1505 
‘Iht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
What Is It? 
It is a weed, and it is a very persistent 
grower. It will grow almost anywhere. 
It has been known to be found growing 
in the bay in Winter. It is said that it 
will grow if it is broken off and pinned 
onto the side of the wall. If you break 
it off you must be careful not to drop it 
where it will grow, for it is a nuisance. 
The stalks grow about one foot high. The 
leaves grow one above the other and are 
oval-shaped. At the top of the stalk they 
have many fine notches, except at the end 
where they join the stalk, but at the lower 
end of the stalk there are hardly any 
notches on the leaves. They are some¬ 
times used for greens. The smell is in¬ 
describable. It blossom in midsummer. 
The blossoms are of a purplish-pink color, 
somewhat resembling pink yarrow. Now 
can you tell what it is? 
The bat puzzle last month was quite 
easy, but this one will make you think 
harder. However. I know that some of 
.I Porcupine Picture 
you will recognize the plant from the very 
good description which was sent by War¬ 
ren G. Brown of Vermont. There is 
something that most boys and girls love 
to do with the leaves of the-; gra¬ 
cious, how near I came to telling! 
The Christmas Vacation 
You remember last month I asked for 
suggestions on how we might spend the 
Christmas vacation. A number of you 
sent them, and below are two or three of 
the best Of course the vacation will be 
half or more over when Our Page reaches 
you, but you can use the suggestions just 
the same. 
Ruth Garber of Pennsylvania says: 
“Spend the Christmas vacation by being 
more kind and making others happy.” 
Ruth B. of Connecticut suggests: “One 
thing we could all do during the Christ¬ 
mas vacation is to spend an hour writing 
for the Boys’ and Girls’ Page.” 
Sylvia Randall of New York writes: 
“One thing I intend to do this Christmas 
is to make a Christmas tree for the birds. 
Perhaps on some cold morning you have 
looked out of your window and have 
watched the birds flying among the bare 
branches of the trees in your yard, or 
searching the ground in the hope that 
some kind person has thrown out a few 
crumbs for them. Well, this Christmas 
that is what I shall do. Another thing 
is to wrap up presents for our friends 
and to write different people that gave 
you presents and thank them. I do this 
every Christmas. Then we can play with 
our toys and invite a few friends in to 
play and show them our presents and 
Christmas tree. Then some afternoon go 
to their homes and see their things. _ I 
think it is very interesting to see the dif¬ 
ferent trees and toys, and wonder if my 
friends are as happy at Christmas time as 
I am.” 
Country or City 
Fine letters have come in this month on 
the big question we are discussing about 
liking the farm. I would be glad to print 
every one of them if there was room, be¬ 
cause each has something of interest and 
value to say on the subject. However. I 
have had to make a choice. You will find 
much to think about in the letters given 
below. Only two or three were against 
the farm this time. I hope this is not be¬ 
cause those on that side are afraid to 
write. If you feel that way be honest 
about it, and your opinion will be re¬ 
spected. even though strong arguments 
are made to have you change your mind ! 
But I believe that the reason there are 
so many more letters in favor of the farm 
is because most boys and girls are really 
happy there, and do love the country life. 
We are getting closer to the truth all the 
time, and next month I will try to sum 
up what we have found out through this 
discussion, so that we may all have the 
full good of it. In the meantime, if you 
have something you want to say in the 
matter, don’t fail to write a letter now. 
Another point. The discussion was 
started, you remember, by a letter from a 
Delaware girl. Perhaps for this reason 
most of the arguments have been given by 
girls. I am glad to find the boys be¬ 
ginning to express themselves, as you’will 
see. Certainly the boys must have much 
to say in the matter that we ought to 
hear. 
Now for the letters: 
I am enclosing a poem which I think 
we could use now on Our Page. I have 
it in my notebook of poems, so will copy 
it : 
THE GIRL OF TIIE FARM 
The girl of the farm—God bless her! 
God bless her cheerful face. 
And the song that trips from her rosy lips 
As she toils with a willing grace: 
God bless her bright eyes, smiling. 
Aglow with a wondrous charm. 
And her voice, so sweet and cheery— 
God bless the girl of the farm ! 
The girl of the farm—God bless her'. 
