COO 
THE RURAL NEW-YOKKER 
Hope Farm Notes 
It is a pleasant thing to be able to shut 
your eyes and travel, in Imagination, away 
from the present. Many of us cannot af¬ 
ford to take long journeys in any other 
way, and I found myself taking such a trip 
on Labor Day. You may say that Labor 
Day is a time for working rather than for 
dreaming—but I am not so sure of that. 
The holiday was established not to show 
how much work we can do in 24 hours, but 
rather to play and think for the glory of 
labor. At any rate, I did very little work 
and did a great deal of thinking. 
So would you if you were back in your 
boyhood home and saw the old harbor of 
Plymouth spread out before you. Captain's 
Hill still towered at the left and Manomet 
hutted out into the ocean at the right. The 
beach still stretched its thin arm to guard 
the inner harbor, while Clark’s Island, 
Saquish and the Gurnet were just as they 
were 40 years ago. There was the same 
blue sparkling water at full tide and the 
channel through the dull flats when the tide 
ran out. So it has been since the May¬ 
flower came sailing slowly into the harbor 
—so it will continue to be for centuries to 
come. 
I did not need to shut my eyep and view 
this framework, but the mental picture 
within it was another matter. I seemed to 
have flashed back 40 years, and was once 
more In the old rope walk out by Cold 
Spring. The low building, rough and 
weatherbeaten, stretched its long body back 
from the road. On either side were little 
windows like those in the old-fashioned 
church shed. The sun Is streaming in 
through the southeast side, and great 
patches of yellow sunlight stretch across 
the floor. Spiders have given the human 
spinners an object lesson by stretching their 
webs from the rafters and out of the cor¬ 
ners. At one end of the building a young 
man is cleaning hemp. He stands in front 
of a board through which have been driven 
a number of sharp steel pins or spikes, ne 
takes a handful of hemp, throws it over 
these spikes, and quickly pulls through, thus 
combing out the waste and straightening 
the fibres. Walking slowly backward down 
the rope walk is an elderly man. He has a 
great twist of hemp around his waist, and 
as he slowly backs away down the walk he 
feeds out the hemp a few fibres at a time 
into a small rope or yarn, which twists into 
a tight strand as he lengthens it out. The 
40 years are condensed into yesterday as 
I watch the old man slowly feeding out his 
hemp. Now he moves on through a patch 
of sunshine which illumines the patch on his 
overalls, and shows the dust on his ancient 
hat. Then he passes on into the shadow 
to enter the sunshine at the next window. 
Somehow the yarn in front of him does 
not twist as it should, and the old man 
shouts in a queer, gruff voice: 
“Heave, boy, heave!” 
The twist goes faster as the motive power 
takes on extra speed. At the end of the 
rope walk is a large wooden wheel set in 
a heavy frame. From this wheel little 
ropes arc run over small pulleys, and to 
these are fastened hooks or spindles which 
revolve as the wheel is turned. The strand 
which the old man is spinning has its end 
fastened to one of these hooks. Turning 
the wheel by an open window with the 
sun streaming over him and all the sounds 
of nature which might call you to the 
woods and fields is a chunky little boy. I 
feel mighty interested in that boy, for I 
have grown along with him and feel every 
bump and prick which 40 years have 
given him. He is sitting astride of a low 
wooden bench, turning the wheel with one 
hand swaying back and forth from side 
to side. In front of him is a book which 
he reads as his head sways to and fro. 
No, I fear it is not one of the classics—just 
a “dime novel” of heroic Indian adventure. 
When the old spinner called “Heave, boy!” 
the great Indian fighter, Seth Jones, had 
just bitten off several large ropes and set 
himself free. Why, if I could get hold of 
any book to-day that would give me such 
a thrill it would take a very strong 
“Heave” to make me twist my share of 
the strand. I have often wondered why 
the old spinner did not throw that book 
out of the window. I suspect he was a 
deeper student of human nature than we 
gave him credit for. He saw that those 
books lent spirit and imagination to the 
boy’s work, and that was more effective 
than dead brutal labor. No man could bite 
off a rope which this boy twisted. It is much 
like the fun and thought of Labor Day help¬ 
ing to give spirit and hope to the entire year. 
I saw this little chunk of humanity sitting 
in the sun and turning his wheel at three 
cents an hour cheerful and contented. That 
was a time in our history when great 
thoughts and responsibilities were thrust 
upon the young. That boy’s father had 
been killed in the Civil War. He knew 
that he had fallen heir to a heritage of 
labor from which there was no honorable 
escape. There was no place in the world 
for him except such as he dug out with his 
own hands. So he sat hopefully in the 
sunshine, turning wheel, putting the 
strength of his little arm into good, honest 
rope. It was well worth the journey back 
40 years to see this hopeful little fellow 
once more. I wish I had his spirit and 
ambition to “heave” at the larger strands 
of life. 
