mos. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
739 
A Criticism of Farm Life. 
The following letter was given to the 
public through The Outlook. It is 
commented upon on page 737, and we 
reprint it here that our good women of 
the farm may realize the attitude of 
some critics of farm life and farm con¬ 
ditions. 
The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Rail¬ 
way System, 
Railway Exchange, Chicago, August 22, 
1908. 
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, Oyster Bay, L. I., 
N. Y.: 
My dear Mr. President: Nothing that 
has appeared in print for a long time has 
given me more satisfaction than your letter 
purposing to do something toward provid¬ 
ing creature comforts for the farmer, now 
that so much has been accomplished for 
him as a mere grower and producer. As 
one who spent his boyhood and part of 
his youtli on a farm, I have for many years 
looked hack upon the needless poverty of 
social, mental, and comfortable life as one 
of the things most demanding attention. In 
the midst of everything that should make 
life cheerful and satisfactory, the average 
farmer has relatively nothing, like the 
mariner who had water everywhere without 
a drop to drink. Having available the 
best meats, the freshest vegetables and 
fruits, the most wholesome milk, eggs, 
butter, and poultry, he yet has the poorest 
table in the world; so that I was not sur¬ 
prised a couple of years ago on discovering 
at one of the great sanitariums of this 
country, where disorders of digestion re¬ 
ceive special attention, that the greater 
number of the nine hundred patrons came 
from the country. With the everlasting 
fresh air, which we in the city take hard 
journeys to enjoy, he usually sleeps in a 
small room with practically no ventilation, 
when a very little outlay and ingenuity 
would provide sleeping accommodations for 
the family which would add years to life 
not only, but also give that strength which 
makes life pleasant while we have it. Some 
one has said quite correctly that there is no 
place where good air is so scarce as it is in 
the country. With piles of chaff which he 
has to burn to get it out of the way, the 
verv best nreservative of ice, he never 
thinks during Winter to cover up a few 
tons of ice with which to reduce if not 
altogether remove the miserable situation 
of his family during the heated months. 
With a windmill pumping water for his 
live stock and running it to waste, he has 
no conveniences for bathing, and, in fact, 
knows nothing about the tonic and the 
optimism afforded by a bath. If, after a 
long day’s work, he could come in and take 
a thorough soaping off under a shower, 
even in the corner of the barn or the gran¬ 
ary, and then put on a suit of dry cloth¬ 
ing, no matter how cheap, so it is a 
change, he would look with different eyes 
upon his situation and upon everything 
around him, and he would not be contribut¬ 
ing money for the campaigns of demagogues 
and disturbers. Instead of this, however, 
he sits down to his supper when he is too 
tired to eat, and in a condition of fatigue 
which denies digestion; and, to make a bad 
matter worse, he goes to a table hastily 
prepared and usually uninviting, which is 
partly owing to a short-sighted frugality 
which never allows sufficient help in the 
house to do what should be done as it 
should be done. For he does not realize 
that the meal is next to a sacred cere¬ 
monial, and that nothing should be spared 
in the preparing and the serving of it. 
It is to be conceded to him that in many 
ways he is trying to improve his condition 
—he is having driving horses and vehicles 
for his children, and he is buying pianos 
and doing other ambitious things. But the 
foundation trouble is that most of this is 
done in a crude way because there is nobody 
to show him how. And all our progress in 
this regard has come from association in 
the cities and from being sbown how. The 
isolation of the farmer prevents him from 
observing what is sometimes open to view 
in the city to the very poorest persons, 
and therefore his progress is slower. lie 
is not to be censured for the state in 
which we find him, although he deserves a 
scolding for a great deal of indifference 
and indolence. What we call the comforts 
of life are very modern. The cheap apart¬ 
ments of a workingman in the city to-day 
have comforts and conveniences which roy¬ 
alty did -not enjoy only a little while ago. 
I have written thus at length to show 
that, as a person fully experienced in 
farm life, I believe that you put your 
finger on the quivering spot of a great 
human matter—that the farmer needs to 
be shown by somebody who has seen, and 
that the well-being of others and the good 
of the state require that he be taught. 
