1470 
/ 
RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
December 
1917 
HOPE FARM NOTES 
The Finest Lesson 
Part II. 
A Great Crowd. —In these times there 
would have been a fleet of automobiles 
moored near the farmhouse, but in those 
days no engine had yet coughed out the 
gasoline in its throat. We came in sleighs 
and big farm "pungs.” Standing by the 
barn in the clear moonlight you could 
see the lanterns gleaming along the road, 
and hear the tinkle of the sleighbells and 
the songs which young people were sing¬ 
ing. Far down the road came a big farm 
sled loaded with young peojjle who were 
singing.“Seeing Nellie Home.” The old 
farmer on the front seat .sat nodding his 
head with the music, and his wife beside 
him took her hand out of the muff and 
slid it under his arm—something she had 
not done before in years. For these were 
the fine old days of simple pleasures, when 
the country entertained itself and was 
satisfied. The other night my young folks 
took me off to a moving picture theater 
where we saw a great actress portraying 
human emotion in a way to make you 
shudder. My mind went back to my own 
feeble efforts as a star performer, and I 
was forced to admit that the usual Sun¬ 
day .school entertainment could have but 
a small chance in competition with this 
powerful exhibition. The thing to do is 
to carry this strong attraction to the 
country and not force our young people 
to travel to the city after it. 
Each sleigh brought not only its load 
of human freight, but a big basket of food, 
for there was to be a feast of the body 
with food as well as of the spirit with 
oratory. As the guest of honor I rode 
over with one of the school trustees, and 
lie jiroved a good local historian. 
“This farm we visit tonight is owned 
by the Widder Fairchild. A nice woman, 
but homely enough to stop a clock. Her 
father left her the farm, and she got to be 
quite an old maid. We all thought she 
had settled down for such when she up 
and married the hired man, a nice man, 
but no farmer, and no property except a 
cough and an old aunt mighty nigh bed¬ 
ridden. Then her husband died and left 
the old lady on her hands. She might 
have sent the old thing to the poorhouse 
—ain’t no kin of hers—but just because 
her husband promised to keep her, Mrs. 
Fairchild has kept the old lady on. There 
the two women live on one of the best 
farms in the county.” 
“It’s the be.st because the Lord has 
blessed it.” That came from the wife on 
the back seat. She had tried to get in a 
word before. 
“No, no! Farms are made good by hard 
work and judgment. The minister went 
and talked to her about it, but all he got 
out of her was “And Ruth said. Entreat 
me not to leave thee or to return from fol¬ 
lowing after thee: for whither thou goest 
1 will go.” 
“But, Henry, ain’t you ’shamed to call 
her homely?” 
“No, because it’s the truth. It wouldn’t 
be about you, now, but I told the minis¬ 
ter that once. He has to be diplomatic 
and he hemmed and hawed and finally 
said, ‘she has a strong face.’ He’s right! 
Mighty strong!” 
I.ivELY Times. —If you ever acted in 
the capacity of donatee at such a party 
you know the feeling. The big house was 
filled. Out in the kitchen the women 
sorted out the food and arranged it for 
supper. In the front room, beside a little 
table, .s.at “the hired man’s old aunt.” a 
beautiful old lady with white hair and a 
sweet, patient face. On the table stood a 
few house plants in pot.s. One geranium 
had opened a flower. 
“The only one in the neighborhood for 
('hristmas,” said the old lady. “You don’t 
know how proud I am of it. It has been 
such a joy to me to see it slowly Trow, 
and, oh, think of what it means to have it 
come at Christmas!” 
But the donatee has little time for small 
talk. He always earns his donation, and 
whatever happened to it later, I earned it 
that night. They finally stopped me for 
supper. The minister alluded to it as “the 
bounteous repast which we are now 
asked to enjoy.” My friend the trustee, 
had a little more 8axon in his speech. 
He stood by the door and shouted: 
“Hoe in—help yourself!” 
^ Elocution. —It w'as getting on toward 
( hristmas Day when I stood up in the 
corner to end the entertainment. I had 
intended to end with Irwin Ru.sseirs 
“Christmas Night in the Quarters,” with 
negro dialect, but as I was about to start 
my eye fell upon a group by that little 
table. The “old aunt” sat looking at me, 
and by her side stood the “homely” wom¬ 
an, her hand resting upon the older wom¬ 
an’s shoulder. I wonder if you have ever 
had a vision come to you at Christma.s— 
or any other time! A great, mysterious, 
beautiful vision, in which you L ok for¬ 
ward into the years and are given to see 
some great beautiful thing which is hid¬ 
den from most men until too late. It 
came to me as I watched those women 
that the finest test of character, the 
noblest part of the Chidstmas spirit, was 
not the glory of caring for helple.ss child¬ 
hood, but the higher sacrifice of love and 
duty for the aged. 
.\nd so, almo.st before I knew it, I 
found jiiy-self reciting Will Carleton’s 
poem, “Over the Hill to the Poorhouse!” 
What a sentiment to bring into a happy 
Christmas party—by the donatee at that 
—one who had been hired “to make them 
laugh !” 