But who with good vision would sit for¬ 
ever with closed eyes? We live and earn 
our food in the present, and a very lively 
present it was when I looked about me. 
Instead of the old ropewalk with boy 
power and one spinner I was in the center 
of the Plymouth Cordage Company’s works. 
This company started 84 years ago with 35 
hands. Now they have nearly 2,000, with 
an annual output of over 90,000,000 pounds 
of rope. In our old ropewalk the boy’s arm 
supplied the motive power, while in this 
great factory there were engines aggre¬ 
gating nearly G,000 horse power. The 
days of cleaning hemp by hand or walking 
backwards dow r n the ropewalk have gone. 
I saw the hemp as it was taken from the 
bales straightened out and put through ma¬ 
chines with great fluted rollers. Then it 
was drawn swiftly through pins and combs, 
and through one machine after another, un¬ 
til it came out finally in long hanks or 
bunches of fibre. These were put into an¬ 
other machine. There was a quick twist 
and a whirl and a small rope or yarn ran 
out of the other side of the machine, and 
was wound rapidly on a spool or bobbin. 
When I looked across the mill over hun¬ 
dreds of these machines, each running out 
the yarn at speed my arm felt very small 
compared with the 1,000 horse power en¬ 
gine which gave life to it all. Yet 1 think 
our hand-twisted yarn had the quality. 
But we did not produce the quantity. 
In this great factory every year nearly 
11,000,000 miles of this yarn are made. 
If work were Still done as we did it 40 
years ago there would be needed more thap 
8,000 people and over 200 acres of land to 
give tue space for long rope walks. The 
yarn wound on that bobbin is very much 
longer than any ropewalk where a single 
strand was run out. You must remember 
that this yarn is the unit from which rope, 
both large and small, is made. There are 
great whirling machines in these mills. 
From three to 30 or more of the bobbins 
may be put in these machines, the yarns 
connected properly, and off they go twisting 
and turning into rope as large as desired. 
From a clothes line up to a great wrecking 
cable 15 inches through it is simply a 
question of putting more of these units into 
the machine to be twisted together. But 
no one can make you see Just how rope is 
made unless he can take you into the fac¬ 
tory where you can watch the hemp make 
its way into these great twisting machines. 
The old order has gone forever, but one 
man at least in this great factory can look 
back over 00 years with great satisfac¬ 
tion. That is Gideon F. Holmes. He start¬ 
ed working here 51 years ago as a boy. I 
do not know that he ever “turned wheel,” 
for this company had a water power, but 
he did about everything else, and has seen 
this great factory grow under his own 
management and very largely as a result 
of his direction. 
I have spoken of the unit of yarn from 
which all the ropes are made. Upon that 
unit depends the strength and character of 
the rope. I was just as much interested in 
another unit, which may he called the unit 
of civilization. I mean the working people 
who make this rope. Forty years ago in 
Plymouth 90 per cent of the mechanics and 
working people were Americans with two or 
more generations in this country back of 
them. Now nearly as large a proportion 
were born in Europe. Among the Labor 
Day sports at this great factory was a 
wood-sawing contest. Out of iO contest¬ 
ants only one gave evidence of “Mayflower 
stock,” and he was beaten by an Italian. 
In the factory library there are books in 
five or six different languages. Mr. Spoon¬ 
er, who started this company, at one time 
made rope in New Orleans, using slave 
labor. One reason he had for locating at 
Plymouth was to show that free labor was 
better than slave, and could compete witii 
it The human units who do the work 
ought to be as important to the enterprise 
as the unit of yarn which goes into all the 
rope and gives it character. Many of these 
workmen are natives of Europe, yet 50 
years or more from now they will, through 
their children, exert a greater influence 
upon American affairs than those who came 
in the Mayflower. There is every reason 
why they should be taught good citizenship 
and home building. That is just what they 
are taught, and I think that after all this 
side of the work which Mr. Holmes has 
done is greater and more enduring than 
that of making rope. I only wish I had 
space in whicli to describe the fair which 
these employees organized. There was an 
exhibit of vegetables better than I have 
seen at State fairs. The quality was fine 
and the exhibits were beautifully arranged 
I am sure that no one but an Italian could 
have arranged the colors of different vege¬ 
tables in such striking contrasts. The soil 
in this part of Plymouth is mostly poor and 
sandy, and has been under cultivation 200 
years or more, yet these rope-making gar¬ 
deners produce wonderful crops. The com¬ 
pany offers prizes for the best and neatest 
front yards. I went around and saw the 
prize winners, and it was astonishing how 
much beauty these people had produced 
with a trifling outlay of cost 
I ain forced to admit that sentiment 
would lie about the only thing I could gain 
by going back 40 years—with my eyes open. 
