1000 
The  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
July  28,  1923 
Boys  and  Girls 
By  Edward  M.  Tuttle 
As  every  day  we  grow  in  stature,  let  us 
every  day  grow  in  the  spirit  of  Our  Page 
Drawn  in  Dentil  by  William  Oates  (15  years),  New  York 
Memory  Verse 
summer's  sunny  days 
Summer’s  sunny  days  have  come ; 
Soft  and  sweet  the  wind  is  ‘blowing ; 
Bees  across  the  meadow  hum, 
"Where  the  golden  flowers  are  growing; 
Fields  and  trees  are  green  and  fair, 
And  sunshine’s  sleeping  everywhere. 
Oh,  the  sunny  Summer  days, 
When  the  ripples  dance  and  quiver ; 
And  the  sun  at  noontide  lays 
Starlike  jewels  on  the  river ! 
Take  your  shoes  off;  wade  in  here, 
Where  the  water’s  warm  and  clear. 
Listen  to  the  song  it  sings, 
Ever  rippling,  ever  flowing; 
Telling  of  a  thousand  things, 
Whence  it  comes,  and  whither  going; 
Singing  like  the  birds  and  bees, 
Of  the  wondrous  world  it  sees. 
All  the  world  is  filled  with  sound, 
And  the  very  air  is  ringing, 
Up  and  down  and  all  around, 
With  the  songs  the  birds  are  singing; 
Oh,  the  golden  Summer  hours, 
When  earth’s  a  paradise  of  flowers ! 
- AUTHOR? 
Sent  by  Dorothy  Denton  (12  years), 
New  York. 
Midsummer !  How  good  it  is  to  wake 
each  morning  and  think  of  the  long  day 
ahead  !  There  are  so  many  things  to  do 
of  work  and  play ;  so  much  to  sec  in  the 
great,  growing  world  outdoors.  Nature 
is  pushing  to  the  utmost  so  that  the  har¬ 
vests  of  field  crops,  fruits  and  vegetables 
will  be  sure.  Now  we  have  great  variety 
from  our  gardens,  and  each  meal  time 
enjoy  at  table  some  food  of  our  own  rais¬ 
ing,  and  some  bright  flower  that  has 
bloomed  for  us.  These  are  the  days  when 
a  swim  is  most  refreshing,  or  a  picnic 
most  welcome,  or  a  good  book  in  a  quiet, 
shady  spot  the  best  of  all  companions. 
And  when  it  rains  there  are  pleasures, 
too,  that  may  be  found  in  barn,  or  shop, 
or  attic.  Happy  the  boys  and  girls  who 
live  in  country  places,  who  do  faithfully 
some  little  tasks  for  the  welfare  of  the 
family,  who  have  learned  and  keep  learn¬ 
ing  many  of  the  secrets  of  the  world  of 
growing  things,  of  bird  song  and  insect 
note,  and  who  have  such  freedom  and 
good  food  and  fresh  air  and  wide  spaces 
to  roam  and  play  in !  Surely  these  boys 
and  girls  should  grow  strong  of  body, 
quick  and  clear  of  mind,  loving  and  gen¬ 
erous  at  heart.  This  is  the  spirit  of 
Our  Page. 
A  Pioneer  Reader 
I  wonder  if  you  will  accept  a  letter 
from  a  Canadian  boy  13  years  old?  That 
is  what  I  am.  I  am  the  son  of  a  farmer, 
and  please  let  me  inform  you  that  farm¬ 
ing  is  the  only  life.  It  is  chock  full  of 
fun  even  for  those  who  have  to  work  most 
of  the  time.  Especially  is  it  so  when  you 
have  some  young  mules  on  the  place,  like 
we  have. 
Papa  has  given  me  two  mules :  Solo¬ 
mon,  or  Sol.  so-called  because  he  is  so 
wise,  and  Eclipse,  or  Clipper,  for  short, 
so  named  because  he  was  born  one  night 
when  there  was  an  eclipse  of  the  moon. 
I  expect  to  make  a  fine  team  out  of  them 
some  day,  for  they  are  big  and  husky, 
and  Sol  was  broken  in  to  the  halter  when 
but  five  months  old. 
