i89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
25 
Bvtrat Copies. 
WINTER EVENINGS ON THE FARM. 
E. G. FULLER. 
Some excellent suggestions: formation of 
a library association; its steady prog¬ 
ress ; instructive and interesting even¬ 
ing entertainments; a specimen pro¬ 
gramme. 
One reason why so many of the more pro¬ 
gressive farmers’ boys and girls leave the 
farm for the city, is the lack of opportuni¬ 
ties for social and mental culture on the 
farm. If the above statement be time, 
provide more opportunities for such cul¬ 
ture, and you add to the attractiveness of 
the farm. The long winter evenings are 
approaching, the more arduous portion of 
the year’s labor upon the farm is finished, 
and during the comparative leisure of win¬ 
ter the farm population, both young and 
old, should be storing their minds with 
useful knowledge as well as seeking social 
enjoyment. I wish to tell the readers of 
the R. N.-Y. of a society we have in a little 
village near the farm where I find exercise 
for my muscles. With perhaps some few 
alterations, it would be a first-rate plan for 
the young folks of any farming community 
to pattern after. 
Our society was organized three years 
ago. We call it The Brillion Library As¬ 
sociation. Each member pays a member¬ 
ship fee of 61, and quarterly dues of 25 
cents. The money was used for the pur¬ 
chase of books which were free to members. 
As cheap editions were purchased, a com¬ 
paratively small sum of money bought 
quite a respectable library. At first the so¬ 
ciety met once in two weeks at the homes 
of some of the members, but as it continued 
to increase in prosperity a hall was hired. 
Bi-weekly meetings seemed too far apart; 
so we adopted the plan of meeting weekly. 
An organ has been purchased and paid for by 
means of public entertainments. The book¬ 
case which looked so large at first, is over¬ 
flowing. Our membership has never ex¬ 
ceeded 30; and this surely is not beyond what 
nearly any farming community could se¬ 
cure. I attribute the continued interest in 
our society largely to the ingenuity of a few 
members in suggesting programmes that are 
instructive as well as interesting. For in¬ 
stance, we take up a historical topic. 
Napoleon Bonaparte and Oliver Cromwell 
will furnish a topic for two or three meet¬ 
ings. We consider not only what these 
men did ; but the causes and conditions 
that iyade their careers possible. Then a 
discussion of the characters and motives of 
the men is taken up. In this way we study 
historical characters, authors, inventors, 
etc., and usually manage to make the dis¬ 
cussion not only instructive but interest¬ 
ing. 
To show how we take up the study of 
au author I will give a recent programme. 
The subject was Robert Burns. 
1. Roll-call. Response by each member 
with a quotation from Burns. 
2. Song : Auld Lang Syne. 
3. Biographical Sketch of Burns. 
4. Reading: The Cotter’s Saturday Night. 
5. Song: The Banks O’Doon. 
0. Reading: Man Was Made To Mourn 
7. Song: Coming Thro’ The Rye. 
8. Essay : Character and Works of Burns. 
Let me commend a similar plan to the 
young people—and older ones too—of every 
farming community. They will be sur¬ 
prised at the interest which will be mani¬ 
fested in these meetings ; and how soon the 
younger members learn to debate and dis¬ 
cuss topics of the day. 
Brillion, Wis. 
FARMERS’ CLUBS. 
A timely topic: experience, the source of 
practical knowledge, is best propagated 
by discussion among those in the same 
line of business; great advantage of 
farmers ’ clubs for this jrurpose; the 
whole grown-up family should be mem¬ 
bers; scope of discussions; profit and en¬ 
joyment in a properly conducted club. 
