<Ih* RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
1869 
Things To Think About 
The object of this department is to give readers a chance to express themselves on farm 
matters. Not long articles can be used—just short, pointed opinions or suggestions. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER does not always endorse what is printed here. You might 
call this a mental safety valve. 
Leaving the Farm 
The Metropolis has long believed that 
the answer to the question, “Why do 
you leave the farm, my lad?” was exactly 
answered in these verses—whose author¬ 
ship we don’t know—and that the “poem” 
as a whole should be memorized by every 
farmer. Xt goes like this : 
“Why do you leave the farm, my lad? 
Why do you bolt and leave your dad? 
Why do you beat it off to town 
And turn your poor old father down? 
Thinkers of platform, pulpit and press, 
Are now wallowing in deep distress. 
They seek to know the hidden cause 
Why farmer bovs desert their pas. 
“Well, stranger, since you’re so frank, 
t’ll roll aside the hazy bank ; 
1 left my dad, his farm, his cow— 
Because my calf became his plow. 
I left my dad, ’twas wrong, of course, 
Because my colt became his horse. 
I left my (lad to sow and reap— 
Because my lamb became his sheep. 
T dropped the hoe and stuck the fork 
Because my pig became his pork. 
The garden truck that I made grow 
Was his to sell, but mine to hoe. 
“It’s not the smoke in the atmosphere 
Nor the taste for life that brought me 
here. 
Please tell the platform, pulpit and press, 
No fear of toil nor love of dress 
Is driving off the farmer lads— 
It’s just the methods of their dads.” 
—The Miami Metropolis. 
A friend in New York State sends these 
verses and adds -"My experience.” Prob¬ 
ably many < f our readers will say, “Me, 
too.” Yet the truth is that there are 
many cases where boys have had every 
advantage and care, only to drift off to 
the city at the first chance. We know 
of cases where father and mother have 
made a life study of trying to please and 
interest the boy, only to see him turn his 
back upon the farm. The truth is that 
we do not always realize that unless a 
boy is a natural farmer—with an inborn 
love for country living—wo cannot ex¬ 
pect him to decide naturally for farm life. 
Education and training and tame sur¬ 
roundings are often at fault, but it is in 
the very nature of some hoys to desire a 
town life. 
The Wife’s Share 
Let me give my version about a woman 
having necessary articles and spending 
money. It is her own and her mother’s 
fault. My husband is different, because 
he was taught when small that man and 
woman are equal, marriage a partnership, 
and that the wife earns as much as the 
husband, and is therefore entitled to half, 
regardless of what it is to be used for. 
But 1 believe every purchase, whether 
for the house or barn, or clothes, should 
be discussed. If the wife knows what 
necessary things her husband needs she 
can open accommodate her own needs so 
she will not exceed the income, and vice 
versa. Mothers, educate your sons right, 
so your daughter-in-law will not have the 
trouble so many wives are having. I get 
my share of the income as long as it lasts. 
Recently I purchased a gasoline power 
washing machine. My husband got me a 
bread-mixer himself. I did not think 1 
would like one, but a trial has convinced 
me they ,are all right. I earn my half 
of the income, too, for I have nine chil¬ 
dren. do all the sewing, baking, washing 
and ironing, and keep the house as clean 
as possible. 1 attend to the garden and 
can nearly 800 cans of fruit, vegetables 
and p’ckles every year, make a trip to 
town every time something is needed, and 
I do not have a flivver to save time. I 
must mention I have help in the shape 
of a 15-year-old daughter, who also de¬ 
serves part of the partnership. School, 
however, is all we can give her now. 
Oswego Co., N. Y. m. k. 
The Common-sense View 
The ouestion of money should have 
been settled long ago for F. W.. at the 
time she formed a partnership with her 
husband. But, taking it for granted that 
they are both working for a common 
cause, a home and farm of their own, 
does her husband get any more salary, 
than she does? Most husbands are as 
anxious for their wives to dress well and 
make a good appearance as the wives 
themselves. Usually if the wives go with¬ 
out, it is their own choice, or from dire 
necessity for the good of the common 
cause. 
