The Progressive Farmer, Novtmber 3, 1900.
A
, -- - . i i
the Home Circle.
THE LAUD
I Written by F. L. Stanton, at Battery Tark, Asheville, N. C, September 22, 1900.
I.
Mountains that climb to the blue bend on high
Lakes where the stars see themselves in the sky ;
Violet valleys of beauty and love,
Where earth seems so close to the heaven above
You can hear the faint echoes of seraphim-feet
And the musical beat
Of the hearts of the angels the songs they repeat
In their evidences sweet !
II.
A wild world of mountains that drift into dreams ;
The ripple of rills and the dashing of streams
That sing to the sea ! And the beams and the gleams
That lure you to gardens of beautiful dreams !
Of beautiful dreams that have lifted you soul
To the thunder's high roll !
When you slep from life's care, and its curse and control,
With the joy in your soul.
III.
God crowned with old glory these mountains ; He planted
The sky-reaching hills in these valleys enchanted ;
These streams in the hollow by mystery haunted
These oaks that still wave their green banners undaunted.
And dare the storm's thunder ! . . . and paeans of praise
Mountains rivers, still raise
To the heaven above them, while rose-scented ways
Wreathe the beautiful days !
IV.
O, land of all beauty loved Land of the Sky,
A pieture of grandeur by the Artist on high,
Where song on each wild wind in melody roves
And times the bright steps of the gods of the groves !
The rose of the morning is white on thy breast ;
Thou art crowned thou art blest
From the seas to the east and the seas to the west
With the rose-wreath of rest.
OLD TIMES
The Union Republican of Novem
ber 1st has a report of the fourth
annual meeting of the Wachovia His
torical Society recently held in Winston-Salem,
this'State. We quote :
The first paper of the evening was
read by Dr. J. H. Clewell. It was
entitled "The First Year in Wacho
via," from November 1753 to Novem
ber 1754' and related to the first set
tlement of the Moravians at Betha
bara, or Old Town, this county. The
facts were gleaned from German di
aries by Mrs. J. J. Wurreschke and
Dr. Clewell. A few notes will prove
of interest. There were twelve in
the party, which came from
Bethelehlam, Pa., three of them be
ing leaders. One was a baker,
another a tailor, another a carpen
ter, another a tanner.
Tobbacco was first planted in this
section in 1754. A flourishing mill
was established two years after the
party arrived. A man had to cut
down 100 trees for one pair of shoes.
Butter sold high, one man refused
$10 a pound for what he had, and he
took it to Fayetteville and sold it
for $16 driving through the coun
try. In January, 1754, the site was
laid off for the Strangers' house.
Here a woman's name is mentioned
for the first time in the diary. This
one was an invalid, and she was
brought 50 miles to be treated by a
doctor. The Brethren had to go 60
miles for salt. No stranger was
ever turned away. Mush, green
beans and pumpkins were favorite
dishes. Hunting was greatly enjoyed.
Beaver and wolf traps were set.
Bears were either caught or bought.
Bishop Boehler suggested the name j
WISE'S TRIBUTE TO LEE.
A correspondence of the Charlotte
Observer write that paper as fol
lows :
You will, I am sure, gladly repro
duce the following exquisite tribute
to General Lee from John S Wise's
recent book, "The End of An Era."
As our beloved Lee recedes into the
realm of history his wonderful char
acteristics shine out with increasing
lustre. A very "lord of battle" he
yet showed the world that he could
alo be humane, gentle, forgiving and
reverent.
A few weeks ago I stood for the
first time upon the steps of his beau
tiful Arlington. The Potomac of
history and song rolled at my feet
and just across the river glittered a
world city in its magnificence. As I
gazed upon the panorama, with its
cloud capped shaft in honor of
another, but not greater, patriot, in
the foreground, I saw not the ene
my's graves scattered thick around
me, I thought only of him whose
matchless and immortal spirit so
dominated the scene as to eclipse all
else. Beyond the massive columns
of the portico I looted up at the win
dows and wondered from which one
ho had of tenest looked out upon this
fairest picture in all the land. Then
my thoughts travelled to that quiet
retreat, far away from his lordly
Arlington, where in supreme dignity
and with a resignation little less than
divine, he gave those last years to
training the youth of his State re
. i
OF THE SKY.