I knew '-t all. yet my mind jumped 
across the long miles and I thought of my 
own mother growing old and waiting in 
silence that I might have opportunity I 
“Over the hill to the poorhouse 
I’m trudging my weary way. j 
I a woman of sixty, 
Only a trifle gray, 
I who am smart and chipper, | 
For all the years I’ve told, | 
.\s many another woman ! 
Only one-half as old. 
t)ver the hill to the pooi-house ! 
I can't quite make it clear; 
Over the hill to the poorhouse. 
It seems so horrid queer! 
Many’s the journey I’ve taken. 
Traveling to and fro. 
But over the hill to the poorhouse 
I never once thought I’d go!” 
The Donation. —It was a great 10 
minutes. It is worth a goo<l many years 
to have COO ticks of the clock i)ass by like 
that. Could all of us have lived for 10 
years with that 10-ininute feeling—what 
a neighborhood that would have been. I 
was looking at those two women by the 
table. I saw their hands come together. 
It is true that the trustee had not done 
great injustice to her appearance, but as 
she stood there by “the hired man’s old 
aunt” there came upon her face a beauty 
such as God alone can bring upon the face 
of those who are beloved by Him. A light 
from within illuminated her life story, and 
I could read it on her face. A love that 
endui’es after death—until life ! And when 
I stopped I was done. The power had all 
gone from me. Not so with my manager, 
the trustee. He could sense a psycholog¬ 
ical moment even if he could not spell it, 
and he got his hat into action before the 
rich spirit of that crowd could get to the 
poorhouse. I saw him coming with the 
hat full—there were surely several bills 
there. Say, did you ever spend money 
before you got your fingers on it? I 
never have since that night. I know bet¬ 
ter. As I saw that money I figured on 
several Christmas pre.sents, a new coat 
and at least one term at college. The 
trustee cleared his throat for a few re¬ 
marks and I stood there pleasantly ex¬ 
pectant, anticipating a few compliments—■ 
and the money. 
“Now% friends, we thank you one and 
all for your generous gift, and we thank 
our talented young friend here for the 
great assistance he has given us. He will 
rejoice when he learns the full amount, 
for, my dear friends. Ihis money ’belongs 
to the Sunday school!" 
And he proceeded forthwith to gather 
up the money and stuff it into his pockets, 
leaving me with my mouth half open, and 
my hand half extended. 
Something Better. —MUiat could you 
do? There W’as a roar of protest from 
several farmers who demanded their 
money back, though they never got it. 
Happily the humor of it struck me. The 
first thing that came into my mind was 
an old song I had often heai-d: 
"Thou art so near and yet so far!" 
There is nothing like being a good 
sport, and so I bowed and smiled and 
took my medicine, although I am sure the 
party would have ended in a fight if I 
had said the word. But the “old aunt” 
looked at me for a moment and then cut 
off that geranium bloom, tied two leaves 
on it and handed it to me without a 
word. And the woman with the shining 
face took my hand in both hers and said : 
“Do not get discouraged. I know you 
will win i>ut.” 
1 rode home with a farmer who, with 
his two big sons, roared profanely at what 
they called the “injustice of that miser.” 
They vowed to get up another donation, 
which they did later. They offered to go 
and “lick the trustee” and take the money 
from him. I think they were a little dis¬ 
appointed when I told them that he need¬ 
ed it more than I did. 
“Why, from the way you talk, any- 
body’d think you had fallen heir to a big 
thing!” 
I had. That little flower in my pocket 
carried a Christmas spirit and a Christ¬ 
mas lesson that the whole world could 
not buy. The thing paying the largest 
dividend, the finest companion that ever 
walked with one along the roadway of life 
—unselfish love, and sacrifice, ii. w. c. 
Play Safe! 
Why risk all of your season’s profits in speculative crops? 
Corn, the great foundation crop of American agri¬ 
culture, offers every farmer both a fair profit for his 
work and an opportunity to help win the war. Un¬ 
like potatoes and the other truck crops, corn can be 
safely stored for many months. It is high in food value 
and is one of the best feeds for all farm animals. 
War conditions have more than doubled the value of 
corn. The world’s shortage of wheat and the scarcity of 
other grains give the corn crop a value and importance 
which is greater today than ever before. Every farmer is 
forced to run many risks. Why not play as safe as possible 
and plant a large acreage of this staple crop. 
E. Frank Coe’s Fertilizers 
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. 
1857 The Business Farmers’ Standard for Over 60 Years 1918 
Will help you raise Corn for $.12 per bushel 
Even at three times this cost it is still a profitable crop at 
$1.00 a bushel. The price is almost double that figure now. 
If you were planning to raise 100 bushels of Corn 
per acre at a cost of $.12 per bushel— 
How far apart would you space the rows ? 
How would you test your seed ? 
When would you plant ? 
All of these questions and many more are fully covered 
in our book “Corn, the Foundation of Profitable 
Farming. ’ ’ This book will help you grow more bushels 
on the same acres. It is written by a practical farmer 
and cannot fail to give you some good suggestions. 