Life is easier now, hours are shorter and 
wages are larger. I cannot say workmen 
have more rights, for we hardly knew we 
had any “wrongs” in those days. Most 
certainly farming and gardening is better 
done now, and the soil yields greater va¬ 
riety. Is the average workman as good a 
citizen as the man or boy of 50 years back? 
In a way 1 doubt it, for the modern work¬ 
man has had nothing to thrill and try him 
as the C'ivil War tested and pnved the 
New England people. I believe, however, 
that as these men from Europe gain homes 
and learn to take pride in them their citi¬ 
zenship is safe. But would it be possible 
for the child of one of these workmen to 
eome up from the ranks as Mr. Holmes 
did? Answer that and you go through the 
whole story of modern business develop¬ 
ment H. W. C. 
September 24, 
DAILY 
OUTPUT 
17,500 
8BLS. 
YEARLY 
OUTPUT 
OVER 
6 , 000,000 
ALPHA 
PORTLAND CEMENT 
is absolutely the best that can be made 
for all farm work. Largely used by 
U. S. Government and in State, Munici¬ 
pal and Railroad work—a reputation of 
20 years behind it. Ask your dealer for 
ALPHA 
Send tor Booklet and learn why it is the best. 
ALPHA PORTLAND CEMENT CO., 
ADDRESS 
2 Center Square, EASTON, PA. 
■ | ■ p Especially prepared for agricultural 
I I fwl r purposes. Requires no slacking. Heat 
11VIL all taken out. Can be drilled in. 
Shipped In bags. Send stamp for re- 
E orts of experiment stations to HUDSON RIVER 
iIMK CO.. 2610 Newkirk Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
(Works near Albany.; 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y". and you’ll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee page 10. 
COLTS MALLEABLE 
WAGON JACK 
This lack ran not break because 
it is marie of malleable iron, lly 
simply working the lever you can 
raise 1500 lbs. with little effort. 
Closed height. 15 in.; extented 
height, 27 in. Buy one to-day of 
your dealer or send ns his name 
and $1.50 for one prepaid. Try it 
10 days and if you want your money 
back wo will cheerfully refund. 
BATAVIA CLAMP CO. 
123 Center Sireef, Batavia, N. Y. 
"Colts Eccentric Clamps” and 
our other useful specialties are 
absolutely unrivalled. Let us semi 
OataloQue 16S detoribinQ them. 
iPOWN FENCE 
B l 
Strongest, most durable fence 
made. Heaviest, closest wires. Double 
. galvanized. Practically indestructible. Stock 
■ strong. Cbickentight 15 t«35c perrod. Sample free. Wepayfrt. 
|ThcUrowrD|en^A^^r^o^n|cpt^59^^1evclan£jOlnm 
a 
WARD FARM FENCE 
40 carbon spring steel, 
extra heavily galvanized. 
80 days' free trial. Freight 
prepaid. Complete free 
Catalogues on Farm, Poul¬ 
try and Ornamental Wire 
andWrought Iron Fences. 
Write now for spe¬ 
cial ofYer. 
Th© Ward Fene© C©., 
Box 338 Daeatur, Ind. 
yr/i 
A Republic 
Ornamental Fence 
at small cost, wilt add more to the value of 
your place than any other improvement that 
you can make and provide positive and per¬ 
manent protection for your lawn and gardens. 
Republic Ornamental Fence Fabrics 
are made by cabling heavy horizontal wires together and inrertinz at fre¬ 
quent intervals heavy wire pickets 
crimpod only at point of intersection, 
thereby overcoming the rusting of full 
crimpod ttavs commonly used. Erected 
with wooden posts or stool posts with 
special wrought steel base. 
Our free Style Book shows many 
beautiful patterns of fence, cemetery 
arches, trellises, etc. 
Writ » tor it today 
You need farm gate.; ask for special 
gate circular. 