IN FORSYTH.
of Wachovia meadow land for rais
ing cattle. There were many visitors
to the town and often some of them
would have to sleep out doors, citi
zens not having room to entertain
them in their houses. Out of 400
visitors the first year, 200 took meals.
Everybody was peaceful and law
abiding, and there was never a
trouble with the Indians, but rather
more annoyance and damage to crops
by British soldiers. The first musi
cal instrument mentioned was a
trumpet made out of a hollow tree
and which was blown for lovefeast.
In 1755 there were flutes and trum
pets. Death did not break the ranks
the first year. There was some sick
ness and two accidents burning of
a cabin and injury to a Mr. Peterson
by a tree falling on him. Everything
was done by conference. The first
experience with soldiers was on Oc
tober 17th, 1754. In 1755 a Dunkard
came to the settlement for protection
Himself and family had been sep
arated by the Indians, but were af
terwards privileged to get together
again. Meetings were held regu
larly, also Communion and Lovefeast.
The first Christmas was spent with
wolves and other wild animals howl
ing in the forests around the little
cabin. Services of the tailor, doctor
and tanner were in constant demand
for miles around. At a later period
reference was made to domestic life
and how the women washed the first
days of the week and the men the
latter part. The paper in detail is
a valuable acquisition to the So
ciety. Much of the manuscript from
which it was gleaned is nearly gone
by age.
fusing the riches that England and
his devoted South eagerly offered
him. I turned away sad at heart
and yet with a thrill of pride and ex
altation in the majesty of the man
who had counted this, regal estate,
and the highest military honors of
the other side, as nothing when duty
was in the balance :
"It is imhossible to speak of Gen
eral Lee without seeming to deal in
hyperbole. Above the ordinary size,
his proportions were perfect. His
features are too well known to need
description but no representation of
General Lee which I have ever seen
properly conveys the light and soft
ness of his eye, the tenderness and
intellectuality of his mouth, or the
indescribable refinement of the face.
I have seen all the great men of our
time, except Mr. Lincoln, and have
no hesitation in saying that Robert
E. Lee was incomparably the great
est looking man I ever saw.
Every man in that army believed
that Robert E. Lee was the great
est man alive, and their faith in him
alone kept that army together during
the last six months of its existence.
Whatever greatness was accorded to !
him was not of his own seeking, j
1T. l n j !
xiu was less oi an acior man any
man I ever saw. "But the impression
made by his presence, and by his
leadership, upon all who came in con
tact with him, can be described by no
other term than that of grandeur.
When I have stood at evening and
watched the great clouds banked in
the west, and tinged by evening sun
light ; when on the Western plains,
I have looked at the peaks of the
Rocky Mountains outlined against
the sky ; when, in mid-ocean, I have
seen the limitless waters encircling
us, unbounded save by the infinite
horizon the grandeur, the vastness
of these have invariably suggested
thoughts of General Robert E. Lee.
Certainly it is that the Confederacy
contained no other man like him.
When its brief career was ended, in
him was centered, as in no other
man, the trust, the love, almost the
worship of those who remained stead
fast to the end. When he said that
the career of the Confederacy was
ended ; that the hope of an inde
pendent government must be aban
doned ; that all had been done which
motals could accomplish against the
power of overwhelming numbers and
resources ; and that the duty of the
future was to abandon the dream of
a confederacy and to render a new
and cheerful allegiance to a re-united
government his utterances were ac
cepted as true as Holy Writ. No
other human being upon earth, no
other earthly power, could have
produced such acquiescence, or could
have compelled such prompt accep
tance of that final and irreversible
judgment.
"Of General Lee's military great
ness, absolute or relative, I shall not
speak ; of his moral greatness I need
not. The man who could
so stamp his impression upon his
nation, rendering all others insigni
ficant besides him, and yet die with
out an enemy ; the soldier who could
make love for his army a substitute
for pay and clothing and food, and
could, by the constraint of that lo ve,
hold together a naked, starving
band and transform it into a fighting
army ; the heart after which the fail
ure of its great endeavor could break
in silence and die without the utter
ance of one word of bitterness such a
man, such a soldier, such a heart
must have been great indeed great
beyond the power of eulogy."
A NOBLE EXAMPLE.
In this day when so many stories
of dishonesty in commercial life are
in the air it is refreshing to read of
the noblo and successful endeavors
of Mark Twain to pay off his debts,
dollar for dollar. His debts were
security money and enormous.
