1098 
November 26, 
Hope Farm Notes 
"How do you like the election?” 
That question will hardly introduce a 
Thanksgiving topic to many of our read¬ 
ers—yet it has been at the top and bot¬ 
tom of both sides of the public mind. 
Some men have gone about giving a fair 
imitation of a rooster crowing, while 
others slunk along like one caught rob¬ 
bing a hen roost. The Hope Farm folks 
try to be philosophers—fair winners and 
good losers. It was 28 years ago, in 
1882, that we had an election very much 
like this one. A certain young man that 
I knew well was working as hired man 
for a farmer. That farmer -had been out 
“saving the country”—talking and argu¬ 
ing while his corn was unhusked and 
potatoes not all dug. His neighbor be¬ 
longed to the other party, and there were 
hot arguments between them. Sometimes 
while he was working in the field he 
would all of a sudden throw down his 
tools and say, ‘Tve just thought of a 
new argument. Come on over to Smith’s 
and I’ll down him.” So he would lead 
the way to Smith’s, trying his argument 
on the hired man as he went. 
You can imagine what it meant to such 
a man when the stunning news came. 
Cleveland had carried New York by over 
200,000, and that was only a sample of 
it. Each succeeding report was worse 
than the one before it. Smith came over 
and rubbed it in well, and one of those 
cold, dismal rains started. Now this 
farmer was a good Christian man, but 
that deluge swept him away from many 
generations of right intentions. As he 
sat by the lcitchen stove it seemed as if 
the end of the political world had come, 
and out of the depths of despair he let 
his feelings go. 
“I feel as if I would like to go down 
to the corners and get drunk.” 
Now this man was a strong temper¬ 
ance worker who would not even have 
cider on his premises—but that was just 
the way politics made him feel. _ I do 
not think he intended for his wife to 
hear him, but she did, and the good lady 
rose to the occasion. I can see her now, 
small, nervous, black-eyed and long- 
suffering, assuming command. 
“Now, Henry, you get right over that 
feeling, and I’ll show you how to do it. 
You been ‘saving the country’ for a 
month, and lost your own crops. I’ve 
had to cook with the green wood and 
cut it myself at that. Now you stop 
talking election and get out into that 
wood shed and cut wood. Work off your 
feelings with a buck saw—and take the 
hired man with you!” 
We went! You may have seen some 
little tugboat take hold of a great ocean 
steamer and walk off with it. We went! 
That farmer said nothing. He was a 
little ashamed to be talked to that way 
before his hired man, and really, there 
wasn’t anything to say. He pulled off 
his coat and went at that wood pile as 
if it were the opposition party. Through 
the blowing rain came Mr. Brown, the 
neighbor on the north. He was a melan¬ 
choly picture of despair, for he had made 
a bet which now compelled him to eat 
roa'st or boiled crow for his Thanksgiv¬ 
ing dinner! My farmer hunted another 
ax and put Brown at work, and between 
us we built up a great majority of stove 
wood. And just at the right time there 
appeared at the wood shed door a cheer¬ 
ful vision in the person of that black- 
eyed farmer’s wife. She had a big plate 
of hot doughnuts and a pail of coffee. 
We were elected right there, and even 
Brown could forget his coming crow din¬ 
ner with his mouth full of doughnut. 
And that farmer took a long drink of 
coffee and said: 
“Boys, while I have been working here I 
have thought of four reasons why this 
defeat will be a good thing for the 
party!” 
Now I always remember that when 
Thanksgiving Day comes near. If more 
of those disappointed politicians could 
work off their trouble at the wood pile 
the world, and especially their small part 
of it, would be better off. In fact useful 
labor is the great sweetener of society. 
The man out of a job is an object for 
pity, and doubly so is the farmer who 
cannot find release from most troubles in 
doing needful things on his own farm. 
Wholesome work will take the sting of 
trouble if anything can do it. 