Republic Fence and Oat. Co., 
211 Republic 8t., Ho. Chicago, ID. 
“The Knot That Cannot Slip” 
This knot is different from all other ties. clamps, 
weaves or welds on the market. Cannot slip to mar 
the galvanizing; does not cause the wire to break 
lust beyond the joints; has no protruding ends to 
snag animals. These are some features that make 
FARMERS’ FENCE 
the best fence for the money—strong, durable and alwaysneat look¬ 
ing. Easy to put np and lasts a lifetime. Made of hard-drawn, 
spring-steel wire heavily galvanized. Absolutely impervious to 
weather conditions. Our unlimited guarantee is your protection. 
ys- AGENTS WANTED SAMPLE KNOT FREE 
— Dealers and farmer agents wanted Togetb.r with cur latest catalog and 
where we are not represented. Writ, name of nearest dealer. Write today, 
quick for desirable territory. Letters promptly answered. ^ . 
THE FARMERS’ FEKCE CO.. Box 804 BELLEFONTAINE, OHIO 
Barbed Wire and Fencing 
SPECIAL SALE AT WRECKING PRICES 
A great opportunity. Now is the time to buy. Save 30 to 50 per 
largo Imnt disabled in Lako Huron, containing 20,000kngu of wii 
>or cent. We bought tho contents of O 
_ Huron, containing 20,000kegs of WireNuils, 500 tons of Burbod Wire,many 
curs of Fencing and other Wire Products. Wo give our customers the benefit of our wonderful opera¬ 
tions. Tho Barbed Wire and Fencing iH the best manufactured. It is unimpaired except that it may 
be somewhat dulled, but it is not damaged; practically as good as you get from high-priced dealers. 
6SS5 
Galvanized Barbed Wire, 2 and 4 point, put up on reels, 
per 100 ll«)., $2.00; painted, 51.80. Gulrunizod Barl>ea 
Wire, HO rods to the reel, per reel, $1-50; painted. $1.43. 
Electric Wald Square Mesh Fencing. The best on the 
market. 26 in. high, eel. 12 i 
lvanized, per rod, I Ogle Poull 
ilM 
6 in. stays, heavily gal_ - . 
rod, 7c. 12 in. Graduated Diamond Mesh Fencing, 
Smooth Galvanized Fence Wire, No. ii gauge, per !«. , M .. 
14 . S 2 . 75 . Poultry Fence Staples, per TOO lbs., $2.50; Galvan 
in. Square Me»li 
j Fence, p 
ir rod, 8c. Other heights at proportionate prices, 
llie., $2.00; No. 11. $2.25; No. 12, $2.50; No. 
izea. per 10011 
100 lbs.. $3.00; Mixed 
pies, per 1UU ll>s., $2.50; Galvanized, per 1UU llis., >z.7S. 
mixed wire Hails, per keg, $j.oo 
5,000 kegs of Mixed Wire Nails that are rusty but are sold just us they come, no 
guarantee as to assortment. Per keg, $ 1 . 00 . 
New Regular Wire Nails: 8D, per keg, $2.00; Boat Spikes,'per TOO H>b.. $1.50; 
Railroad Spikes, per TOO lbs., $1.75; Mixed Iron Bolts, good assortment, new, per 
od Rivets, per 100 lbs., $ 
$2.00. B. B. Phons Wire, per lOOlbs., $2.85. 
Ask for Our lOOO-Page Illustrated Free Catalog No. 57 
Here’s the Groat “Price Wrecker." 10,000 illustrationn. ShowB everything from a needle to a loco¬ 
motive. Tells about our wonderful purchases at Sheriffs', Receivers' and Manufacturers* Sales. 
Quotes marvelously low prices on Furniture and Household Goods, Clothing. Plumbing, Heating, 
Groceries, importing Goods, Machinery, Lumber, Roofing and everything manufactured. It’s free. 
ICHICAGO HOUSE WRECKING COCHICAGO, ILL.I 
Hard, Tough Spring Steel Wire Fencing 
Sold at Lower Prices Than Dealers Ask for the Ordinary Kind 
nnnlf )> nv fpnpinn until you have written us a letter or a postal card and asked for a 
AFVFsl ft ft/Uj 1C1ILU11| copy of our free fencing catalogue, because our prices on woven 
wire fencing huvo been reduced this yeur owing to a new factory connection. Our woven wire fencing 
is not the ordinary wire fencing commonly sold but a patent knot wire fencing made from hard, tough 
spring steel. It is unquestionably a high grade, dependable woven wire fencing and our prices are so 
low that you will save a groat, deal by ordering from us. In addition to the woven wire fencing we offer 
other styles of wire fencing, fine wrought steel fencing and everything else in this line at extremely 
low prices. Our cutulogue will be sent you by mail postpaid noon receipt of a simple request for it, and 
you can’t afford to buy until you know our prices. Write the store neurest you, 19th and Campbell 
Streets, Kaunas City, or Chicugo Avenue Bridge. Chicago. 109 
Montgomery Ward & Co., K ANSAS^C ITY 