When the crash came to him, with
a stout heart and firm purpose, he
resolved to go abroad and lecture
until he made the money and paid
every cent he owed. He did it. Re
cently he landed in New York freed
from the incubus of debt to be an
example of honesty for all the peo
ple of his native land the world.
We write these lines with peculiar
pleasure, and invite those who read
them to walk in his footsteps and to
hold up this noble act of honesty for
the imitation of the young. Mr.
Clemens' books will now be more
attractive to us. When he sailed
i rom Vancouver to make the money
to pay his debts he wrote, "The law
recognizes no mortgage on a man's
brain, and a merchant who has given
up all he has, may take advantage
of the lawTs of insolvency, and start
free again for himself. But I am not
a business man, and honor is a har
der matter than the law. It cannot
compromise for less than one hun
dred cents hn the dollar and its debts
never outlaw." Rev. P. R.,Law, in
Lumberton Robesonian.
A recent canvass of
our large
eastern cities showed that
of its leading citizens were brought
up on the farm.
An examination of 100 leading com
mercial and prof essional men of Chi
cago shows that 85 were reared
in the country and rural villages.
Seventeen of our twenty-three pres
idents came from the farm. The
census of the students of four col
leges and seminaries showed that
the rural districts and villages are
furnishing 85 per cent, of our col
lege students.
A. generation in the city is short.
Life forces burn out rapidly. The
leaders are quickly succeeded by
men from the country ; they always
have been ; they always will be. Dr.
Newell Dwight Hillis.
The happiest people in the world
are those who keep out of debt, out
of politics, out of office, shun noto
riety, make an honest living by hon
est means, follow the golden rule,
humbly serve the living God, quietly
pursue the -even tenor of their
way," and neglect no opportunity of
doing good. E. W. Pfaffenberger.
Our Social Chat.
EDITED BY AUNT JKXXIE, RALEIGH, N. C.
AS CONTRIBUTORS to this department of
The Progressive Farmer, we have some of the
most wide-awake and progressive young ladies
and young men and some of the most entertain
ing writers among the older people of this and
other States, the ages of the members ranging
from sixteen to more thon sixty.
YOU ARE REQUESTED to join by sending
us a letter on some subject of general interest,
and writing thereafter as often as possible.
WHEN WRITING, give fall name and post
office address for Aunt Jennie's information.
If you do not wish your real name to appear
in print, give name by which you wish to be
known as a Chatterer.
TWO WEEKS OR MORE must, as a rule,
elapse between the time a letter is written and
the date of its publication.
ADDRESS all letters to Aunt Jennie, care of
The Progressive Farmer, Raleigh, N. C.
AUNT JENNIE'S LETTER.
Every child going away from home
carries the family's honor with him.
It is in his power to either add to
their good name or disgrace those
who love him. The exultant pride
of a father over the success of his
son in a distant State or city is
touching indeed, and even more so
the pride of a mother over a daugh
ter who does well. None save a
mother can realize that wonderful
compound of pride and gratitude
which pervades her being when she
realizes that hel? child fills a high
and worthily won position in the
world.
There is nothing that so inspires
courage as the plaudits of our fellow-beings,
but to do good for the
benefit of others is the right spirit
and the one to be commended. No
child can be guilty of a mean act and
not cause poignant pain to those who
reared him, while if he is a man
worthy of the name none rejoice at
his success as they do. Now, if you
are a man capable of thinking and
acting for yourself, think who helped
you and was careful to remove stumb
ling blocks lest you fall. Who guided
your little feet in right paths so pa
tiently? Is your reward for all this
loving care what it should be? Have
you shown your gratitude by acts of
kindness to these your parents, or
have you been mean enough to neg
lect them now that they are feeble and
feel the need of your strong arm for
support?
We have this week three excellent
letters from favorite members of
the Circle. Water Lily and Pansy
have been absent quite a long while.
Let other delinquents write now as
they have done. Aunt Jennie.
PANSY ON W0EK.
Dear Aunt Jennie : After a long
silence I once more drop in for a
friendly chat. Procrastination has
not been the chief cause but nursing
an invalid mother. I hope, however,
to make up for it some time in the
future if the time ever comes when
I have a little leisure. I'm not com
plaining, though ever since I have
been old enough to assume any re
sponsibilities I've had more work to
buckle to than one of twice my years
should have had. But it has all
served to keep me out of much mis
chief. After all, work is the source of all
true pleasure. Good honest toil
brings the sweetest joy, the peace
ful sleep, the clear conscience, and,
last and best, the plaudit, "Well
done." Even pleasure soon becomes
stale and tiresome if it is unaccom
panied by some labor. Such is our
nature that to enjoy the good things
of life we first must "work for them.