This talk about the men being so un¬ 
fair to their wives and families is almost 
all just talk. Of course, once in a while 
there is a man so stingy and mean that 
he does not properly provide for his fam¬ 
ily. Such a man is an exception in every 
neighborhood I have known, and it is the 
same all over, for human nature is the 
sanm in one place ns another. Tf a 
woman is so unfortunate as to have 
chosen such a husband, no one can help 
her, and she will have more respect and 
honor among her own friends if «h» docs 
not go around complaining about him. It 
does him no good and certainly helps her 
not at all. 
As to the children, I do not like to 
think of a worth-while American farm 
woman talking about shirking her just 
responsibilities in order that she may 
have more time for her own pleasure. 
Any woman who is willing to get married 
should expect that she may some time 
have a family of children to care for, and 
it should be to her a privilege to give 
them the best training possible. Any 
mother, whether she lives on a lonely 
farm or, a crowded city, has to sacrifice 
her time and pleasure for her children to 
a certain extent, unless she is very 
wealthy, and very few of us are. After 
all it is we common people who have the 
world’s good work to do, and I hope we 
are not going to grumble about it. 
As to allowing our daughters to be 
farmers’ wives, I say it is our duty to 
give our daughters good training and in¬ 
stil in them such high ideals that they 
will look beneath the surface of all things, 
and if they do get married to choose one 
who is their equal in training and ideals, 
and such a man may very well be a 
farmer. I am sure there are as many 
fanners who are fit mates for our daugh¬ 
ters as there are men of any other trade 
or profession. mrs. k. s. 
New York. 
Why We Use Slang 
As I sat this evening by our open fire, 
I admired that, to me. splendid picture 
on the first page of The R. N.-Y. for 
November 6, "A Pair of Well-Bred Pereh- 
erone.” That girl in the picture looks 
good; she appears perfectly at home be¬ 
tween those two splendid animals, and 
I hey appear perfectly at home with her. 
One can easily imagine the picture as be¬ 
ing a family group of a fine family, both 
human and horses; but that is not what 
I started out to tell you. While looking 
at the picture I listened to my sister, 
who was reading aloud from the Literary 
Digest of the same date as your paper, 
an article headed "Watch Your Speech.” 
which takes us all to task for using slang. 
Really I received as we say (in slang ) 
a jclt. I had never thought seriously of 
the matter before. When my sister had 
finished the really good article, I made 
the remark in sincerity, but also in un¬ 
conscious slang: ‘‘That’s good stuff.” 
Then, realizing my remark as slangy, I 
laughed- and said: “There I go again. 
I guess we all do it.” Then I shut my 
mouth and began to think, trying to for¬ 
mulate something to say which was not 
«'ang, and it was not such an easy matter. 
Tlieu I wondered whether I really did 
make use of genuine slang about every 
time I opened my mouth to say anything. 
I thought, further, would it not he a gco-> 
thing if I, yes, all of us (or most all), 
should resolve to thiuk out what we 
w’shed to say and to put the matter into 
words which were devoid of slang. Again, 
if we should all do this, would not tnere 
be much more thinking and much less 
talking than at present, and would not 
Putt be a result devoutly to be wished 
for? J. B. B. 
Michigan. 
“The Price of Money” 
In your issue of November 20 .T. G. K. 
