1568 
The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
December  29,  1923 
Hope  Farm  Notes 
“Oh  watch  and  wait  and  pray, 
And  put  youx-  armor  on !” 
I  have  a  friend  who,  at  New  Year’s 
lime,  goes  about  singing  that  well-known 
hymn.  He  is  no  singer  at  his  best.  The 
tune  often  escapes  him,  and  some  of  the 
words  seem  to  split  in  his  throat.  He 
might  try  his  voice  at  Christmas  carols 
or  some  appropriate  song  of  the  New 
Year — but  no,  you  can  only  hear  him 
bellowing,  “Watch  and  wait  and  pray !” 
When  I  ask  him  why  he  does  not  select 
some  other  song  to  express  his  New 
Year’s  sentiments  he  tells  me  that  it 
means  to  him  the  most  useful  course  of 
thought  that  any  human  being  can  take 
up — and  why  not  try  to  give  useful  pi-es- 
ents  and  useful  suggestions  at  "this  fes¬ 
tive  season?”  I  will  pass  his  theory  over 
to  you  for  your  judgment.  Perhaps  you 
may  accept  the  proposition,  but  unless 
you  have  a  finer  voice  than  this  man,  I 
hope,  for  the  sake  of  your  family,  you 
will  not  attempt  the  song. 
***** 
This  man  says  that  we  all  come  into 
the  world  with  certain  habits  or  tenden¬ 
cies  fixed  in  us.  A  good  share  of  what  we 
call  human  nature  is  inherited.  This 
heritage  does  not  come  entirely  from  our 
parents,  but  may  jump  over  several  gen¬ 
erations  and  enter  us  for  good  or  evil. 
He  tells  one  case  of  a  man  whose  great 
grandfather  came  from  Norway.  The 
succeeding  generations  were  mixed  with 
American  stock.  Even  the  old  name  dis¬ 
appeared.  A  short  English  name  took  its 
place.  One  day  this  man  met  with  a 
great,  wrong  at  the  hands  of  his  neighbor 
and  lost  control  of  himself  in  a  moment 
of  passion.  He  poured  out  a  great  vol¬ 
ley  of  sound  unintelligible  to  all  except 
an  old  man  from  the  North  of  Europe 
who  said  it  was  a  burst  ot  awful  pro¬ 
fanity  given  in  a  queer  Norwegian  dia¬ 
lect.  When  this  man  recovered  his  senses 
lie  was  shocked  and  frightened  to  learn 
what  he  had  done.  He  knew  nothing  of 
Norwegian,  but  he  realized  that  when  he 
let  himself  go,  as  he  did,  some  old  ances¬ 
tor,  back  in  the  days  of  the  Vikings,  took 
him  in  charge  and  expressed  his  senti¬ 
ments  freely.  I  know  a  man  of  Irish  de¬ 
scent — two  generations  in  this  country — a 
man  of  polished  education,  the  master  of 
pure  English.  Yet  once  when  annoyed 
beyond  endurance  he  broke  out  into  a 
brogue  exactly  like  what  we  used  to  hear 
from  the  ordinary  “stage  Irishman.” 
My  friend  says  there  are  tendencies  slum¬ 
bering  within  us,  handed  down  from  old 
ancestors,  ever  ready  to  jump  in  and  con¬ 
trol  us  when  we  let  the  bars  down.  There¬ 
fore,  he  says,  we  must  watch  and  wait 
and  pray,  and  put  on  the  armor  of  self- 
control. 
