Vol. LVII. No. 2505 
NEW YORK, JANUARY 29, 1898. 
$1 PER YEAR. 
AN OLD-FASHIONED NEW ENGLAND FAMILY. 
GIRLS IN A GREEN MOUNTAIN HOMESTEAD. 
Where Fruits and Females Flourish. 
Far up in northern Vermont, near the New Hamp¬ 
shire line, lives John H. Jordan with his good wife 
and a family that should fill the hearts of most of us 
with envy. Mr. Jordan is a modest man, who does 
not talk much about himself, but one of his neighbors 
tells the following brief and truthful story : 
“ John Jordan is one of the most industrious, hard¬ 
working men in Vermont. His good wife is equally 
so. Both of them are quiet, intelligent, well-disposed 
people, and most highly respected by all. He was a 
brave soldier in the late war, for nearly three years, 
and was promoted. He always made it a point to pay 
for everything 
as he went 
along, and they 
lived and reared 
all their large 
family, in an 
old and incon¬ 
venient house, 
until last year, 
when he moved 
into his new, 
large and ele¬ 
gant house that 
he has been 
several years in 
erecting. The 
best thing 
about it is that 
he has paid 
every cent 
for it, and owes 
not a dollar in 
the world, and 
all has been 
done by the in¬ 
dividual efforts 
of himself and 
wife. He is a 
very extensive 
fruit grower, 
having now in 
bearing more 
than 2,500 ap¬ 
ple trees, of 
about 100 differ¬ 
ent varieties, 
some pears, 
many plums, 
currants, goose¬ 
berries, black¬ 
berries, rasp¬ 
berries, straw¬ 
berries and THOROUGHBRED 
some other 
fruits, all under 
a fine state of cultivation, and from which he derives 
a good profit. They have done all this with their own 
hands, as they commenced with nothing.” 
We will let that simple record stand without com¬ 
ment. Plain, country folks can read between the lines 
of that statement, and they will be able to fill it out, 
and understand how life has fared in that country 
home among the New England hills. It has not been 
all plain sailing and sunny skies for this family craft. 
It has been a hard pull and, happily, wife and husband, 
have pulled together and not apart. 
The picture, shown at Fig. 24, was taken several 
years ago. There have been 14 children in all—11 
girls and three boys. One daughter and a son have 
died, so that now there are 12 left. The same neigh¬ 
bor says that another family of 14 such children can’ 
not be found anywhere in the county or State. 
“ All bright, active, healthy, industrious and of irre¬ 
proachable character.” The three eldest girls are 
married, and have good and happy homes of their 
own. All are good scholars, for Mr. and Mrs. Jordan 
have appreciated the needs of education, and have 
tried to help their children at school. 
Now opinions may differ, but the writer regards 
this group as just about an ideal family. We could 
even stand more girls and fewer boys. We might 
take one boy in the way of salt, but we would con¬ 
sider it a privilege to work and earn the home and 
shelter for a houseful of good healthy girls. If this 
old world is to be made happier and better, the 
women of strong character and high purpose must be 
expected to do the work. Progress is along the moth¬ 
er’s side. The father, in many instances, is getting 
to be a mere incident and, with each generation, a 
larger share of responsibility for the country’s future 
is demanded of the mothers. 
Mr. Jordan was one of a family of 14 children, 
while there were 11 in his wife’s family. He is now 
but 54 years old, while his wife is under 50. They 
were married in 1868. They came from prolific stock 
—good stock it was, too—that kept close to the soil 
and maintained its vigor and character. Take scions 
of the same stock that were grafted into the brick 
and stone of city life ! Why, it will require a dozen 
men and women to produce such a family as Mr. and 
Mrs. Jordan have gathered around them, and the 
longer they live in the town, the weaker is the new 
wood, and the feebler are the “ grafts ” that must go 
back to the soil some day for fresh vigor and’life. 
Last Fall, we showed a picture of an Ohio family— 
father, mother and 10 big sons. It was a remarkable 
group, and that sturdy family has met with a remark¬ 
able success. The father and mother came to this 
country with all the enthusiasm of new and hope¬ 
ful immigrants. New blood always starts new life, 
and with their great family of boys, Mr. and Mrs. 
Linder succeeded—that is, they acquired property 
and became respected citizens. Will their grand¬ 
children possess the same vigor ? Would they be able 
to push out under hard and new conditions, and make 
equally successful farmers ? 
Many wise men say that such foreign stock will run 
out in a few generations. What we want to call 
attention to is the fact that the Jordans have met with 
their success at 
home, without 
leaving the old 
surroundings— 
without going 
West or to Cali¬ 
fornia. They 
took up life as 
they found it on 
the Vermont 
hillsides from 
which so many 
thousands have 
gone, vainly 
seeking the 
happiness and 
contentment 
which is better 
than all the 
gold in the 
Klondike. And 
the Jordans 
have prospered. 
There have 
been no sturdy 
boys to lift the 
load from 
father’s should¬ 
ers. It is said 
that girls 
are expensive 
things to rear. 
So they are 
when they are 
badly started. 
Mr. Jordan 
would, proba¬ 
bly, laugh at 
an offer of 
SI,000,000 for 
one of his 
daughters. 
Fig. 2<4. Yet, this Yan¬ 
kee family, with 
only girl labor, 
has prospered. Fruits and girls have paid. Don’t 
worry about New England farming so long as such 
stock as this is above the sod. As they stand in the 
picture, the girls are all dressed up in their best bib 
and tucker. That's right. It wouldn’t take them 
long to get into their working clothes, and make the 
house shine indoors and out, pick fruit, work in the 
garden, in fact do any honest work about the orchard 
or farm. Such girls are good property. Your son will 
get married at 25, and start a home of his own. Off 
he goes, and though he may live only a few miles away, 
you won't see him once in three months. Not so with 
the daughters. They are home nesters. They want 
to see father and mother as often as they can. They 
may go away, but back they will come, and if they can’t 
come in person, their letters will come instead. 
NEW ENGLAND LIVE STOCK. A VERMONT GIRL FAMILY. 