I write also because I have observed in 
the newspapers some disposition to jest at 
the proposal; but if carried out it would 
destroy much discontent in this country, 
and would keep on the farm where they be¬ 
long the boys and girls who leave it chiefly 
because in the towns and cities they find 
physical comfort and mental entertainment 
Which they should have found at homo. 
I have always blamed the farm journals 
for not doing something positive and effec¬ 
tive in this direction. They might show 
by illustrated articles how outdoor sleeping 
apartments could be fitted up at little ex¬ 
pense, how a good bath could be installed 
almost anywhere and the importance of its 
daily use, how the table could be made the 
altar of the household deities, how the nar¬ 
row home could in many ways be widened 
and the library made better, and varied en¬ 
tertainment provided. 
As I have had pronounced views upon 
this subject since I was a boy, and as your 
letter expressed them almost completely, I 
read it with the utmost satisfaction, and I 
accordingly send you these words of cheer. 
Wishing you immeasurable success in 
your purpose to show the farmer how much 
there is in life which he misses and how 
beautiful all is, I am 
Very sincerely yours, 
T. J. NORTON. 
Corned Beef. 
Will you give a good recipe for curing 
and preserving beef for family use? I am 
going to kill my own beef, and be independ¬ 
ent as far as possible, as a farmer should 
be. F. v. s. 
Connecticut. 
To every hundred pounds of beef take 
nine pounds of salt, four pounds of 
sugar or two quarts of good molasses, 
two ounces of soda, one ounce of salt¬ 
peter, and just enough water to cover 
the meat—about four or five gallons. 
Strew some salt over the bottom of a 
barrel; mix about half the amount of 
salt given with half the given amount 
of sugar or molasses, and rub each piece 
of meat thoroughly with it before plac¬ 
ing in the barrel. Dissolve the salt¬ 
peter and soda together in hot water, 
add the remainder of the salt and sugar, 
and four or five gallons of cold water. 
Pour this over the meat. Place a board 
on top of the meat, with a weight heavy 
enough to keep it under the brine. It 
is salt enough to cook after five or six 
days’ corning, but it can be kept in the 
brine for an indefinite length of time. 
Peach Mousse.—Use very ripe fruit. 
Peel and slice enough to make a quart. 
Rub them through a strainer, add a pint 
of sugar and mix well. Add also two 
quarts of whipped cream. Wet a three- 
quart mold with cold water and heap the 
mousse in lightly. Pack in salt and 
ice and let it remain for four hours. 
Peach Russe.—This sounds more 
elaborate than it really is; it makes a 
beautiful dessert. Cover half a pack¬ 
age of gelatin with half a cup of cold 
water and soak ten minutes or until all 
the water is absorbed; then dissolve 
over hot water. Reserve one table¬ 
spoonful and set where it will keep 
warm; strain the remainder over one 
pint of peach pulp. Add one cup of 
sugar (powdered), grated rind of a 
lemon, a little extract of almond and 
beat well; then fold in a pint of whipped 
cream. A little rich strawberry syrup 
added will give a delicate peach-blow 
tint. Dip a fancy mold into hot water; 
wipe dry; pour into it the tablespoon 
of warm gelatine; turn the mold round 
and round until the gelatine thinly coats 
all sides. Before it sets sprinkle over 
its surface a few candied rose leaves 
and pour in the mixture. Pack in 
cracked ice and coarse salt and let 
stand for several hours. Serve on a 
flat dish. 
Crabapple Jelly.— In making crab- 
apple jelly, many other kinds of flavor¬ 
ing can be abided, such as grape, elder¬ 
berry, peach, pineapple and blackberry. 
A very fine jelly is made by adding pine¬ 
apple juice to crabapple. Part peach 
and part crabapple makes an excellent 
jelly. m. g. 