***** 
Then  again  he  says  that  man  is  at  best 
only  a  bundle  of  habits.  Most  of  these 
habits  are  tied  fast  to  us  in  youth,  and 
they  are  tied  to  us  by  the  older  people 
with  whom  we  associate.  There  will  be 
more  truth  than  satisfaction  in  the  New 
Year’s  thought  that  during  the  past  year 
we,  you  and  I  and  all  the  rest  of  us,  have 
been  twisting  and  weaving  habits  into  the 
lives  of  our  children.  A  few  of  these 
habits  may,  in  years  to  come,  shine  like 
badges  of  honor  on  our  children,  or  they 
may  be  no  more  useful  than  a  tin  can 
tied  to  the  tail  of  a  dog.  I  have  heard  of 
dogs  that  were  wise  enough  to  refuse  to 
try  to  run  away  from  the  tin  can.  They 
turn  around  and  gnaw  off  the  string  and 
thus  set  themselves  free.  The  ordinary 
dog,  however,  is  not  so  wise.  He  hears 
the  rattle  of  the  tin  can.  and  he  runs 
from  it.  Thei’e  is  no  visible  enemy  to 
fight,  and  all  his  ancestors  have  felt'  ter¬ 
ror  at  the  thought  of  some  unseen  enemy. 
He  runs,  and  the  faster  he  goes  the 
louder  the  i-attle  of  the  can  and  the 
greater  his  terror.  That  is  why  the  aver¬ 
age  man  cannot  get  away  from  the  first 
dozen  years  of  his  life.  The  habits  fixed 
upon  him  during  that  period  will  lead  him 
up  to  great  things,  or  chase  him  along  the 
backyards  of  life  like  the  tin  can  follow¬ 
ing  the  dog.  It  is  hard  for  a  man  to 
break  away  from  his  youth.  When  you 
see*  a  man  over  50  who  has  developed  into 
some  mean,  miseidy  character — an  old 
grouch  rather  than  an  elderly  gentleman 
— you  may  know  that  some  old  ancestor 
back  in  the  centuries  has  secured  control 
of  some  hateful  habit  acquired  in  youth, 
and  is  working  it  overtime.  As  my  friend 
says,  such  men  are  what  they.  are  because 
they  failed  to  watch  and  wait,  and  pray, 
and  left  off  their  armor  when  it  began  to 
chafe  a  little. 
***** 
And  my  friend  undertakes  to  illustrate 
his  argument  by  personal  anecdotes.  He 
says  'that  one  day  he  had  lunch  at  a  res¬ 
taurant  with  two  men.  both  large  charac¬ 
ters  in  the  drama  of  New  York  life.  The 
waiter  brought  the  meal  check  to  one  of 
these  men,  who  glanced  at  it  and  quickly 
put  it  in  his  pocket.  He  paid  it  at  the 
desk  and  passed  out.  but  nearly  half  a 
block  away  he  stopped  suddenly. 
“Hold  on  boys,”  he  said,  “I’ve  forgot* 
ten  something.” 
He  hurried  back  to  the  restaurant, 
went  to  the  cashier’s  desk  and  handed  her 
20  cents. 
“The  waiter  forgot  to  charge  me  for  a 
piece  of  pie.”  he  said,  touched  his  hat 
and  came  back  to  his  wondering  com¬ 
panions.  They  marched  on  in  silence  for 
a  moment,  and  then  this  man  spoke  up. 
“I  suppose  you  boys  are  wondering 
why  I  did  that.  It’s  a  law  of  this  big 
city  to  take  all  you  can  get,  and  take  ad¬ 
vantage  of  any  man’s  mistake  if  it  is  in 
your  favor,  I  know,  but  that  happened  to 
be  a  case  where  I  had  to  decide  whether 
my  soul,  if  I  have  one,  is  worth  more 
thifii  20  cents !  It’s  this  way.  When  I 
was  a  boy  I  was  brought  up  by  a  very 
close  and  narrow  old  couple  who  had  lo 
shave  every  cent  in  owler  to  live.  Now 
and  then  we  would  take  a  short  journey 
in  a  railroad  train.  I  was  small  for  my 
years  at  best.  The  old  folks  would 
choose  a  seat  in  the  darkest  part  of  the 
car  and  put  me  next  the  window,  with 
the  shade  down.  Then,  when  the  con¬ 
ductor  came  in  sight  I  would  feel  a  sharp 
elbow  poking  into  my  ribs,  with  this  or¬ 
der  : 
“Scrouge  down  !  Scrouge  down  !  Make 
yourself  small,  so  he’ll  think  you  are  un¬ 
der  age !’ 