I regret to say that there are ,some un¬ 
happy mortals left to whom Thanksgiv¬ 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKEE 
ing dinner will taste like Brown’s crow. 
These poor things have forgotten their 
own youth, and have not tried to keep 
it alive in their children. For youth is 
the true spirit of human life—the fresh 
article or the canned goods. Our folks 
plan to have strawberries about 25 days 
from the vines, and the chance to pick 
them off the pantry shelves 240 days more. 
The ever-bearing varieties may give us 
50 days more off the vine, but in Winter, 
when the snow is flying, it is pleasant to 
open a jar of Marshalls and go back in 
memory to June. And so what I call 
canned youth, which is the spirit of 
childhood kept alive in the heart, is a 
good substitute for the real article. 
The boy in Florida is working away 
at his garden. His vegetables are up 
and thriving. They had a light frost 
about November 1, but little damage was 
done. On Sunday there came a down¬ 
pour of rain. The boy went to Sunday 
school, but no one but the superintendent 
appeared. When it came time for church 
the faithful minister turned up—with the 
superintendent and the boy for his con¬ 
gregation ! That minister determined to 
hold church services, so the three of 
them sang, “Joy to the world, the Lord 
has come,” and the minister preached a 
sermon on education. I wish I could 
have been there to see it. The little 
church among the pines, the lonely little 
village nestled on the sandy ridge, the 
lake with its pleasant green shores, and 
the Florida rain driving in from the 
ocean. “Joy to the world, the Lord has 
come.” The boy writes us that those 
singers made “a classy trio.” I don’t 
care for that, but the Lord had surely 
come to that little chapel even more than 
to the great churches where organs play 
and angel-voiced singers fill the air with 
music. 
And the Lord will come and bring joy 
also to your home at Thanksgiving if 
you will only let Him. Your children 
may be there, or they may have gone 
away. You cannot tell me that you have 
never influenced a child so that some¬ 
thing of its youth and hope cannot be 
with you at Thanksgiving. It may have 
been a hard year for you. Drought and 
debt or death may have left its mark, 
and yet, in spite of all, you have much to 
be thankful for, and you would not if 
you could change your identity for that 
of any other living person. It comes 
back to me again, these three people in 
that little Florida church singing “Joy 
to the world.” Put you down there on 
a rainy day in November and the chances 
are that you would call it the most joy¬ 
less place on earth. Put you up to sing 
with that “classy trio,” and before the 
first verse was ended you would have 
felt the joy creeping into your heart like 
the spirit of love and youth. You see it 
is like my old friend the farmer. He got 
neither balm of soul nor argument out 
of his great efforts to “save the country,” 
but both came to him in the wood shed 
where he elected the kitchen stove by a 
big majority. 
I wish I could have you all line up at 
the table with us. We could not give 
you a piece of duck, for we gave the last 
pair to provide a dinner for an unfor¬ 
tunate family. The man was dried out 
by the drought and then went to work 
at a place 40 miles away. After several 
mouths of labor he could not get his 
money, and had to walk home! There 
are two members of our family who do 
not regard the gift of these ducks as any 
act of great sacrifice. One is the picker 
and the other the carver. We thought 
old Champ would enjoy his life in close 
confinement with food ever before him, 
but he grieved for his family and refused 
to eat. So we let him out and fed the 
family with him. He will come to the 
table about 17 pounds strong. I would 
like to cut white and dark meat for you 
with a bunch of dressing and then let 
you help yourself to potato, onion, tur¬ 
nip, squash and celery, with genuine 
Southern gravy at will. You could have 
your choice of three kinds of bread, and 
all I would ask is that you leave room 
for a good-sized slice of mince pie, an 
apple and some nuts. 
Eating is not the chief end of life at 
Thanksgiving, though if you took a vote 
at Hope Farm during the dinner you 
would get some votes for the proposition. 