God bless her willing hands 
That never shirk the hourly work 
Which the good of the farm demands. 
In spite of the many duties 
That tax her brain and her arm, 
She still has time to be happy— 
This precious girl of the farm. 
The girl of the farm—God bless her ! 
God keep her loving heart 
Free from the faintest shade or taint 
Of pride and guile and art. 
Make her to triumph always 
O'er sorrow and toil and harm, 
And all the world will love her. 
As we love the girl of the farm. 
By LYDIA M. DUNHAM O’NEILL. 
Pm sure all girls ought to be glad to 
work on a farm. I have leakage of the 
heart and cannot do farm work. I'm 
sure that you all ought to be glad also 
that you can do farm work, instead of 
being sick. 
I darn stockings, make quilts, work 
patches and many other things. I really 
think when you do something worth while 
you feel happier. Good luck to you all. 
Ohio. META TRADEL. 
I live on a lTo-ace farm. Most of it 
is in timber land. We have some cows 
and three horses. Their names are Dim¬ 
ple. Dan and Bess. We have about six 
or seven head of hogs. We sold 10 shotes 
not so long ago. 
I do not like farm life at all. Just as 
soon as I can get a good job I am going 
to leave the farm and never come back. 
There is no life around a farm. Where I 
live there is no one who has the grit to 
have any fun. If there is a party gotten 
up and someone starts a game somone 
will say. “Oh. I don't want to play that.” 
Or someone else will say. “Start some¬ 
thing else: there’s nothing to that.” and 
all they will do is sit around and look at 
each other. 
I think something nice for Winter 
would be to organize a skating contest. 
The one who is the best skater gets a 
prize. Coasting is my hobby. There is a 
“bunch” of us girls and boys get our sleds 
out and coast during the holidays. 
I love to go to school. If I had started 
for high school when I should I would 
have been through last year. I read the 
Boys’ and Girls’ Page every month and 
en.'oy it immensely. From a reader of 
Our Page. wilda godlove. 
Virginia. 
The big question about farm and city 
life is hotly contested, in my opinion, and 
1 am wrtiing to tell you my ideas. I 
agree with Mary Heller, but not entirely 
with Charrollet G. Here is my story : I 
am 12 years old and am in the first year 
high school. I live on a large farm of 
175 acres, and I don't like it. Mornings 
I have to get up and drive 2*4 miles to 
school, take my dinner, and get home at 
five o’clock. Mary says it is all work 
and no play. It is not that way with 
me—when I am home from school mother 
and I share the work. But when the 
work is done, what is there to do? The 
girls here are ready enough to make 
friends, but they have no spirit. The so¬ 
ciables held around here for young people 
are just two picnics a year, and very sel¬ 
dom anything happens at one of these 
that wasn’t the same last year. 
I love the birds and animals. The 
birds are driven away from around the 
house by the dogs that chase them, no 
matter what one tries to do. I'm not 
allowed to go to the woods by myself, 
and the girl who is my chum does not like 
to go to the woods. The dogs go with 
Dad and the horses are working. Read? 
One can't read all the time, and when it 
is a beautiful day tell me who can sit and 
read. In the country one gets all the 
vegetables, fruit, etc. Well, in the city 
they are delivered to the door. In the 
city there are parks and the like for out¬ 
door enjoyment. A faithful friend. 
New York. jeanette lorson. 
Having just finished reading The R. 
N.-Y. I thought it was about time I wrote 
and “paid my dues.” as I have read the 
page for over two years now and have 
never written before. I am a constant 
and interested reader of Our Page (can 1 
call it Our Page if I have never written 
before?) and I’m always eager for the 
last of the month. I do wish we could 
have Our Page printed more often, but I 
suppose I ought to be thankful I can have 
it at least once a month. 
T have read the letter written by Mary 
Heller and was surprised to hear that not 
only one girl but quite a, few didn’t like 
the farm. I think the best remedy for 
those girls is to send them out in the city 
for a month or so and they’ll soon find out 
that the fresh air and quiet country is 
worth all the work one must do in order 
to live in it ! All that girls can do in the 
city is to have a good time on the same 
thing day after day, and living in the 
stuffy rooms there one can hardly breathe. 