“And  I  would  immediately  ‘scrouge 
down’  and  compress  my  little  spine  like  a 
telescope,  for  ‘25  cents  saved  is  a  quarter 
earned.’  I  must  have  saved  those  people 
at  least  $5  by  ‘scrouging  down,’  and  I  felt 
as  guilty  as  a  murderer  when  one  gruff 
old  conductor  made  me  stand  up  and  pay 
full  fare.  While  that  ‘scrouging  down’ 
saved  $5  in  money,  I  feel  that  it  cost  me 
five  million  dollars  in  self-respect,  for 
that  mean  habit  has  stuck  to  me  from 
childhood,  and  I  must  constantly  fight  it. 
Honestly,  when  I  saw  that  the  waiter 
had  forgotten  to  add  that  20  cents,  I 
felt  that  old  desire  to  ‘scrouge  down,’  and 
you  will  never  know  what  it  cost  me  to 
go  back  and  pay  it !  Yet  that  was  the 
discipline  I  needed.  I  never  expect  to  be 
entirely  rid  of  the  desire  to  ‘scrouge 
down.’  ” 
***** 
To  illustrate  his  point  further,  my 
friend  tells  another  stox-y.  He  was  walk¬ 
ing  along  an  uptown  street  with  a  banker 
when  they  came  upon  a  group  of  boys 
torturing  a  cat.  These  little  rascals  had 
the  cat  cornered  before  a  high  iron  gate 
and  they  were  for  the  moment  controlled 
by  the  spirit  of  old  ancestors  who  tor¬ 
tured  their  enemies  and  perhaps  carried 
their  heads  home  in  triumph.  At  the 
sight  of  this  group,  the  banker,  known 
through  the  city  as  a  cold-blooded  man  of 
iron  will,  burst  into  a  sudden  rage.  He 
laid  about  him  with  his  cane  and  sent  the 
boys  howling  away.  Then  he  opened  the 
iron  door.  The  cat  ran  through  it  and 
safely  hid  behind  a  pile  of  lumber. 
“I  suppose  you  wonder  why  I  did 
that,”  said  the  banker  as  they  walked  on. 
“To  tell  you  the  truth.  I  could  not  help 
it.  Something  that  happened  40  years 
ago  determined  that.  When  I  was  a  boy 
I  spent  one  Summer  on  my  uncle’s  farm. 
He  was  a  cl  os  a  mean  man,  with  some¬ 
thing  of  a  malignant  temper.  There  was 
an  old  white  horse  on  the  place.  Uncle 
had  worked  him  out,  and  then  he  was 
known  as  the  ‘woman’s  horse,’  for  my 
aunt  drove  him  to  town  or  to  missionary 
meeting,  shuffling  and  limping  along  the 
dusty  roads.  My  uncle  determined  to 
kill  old  ‘Whitey.’  It  cost  something  to 
feed  him.  his  hide  would  bring  $8.  and 
the  meat  could  be  cooked  for  the  hogs. 
He  decided  to  sneak  the  poor  brute  into 
the  back  pasture  and  kill  him  before  aunt 
could  know  anything  about  it.  I  had  a 
little  rifle,  and  uncle  .said  we  boys  could 
stand  off  and  shoot  old  Whitey  down.  We 
put  a  halter  on  the  old  horse  and  led  him 
out  the  back  way  down  the  lawn.  I 
carried  my  rifle  and  the  boys  carried  axes 
and  knives.  As  I  look  back  upon  it  now 
it  seems  to  me  that  this  was  ideal  train¬ 
ing  for  hijackers  and  thugs,  but  as  uncle 
proposed  it  I  thought  it  was  right.  We 
got  the  old  horse  to  the  back  pasture,  led 
him  in  front  of  a  big  rock  and  I  went 
back  to  the  stone  wall  for  first  shot  at 
him.  But  I  never  fired,  for  suddenly 
around  the  rock  rushed  my  aunt  and  put 
herself  right  in  front  of  old  Whitey !  She 
was  a  thin,  overwoi-ked  woman.  Her 
gray  hair  had  broken  loose  in  her  run  up 
the  hill,  her  face  was  pale  and  her  great 
overworked  hands  were  held  out  in  front. 