We will build a great open fire in our 
big fireplace after dinner and keep it 
roaring until bed time. Our family is 
large enough to make a wide circle 
around such a fire. If you were there 
you would have to furnish your share 
of entertainment—a story or a song 
would no doubt be in your line, and 
you would have a good audience. In any 
event, and no matter where you pass the 
day, give some little thought to that 
“classy trio” in that little Florida church 
singing “Joy to the world, the Lord has 
come,” and both the Lord and the joy 
He brings will be at your fireside. 
H. w. C. 
KEEP YOUR FEET DRY 
N OTHING else causes so much sickness as poor shoes— 
damp or wet feet causes colds, rheumatism, pneumonia, 
often with fatal consequences. Rubber is unhealthful 
—makes your feet perspire. Steel is all right for your horse’s 
feet—but. not for yours. The only comfortable, healthful foot 
wear is a good leather shoe that will keep water and dampness 
away from the foot— 
™ E HASKIN SHOE 
will do it. It is just the shoe for farmers. The uppers are 
made of the very best leather, and t lie bottoms are selected 
from the best wearing stock. Well put together, and right 
In every way. These shoes have high tops which protect the 
leg against snow and slush—equal to boots. Don’t waste 
your money on experiments or cheap worthless shoes. 
Haskin Shoes have been sold under our guarantee to 
the trade for 19 years and not a pair returned. Try a 
pair this fall and you will have “ shoe comfort" com¬ 
bined with "shoe economy .” 
ONLY OXE PRO FIT FROM OUR FACTORY 
TO YOUR FEET, and YOUR MONEY 
BACK FF NOT SATISFIED. 
JVrite us for full particulars and prices. 
THE HASKIN SHOE MFG. CO., 
DEPT. A. STITTVILLE, ONEIDA CO., N. Y. 
THREE PIECE MEN’S 
BLACK CHEVIOT SUIT 
WITH EXTRA PAIR OF FINE 
ONLY 
$ 4 
.95 
Fancy Trousers 
FREE 
X5V309 — This won¬ 
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black cheviot coat; black cheviot 
pants and black cheviot trous¬ 
ers; in addition tothis, an ex¬ 
tra pair of trousers free with 
each suit. Every suit is splen¬ 
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every respect. We could 
easily sell this suit for 
910 , but we will share our 
profit. Coat made in regular 
round sack style, three outside 
and one inside pockets, lined 
throughout. Elegantly trim¬ 
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sizes 30 to 44 chest, 30 to 42 
waist, 30 to 35 in. in-searr.. 
Outfit complete . $4 95 
Kraft-Rothschild Co. 
GREAT MAIL ORDER HOUSE 
dept. r. WASHINGTON, D. C. 
A FLOOD OF LIGHT 
FROM KEROSENE (Coal Oil) 
Burning:common kerosene the ALADDIN MANTLE 
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Simpl. odorless, clean, safe and durable. 
AGENTS MAKE BIG MONEY 
Is revolutionizing lighting everywhere. Needed 
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Ask our nearest office how you can get a lamp 
free or apply for Agency Proposition. TH 1 ; 
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THAT oir 
A HARNESS 
I VES THE 
HORSE 
Our catalogue accurately illustrates over 
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Only best oak-tanned leather is used. Every harness 
guaranteed for five years Catalogue f free. 
King Harness Co., 6 Lake St.. Owego, Tioga Co., N. Y 
A WONDERFUL FARM TOOL 
CLARK’S 
DOUBLE ACTION CULTI¬ 
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Chicago Office: First Na¬ 
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ROOF NOW 
QUALITY HIGH 
PRICES 
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_ Don't delay your roofing- 
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Send name for figures. See how much 
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JACOBSON 
SELF-CONTAINED ENGINE WITH AUTOMATIC DRAINING 
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No Large Water Tank 
The Agency is available in some sections and 
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Ill Irvine Street Warren,Pa. 
Send Your Name 
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STEAM 
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■ nr ■ ■— ■ • — ... 11 ■ - 
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