I  had  a  small  plot  of  potatoes  last 
year  and  am  to  have  the  same  this  year. 
I  am  also  going  to  experiment  with  Bur¬ 
bank’s  Pearl  barley  and  Rosen  rye.  They 
ought  <o  grow  fine  here,  especially  the 
Rosen  rye. 
I  suppose  to  conclude  with  I  ought  to 
give  a  description  of  the  marvelous  coun¬ 
try  in  which  T  live.  To  begin  with.  I 
will  say  that  Francois  Lake  is  05  miles 
long  and  on  the  average  two  miles  wide. 
while  the  depth  has  never  been  ascer¬ 
tained,  although  one  man  let  down  a  fish 
line  to  the  extent  of  1,200  feet  and  did 
not  touch  bottom.  Perhaps  you  have  read 
the  book  “North  of  53,”  by  Bertrand  Sin¬ 
clair.  Fifty-four  runs  right  through  the 
middle  of  the  lake,  and  we  live  on  the 
north  side.  The  lake  is  surrounded  (ex¬ 
cept  in  parts)  by  luxuriant  wild  growth, 
including  fir,  spruce  and  jack  pine.  By 
going  up  on  a  hill  on  the  back  80  of  our 
place  you  can  easily  see  the  snowclad 
peaks  of  the  Coast  Range.  I  may  be 
able  later  on  to  send  some  pictures.  I 
hope  that  when  this  letter  reaches  you  I 
will  be:  Your  newly  acquired  friend. 
British  Columbia.  fred  gain. 
Not  only  is  Fred’s  letter  acceptable, 
but  it  is  so  interesting  that  every  reader 
will  enjoy  having  it  printed.  Here  is  a 
manly  boy  growing  up  in  a  new  country. 
Get  out  your  maps  of  Canada,  and  al¬ 
most  in  the  center  of  the  Province  of 
British  Columbia  you  will  find  Francois 
Lake,  running  east  and  west,  as  Fred 
says,  along  the  54°  parallel  of  north  lati¬ 
tude.  Fred  wrote  more  than  a  year  ago, 
so  he  is  14  years  old  by  now,  and  he  will 
be  surprised  to  find  his  letter  printed 
Daisies — Drawn  by  Katherine  Eckert  (1J) 
years),  New  Jersey  and  Alfrieda 
Deyoe,  New  York 
when  this  page  reaches  him  after  its 
long  journey  from  New  York.  So  Our 
Page  travels  far  and  wide  with  its  ever¬ 
growing  circle  of  readers  and  friends. 
Advice  on  High  School 
I  have  been  a  reader  of  the  Boys’  and 
Girls’  page  since  it  began,  November, 
1919,  but  have  never  written  before.  I 
am  a  lover  of  God’s  great  out  doors,  and 
find  much  pleasure  in  my  Sunday  after¬ 
noon  walks  through  the  country,  enjoy¬ 
ing  every  bird  and  flower,  the  sunshine 
and  blue  skies  in  Summer,  and  in  Winter 
the  bright  and  sparkling  snow  and  the 
little  Winter  birds. 
I  am  a  lover  of  good  books  and  have 
read  a  great  many.  I  am  a  high  school 
girl  and  find  great  delight  in  my  studies. 