And  old  Whitey  reached  around  his  head 
and  put  his  nose  on  her  shoulder. 
“  ‘Henry,’  she  said.  ‘I  knew  you  were 
a  close  man,  but  I  didn’t  think  you  would 
kill  old  Whitey  to  save  a  few  dollars !  I’ll 
buy  him.  I’ve  saved  $63  out  of  my  egg 
money.  I  wanted  it  to  send  Sarah  to 
school,  but  I  can’t  see  old  Whitey  killed 
after  all  he  means  to  me.  I’ll  buy  him. 
and  here’s  the  money.’ 
“And,  do  you  know,  my  uncle  took  that 
money,  and  aunt  took  hold  of  White.v’s 
halter  and  led  him  back  to  the  barn !  My 
folks  were  all  hard  and  cruel  about 
money.  I  imagine  I  should  be  worse  than 
any  of  them  if  I  had  not  seen  my  aunt 
put  all  the  earnings  of  her  hard  life  into 
that  worthless  old  horse.  We  can’t  get 
away  from  our  youth.  Thank  God  I  had 
that  expei'ience !” 
***** 
Well,  there  you  are — what  do  you 
think  of  it?  I  i-egret  that  my  friend  has 
such  a  voice.  It  is  enough  to  drive  peo¬ 
ple  away  from  the  real  power  of  his  song. 
I  know  what  thei-e  is  back  of  me  as  well 
as  in  my  bringing  up,  and  while  I  am  no 
singer  I  want  to  keep  the  song  in  mind 
all  through  the  New  Year. 
“Oh.  watch  and  wait  and  pray. 
And  keep  your  armor  on  !” 
H.  W.  C. 
10* 
:  A 
TREE 
5k 
could  easily  cover  the 
cost  of  any  Hardie  spray¬ 
er,  considering  low  first 
cost  spread  over  many 
years  of  service.  Hardie 
has  reduced  prices  and 
is  at  the  same  time  put¬ 
ting  better  materials  than 
ever  into  his  machines. 
You  simply  cannot  af¬ 
ford  to  be  without  one. 
Sizes  to  fit  your  needs. 
Write  for  prices  and  learn 
about  many  newideas  incor¬ 
porated  in  the  light-weight, 
light-running,  powerful 
SAVE  $3^to$5^ 
Buy  Direct  from  Maker 
I  have  been  the  builder  of  the 
TUBBS 
SNOW  SHOES 
for  17  years.  I  now  offer  di¬ 
rect,  postpaid,  Snow  Shoes 
made  by  the  most  experi¬ 
enced  Snow  Shoe  maker  in 
North  America. 
MacMillan,  Arctic  exjilorer, 
was  kind  enough  to  place  his 
orders  with  me  and  was  well 
pleased.  If  you  place  your  or¬ 
der  with  me  you  will  be  well 
pleased.  Also  will  save  from 
$3  to  $5  by  doing  so.  All 
Snow  Shoes  guaranteed  not 
to  sag. 
Men's  sizes,  $6.60  to  $7.50; 
women’s  $5.90  to  $6.60;  chil¬ 
dren’s,  $4.50  to  $6.60. 
Send  at  once  for  complete 
illustrated  folder,  weight 
chart,  etc. 
WALTER  F.  TUBBS 
Dept.  D  Burlington,  Vt. 
The  Auto  Shoe 
A  shoe  of  comfort  for  all  auto 
drivers  or  any  kind  of  outdoor 
work.  Made  heavy,  soft  choc¬ 
olate,  elk  leather,  laced  to  the 
toe,  giving  plenty  room  for 
action  of  the  foot.  Leather 
counters,  with  full  double 
leather  outer-soles,  rubber 
heels.  Size  5-11.  Price  d  « 
Parcel  Post  prepaid,  w  ~ 
Satisfaction  ffuar- 
anteed  or  return  *  ■ 
shoes  and  o*t  KW 
1 tour  money 
back. 
