl Is 
God gives true happiness. It is His re¬ 
ward for service to Him; for doing unto 
others as we would have others do unto 
us. 
Vera Biislmell (13 years), Connec¬ 
ticut : 
Boys and girls can live happily if they 
help people, at Christmas time more than 
at other times. They can gel useful 
presents for people who cannot buy them. 
At other times boys and girls can he use¬ 
ful in work. If you are at a friend's 
and she is doing something in which you 
can help. 1 am sure she would be glad to 
have you help. 
Eleanor Henderson (13 years). < )kla- 
Jiotna : 
"Happiness pursued is never overtaken. 
Serve your fellows, and happiness will 
eonu> and take you by surprise.” These 
sentences mean that if anyone is t.yiug 
to lie happy and thinking about it. he 
cannot he very happ.v. But if the person 
does right and doesn't think about it, 
happiness will come, lining right is one 
of the principal ways in which to he 
happ.v ; if anyone does wrong, he or she 
is in constant Fear of being found out. 
When I bitch up my dog to my wagon 
and pick up chips to save coal. I am hap¬ 
py. though 1 am not thinking of being 
happy at all. Another good way to be 
happy is to help our someone else; when 
one is doing this he forgets his own 
troubles if he has any. 
These girls have spoken as we all would 
wish. They are good thoughts. We will 
remember. Suppose that when we meet 
at Our Magic Fireside next month we 
give our thoughts on the first line of “My 
Creed”: 
“I would be true, for there are those 
who trust me.” 
Tell in your own words what this 
means to you and how it may work out 
in our everyday lives. Let us hear fvom 
the boys as well as the girls. 
The Spirit of Our Page 
Before we leav.e Our Fireside suppose 
we take a minute to think about Our 
Page, its spirit and what it means to us. 
One reader called attention to the fact 
that we had our third birthday in October 
and did not even mention it. Well, we 
thought about it. anyway, and we’re 
glad to find ourselves growing so strongly 
and happily. But after all. why shouldn't 
Our Page be a strong and happy one? 
.lust think of all those who are helping 
to make it so. Many* hundreds of readers 
have sent letters, drawings, pictures, 
poems, stories, puzzles, book write-ups, 
and other things, to your editor in the 
past year. Some have written every 
month. This is the spirit which counts 
most. It helps to make Our Page better 
and more interesting all the time. And 
those who contribute to its success surely 
Drawn by Rachel Dollhouse, Delaware 
find more joy and pleasure in the page 
than those who simply read it and stop 
with tbsit. Bits from letters that have 
come this month show better than any¬ 
thing else the spirit of Our Page. 
I think that the drawings for last 
month were all very good. 1 wish that I 
could help make the line of drawings 
longer, hut I never took a drawing lesson. 
I have sent three or four drawings, but 
they were never put on Our Page. But 
I "try and try again." Maybe if l keep 
trying 1 can have one put in some time. 
Massachusetts. kleanor hart. 
I have never before written for Our 
Page, but that does not say that I do not. 
always read it. 1 enjoy every word on 
it, and it makes me feel as if I know all 
the writers very well. 
Delaware. Rachel rotthouse, 
(14 years.) 
I am sending a drawing for Our Page 
this month, and the answer to Lucy Mil¬ 
lard's puzzle. My family always enjoys 
Our Page, even though my contributions 
are not published. No one remembered 
that it was our third anniversary in Oc¬ 
tober, and 1 forgot it when 1 wrote' in 
November, so 1 am reminding our read¬ 
ers of it now. Margaret him here y, 
Connection!. (11 years.) 
I just finished reading our Thanksgiv¬ 
ing page. Wasn't it lovely! I am go¬ 
ing to take it back to school with me 
after our Thanksgiving vacation. I again 
have tried my hand at a drawing for our 
December page, and am sending a riddle 
which I hope you may some time find 
room for on Our Page. Kt.’Tll JONES. 
Pennsylvania. 
I like the Boys' and (1 iris’ page in The 
Rural New-Yorker and I think it has 
greatly improved since I last wrote. This 
is only the third time that I have writ¬ 
ten. I know other hoys and girls have 
written more often, Imt I h?.ve other let¬ 
ters to write and whenever L feel like 
writing my mother sa,\s to answer my 
other letters. But this time I am going 
lo write to you. I hove three others to 
write yet. My mother does not know how 
mnoh I like to read the Boys' and Girls’ 
Page. 'When she was small (bey did not 
have anything like that. At least not a 
Boys’ and Girls’ page with such a good 
editor to edit it. 
I hope you will have a merry Christ- 
Drawn by Ruth Jones (l.'i Years) 
Pennsylrania 
mas and I hope the same to all the read¬ 
ers of The Ritual New-Yorker. I am 
quite sure that I will have one. I wish 
we boys and girls could all meet in a 
large building or place on Christmas Eve. 
1 guess it would take quite a large space 
if it was going to hold ns all. I think we 
would have a merry Christmas then. 
Don’t you think so? I am enclosing a 
picture which I drew. It is not very 
good, but my best, and as you say to do 
our best and send it. I’m sending it. 
Here are some words which, if you get 
none better, you may use for the box: 
"The year is out. Let ns make Our Page 
even better than it ever was before.” 
But I guess yon will find better ones. 
I wish’ Our Page a prosperous year 
and one that is full of success. 
New York. maktha ratzlaff, 
(13 years.) 
It is interesting that all of these let¬ 
ters are. from girls. You must not think 
that the boys do nor write. Some do. 
but the girls beat them at it. I guess 
boys find it pretty hard to settle down to 
a letter or drawing. But it is worth 
while doing, hoys, and we enjoy hearing 
from you and seeing your contributions. 
Take hold this year and give us a big 
boost. 
The Nature Puzzles 
1 think the answer to last month’s 
Nature Puzzle is "‘cat-tails.” because they 
surely look like frnnkfurts. We always 
gather them in the Autumn and dry them, 
then burn the cotton-like top. They look 
like torches at a distance. This time of 
the year the white silk puffs out. and it 
looks very pretty. The seeds blow around 
and grow next year. 
New Jersey. margarkt Sullivan 
(13 years). 
"When The R. N.-Y. came last night 
(November 24) we thought hard about 
the Nature Puzzle, and by and by I said: 
‘"Cat-tails.” I think it was funny for 
the little girl to call them “sausages.” 
1 know a place where they grow. A 
little bridge crosses the road, and the cat¬ 
tails grow on either side. We think the 
red-winged blackbirds nested there this 
Summer. Many were seen about the 
place. My "Outdoor Book” says that 
red wings nest among the cat-tails. 
ki:<;k.\ia swaNton (0 years). 
Maine. 
P. S.—I can write, but not very well, 
so mamma wrote this for me. 
Tn this way two readers replied to the 
November Nature Puzzle, and many 
others just sent the correct answer with¬ 
out telling anything more about the cat¬ 
tails. The list of those who answered 
correctly is to be found on page 1530. 
There were also a dozen drawings, two 
Drawn by Andrew Messiclc (15 Years), New Yorlc 