If  I  were  to  advise  a  person  on  what  he 
should  do  to  get  the  most  out  of  high 
school  I  would  say :  Live  on  a  farm  some 
distance  from  school,  and  do  not  depend 
on  anyone  but  yourself  to  get  there.  The 
best  way  is  to  walk  or  ride  a  wheel ;  get 
up  in  the  morning  and  have  some  work 
that  you  must  do  before  you  go.  When 
you  study,  lay  aside  everything  but  what 
you  are  studying.  Don’t  worry  about 
your  French  lesson  while  you’re  trying  to 
study  history,  or  don’t  think  of  the  big 
ball  game  that  is  to  be  after  school,  or 
the  skating  party  you’re  going  to,  but 
study  and  finish  one  lesson  at  a  time.  If 
you  had  five  or  six  brains  you  might 
study  all  your  lessons  at  once,  but  you 
haven’t,  so  you  had  better  try  one  lesson 
at  a  time.  Do  not  exclude  yourself  from 
all  play.  Join  in  as  much  as  possible, 
but  don’t  go  too  far ;  remember  you  are 
going  to  school,  and  that  your  lessons 
must  be  studied.  Do  your  work  faith¬ 
fully  and  be  sure  you  understand  all 
parts  as  you  go  along.  Do  not  slight  any 
lesson ;  have  some  order  by  which  you 
study,  and  when  exams,  come  don’t  wor¬ 
ry  ;  go  to  bed  and  get  up  fresh  and  go 
to  work  with  a  clear  mind.  The  boy  or 
girl  who  has  to  put  up  an  effort  to  go 
through  school  will  not  be  so  easily  dis¬ 
couraged  in  isiter  life  and  will  face  disap¬ 
pointment  with  a  smile.  It  takes  the 
rain  to  make  the  sunshine  brightest,  and 
so  it  takes  the  disappointments  of  life  to 
make  us  appreciate  the  joys. 
Well,  I  guess  I’ve  made  up  for  all  the 
letters  I  should  have  written  before. 
Wishing  The  Rural  New-Yorker  and 
Our  Page  great  success,  I  am,  a  con¬ 
stant  reader,  HELEN  BOOTH. 
New  York. 
Out  of  her  own  experience  Helen  has 
given  us  a  number  of  important  points 
in  a  successful  and  happy  high  school 
career.  Her  suggestions  are  well  worth 
thinking  over  and  putting  into  practice. 
In  the  next  month  or  two  let’s  have  some 
other  letters  on  the  question  of  how  to 
get  the  most  out  of  a  high  school  course. 
July 
July  is  a  month  when  all’s  happy  and 
gay, 
’Tis  the  month  when  all  farmers  are  cut¬ 
ting  their  hay  ; 
’Tis  also  the  month  when  the  boys  go  to 
camp, 
Or  hike  through  the  woods  for  a  long, 
joyful  tramp. 
New  Hampshire.  earl  anderson. 
(16  years) . 
He  Plans  to  Be  a  Doctor 
I’ve  watched  every  Boys’  and  Girls' 
page  and  it  is  improving.  I  would  sug¬ 
gest  that  boys  write  more  often,  as  I  am 
sure  that  many  would  like  to  hear  of 
their  doings  on  the  farm. 
I  am  13  years  old,  and  in  the  freshman 
year  of  high  school.  Every  morning 
after  I  do  my  chores  I  work  for  my 
neighbors;  after  I  get  out  of  school  at 
three  o’clock  I  work  there  also.  When 
it  gets  dark  I  go  home  and  do  my  chores. 
I  like  the  farm  very  much,  but  I  am  not 
training  for  that  profession.  I  am  going 
to  train  to  be  a  doctor.  It  means  long 
years  in  college  and  much  money,  but  I 
hope  to  work  it  through. 
Good  luck  to  you  all !  meyer  aqua. 
Massachusetts. 
Good  luck  to  you.  Meyer !  We  all  wish 
it,  I  know.  It  is  a  fine  thing  to  work 
with  a  purpose  in  view.  You  have  a 
long  road  ahead,  to  be  sure,  but  even  the 
longest  road  comes  to  an  end  if  we  trudge 
steadily  along ;  and  then  it  looks  short 
when  we  pause  a  moment  to  think  back 
over  the  journey.  Not  all  country  boys 
are  going  to  be  farmers,  of  course,  though 
if  one  likes  it  there  is  no  finer  career 
than  to  build  up  a  good  farm  and  to 
woi'k  with  Nature  in  the  creation  of  new 
wealth  for  the  world.  But  the  healing  of 
the  sick  and  the  teaching  of  ways  of  liv¬ 
ing  that  make  the  race  healthy  and 
strong  is  a  noble  profession,  too.  In  fact, 
my  boys  and  girls,  every  business  or  pro¬ 
fession  is  a  noble  one  if  it  is  carried  on 
with  honesty,  sincerity  and  some  thought 
of  service  to  others  as  well  as  of  one’s 
own  gain.  I  hope  that  when  Meyer 
reaches  his  goal  and  has  the  right  to 
put  M.D.  after  his  name,  he  will  think  of 
the  great  need  there  is  in  the  country 
districts  for  medical  help,  and  will  do  his 
have  never  found  time  to  write.  Inclosed 
you  will  find  the  answer  to  the  Nature 
Puzzle,  also  a  riddle.  I  am  interested  in 
Our  Page.  It  is  of  much  interest.  I  love 
to  sit  down  in  the  evening  and  read  Our 
Page,  Sometimes  I  have  a  hard  time 
getting  it  away  from  papa.  He  likes  it 
as  well  as  I  do.  I  love  to  take  care  of 
our  little  ducks  and  chickens;  they  are  so 
cunning.  I  hope  every  boy  and  girl  of 
Our  Page  loves  to  do  some  kind  of  work. 