These very interesting and valuable 
neighborhood gatherings are becoming 
more and more popular as experience de¬ 
monstrates their usefulness. If half a 
dozen farmers meet together and confine 
their conversation for au hour to the sub¬ 
ject of corn—the preparation of the ground, 
time of planting, distance apart, manner of 
cultivating, hoeing, curing, etc.—each one 
will be wiser at the end than at the begin¬ 
ning. Although corn culture has been the 
business of his whole life, he will get some 
new ideas that may be useful in the future 
And so of the culture of any other grain or 
grass ; the cutting of hay, the most profit¬ 
able kind of stock for that neighborhood, 
when to buy, and when to sell, and a hun¬ 
dred other questions connected with farm¬ 
ing, will be discussed, not only to the ad¬ 
vantage, but to the pleasure of each mem¬ 
ber. 
Meetings may be held weekly. In the 
summer they can be held monthly—in the 
afternoons, and in the winter in the even¬ 
ings. Membership should not be confined 
to the male sex, because household matters 
are so intimately connected with successful 
farming that they can not be separated; 
therefore, husband and wife, sons and 
daughters should participate in these dis¬ 
cussions. 
Much has been "said and written on the 
subject of co-operation, and the matter has 
been recommended to the attention of 
farmers. I cannot see how they would be 
benefited by such a system, jus it is better 
that every one should buy what he wants, 
and exercise his own judgment in the selec¬ 
tion, and bargain as to the price. So in 
selling : each should sell what he has to 
spare, and get all he can for it at the best 
and nearest market. But I do think that 
much will be gained by farmers meeting 
together frequently to converse about their 
own business. Its branches are so numer¬ 
ous, aud its methods so varied that much 
wisdom would be evolved from a multi¬ 
tude of counselors. 
The meetings can be held from house to 
house among the members of each club. 
Essays may be read and discussed either in 
a formal or informal manner. Members 
will thus be induced to think more about 
their business than they had ever done be¬ 
fore. This thinking will bring to the sur¬ 
face new views that had lain dormant in 
the brain, and which now see light for the 
first time, and the more these are rubbed, 
the brighter they will shine. 
A new thought expressed by one mem¬ 
ber of the club, may cause a ripple that 
will be felt in the mind of every other 
member. These new views will lead to 
actions—these will lead to new results, the 
value of which may be incalculable. The 
experience of any one individual is of great 
advantage to others in the same line of 
business, and this is just the way to bring 
out such experiences and make them use¬ 
ful. Another advantage is the social en¬ 
joyment of the meeting; this will pay as 
the meetings go on, for every member will 
carry a portion of it home with him or her ; 
for these clubs, to be otthe greatest advan¬ 
tage, should include both sexes. I repeat 
this to impress it more deeply. 
Homeworth, Ohio. D. w. t. 
Woman’s Work, 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY LOUISE TAPLIN. 
THE BETTER WAY. 
MRS. S. H. ROWELL. 
* * T I J H AT a strange woman Mrs. Bar- 
VV low was!” exclaimed Mrs. 
Johnson, as she met Mrs. Gerhart on the 
street. 
“Was! Surely Mrs. Barlow is not 
dead ?” 
“ Yes, she died about two hours ago. I 
wjis just going for you ; for Adela said it 
was her mother’s request that you should 
be there to assist the girls in their last ser¬ 
vices : they would not let me help them.” 
“ I was just going there: I told her last 
evening, I would come around this morn¬ 
ing . I had no idea she would go so soon ; 
she seemed better yesterday and Adela 
was goiug to sit up with her last night.” 
“Yes, she did, and the children were all 
aloue with her when she breathed her last. 
Adela said she had barely time to call 
the children up. It was sudden at last.” 
“ Well, I must hasten, for I shall be need¬ 
ed. Poor woman, her sufferings are 
over, but what will the children do now ?” 
said Mrs. Johnson. 
“ Their mother has made every arrange¬ 
ment for their future. She knew that it 
was her last illness.” 