A Tested Jelly Recipe.— My method 
of jelly making steams the fruit without 
adding water, presses out juice, boils it 
10 minutes, hard, then adds sugar 
(measured before boiling juice in 
equal quantity) which has been heated 
in warm oven while juice boiled. Re¬ 
move from fire at once after adding 
sugar, and stir till dissolved. 
E. J. BECKER. 
WEAR 
STEEL 1 ; 
SHOES * 
Yon will never know how 
comfortulijo your feet can be 
until you have worn Stool 
Shoes. They do not heat 
and sweat tho feet, liko 
rubber boots—but are dry, 
warm and clean from 
morning till night in 
the worst weuthers. 
Light in weight, but so ' 
strong that they can 
never twist or warp out of_ 
shape, ns leather shoes do. And 
are so durable, so inexpensive, 
at leust $5.00 to S10.00 every year 
Send for 
oar booklet 
The Solo 
of Steel 
better still, 
send for a pair 
Steel Shoes. See 
noy-back and 
guarantee offer bolow. 
best of nil. Steel Shoes 
thut they will save you 
in shoe money. 
-„ v -- 1I1VUVJ 
Save Doctors’ Bills 
Steel Shoos give absolute protection against colds, 
rheumatism, stiffness and all other discomforts and 
diseases caused by cold, wet feet. After a full year of 
daily wear they will still be clean and odorless. The 
reason is that inside the shoes is a splendid, thick, hair 
cushion, which not only prevents all of tho jnrs of walk¬ 
ing, but absorbs, also, the perspirution and foot odors. 
"Very night this hair cushion can bo taken out and 
easily cleansed and dried. Steel Shoes are easily slipped 
on or off when leaving or entering the house. They nro 
restful, healthful and comfortable from the first 
minute you try them on, and put an absolute end to 
tired, sore or aching feet, even after ,ong days in 
muddy fields. They need no breaking in. 
Cheaper Than Leather Shoes 
Steel Shoes, with uppers six inches high at $2.50 a pair 
are better than the best all-leather $3.50 shoes. Steel 
Shoes with uppers nine inches high at $3.50 per pair are 
better than the best all-leather shoes regardless of cost. 
But the low first-cost is only a small part of the econ¬ 
omy of Steel Shoes. They will outwear from three to 
tlx pairs of leather shoos, to say nothing of the saving 
in doctors and medicine bills that is bound to result 
from huving your feet always warm, dry and clean. 
Guaranteed for a Fu88 Year 
We can easily guarantee Steel Shoes for a full year of 
satisfactory every-day wear. The soles and an inch 
above the soles nro mado of special fine steel—thin and 
light, hut extra strong—stamped out of one piece, with¬ 
out joint or seam. The uppers are made of tho finest 
pliable-waterproof leather wo can buy. And the bot¬ 
toms of the soles nro studded with steel rivets ensuring 
nil absolutely safe footing in even the most slippery 
going. Sizes 6 to 12. 
Money Back if Not Satisfied 
You aro absolutely snfo in sending for a pair of Steel 
Shoes, for wo will refund your monev promptly and 
without quibble If you are not satisfied when you 
see the shoes. Either the $2.50. or the $3.50 stvle is tho 
1 1 iggcst va I ue that money can buy. But wo recommend 
the •*••>.•*) pmr bocause of tho nine-inch uppers which give 
the best protection and the most satisfaction. Don’t 
suffer with cold, wet, aching feet—don't wait another 
day. ©end So.50 for 9-inch shoes, eta to size you wear 
and we will ship you without delay the best, most com¬ 
fortable working shoes you ever wore. 
Steel Shoe Company, Dept. 3 7 i Rac3ne f Wte. 
BE A RAILROAD MAPI 
We will fit you by mail for position of Fira- 
mun or lirakomun and guarantee position 
to graduates mentally and physically competent. 
Only school whose instructors are practical rail¬ 
road men endorsed by railway managers. Write 
today, state age and ask for free catalog 
TheWentha Ry.Cor.School, Dept.S-R-202 Freeport.il 
How Much You Save 
by getting 
I Promise You: 
; 
TRADE MARK REGISTERED 
That you save more money, and at 
the same time get a better stove or range for the money, when you 
buy a Kalamazoo, than you can get anywhere else in the world. That’s 
my promise, and here’s my hand on it! Will you give me a chance to 
prove to you that I will do what I say? 