All honest toil is noble ; it crowns
the man or woman with a halo of
honor that demands respect from
even the drone3 of this world.
But what of dishonest toil? We
all are only too well acquainted with
that ever present class of people who
work just as hard at their dishonest
deeds. For instance, the whiskey
dealers are kept on the alert to evade
the revenue laws ; they cannot enjoy
the peaceful life of an honest toiler,
Yet they have their share of worry
and care. Now don't suppose for
one moment I am so very fond of
work for I am not that is, hard
work or constant work. "All work
and no play" is too old to need re
peating. I will have to admit that I am not
well up on the Social Chat at pres
ent do not even know what is the
main subject for discussion now. I
have so little time for reading ; hope
to turn over a new leaf next year.
Good bye for 1900 as I don't suppose
I will have an opportunity for an
other visit this year. Pansy.
Rowan Co., N. C.
JENNIE ACTON SEES THE FAIB.
Dear Aunt Jennie: I went to
Raleigh last week and saw the Fair.
There were so many folks there that
I could hardly see any thing else.
Of course I went out to the grounds
on Thursday, as everybody else
does, and I met several old school
mates and friends but failed to find
those that I knew were there. After
three o'clock everybody seemed to
be looking for somebody else and I
was amused at the expressions on
different faces. I saw so many brides
and grooms at least I took them so
to be, for they seemed so happy and
I hoped they might always be so.
The Fair was good and I do think
that the folks who had charge of it
tried to please every body from the
most fastidious to the coarsest. I
saw some things that I thought
ought to have been left out. But
they were there and I was not to
blame, so I tried to over look it. To
grieve over milk you spilt yourself
is all right, but if somebody else
spilt it, he is to blame, not you.
There are plenty of things in the
world that need righting, but if all
of us grab up a towel and run to
wipe up every drop of milk spilt by
other folks I should like to know
what would become of us. I pro
pose to look after my own bucket
myself.
Brother would not go this year
although his hair was cut all right
and his Sunday suit looked nice.
He pretended that he was too busy,
but I knew that his girl's mother
went and although the schools were
out, there she was with her. It is
a pity that some boys never study
anything but girls.
I wish somebody would tell me
how to preserve autumn leaves so
that I can trim my winter hat with
them. They are so pretty and it
seems a pity to let so much beauty
go to waste. Jennie Acton.
WATER LILY WRITES.
Dear Aunt Jennie: My absence
has been a long one, but the interest
has been the same. I've read so
many good letters from various
gifted persons that it was impossible
to lose interest even if I had been so
inclined. My time has not been
much my own this summer ; so many
demands have claimed me it seemed
impossible to find time to write even
a few lines to Aunt Jennie altho'
she called me and kindly reminded
me of my duty and the promise to
write soon.
Eva Plamondon, the summer sped
by too swiftly for me, but it made its
impression this time which is not
easy to erase, as a dear auntie was
called away, leaving in our hearts
that "aching void the world can
never fill." The loss of dear ones is
in indeed hard to bear and time alone
can heal such wounds. "God is too
good to be unkind, and too wise
to err."
Now lonely autumn has come
bringing Indian summer days which,
like all other beauties of earth, are
too lovely to last. It is one of the
most inspiring lessons to stroll
through the woodland and meadow
and gather the last blossoms of the
season and the beautiful autumn
tinged leaves which excell any beau
ties of art. Nature is sublime and
the changing seasons with the beau
tiful flowers which come and go
should help to inspire us to live
higher lives and realize more fully
each day that man enjoys the great
est blessings of living beings and
should appreciate and love his Crea
tor more and more.
I wonder how many of the num
erous cousins are interested in the
chrysanthemum. It is one of my
favorite flowers. I have a few of the
old time variety, and would be glad
to exchange with any one ; also have
sweet violets which I would ex
change. I think we cousins might
make exchanges sometime and thus
be more benefit to each other than
by simply reading letters.
With many good wishes for all,
and trusting to hear that each mem
ber -will or has had a happy Thanks
giving. Water Lily.
Washington Co., N. C.
WINTER VIOLETS.