Mrs. Gerhartj passed on ; shejwas a very 
dear friend of the deceased, and felt the 
loss of her deeply. She knew how much 
Mrs. Barlow had suffered for long years, 
and when the husband and father was kill¬ 
ed in a drunken affray, some 10 years before, 
she was the one person who had comforted 
and assisted the widow and orphans in 
their desolation. Since then she had been 
a sister to the lonely woman, and when by 
the death of a distant relative, Mrs. Barlow 
was placed in a position of independence, 
and was surrounded by all the comforts 
and luxuries that wealth could procure, 
she did not forget the ‘ friend in need,” 
who had helped lift the burdens of want 
and sorrow from her slender frame, but 
cherished her, and before her last sickness 
had prostrated her, had claimed her prom¬ 
ise that, when she was gone, Mrs. Gerhart, 
(who was a childless widow) would come 
and live with her children, and keep the 
family circle unbroken. She had passed 
most of her time with the sick woman, 
and only left her the evening before, by her 
particular request, so that she might ob¬ 
tain a good night’s rest. She deeply re¬ 
gretted her absence, for she knew it must 
be a heart-rending scene for the child¬ 
ren to pass through. She was met at the 
door by all the children who gladly wel¬ 
comed their mother’s friend. 
“You are to be my mother now,’said 
little Annie, “mother said so, last night,” 
and she hid her face on Mrs. Gerhart’s 
shoulder. 
“ Yes, my little one, I promised your 
mother I would stay with you as long as 
you needed me.” 
“That will be always;” said Adela, a 
beautiful girl of 16 ; then came Elsie of 14 
years; after her were the two boys, then 
another girl, before Annie, who came to 
comfort her mother in her lonely widow¬ 
hood some three months after Mr. Barlow’s 
death. 
It was a great responsibility to take upon 
oneself, but the mother was a wise wo¬ 
man, and she knew that the trust would not 
be broken. They went together to the 
chamber of death, and wept over the silent 
sleeper ; then Mrs. Gerhart and Adela per¬ 
formed the last sad offices of affection, and 
the children gathered flowers to brighten 
the silent chamber. The undertaker came 
to perform the functions of his office, and 
neighbors came in to offer their services, 
but these were declined. 
“Let the coffin be perfectly plain; no 
needless expense. It will not be on exhi¬ 
bition,” said Mrs. Gerhart. “Mrs. Bar- 
low made every arrangement herself, and 
we shall follow them out to the letter : she 
disliked display and parade.” 
“ Why, she was very wealthy, I under¬ 
stood. I supposed you would have a fine 
funeral,” he said. 
“ It was not her wish, and we shall do 
just as she desired. She always disliked 
ostentation,” replied Mrs. Gerhart, as she 
closed the door of the chamber, just as 
Mrs. Johnson and two other ladies were 
ascending the stairs. 
“ We have come to assist you ; there must 
be a great deal to be done, Mrs. Barlow was 
sick so long, and we could help on the 
sewing,” said Mrs. Johnson as she tried to 
open the door. 
“There is no extra sewing to be done; 
the family are not going to put on mourn¬ 
ing.” 
“ Not to go in mourning for their moth¬ 
er ! ” exclaimed she, “ only think of it, 
Mrs. Brown ; and she is so rich too ! What 
will people think ! ” 
“ It matters very little what people think, 
Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Barlow never approv¬ 
ed of such a lavish display at funerals, and 
she made it a special injunction to avoid all 
parade.” 
“ When will the funeral be attended, Mrs. 
Gerhart ?” 
“I think some time to-morrow. I have 
not seen the rector yet. Eddy has gone to 
the rectory; but we shall only have the 
church service.” 
“ I never heard of such doings. Who is 
going to make the robe? I suppose that 
will be nice, of course.” 
“ She is to be laid to rest in one of her 
many gowns, it will be pleasanter for the 
children.” 
“What will people think! How odd!” 
said Mrs. Brown. 
“ No one will see the remains but the 
family; but, excuse me, the clergyman 
has come; we will go down, if you please, 
ladies; ” said Mrs. Gerhart. 
“ I suppose we can go in and look at the 
corpse.” 
“ I am sorry to refuse you ; but it cannot 
be. My friend had a perfect horror of be¬ 
ing on exhibition, and I promised her no 
one_should look on, her dead face but her 
children. We will go down now.” 
