THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
967 
Something to Think About 
“ Contest” Entertainment in the Grange. 
I wonder whether any other rural com¬ 
munity has any better times than we 
have in our Grange? The leading feature 
in the entertainment line for some little 
time, has been a contest or series of con¬ 
tests so varied as to avoid monotony, 
but fundamentally similar. Two cap¬ 
tains are appointed by the Master or 
Lecturer, and these captains choose sides, 
thereby dividing the membership into two 
equal parts. Both sides furnish enter¬ 
tainment for each meeting until the con¬ 
test is closed. Sometimes the Lecturer 
calls upon members for something she 
knows they can do particularly well, but 
more often people simply respond to roll- 
call with anything they choose—song, 
reading, recitation, or anything they wish 
to do. To each stunt a certain number 
of counts are assigned, and of course it 
is previously decided how many counts 
Many times come to us all when we 
must necessarily be absent from Grange 
meetings, hut it is noticeable that those 
times are much less frequent during a 
contest, and we accomplish a twofold ob¬ 
ject—that of keeping up interest during 
the busy season, and of getting all to take 
part in the “Lecturer’s hour.” Every¬ 
thing is so good-natured that, while those 
who work hardest during the contest are 
supposed to sit still and have the din¬ 
ner served to them, as a matter of fact 
both sides help some from sheer good will. 
E. M. A. 
Origin of the Strawberry. 
Charlotte A. Baker of the Colorado 
College gives the following Indian legend 
or myth : 
“When the first man was created and 
a mate was given to him, they lived to¬ 
gether happily for a time, but then be¬ 
“Look at Dad’s String and then at Mine.” 
shall be required to close the contest. 
During the last contest counts were given 
according to the amount of time or trou¬ 
ble required, or according to scarcity— 
thus original essays counted six, select 
reading two, and, as we have many mu¬ 
sical members, no kind of music counted 
as much as it would if we had had only a 
few capable of furnishing it. Rules of 
the contest could easily be adjusted to 
suit the needs of any individual Grange. 
We have heard of cases where people 
were called upon for the special thing 
they couldn't do simply to cause merri¬ 
ment, but we didn’t like that way, be¬ 
cause we didn’t mean ours as a burlesque, 
and the element of fun, of which we had 
plenty, can be more sensibly introduced, 
according to our idea. If anyone refused 
to entertain we imposed no forfeit, but 
of course no counts could be earned, and 
almost anyone would be anxious to help 
his own side. By the way, the captains 
should be popular members. At the close 
the losing side furnished a harvest din¬ 
ner, which in our case usually means 
chicken in some form, any or all kinds 
of seasonable vegetables, potatoes, with 
relishes and bakery galore. This is no 
such strain upon the members as anyone 
might suppose, since there are a good 
many of us, and the work is so divided 
that no one person is overburdened. We 
hire a janitor who washes dishes, etc. 
gan to quarrel, until finally the woman 
left her husband, and started off toward 
the Sun land in the East. The man 
followed alone and grieving, but the wom¬ 
an never looked behind. Finally the Sun 
took pity on the man and asked him if 
he were still angry with his wife. He 
said he was not, and then the Sun asked 
him if he would like to have her back 
again, to which he eagerly answered yes. 
“So the Sun caused a patch of the 
finest ripe huckleberries to spring up 
along the path in front of the woman, 
but she passed by. Further on he put a 
clump of blackberries, but these also she 
refused to notice. Other fruits, one, two, 
and three, and then some trees covered 
with beautiful service berries, were placed 
beside the path to tempt her. but she still 
went on until suddenly she saw a patch 
of large ripe strawberries, the first ever 
known. She stopped to gather a few to 
eat and as she picked them she chanced 
to turn her face to the West, and at 
once the memory of her husband came 
back and she found herself unable to 
go on. She sat down, but the longer she 
waited the stronger became her desire 
for her husband, and at last she gathered 
a bunch of the finest berries and started 
back along the path to give them to him. 
He met her kindly and they went home 
together.” 
If you are interested in Indian myths. 
you will find charming stories in the re¬ 
ports of the American Bureau of Ethnol¬ 
ogy. These may be read in many libra- 
ies. The legend about the strawberry is 
taken from their Nineteenth report. 
Iceless Ice Box. 
How To Make It.—O btain a strong 
box of whatever size you will require for 
your needs, making allowance for the fact 
that you will not need an ice chamber. 
Usually a packing box may be had for 
10 or 15 cents. Or, you can build a box 
of lumber if you so choose—one-inch lum¬ 
ber would be best. The box should be 
entirely closed and then completely cov¬ 
ered with two thicknesses of burlap, 
firmly tacked down along all edges. On 
the side of the box which is to be the 
front, mark the location of your door (or 
doors if you have a large box and wish 
two doors). Endeavor so to locate your 
door that you can use the cracks between 
the boards to form two sides of it. Be¬ 
fore cutting the burlap for the door, tack 
it to the box on each side of your 
marked lines. Now cut the burlap on the 
side where the door will open, and also 
top and bottom of door. Next saw the 
boards the same as top and bottom of 
burlap, and if you have used the cracks 
for the other two sides, your door will 
be cut out. It will be necessary to nail 
a strip of wood across the inside of door 
near top and bottom, to hold the boards 
together Also nail strips around the in¬ 
side of the opening which you have 
made—like a door casing—to hold the 
boards firm, allowing these to extend into 
the opening a little, to serve as a stop 
for the door when closed. Now you are 
ready to hang the door, putting the hinges 
on over the burlap on the one side. 
