I 160 
Tht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Boys and Girls 
By Edward M. Tuttle 
This is Our Page. It helps to bring us boys and girls from 
all parts of the country together as if we were one family 
Watermelon Time! 
Memory Verse 
Men are four: 
1. lie who knows, ami knows he knows 
—lie is wise—follow him. 
2 He who knows, and knows not he 
knows—lie is asleep—wake him. 
3. He who knows not. and knows not he 
knows not—He is a fool—shun him. 
4. lie who knows not. and knows he 
knows not—He is a child—teach him. 
-— ARABIAN PROVERB. 
This old. old proverb is something your 
editor wants every one of our readers to 
have and to keep. It is easy to remem¬ 
ber. You will not understand it fully 
now, perhaps, but day by day and month 
by month and year by year it will be 
clearer. These four groups include ail 
the people in the world. The members of 
a town, of a business, of a church, of a 
school, even the members of a family, be¬ 
long some in one group, some in another. 
Three of the four groups may travel the 
great ways of life—one is sure to (the 
first), one is ready to but needs to be 
urged ahead (the second), one is willing 
to but needs to be shown the way (the 
fourth). Group number three in the 
proverb is pretty hopeless. Such people 
do not really have knowledge, but they 
think they do. and no one can help them 
to the truth. Their minds are closed. 
They stand in their own light and hold 
everyone else back who comes in touch 
with them. 
There is a great deal that we could say 
to each other about this proverb if we 
ci nld talk face to face as we walked 
through fields and woods, or sat in view 
of some beautiful scene in nature. I 
could help you to see how it is working in 
your own lives. Rut in printed words it 
is hard to do more than just to give you 
the proverb and to tel) you that I believe 
it is something important. Think about 
it now and then. Ask me about it if you 
are puzzled over some point. Keep it in 
your minds and hearts, for T shall men¬ 
tion it sometimes in the months to come. 
There goes 
The School Bell 
T am writing to you on Tuesday. Sep¬ 
tember (*. the opening day of school for 
most of our boys and girls. Hardly a 
home in the land is beyond hearing of a 
school bell. IIow thankful we should be 
for that! On this quiet farm I hear it 
this first morning of a new school year. 
Ant it is not hard to think I hear the rush, 
rush, rush of many feet as the great army 
of boys and girls answers the call. I see 
you on countless roads, books and lunch 
boxes in hand, moving towards thousands 
• if schoolhouses. 1 see you enter and take 
your places facing the teachers. How I 
hope for your sakes that the teachers you 
face belong to group one in the proverb. 
Rut I do believe this: That your teachers 
are ready to do their best for you. It is 
up to you to make the most of the chance 
you have. 
By the time you read this about thre.e 
TJm-m-m -/ 
•weeks of school will be over. You will 
be well started. Write and tell me bow 
things are going. Do not forget to tie the 
book-school and the nature-school togeth¬ 
er. Look back in your scrapbook (I won¬ 
der if you all have one) to Our Page 
dated August, 1920, and read again the 
things that were suggested for you to do, 
such as making a feeding station for the 
birds, collecting weed seeds, watching a 
milkweed caterpillar, studying the crop 
harvest, taking a field trip, holding a 
School Fair, and so on. There is not 
space this month to give them all again. 
Rut I do not want you to forget them, 
and I hope to have letters from many of 
you telling me of some things of this kind 
that you are doing. 
There now, I said last month that we 
would leave out the rhyme drawings for a 
little while, because there are so many 
good letters coming that you should read. 
That is the truth, and here I have been 
writing away myself filling up the space. 
Rut you will forgive me, I hope, because 
I am so interested in all that you are do¬ 
ing and may do that I just have to say 
what I think about it sometimes. Rut 
I’ll stop now and give you some of those 
Interesting Letters 
My father has just subscribed for The 
It. N.-Y. I never thought there was any- 
Potalo Smiles 
tiling in this paper that would interest 
me until one day I found the Boys’ and 
Girls' Page. I think it is fine. 
M lien I looked at the “page” today 1 
just had to Write. The most interesting 
news on the page is the drawings. I my¬ 
self cannot draw, but all the same T enjoy 
what others draw. 
■ I live on a flower farm in New Jersey. 
It is a very beautiful place in Summer 
time. I am 14 years old and am a fresh¬ 
man in high school. I will close. A 
booster of the Roys’ and Girls’ Page. 
New Jersey. anna b. 
We are glad to have new readers and 
new “boosters.” Our Page belongs ro 
every boy and girl who reads it. It is in 
your hands to make it better and better. 
I am a boy 10 years old. I live on a 
farm. My father is a subscriber to The 
R. N.-Y. and I am always glad to see the 
last Saturday of the month so I can read 
Our Page. 
T consider myself a real farmer be¬ 
cause T have a piece of early and a piece 
of late potatoes, and a flock of 14 chick¬ 
ens. I also have a lirtle calf, two Spring 
lambs, a sheep and a last year’s lamb. 
The last year’s lamb is very tame and one 
of this year’s lambs is also tame. 
It is very hot and I will have to take 
my father a drink of water. I am ever 
your friend. Cornelius driscoll, ,tr. 
New Y’ork. 
Cornelius is a business-like boy. goes 
straight to the point, says what he has to 
say and stops. We are glad to hear from 
him. 
The reason that T have been a silent 
reader so long is letter writing. Wishing, 
however, to join “Our Page” I will make 
an attempt. 