“How queer! I am glad I am not re¬ 
sponsible for all the comments folks will 
make ;” said Mrs. Johnson to Mrs. Brown 
as they went down the stairs, where they 
met Adela coming from the parlor, where 
the rector was waiting. 
“ Mrs. Gerhart will not let us do any¬ 
thing for you or even go into your mother’s 
room ; ” said Mrs. Brown. 
“ Of course not. She acts in accordance 
with my dear mother’s wishes. I do not 
think we need any help.” 
“ There is always so much to be done in 
case of death.” 
“ Thank you for your offer; and if we 
need assistance we will let you know;” 
and it was with a sigh of relief that she 
saw them take their departure. The next 
day, after dinner, the prayers were read, 
and the coffin was borne from the house; 
the orphaned children, with Mrs. Gerhart 
followed the hearse ; the minister and his 
family with the pall-bearers followed. The 
services at the grave were read and the dust 
was returned to its Mother Earth. The 
children w r ept freely as the sods rattled on 
the coffin, for there were no curious criticis¬ 
ing eyes to comment on how bad they felt. 
It was a relief to their bursting hearts. 
Slowly they turned away from the grave 
and returned to the darkened home. The 
house seemed desolate; it was a home with¬ 
out a mother! But Mrs. Gerhart quietly 
assumed the duties assigned to her, and in 
their sorrow the children turned to her for 
comfort. In the evening the minister and 
his wife came in to cheer the bereft family 
and administer consolation. 
“I approve of this order of funerals; it 
seems far more appropriate than the pres¬ 
ent customs. So much display and parade 
are not consistent with sorrow for the 
dead,” said the rector. 
“ I did exactly as Mrs. Barlow requested 
me to do. She has always condemned the 
outlay consequent upon the present style 
of funerals, as if the trappings of display 
were the correct expression of grief, and 
one could judge how heart-stricken the 
mourners were by the cost of the obsequies. 
Then she said it was such a burden to so 
many people who were financially troubled 
to go to such an extravagant expense when 
they lost a relative. I think too she was 
very sensible in her own case. One cannot 
judge of heart sorrow by outward show. 
I know people will talk; it is their privilege; 
but I feel that I acted wisely in following 
her directions,” said Mrs. Gerhart. 
“ Certainly you did, and Mrs. Barlow 
showed her wisdom in arranging her affairs 
as she did. I am glad she provided so faith¬ 
ful a guardian for her children. She told 
me of her arrangements and gave me 
a check for 6100 to bestow upon the poor in 
the parish.” 
Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Brown made a 
big talk about the queer doings, but the 
more they said, the more people thought of 
the matter, the more the reasonable part of 
the community saw the good judgment 
evinced, and the great folly of expending 
such enormous amounts of money in trying 
to show how people mourn for their dead. 
And what does it amount to ? It does the 
dead no good, and it makes life harder for 
the living. One evening Mr. Johnson came 
in to his house. 
“ Look here, wife! for pity’s sake stop 
talking about Mrs. Barlow’s funeral! Do 
you know I have never been able to pay for 
Ellen’s coffin or for digging her grave ? It 
cost me a round sum, you know, and it was 
almost two years ago, and your mourning 
clothes are not paid for either. I am glad 
there is one person who had sense enough 
to be able to be buried out of fashion,” he 
said. 
“ But it looked so stingy for a rich 
woman ! ” 
“She was not stingy ! She gave 6100 to 
the minister for the poor, and Mrs. Gerhart 
has paid the undertaker and sexton every 
cent of the expense. They have both of 
them presented the unpaid bills to me to¬ 
day ! So just stop talking ! ” 
CHAT BY THE WAY. 
“ It 1* * the calm ami solemn night! 
A thousand bells ring out, and throw 
Their joyous peals abroad, and smite 
The darkness—charmed and holy now ' 
The night that erst no name had worn. 
To It a happy name Is given : 
For in that stable lay, new-born. 
The peaceful prince of earth and heaven, 
In the solemn mirtt Ight, 
Centuries ago!” 
* 
*■ * 
L ET no girl think her education com 
plete until she can use saw, hammer 