In the past six years we have sold Kalamazoo stoves and ranges to thousands 
of readers of this journal—saving them $5, $8, $10, and as high as $30 and $35 on a 
single purchase. But, that do sn’t do you any good, unless you let me quote you prices 
and show you what we can do for you. Isn’t it to your interest, then, to get our prices 
and catalogue? When you buy, you want the best stove or range you can find, and you 
want to buy it as economically as possible. You want to make every dollar count. Let me show 
you how. Write for our our catalogue and prices, and then compare the Kalamazoo, in both quality 
and prices with the best stoves and ranges you can find sold at retail. That’s all we ask—just a simple 
comparison. And it’s to your interest to make it. 
Freight 
Pre¬ 
paid 
Wm. Thompson, 
Vice Bren, and Gen. Mgr, 
How You Save Money 
You deal directly with the manufacturers. Youbuy 
at actual factory prices. You save all dealers’, 
jobbers’ and middlemen’s profits. 
You buy from one of the largest,most modern, best 
equipped stove foundries in the world—mak¬ 
ing nothing but the highest grade stoves and 
ranges, and you get all the advantages which 
come from manufacturing in large quantities. 
You not only save from 20% to 40% in fir.t 
cost, but you also save in cost of operation, in 
repairs and in durability. 
You do not only save money, but you get a 
stove or range of extra quality. 
You have no freight to pay. We send you 
the Kalamazoo freight prepaid. 
You get a stove or range of the latest design, with all the latest 
improvements, which will last as long as any you can find any¬ 
where, and you save one-quarter or one-third in the price. 
How You Run No Risk 
You buy on a 360 days’ approval test, and I promise 
now, in black and white, to return to you every cent 
you pay if you do not find your purchase in every 
way exactly as represented. You buy from an estab¬ 
lished company, with more individual customers 
than any other stove company in existence. 
We doubtless can send you names of many satis¬ 
fied users of the Kalamazoo right in your own 
country—people who have not only saved money, 
but have also secured a stove or range of extra 
quality. We pay the freight—you don’t have to 
take even that risk. 
Your banker can easily find out about our relia¬ 
bility, and you know that the editor of this paper 
would not print our advertisements, year after year, 
if we were not perfectly trustworthy. If you ap¬ 
preciate the advantage of economy in buying, you < 
will at least let me quote you prices. 
You wouldn’t think of buying land or hogs or steers or feed-stuff, without first finding out what the market 
price is. Why then buy a stove or range without finding out the manufacturers’ prices? 
Let me show you the difference between the factory price and the retail price. Use the coupon, or 
Send Postal for Catalogue No. 114 
You can save enough on one purchase, to pay for a good share of your season’s fuel— 
to pay your taxes—to get a new gown or a new suit. If you save only $5, or $10, I’m sure 
you can find some good use for the money or you keep in your own pocket. 
The Kalamazoo line is complete, embracing stoves and ranges for all domestic 
purposes, including more than 300 styles and sizes of 
Coal and Wood Ranges 
Gas Stoves and Ranges 
Gas Heaters 
360 
Days 
Approval 
Test 
You arc invited 
to visit us 
We Pay the Freight 
Coal and Wood Cook Stoves Base Burners 
Hotel Ranges Coal and Wood Heaters 
Open Franklin Heaters Shop Stoves, etc. 
Get our prices and see what you save. 
William Thompson, Vice-Pres. and Gen. Mgr. 
Kalamazoo Stove Co., Kalamazoo, Mich. 
All Kalamazoo stoves and 
ranges are equipped with 
patent thermometer which 
makes baking and 
roasting easy. 
Kalamazoo 
Stove Co. 
Kalamazoo. 
Mich. 
Please send me Cat¬ 
alogue No. 114, and 
quote me factory prices, 
freight prepaid. 
Name 
