The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
1091 
Things  To  Think  About 
The  Neighborhood  Rich  Man 
Quite  frequently,  of  late,  we  have  had 
letters  like  the  following  showing  the  re¬ 
lation  between  some  man  of  moderate 
means  and  the  local  rich  farmer.  In 
some  cases,  of  course,  we  have  only  one 
side,  and  it  is  not  fair  to  draw  conclus¬ 
ions  without  knowing  all  the  circum¬ 
stances.  Yet  as  most  of  us  know  there  is 
more  or  less  injustice  in  the  relations  be¬ 
tween  well-to-do  people  and  their  poorer 
neighbors. 
Two  years  ago  I  bought  a  4-acre  place, 
and  try  very  hard  to  make  a  living  on 
it  in  garden,  fruit,  and  poultry.  The 
garden  is  over  50  ft.  from  the  road  and 
fenced  with  a  5-ft.  poultry  fence.  Be¬ 
tween  house  and  garden  is  a  little  gully, 
and  as  lI  was  short  of  wire,  I  left  it 
open.  The  other  day  a  neighbor  living 
a  mile  and  over  away,  ■transferred  year¬ 
ling  stock  to  a  distant  pasture.  The  men 
who  drove  them,  talked  to  a  man  on  the 
road,  let  them  go  ahead  and  they  went 
up  the  gully  into  my  garden.  The  seed 
had  all  come  up,  but  the  ground  was 
soft  from  the  rain,  and  so  they  did  a 
pile  of  damage.  When  I  asked  the  own¬ 
er  for  damage,  he  insulted  me,  and  told 
me  to  go  ahead  and  sue  him  ;  he  would 
rather  pay  a  lawyer  $1,000  than  pay  me 
one  cent.  He  is  the  richest  man  around 
here,  in  fact  the  only  one  who  has  a 
clear  farm  and  surplus  money.  Is  there 
a  way  for  me  to  get  justice  without  go¬ 
ing  to  the  expense  of  law,  which  I  can¬ 
not  afford?  M.  u. 
Assuming  that  this  is  an  exact  state¬ 
ment  of  the  case  of  course  this  man 
should  be  willing  to  pay  fair  damage. 
That  is  peculiarly  his  duty  if,  as  you 
say,  he  is  the  “richest  man  around  here” 
for  wealth  brings  obligations  of  that  sort. 
If  he  will  not  do  it  willingly  all  you  can 
usually  do  is  to  sue  him  at  law  and,  un¬ 
fortunately.  the  rich  have  many  ways  of 
evading  or  dodging  a  legal  process.  Many 
a  poor  man  must  submit  to  injustice  of 
this  sort.  The  poet  musing  in  an  English 
churchyard,  imagines  that  there  may  be 
in  some  forgotten  grave 
“Some  village  Hampden  who  with  daunt- 
breast 
The  little  tyrant  of  his  fields  withstood.” 
He  referred  of  course  to  some  farmer 
of  years  gone  by  who  stood  up  to  the 
local  rich  men  and  demanded  his  rights. 
It  is  very  hard  for  the  average  man  to 
make  a  fight  of  this  sort ;  most  of  them 
feel  that  they  must  pocket  the  insults  and 
the  injustice.  Now  and  then  we  find  one 
who  will  fight  and  defend  his  rights.  In 
many  neighborhoods  our  boasted  system 
of  justice  runs  all  in  favor  of  the  rich 
man,  and  the  poor  man  must  do  it  him¬ 
self.  One  '  of  the  strongest  forces  for 
discontented  and  class  hatred  is  this 
mean  injustice  of  the  well-to-do  in  their 
business  relation  with  the  poor. 
The  Teacher  at  Noontime 
In  one  of  the  Spring  issues  of  The 
It.  N.-Y.  the  question  of  where  the  teacher 
should  spend  her  noontime  came  up.  The 
reason  given  for  the  teacher’s  remaining 
at  the  school  concerned  the  right  of  every 
school  child  who  was  obliged  to  carry 
his  dinner  to  school  during  the  cold 
Winter  months  to  have  at  least  one  hot 
dish.  Can  anyone  deny  that  the  child’s 
welfare  is  deeply  involved?  Lunches  are 
often  kept  in  a  cold  dressing  room.  They 
almost  invariably  consist  of  sandwiches 
and  cake  or  cookies.  Would  you  like  to 
make  your  noon  meal  of  such  food  in  the 
Winter? 