How To Use It. —When you have 
your box ready, according to directions, 
fill a large bucket with water and set it 
on top of the box. Secure a large square 
of heavy flannel, putting the center into 
the bucket and allowing the ends to drop 
over the bucket and rest on the burlap, 
thus conducting the water to the burlap 
covering. Be sure to get heavy flannel 
and keep your bucket filled with water. 
This works on the capillary principle. 
The cost of such a box is not great, de¬ 
pending, of course, on the size and 
whether you buy the empty box or get 
lumber to make it. Many people have 
good burlap sacks which can be used in¬ 
stead of buying new material. The box 
could not be kept in the house because of 
the moisture. E. A. 
Value of Latin. 
To continue the discussion of the value 
of Latin to “common folks,” I wish to 
state my experience. I am on the shady 
side of 30, and have not studied Latin 
since I was 18. Although my work is 
not actual farm work, I have always had 
to do with practical life rather than 
strictly intellectual pursuits, having 
taught domestic science for nearly 10 
years. I find my girls are always inter¬ 
ested to know that “sanitation,” “putre¬ 
faction,” “fermentation,” “sterilize,” are 
not mere jumbles of letters put together 
for the confusion of the young mind, but 
that they have an ancient origin which 
may be studied in high school. I deplore 
the fact that the study of stems, prefixes 
and suffixes is not given in the grammar 
grades in many localities, having been 
superseded by the “word method” of 
learning the English language, 
I cannot think what I should have done 
without the four years of Latin I had in 
high school, of which I consider the first 
year of grammar, and the drill in read¬ 
ing and vocabulary of Caesar’s “Commen¬ 
taries” the most important. I know I 
should never have enjoyed the study of 
English and the reading of English and 
American literature half so well without 
the Latin work. One cannot enjoy fully 
the reading of modern magazines which 
are so full of diversified matter intended 
to reach the tastes of each reader, without 
a knowledge of word building—which 
reaches back to the “dead” languages. I 
can get a general idea of words strange 
to me without running to the dictionary 
—or. on the other hand, letting them go 
without being able to appreciate the sense 
of the subject. As H. II. B. says on 
page 761. when the younger generation 
asks questions one is so much better able 
to answer, from merely a better knowl¬ 
edge of meanings of words. 
Long Island. c. w smith. 
Baby’s Bottle 
Should Be Cleaned and Sterilized With 
20 Mule Team Borax. 
The summer produces many enemies of 
baby’s health. Flies, mosquitoes and in¬ 
sects. Keep tho little fellow’s bottle and 
nipple cleaned and sterilized by making a 
solution of Borax. A heaping tablespoon¬ 
ful of Borax to a quart of hot water is 
sufficient for tho purpose. It not only 
cleanses thoroughly but removes germs 
and lessens tho danger of disease. Borax 
will also be found valuable in cleansing 
baby’s napkins, as it leaves them soft as 
well as thoroughly clean and fresh. 
|| 20 MULE TEAM 
1 
S22 
1 
m. 
The way you do your 
WASHING IS A MATTER OF HABIT 
Get the habit of 
using the 
IDEAL 
and get it done easily 
and quickly. Write 
me for prices and 
circulars. 
C. L. TEMPLAR, 
120 Merriman Ave., 
Syracuse, New York 
TRAO* _ 
»(X£d 
won. 
MAUK 
NOW, as the 
icar at hand. 
ELECTRIC 
LIGHT PLANT 
Season of Long 
Write. TODAY, for Catalog M 
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223 Lakeside Ave., Orange, N. J. 
Distributors Fverywtiere : 
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The OBLONG RUBBER BUTTON CLASP 
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Ask at your Store or send 15c for 
Children’s (give age) or 50c for 
Women’s Sewons (four). 
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Send 
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Free 
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Presses 
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BOOKLET 
based on 
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PRACTICAL SHB Engl 
EXPERIENCE. Sawmills. Get our prices. 
E. B. VAN ATTA & CO., 624- F Hudson Terminal, N.Y. 
THE GASOLINE ENGINE ON THE 
FARM. Its operation, repair and uses. 
By Xeno W. Putnam. 
This Is the kind 
of a book every 
farmer will appre¬ 
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farm home ought 
to have. Includes 
selecting the most 
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tractor ill plowing, 
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530 pages. Nearly 180 engravings. 
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The Rural New Yorker, 333 We*t 30th St„ N. Y. 