Write for your copy and ask for the name of our near¬ 
est agent. We want agents in unoccupied territory. 
Perhaps this proposition may interest you. 
Address Crop Book Department 
The Coe-Mortimer Company 
Subsidiary of the American Agricultural Chemical Company 
51 Chambers Street New York City 
30,000 SOLO-FIFTH YEAR 
More Comfortable, 
Healthful, Convenient 
Eliminates the out • house, 
open vault and cess-pool, 
which are breeding places 
for germs. Have a warm, 
sanitary, odorless toilet right 
in your house. Ho going out 
in cold weather. A boon to 
invalids. Endorsed by State 
Boards of Health, 
ABSOLUTELY ODORLESS 
Put It Anywhere In The House 
The germs are killed by a chemical process in water 
ill the container. Empty once a month. No more 
trouble to empty than ashes. Closet absolutely 
guaranteed. Ask for catalog and price. 
ROWE SANITARY MFQ. CO. 10212 6ib ST., DETROIT, 
Ask about the Ro-S»n Weshstand— Hot and Col<i MICH 
Running Water Without Plumbing * 
Prices for PURE I 
GRIMM’S Maple Syrup Evaporatora 
What the GRIMM KVAPORATOH has done for others— 
it will do for you—fast and shallow boiling and thesiphon, 
which clarifies the liquid, produces QUALITY. We will 
start you on the road to biKjfer profits by Rivinjr you the benefit of 
our experience aud particulars abo^^ BEOT APPARATUS made. 
maple products are.hl^her. The supply is ex* 
hausted—the demand 
Is increasing rapidly. 
Our COMft.EfELY 
EQUIPPED EVAP¬ 
ORATOR will pro¬ 
duce the best quality 
of MAPLE SYRUP. 
ORDER NOW. 
Ask for catalog 
and state 
number of trees 
you tap, 
Rutland, Vt. 
LET US TAN 
YOUR HIDE. 
Horso or Cow hide. Calf or other skins 
with hair or fur on, and make tlieiu 
into coats (for men and women), robes, 
rugs or gloves when so ordered. Your 
fur goods will cost you less than to buy 
them and bo worth inoro. 
Our lllusiratod catalog gives n lot of 
Information. It tells how to take off 
and care for hides; how and when we 
pay the freight both ways ; about our 
sal. dyeing process on cow and horse 
hide, calf and other skins; about the 
fur goods and game trophies wo sell, 
taxidermy, etc. 
Then we have recently got out an¬ 
other we call our Fashion book, wholly 
devoted to fashion plates of muffs, 
neckwear and other fine fur garments, 
With prices ; also fur garments remod- 
olod and repaired. 
I You can have cither book by sendiiigG 
your correct address naming which, or 
both books If you need both. Address 
A The Crosby Frisian Fur Com nan v. 
^ 671 Lyell Ave.. Rochester. N. Y. 
G. H. GRIMM ESTATE 
VAN DYK 
QUALITY 
Same prices as 
TRIAL 
OFFER 
Send 
TEA & COFFEE 
y Parce 
prevai 
fOc. 
By Parcel Post 
revail at our 100 stores. 
Best Tea, or 
for i lb. 
Best Coffee. 
5yi lbs. San-Bo Coffee for $1.00 
Write for JAMES VAN DYK CO. 
51 Barclay Street, New York City 
Price List 
$ 10 , 000.00 
Backs this saw. 
As low as 
, $13.15 
It is the best and cheapest saw mads. 
HERTZLER & ZOOK 
Saw 
is easy to operate. 
Only $13.15 saw made to 
which ripping table can 
be added. Guaranteed 
1 year. Money refunded 
if not satisfactory. 
Send for catalog:. 
Hertzler & Zook Co. 
Box 3. Belleville. Pa. 
WEHTHAH 
PAYS 
HIGHEST 
PRICES 
roR 
EMPTY 
BAGS 
CASH FOR 
EMPTY BAGS 
We pay highest prices and 
alsofreightcharges. Be sure 
to get our prices before dis¬ 
posing of your bags. They’re 
worth money to you and we’ll 
pay you best cash price for them 
as soon as receivea and assorted. 
.Write ns at once stating how 
Amany you have. 
WERTHAN BAG COMPANY 
66 Dock Street St. Louis, Mo. 
9 CORDS IN lO HOURS 
BY ONE MAN with the FOLDING SAWING MACHINE. It 
saws down trees. Folds like a pocket knife. Saws any kind oi 
timber on any kind of ground. One man can saw more timber 
with it than two men in any other way. and do It easier. Send 
for FREE illustrated catalog Na A 68, showing Low Price 
and latest improvements. First order gets agency. 
Folding Sawing Machine Co., 161 West Harrison St., Chicago, IIL 
use—easy to own. Save 
Ifl6to$200. Immediate Shipment. New Book FREE. 
WITTE ENGINE WORKS 
1880 Oakland Avo. Kanaaa City, Mo. 