of Ohio states a general purpose of buying 
as little as possible until we return to 
pre-war prices. IIow is this to be done 
:>s soon as expected? The money of the 
United States, with which we do busi¬ 
ness, is on a paper basis, and worth less 
than 50 cents gold to the dollar. It was 
12 years after the Civil War before we 
resumed specie payments ; that is, brought 
our currency to a par with gold. Then 
we had the virgin resources of our coun¬ 
try from which to create wealth, and the 
markets of Europe unimpaired. ITow 
then can prices be reduced now in two 
years, and kept down to the level of be- 
fore-the-war values, b'*ing measured in 
an inflated currency? The European 
countries have more paper money in pro¬ 
portion than we, so that “exchange” with 
us is unfavorable to them, and they have 
to give more of their money for the same 
stun of ours. This tends to hamper on-r 
foreign trade, and continued “deflation-' 
here will make exchange still lower and 
further restrict foreign commerce. It 
would seem that to bi*ing our currency 
to par and prices to a permanent level 
basis thereon the surplus wealth of the 
country must be increased till there is 
sufficient value behind this currency, as 
was the case before the war. It is not 
to the interest of the financiers, manufac¬ 
turers and exporters that exchange with 
Europe be any lower. j. l. wood. 
Virginia. 
Sojourner at country hotel: “I am in 
great haste, madam, and very hungry. 
Gan you get me a couple of fried eggs?” 
Landlady: “Yes, sir.” Sojourner( after 
long waiting) : “Tt’s some time since I 
ordered those eggs, madam.” Landlady 
(with beat) : “Drat them hens! Jelf, go 
out to the barn and stir ’em up.”—NTew 
York Globe. 
Not So Bad this Month 
"Now, that’s better! It’s the first time the expense figures haven’t 
given me a horrid feeling. 
"Why didn’t I know sooner about Jell-0 and some of the other 
money-savers ?’’ 
It doesn’t matter whether you live in the city or country whether 
you keep an account book or not, 
dP 
will help you out, for it is cheap as to cost and it can be made up into 
more different kinds of good things to eat than anything else. 
Every woman who wants to know how Jell-0 can help her out will 
find the information she desires in the Jell-0 Book, which will be sent 
free to every woman who will send us her name and address. 
Jell-O is made in six pure fruit flavors: Strawberry, Raspberry, 
Lemon, Orange, Chocolate, Cherry, and is sold by all grocers and dealers. 
THE GENESEE PURE FOOD COMPANY 
Le Roy, N. Y., and Bridgeburg, Ont. 
Couple to Run Boarding House 
on large private cxlato ; board 10 to 20 men ; prefer 
Americans; no children. Must hare experience and 
good references, which can be investigated. 
FARMERS* BUREAU Urenry) 47 West 42nd St.,Sew York Cily 
Vnrmnnl Farm* AI ' 1 ' * TZ, - S «••>*» unions. Handy 
» 01 IIIUIII ral Ills to select markets. Fine education¬ 
al rndeocial advantages. Send for list and mention size 
of farm you are seeking. JAMES W. MA00EN, Burlington,Vermont 
New York State FARMS 
nmking farms for sale. We have a size, location and 
pi ice to please you. Stock and tools included on many of 
them. MANQEVILLE REAL ESTATE AEENCT. Inc., Dcpl. I, Olean. it. T. 
WE BUY RAW FURS 
Our Price List Is Now Ready 
ROSENSTIEL FUR CO. 
107 West 26th Street, New York 
Representative Local Agents Wanted 
iu unoccupied territory for New Jersey, New York 
.md Central Pennsylvania. Communicate with 
600FREY FERTILIZER & CHEMICAL CO.. Newark. N. J. 
WITH PERFECTED DISC BOWL 
Record 
$Vui« [Wn '( 
Do YOU Value 
Ease of Cleaning? 
Morning and evening—365 days a year— 
the same process. Maybe it has sometimes 
seemed to you the milk-separation was 
mostly “washing up.” 
The wash-up is one of the problems solved 
for you by the United States perfected 
disc bowl. No fussing with numbered discs 
to waste your time and try your patience. 
Washing and rinsing the interchangeable 
discs is done in a jiffy, and your separator 
is ready for the next run. 
It is characteristic of United States pre¬ 
cision that this marvelously easy-running 
bowl has been attained with interchange¬ 
able discs. 
At every turn the United States meets you 
more than half way in labor-saving. 
Write for catalog 
Vermont Farm Machine Corporation 
Bellows Falls, Vt. 
Chicago, Ill. Salt Lake City 
53 W. Jackson Blvd. Portland. Ore. 