Early last summer a cold frame
was planted with young violets of
the single California variety. The
soil at the Experiment station is a
moderately rich loam, and the frame
is in a well-drained place, with
southern exposure, protected from
the north winds by a steep bank.
During the summer the plants were
watered and hoed, but were given no
special care. By autumn they had
made a vigorous growth, completely
hiding the soil with their leaves,
though planted ten inches apart.
When frosty weather came the bed
was protected with hotbed sash, and
all during the winter it has given an
abundance of large long stemmed
blossoms. During severe weather
the sash has remained on all day,
but on all but the coldest
days air has been admitted by raising
the sash at one side durinth
of the dav. Littlfi het
"uienno. v
been necessarv. hfifnncn ..
quent rains. irQ-
Anyone may have violets tW
out the winter at a very little troll
or expense except the first cost
frame and paints. The single Ta
ties succeed better in mvi arie"
than the double kinds, and tfcQ r?5s
fornia seems the best variety
iug largo iiuwers ana leaves.
ClIARLES A. KEFFER
University of Tennessee.
FARMER'S FRONT DOOR YABD
In driving over the counts .
struck with the number of untirl
u.uui auu tuu .lcw i ami dwell
to make the grounds attractive. The
wood pile with its litter of chip
SUUiS uiiu. ui U3JJ., is uui u lew sWi
from the kitchen door, to be
handy." Tlie cnickens are allowed
to run and scratch about at will, the
t j .1 n , .
siop DUCKeis ami. svviu oarrei is lef
setting a few teet from the door
dilapidated boxes, a wheelbarrow-
but wny go over tne list. We all
have seen it so often that we scarcely
notice it. There is really little ex.
cuse for this untidy way of letting
things go. A neat and well painted
wood shed and coal house should be
at a convenient distance from every
farm house. The wood choppin
and sawing should be done where
the litter will not add to the unsight
liness of the door yard. Slop buck
ets and swill barrels are breeders of
flies and an abomination. Just why
old boxes, and other trash is brought
to the door and thrown down is hard
to say. It would not require any
work to at least keep from litterirg
up the yard. Neatness is an inex
pensive luxury.
The grounds about a farm dwell
ing need not be extensive or preten
tious. An hour or so at spare times
will keep down the weeds, and a lit
tle grass seed scattered, will start a
sod which will soon eradicate
them. The actual cash value added
to a farm by a neatly kept door yard
and grounds surrounding the house
would be hard to estimate, but it
would certainly be much more than
the cost in labor or money. There
is no reason why a farmer should
not enjoy flowers, shrubs and a lawn
as well as the city man whose busi
ness and home is in the city. It is
worth the farmer's while to make
his home attractive and to enjoy the
best his opportunities and means
will allow. J. L. Irwin, in Journal
of Agriculture.
ASHAMED OF THE COMPANY HE KEPT.
The Lewis ton Journal, a Maine
paper, tells an instructive story of
the times of the great temperance
agitation in 1844. In those days
practically every retail merchant in
the county kept liquor for sale, or to
away. In a Kennebec village an old
grocer, otherwise a reputable man,
derived a considerable part of his in
come from the sale of rum.
The temperance revival had come
come to this village, and a question
of action, friendly or unfriendly to
the liquor traffic had arisen in the
town-meeting. A division was de
manded, and those in favor of the
traffic went to one side of the town
hall and those opposed to it to the
other.
The respectable grocer referred to
watched this process, and saw, evi
dently to his surprise, that the peo
ple to whom he had been dealing out
liquor for years were not as good
looking as the people on the other
side of the hall. Finally he rose and
joined the opponents of the traffic.
"What are you over here for!
some one asked him. "Are you op
posed to the sale of intoxicating li
quors?" "N-nc "
1 Then that's your side over there.
The old grocer looked around an
grily at the men on the other side
and replied :
"You don't suppose I'm going over
there with that crowd of red noses
do you?" .
His view of his own customers, all
in a bunch, had made a temperance
man of him. Companion.
The first use of education is to en
able us to consult with the wisest
and the greatest men in all points o
earnest difficulty. To use boo
rightly is to go to them for help ;
appeal to them when our knowledg
and power of thought fail ; to be e
by them into wider sight, PureI"cTe
ceptions than our own, and rec
from them the united sentnme
judges and councils of 'all J
against our solitary and unsi
opinions. Ruskin.