It  is  not  hard  to  furnish  one  hot  drink 
or  soup.  In  most  instances  the  parents 
will  gladly  co-operate  with  the  teacher 
once  they  see  that  the  child’s  food  is  at 
stake.  For  a  very  few  cents  a  day  hot 
cocoa  may  be  provided  and  soup  has  been 
tried  out  successfully.  The  whole  project 
might  be  canned  out  in  the  domestic 
science  class.  Most  of  the  rural  teachers 
will  be  able  to  work  this  out  with  very 
little  trouble. 
There  are  other  reasons  why  the 
teacher  should  remain  in  the  school  at 
noon.  In  many  of  the  rural  schools  the 
simple  box  stove  furnishes  the  heat.  With¬ 
out  proper  care  these  stoves  will  get  red 
hot.  What  might  happen  in  case  a  child’s 
dress  or  blouse  come  in  contact  with  is 
• 
unthinkable.  What  child  would  have  the 
presence  of  mind  to  put  out  such  a  fire? 
There  are  always  mischievous  boys  and 
unreliable  ones.  Playing  with  fire  has 
become  a  watchword.  What  mother  or 
father  knowing  the  dangers  would  be 
willing  to  expose  a  child  to  them? 
In  almost  every  school  there  is  a  bully. 
Once  the  teacher  is  safely  out  of  the  way 
there  is  no  telling  what  he  will  do,  from 
frightening  a  child  into  hysterics  by  threat¬ 
ening  to  stuff  him  into  the  stove  to  mak¬ 
ing  the  little  boys  and  girls  kiss  each 
other.  It  is  extremely  bad  for  the  little 
people  to  be  subjected  to  the  influence 
of  the  older  more  sophisticated.  The 
knowledge  of  the  evil  in  life  possessed  by 
some  of  the  older  pupils  is  overwhelming. 
Many  of  them  delight  in  telling  the  little 
ones  dirty  stories.  The  presence  of  the 
teacher  at  noontimes  protects  in  a  large 
measure,  the  little  children  from  the  dis¬ 
astrous  influence  of  the  older  ones.  The 
place  for  the  rural  teacher  at  noontime  is 
in  the  school.  It  is  her  duty  to  see  that 
the  children  get  something  hot  to  eat. 
She  should  supervise  the  play  and  in  sup¬ 
ervising  the  play  should  take  an  active 
part  in  it.  Don’t  say  that  that  is  im¬ 
possible.  It  isn’t.  I  have  done  it  myself. 
REBECCA  RICE. 
Housekeeper,  Hired  Girl,  Nurse 
I  would  like  to  know  just  -what  duties 
are  required  of  a  housekeeper.  I  see  so 
many  advertisements  asking  for  house¬ 
keepers,  while  others  will  state  they  want 
a  hired  girl.  Can  you  tell  me  the  dif¬ 
ference,  if  any?  Then  too,  I  wish  to 
know  what  people  expect  of  a  practical 
nurse.  Does  one  have  to  have  training 
in  a  hospital  in  order  to  be  one?  I  have 
had  experience  at  home  nursing  children 
and  parents.  Would  such  training  be 
considered  practical?  I  am  a  widow,  hav¬ 
ing  one  little  girl,  and  this  Fall  'I  shall 
be  free  to  take  up  work  of  some  kind.  I 
have  kept  up  my  own  house  successfully 
also  kept  up  my  parents’  house  a  good 
deal.  I  have  thought  that  a  place  as 
housekeeper  -would  be  best,  for  I  want  to 
keep  my  little  girl  of  six  years  with  me. 
MRS.  H.  H. 