OUMAIS  SHOE  CO. 
_  _  Dept.  A 
20  Foundry  Street 
Brockton,  Mass. 
I. 
Power  Cultivator 
Does  work  of  4  men  or  I  horse- 
heavy  cultivating  or  light  —  fast 
or  slow.  Easily  operated  and  steered;  • 
simple,  sturdy.  Automatic  lubrication, 
dust-proof  working  parts  and  our  own 
4-H .  P .,4-cycle  air-cooled  engine. 
Uses  hand  orlight  horse  tools. 
M.B.M.  Manufacturing 
382  Reed  St.,  Milwaukee, V. 
BOLENS  POWER  HOE 
and  Lawn  r. 
Mower  Tractor 
vates,  jt  mows  the 
lawn.  It  supplies  power  for  Jjsa5 
operating  light  machinery. 
The  BOLENS  has  a  patented  S— 
arched  axle  for  clearance  and  a 
tool  control  for  accurate  guid-  dw&sgSa 
ance  in  close  weeding  and  culti- 
vating.  A  differential  drive  V 
makes  turning  easy.  All  attachments  have  snap 
hitches  and  are  instantly  interchangeable.  A  boy  will 
run  it  with  delight.  Send  for  full  particulars 
312  PARK  ST..  GILSON  MFG.  CO.  PORT  WASHINGTON.  WIS. 
The 
Hope 
Farm 
Book 
This  attractive 
234-page  book 
has  some  of  the 
best  of  the 
Hope  Farm 
Man’s  popular 
sketches— phil¬ 
osophy,  humor, 
and  sympa¬ 
thetic  touch. 
Price  $1.50 
For  Sale  By 
The  Rural  New-Yorker 
333  West  30th  St.,  New  York 
1 
Genuine  Army  Horse  Cover  or  Stable  Blanket 
The  outside  of  the  horse  cover  or  stable  blanket  is  made  of  waterproof  bi-own  cotton 
duck,  lined  with  a  sti-ong,  heavy  blanket  material,  extending  from  under  the  hem  to 
the  edges.  Size,  76  inches  at  bottom,  64  inches  at  top,  depth  of  neck  35J4  inches,  depth  of 
back  end  33  inches.  Two  surcingles,  each  3  inches  wide,  sti’ongly  stitched  and  reinforced. 
It  is  the  genuine  article— strong,  durable,  warm  and  will  fit  any  fair  sized 
horse.  Buy  the  real  thing  and  order  a  few  blankets  while  the  supply  lasts. 
You  will  never  duplicate  them  again  at  the  price  we  are  offering  them  to 
you.  Weight  9  pounds.  Shipping  weight,  10  pounds . 
Horse  Brushes 
Brand  new,  oval 
Sr,l60c 
6^x4^.  vveach 
$6.00  dozen 
Curry  Combs 
U.  S.  Army 
Get  together  with  your  neighbors  and 
Order  a  Bale,  Containing  10  Blankets 
at  the  Wholesale  Price  ol. 
new 
stuff 
$1.50  dozen 
Unused  Double 
Rein  and  Double 
Bit  Bridles . 
Brand  New  5-lb. 
Olive  Drab,  wool, 
Bed  Blankets. 
Size,  72  x  84 . 
;210 
sa 1  eaeh 
U.  S.  Army  McClellan  Saddles 
Brand  new,  steel 
stirrups.  Ship¬ 
ping  weight  25  lbs. 
$575 
All  Leather 
Saddles 
Brand  new,  wood¬ 
en  stirrups:  Ship¬ 
ping  weight  25  lbs. 
$750 
each 
Send  checks  or  money  orders  to  Dept.  NR 
J.  SILVERMAN  &  BROS.,  INC.,  594  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Note—  We  Pay  No  Forwarding  Charges.  Wholesale  and  Retail  Distributors 