I was born on a farm, and when I was 
11 years cf age we moved to the city. I 
lived there for two years, and you can 
imagine how glad I was when my father 
told us he had purchased another farm, 
where we have lived over a year. Me for 
the peaceful country life hereafter. Of 
course. I have to work quite hard on the 
farm, as my mother isn’t very strong, but 
T don't mind it when I think of Sunday, 
when I can go and take a walk through 
the woods, or go sleigh riding in the Win¬ 
ter. I still go to school, and being un¬ 
able to attend high school I expect to go 
to the district school until I’m 16. I’m in 
the eighth grade now. Wishing The R. 
N.-Y. all the success, in the world, I am, 
An interested reader, mary zaloxis. 
New York. 
I have thought seriously on the prob¬ 
lem. and I quite agree with Myrtle 
Baehre, Emma Iveidel and Madeline Mac- 
Ivenzie that if Mary Heller would try to 
find the silver lining she would be much 
happier. I really believe “life is what 
we make it.” If one forgets his small 
troubles and puts his mind on making 
someone happy I am sure he will be hap¬ 
py. Mary Heller thinks too much of her 
unhappiness, and if she would put her 
mind on something else she wotild be hap¬ 
py. A pet, as a (log or pony, is the best 
thing a girl can have on the farm to 
make her happy. Mary, I am sure you 
will never have a better time than this 
Winter on the farm if you get acquainted 
with several nice girls, forget your 
troubles and begin living the farm life by 
tin day, not looking forward or thinking 
over your troubles. You will be sur¬ 
prised how smooth everything runs. Start 
a club and have it mett at the member’s 
homes. You might take sewing each time 
the club is held. Mary and Charrollet. 
there are so many things you can do. 
As for L. P.. I am afraid she looks on 
the dark side of things. The song, 
“Smile awhile and I’ll smile, too. 
What’s the use of feeling blue? 
Want to smile?—I’ll show yon how. 
That’s it—you’re smiling now!” 
is quite true. I think there is nothing 
like smiling for making a dent in that 
inky cloud called the “blues.” A smile 
can penetrate its way into a heart of 
s '<t\ I'm sure. And then, too, I think 
singing is a remedy for unhappiness. Try 
it. please. L. I’. ; I’m sure it’s a good one. 
But I feel sorry for G. K. I am sure 
she could not do anything but “grin and 
bear it,” and that would be hard. I 
think she did right to go to the city. I 
truly hope she makes good. 
I hope, Mr. Tuttle, this letter is not 
preachy. I am only writing my point of 
view. A faithful reader, 
Pennsylvania. dorothy a. vincext. 
I read Our Page last night and 1 was 
very much interested in the arguments 
for and against the farm. I have lived 
in a city 10 years and lived on a farm 
five years, and I had more fun in the five 
years I lived on a farm than I ever had 
in the city. 
Farming is not all sunshine, but there 
isn’t anything that is all sunshine. As 
some of the other boys and girls have 
said, if a person has some pets I can’t 
see why he can’t enjoy the farm. When 
I lived on the farm I had eight, sheep of 
my own, and my father gave me the feed 
for them and I had the money I got from 
the wool and lambs sold. I also did 
some trapping and hunting, which was 
lots of fun. 
T think one’s people have a lot to do 
with the en oyment you get out of farm 
life, and if your people make you slave 
from morning to night, without any com¬ 
pensation. they would do the same if you 
lived in the city. 
I have lived in the city a year and a 
half since I left the farm, and some day 
I hone to go back to the farm. I am in 
my first year of high school, and when I 
have finished high school I expect to go to 
so'-’c agricultural college. 
I hope these letters in Our Page will 
open the eyes of Mary Heller and others 
to the opportunities of enjoying them¬ 
selves on the farm they are overlooking. 
Massachusetts. path, r. Andrews. 
Here we are at the end of the page 
again. I should mention that the lines 
in the Box came a long while ago from 
Margaret M.. a New York reader. They 
are good. One thing you can do this 
vacation time is to find a new reader for 
Our Page during the coming year. And, 
above all. before you start to school again, 
write a good long letter to your friend 
and editor, Edward M. Tuttle, in care 
The Rural New-Yorker. 333 West 30th 
St., New York City. 
Write a Story About this Picture 
Rraily for a Frolic in the Show 