How I enjoy Our Page. Every month 
I, rush to the mail box to get The It. 
N -Y\ before someone else gets it. The 
first thing I do is read Our Page; then 
the excitement is over. 
I can remember seeing you in a little 
rural school some three or four years ago. 
What fun we had ! You told stories and 
we played games. I was only in the 
grades then and thought study was play. 
Rut now I find it somewhat different, as 
I am in the second year high. I pre¬ 
sume you hear so much about school that 
I had better drop the subject and tell 
about my experiences two Summers ago. 
Wishing to earn some money, I decided 
that poultry raising would be the best 
way to earn it. So I bought my father’s 
poultry for $32. Then I bought an incu¬ 
bator in the Spring and set it quite early. 
In the course of time it. came off with 64 
nice chicks, which I fed and cared for un¬ 
til they were large enough to sell. After 
selling the chickens and paying for feed, 
incubator and poultry, I found that I 
had made $50. which I invested in War 
Savings Stamps. 
For five years I have made money at 
the county fair by baking and sewing. 
Last year they had an apple judging con¬ 
test, and having lived on a farm for 12 
years I tried. I won the contest, with 
first prize, much to my surprise. 
I am 13 years old. I am very much 
interested in the drawing work, but as 1 
have had no experience in drawing T 
think that I will not try yet. Perhaps I 
may have some pictures later that yon 
might use. Wishing good luck to you I 
will close. Your loving friend. 
New Y'ork. alt a M. brace. 
I suppose Alta means (hat she does not 
like to write letters, so she has not writ¬ 
ten before. Rut *T am sure that anyou° 
who can write such a neat, interesting let¬ 
ter as she sent me ought to be glad to send 
a message to her friends, and they will 
be glad to get it. I know letter writing 
is not easy for boys‘and girls, but it ought 
not to*be very hard to write to Our Page 
with all the good things we have to talk 
about. 
•Suppose I decided it was too hard work 
to make Our Page (and-sometimes I have 
to‘hustle to get it ready), what would 
Alta do when she rushed to the mail box 
and found no page? It is a great thing 
to cultivate something inside us that keeps 
saying “Do it; do it; do it; do it.” every 
time something must be done until it is 
done. Any boy or girl or man or woman 
who has that little voice inside and who 
obeys it will make a success of life. 
Alta would not recognize the man she 
saw three years ago if she were to nass 
a field where your Editor was working, 
hut he has the same interest in boys and 
girls and in all that they do. I never 
get tired hearing about school. Really I 
wish we talked about school more. I wish 
the older folks did. too. 
This makes two letters I have written 
you. I like to read the Boys’ and Gilds’ 
Page. What I like best is the letters. 
The boys and girls write some very inter¬ 
esting ones. The pictures are very good. 
I am 10 years old and will be in the 
September 24. 1921 
sixth grade next term. I am taking violin 
lessons. I was taking piano lessons, but 
gave that up, I am going to take both 
now. 
I am sending you a picture that was 
taken in front of our lawn. The stone 
you see has printed on it in large letters 
“Rig Island Farm.” The rabbit’s name 
is Old Debby. 
Every year since I was five years old 
T have had a small garden. Most of my 
garden is planted in .flowers. I have a 
good many kinds and they have such 
pretty blossoms. 
Hoping success for Our Page. 
Pennsylvania. BELL ROGERS. 
Bell sent the picture which I have 
called “Oh my ears and whiskers.” Who 
knows where those words come from? 
Old Debby must be a fine plaything, even 
better than a doll, perhaps. Rut some of 
you may not agree to that. We are glad 
to know that Bell has had a garden for 
five years and hope she will have one 
every year. No two yCars are alike. No 
two gardens are alike. There is always 
something new to learn. 
1 am an interested reader of The It. 
N.-Y. It is an interesting paper all the 
way through. 
I am 16 years old and in the seventh 
grade at school (slow but sure). 
AaaA. OA. 
Aknovj, the Jrovuyfi. , 
i "tluinA- A*r>ni OVNflX C&+U+uj T* 
IL4. sublet . 
UL CUvCUjs , 
OmJ. tW Aat o-L 
I will send a picture of myself and calf 
in the next letter. We have three calves, 
Ihree heifers, three cows and three horses 
(all threes). 
I guess this is enough for the first let¬ 
ter. An interested reader, John t. cox. 
New Jersey. . 
We are very glad to hear from John, 
and to know that he is “sure” even 
though he may be a little “slow.” Some¬ 
times boys and .girls who do not get 
ahead as fast as others grow discouraged 
and quit. But I believe that the only 
way (o win out is to keep everlastingly at 
it. There are often good reasons why an 
older boy or girl is in a lower grade. 
Sometimes I have known the smaller ones 
to tease them about being behind. This is 
thoughtless, of course, and unkind. Try 
helping instead, and make a good friend. 
I am sending you a picture of myself, 
Nl /1> years, my pony, Ginger, 2^4 years, 
and my dog, Grouse, 12 years old.” I have 
sport with my pets and enjoy the outdoor 
exercise. I take my girl friends for pony 
rides, and we all have a good time. I 
go to school five miles from here. I like 
my teacher and all of the children. 1 am 
going to invite my teacher to my home 
and get her to ride my pony. 
The R. N.-Y. agent was here yesterday 
and got a dollar, so I will have Our Page 
Margaret anil Her Pets 