New  York.  LAURA  chapin 
(13  years). 
The  Book  Puzzle  is  “Black  Beauty.” 
I  read  it  last  Winter  and  enjoyed  it  very 
much.  The  author’s  name  is  Anna  Sew¬ 
ell.  I  like  the  story  because  it  teaches 
us  to  be  kind  to  animals.  When  we  are 
kind  to  them  they  will  be  good  and  mind 
us. 
The  answer  to  the  Nature  Puzzle  is  a 
daisy.  Daisies  are  very  pretty  flowers.  I 
think.  There  are  lots  of  them  on  our 
farm. 
The  answer  to  the  riddle  is  an  echo. 
Virginia.  Catharine  fox 
(9  years). 
I  think  the  answer  to  the  Nature  Puz¬ 
zle  is  the  daisy.  I  am  sending  a  sketch 
of  the  same.  The  answer  to  the  Book 
Drawn  by  Lewis  Wangerin  (15  years). 
New  York 
Puzzle  is  “Black  Beauty,”  by  Anna  Sew¬ 
ell.  I  am  sending  a  drawing  of  Black 
Beauty.  I  have  not  yet  succeeded  in  hav¬ 
ing  my  drawings  printed,  but  my  motto 
is  “Keep  trying,”  so  I  do.  Our  Page  is 
getting  better  all  the  while,  and  more  in¬ 
teresting.  I  have  shown  Our  Page  to 
some  of  my  friends  and  they  have  asked 
their  fathers  to  take  The  Rural  New- 
Yorker.  ALFRIEDA  DEYOE. 
New  York. 
The  Daisy 
It  was  not  hard  to  tell  that  the  little 
Nature  Puzzle  in  verse  last  month  de¬ 
scribed  the  common  white,  or  ox-eyed 
daisy.  Here  is  one  wild  flower  that  we 
need  not  hesitate  to  pick  as  much  as  we 
Black  Beauty.  Drawn  by  Lillie  Sprague  (11  years),  New  York 
part  toward  bringing  it  within  the  reach 
of  every  man,  woman,  boy  and  girl  on 
the  farm. 
Some  Little  Letters 
It  is  not  always  the  longest  letters  that 
are  the  best,  or  that  most  deserve  print¬ 
ing.  Here  are  three  short  letters  writ¬ 
ten  in  answer  to  the  June  page.  They 
all  show  interest  and  have  good  points : 
During  my  vacation  I  am  going  to  try 
to  write  to  Our  Page.  I  have  been  a 
reader  of  the  page  for  a  long  time,  but 
want  to — there  is  no  fear  that  it  will 
ever  disappear  A  great  field  of  daisies 
is  a  beautiful  sight,  but  the  daisy  plant 
has  no  usefulness  and  it  injures  and  les¬ 
sens  the  hay  crop,  so  that  everywhere  it 
is  looked  upon  by  farmers  as  a  wTeed. 
Several  readers  sent  little  drawings,  two 
of  which  I  have  combined  to  print. 
What  Is  It? 
This  fowl  is  kept  on  farms.  It  does 
not  lay  its  eggs  in  the  henhouse,  but 
builds  its  nest  in  tall  grass  near  fences. 