Housekeepers  are  of  two  kinds — a  man¬ 
aging  housekeeper  who  directs  the  work 
done  by  servants,  and  a  working  house¬ 
keeper,  who  takes  hold  of  the  work  just 
as  she  would  in  her  own  home.  The  dif¬ 
ference  between  a  working  housekeeper 
and  a  domestic  servant  is  that  the  latter 
is  not  expected  to  assume  responsibility, 
but  to  work  under  direction.  The  work¬ 
ing  housekeeper,  while  she  does  the  actual 
manual  work,  has  also  the  responsibility 
of  buying  supplies  and  planning  the  man¬ 
agement  of  the  house.  A  managing  house¬ 
keeper  in  a  large  establishment  has  to  be 
accustomed  to  handling  servants,  and 
familiar  with  social  usages,  able  to  plan 
elaborate  meals  and  keep  things  run¬ 
ning  smoothly.  'Such  housekeepers  are 
usually  cultivated  women  accustomed  to 
such  surroundings. 
A  practical  nurse  is  not  expected  to 
be  a  hospital  graduate.  Usually  such 
nurses  begin  their  experience  among 
family  and  friends,  while  some  take  a 
short  special  course.  The  Young  Wo¬ 
men’s  Christian  Association  has  courses 
for  practical  nurses.  Such  nurses  are 
expected  to  help  in  the  housework  and 
be  of  general  assistance,  while  a  trained 
or  registered  nurse  does  not  do  this.  The 
practical  nurse  acts  entirely  under  the 
direction  of  the  doctor,  as  regards  her 
patient.  Such  nurses  are  sought  by  per¬ 
sons  of  moderate  means,  where  house¬ 
hold  help,  as  well  as  nursing  is  required, 
and  they  are  especially  welcome  in  ma¬ 
ternity  cases.  One  desiring  to  do  this 
work  should  prepare  to  be  helpful  to  ex¬ 
pectant  mothers.  She  would  gain  a  great 
deal  of  aid  from  two  bulletins  issued  by 
the  Children’s  Bureau,  United  States  De¬ 
partment  of  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. ; 
one  entitled  “Prenatal  Care,”  and  the 
other  “Child  Care.”  A  woman  who 
wishes  to  take  up  this  work  should  get 
in  touch  with  a  good  local  physician.  If 
he  finds  her  helpful  and  competent  he 
will  be  able  to  recommend  her  to  patients 
needing  such  care.  The  great  proportion 
of  cases  entrusted  to  practical  nurses  are 
obstetrical. 
Young  Wife  :  “If  this  is  an  all-wool 
rug,  why  is  it  labeled  ‘cotton’?”  Shop  As¬ 
sistant  (confidentially)  :  “That,  madam, 
is  to  deceive  the  moths!” — London  Mail. 
How  much  of  the  crop  slips  through  your  fingers  ? 
Stop  The 
Grain.  loss 
“Gray  Line” 
Wood  Saws 
are  made  for  the  man. 
who  loves  to  work 
with  quality  tools. 
Yet,  at  our  low 
prices,  they  cost  you 
no  more  than  much 
cheaper-made  outfits. 
A  GRAY-LINE  saw 
will  turn  that  wood- 
lot  into  a  nice  profit. 
We  have  a  model 
for  every  purpose. 
Delay  in  threshing  means  loss ! 
Avoid  this  by  owning  your 
own  thresher.  Save  all  your  own 
grain  by  threshing  promptly;  then 
thresh  profitably  for  your  neighbors. 
But  be  sure  that  you  have  a 
w  Thresher 
Known  as  the  best,  and  the  best 
known.  Handles  all  kinds  of  grain, 
beans  and  peas.  Compact,  simple; 
light  but  strong;  easy  to  handle;  re¬ 
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Made  in  five  sizes,  capacities  from  30 
to  120  bu.  oats  per  hour. 
Use  coupon  below,  to  secure  catalog  and  low  price  list. 
A.  W.  GRAY'S  SONS,  Inc. 
Poultney,  Vermont 
Factory  at  Middletown  Springs,  Vt. 
The  Genius  of  Man  Has  Created 
Marvels  in  Farm  Machinery 
TWO  continuous  miles  of  farm  and  dairy  machinery  will  be  dis¬ 
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Here  in  a  few  days  the  ambitious  dairy  farmer  will  be  able  to  learn 
more  about  labor-saving  machinery  than  he  could  learn  in  a  lifetime 
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Boy  and  Girl  Club  Exhibits — Contests  and  Demonstrations 
Human  Welfare  and  Nutrition  Displays 
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During  Exposition  week  conventions  will  be  held  by  the  National  Milk  Producers  Federation, 
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RURAL  NEW-YORKER  333  West  30th  St.,  New  York 
