Tuesday, December 23, 1902.
THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER
7
OUR SOCIAL CHAT
n letter Intended for this department
viiM be addressed to "Aunt Jennie." care
J? The Progressive Farmer. Raleigh, N. O.
Aunt Jennie's Letter.
I foci very much encouraged this
week, as several of our old members
have written, and I feel assured that
more will do so in the near future.
Xcllie's letter, telling of a new indus
try, is interesting, and may prove
of value to many farmer boys, as
the material is furnished in any
neighborhood in North Carolina. If
we could be induced to save the
waste products of our farms and
forests it would not be many years
before we would be accounted one
0f the most enterprising as well as
one of the wealthiest States. It pays
to keep your eyes wide open spying
for opportunities. I once knew a
hoy who slept with his eyes oncned,
but he was only partially conscious,
and many things happened in the
ways elicits a double reward, the
gratitude of those who love you and
an increased quantity of self-respect
for yourself.
Wishing you all a Merry Christ
mas, I will bid you good-night.
AUNT JENNIE.
Setting Himself Right With the
Chatterers.
Dear Aunt Jennie: It is with
great fear and trembling that I
knock for admittance into your So
cial Corner, for I feel that it is not
altogether unlikely that a very cold
reception will be given me. It seems
that I have offended the girls and
some of their stalwart champions by
striking too severely at the evils
which are encountered in courtship;
and since my name has been handled
rather furiously already in conse
quence of that letter, I am truly
fearful that the storm will be doubly
increased when I make this my first
appearance after that unhappy at-
room which were unobserved by him. i t
1 sometimes think that we are some- TT t mi a a re
A 1 However, I will venture to offer an
,,,: like that boy. Are ye awake? pxp,nationthe usual thing done
If so. look up and see if there no h , h . misunder-
remunerative occupation, no new
fell of industry where we can begin
to mib and clear away the rubbish,
and by and by reap a rich harvest.
Christmas week is usually the
busiest week of the whole year to
standing. To begin with, my letter
was not intended for an abuse of
the girls, as some have taken it. but
rather for directing attention to
those frivolous and useless things
that hide behind the smiles cast from
paring for others to have pleasure
for only a day or two. I want to
call a halt and say, Please don't ; for
what does it profit a man if he gain
the whole world and lose his own
soul And I want to add, what does
it profit a woman if she worry her
self into a fever of impatience, ill
temper and bodily pain in order to
prepare cakes, pies, and various
dishes which will in all probability
not he tasted on Christmas day? No
man ran eat heartily of fifteen or
twenty dishes at one meal- They
may he his favorite edibles, prepared
just as he likes them best, but there
is a limit to his capacity, and no
one should be expected to eat more
than he can.
I r -member on one occasion I pre
pared an elaborate Christmas dinner
for several guests, and after the meal
was over and the food was being re
moved from the table I discovered
that the custard had not been tasted.
I felt sorely disappointed, and be
lieve that I was foolish enough to
?hed a few tears. I was young then,
and had tried hard to have things
just right, but was so thoughtless as
to prepare too much. I learned that
enough is sufficient, and too much
is surfeiting.
It is so hard to laugh when one
thoroughly tired. Spare yourself
and laugh some Christmas day. See
II I am not correct when I tell you
tnat it is better for you and all the
family if you do this. Let us hope
that the men and boys who are near
and dear to you will help you to
erUoy this Christmas as you have not
Wore in years. "A hint to the wise
is sufficient." While a gift is not
ahvays appreciated, good conduct al-
hou -keepers. I wonder how many j the scxcg; and j mugt gay tQ
women will overwork themselves pre- ; , rt . ww nconf Wi;o
with regard to the matter, that con
science does not smite me for what
I said. I feel that there is nothing
worse than vanity, insincerity or non
sense, and that in courtship there is
nothing more prevalent. And I feel,
and must emphasize it, that that de
spised and much-abused letter is yet
my pride, because it assails these
evils with that fearless energy which
any one in the right need never blush
to own.
But I didn't mean to give the girls
all the blame. No; bless the little
creatures! They can pull a fellow
from the mire of shame an degra
dation when nothing else can; they
can bring the sunlight in when a
fellow's heart is all dark-and deject
ed, when his., hands would grasp the
bottle in spite of the cannon's boom
ing or a Hannibal's shouting! Search
Ward, can you say more ? You are
an honorable fellow, I know; then
can't you acknowledge that your feel
ings are not a whit higher?
I did strike some heavy blows at
somebody: that is evident. But if
those who have been offended will
just hunt up what I said, I am sure
that if they hate insincerity and
those other faults mentioned, their
offence will vanish like a vapor. They
will find that I have only noted those
things in the opposite sex which I
wanted to shun; and surely they
won't attempt to blame me further,
after having discovered that I was
no more cautious than they show
themselves to be when they abuse
the evils of intemperance. That I
am never guilty of, and do I frown
and cry shame when intemperates
are abused ? No, I am only caused to
admire the girl that speaks her dis
approval. So, as I see it, girls who
are sincere and are not guiltv of
the crimes of perpetual nonsense
will not take offense at me for noting
the faults which circulate among the
numerous feminines that abuse their
station among the intelligent things
of the century.
Having said this, and feeling that
those who are not dead to reason will
soon see and appreciate my position.
I'll close, wishing for all the Chat
terers a Merry Christmas and a re
newed good-will toward their poor
fallen friend, ALVIN HORTON.
Yancey Co., N. C.
A New Industry in Duplin.
Dear Aunt Jennie: New things
are coming in almost every day. I
have seen something to-day that is
entirely a new business in this neigh
borhood men gathering holly to ship
to the Northern cities for Christmas
decorations. They had horses and
wagons and carts to carry the boxes
to and from the woods, where the
holly was gathered. The boxes are
two feet square and four feet long.
The two men that are having the
work done have an order for two
thousand boxes, and they have nearly
filled the order now. They want only
the dark gren leaves with berries.
There are several places on this rail
road that I know of where there is
much holly being shipped.
This is quite a new enterprise,
and perhaps some money for the
gatherers, but yet is this not tak
ing food from the poor little birds?
They must be fed and the winter
berries must have been put here for
their food. It looks like robbing
them of their winter support to take
that which they should have to eat
to beautify the already beautiful
homes of the wealthy people.
God did not make anything that
is not for some use. He put the
birds here for some good purpose,
and why should they not be protect
ed? Now the bird hunters are very
busy trying to kill all they can.
Oh, doesn't the cold pinch after
such a warm fall and winter as this?
A cold day like this draws us close
to the fire and keens us there as
much as possible. Why it has been
so warm some of the strawberry
farmers have been shipping straw
berries. My husband was out to
town, near here, about Thanksgiving,
and saw some as nice red berries as
he has ever seen. This is quite a
treat at this season; but some think
it will cut off some of the spring
crop.
Wishing the Chatterers, and Aunt
Jennie especially, a jolly Christmas,
I remain, NELLIE.
Duplin Co., N. C.
Some Observations on Duty.
Dear Aunt Jennie : Perhaps it
might be better for some of the
other Chatterers to write than for
me, but I am not willing to wait on
them any longer, as I am tired of
seeing the Chat left out of The
Farmer. It ought to appear in every
issue. The Chatterers are tardy, not
to say indifferent, in answering to
the roll-call. I freely confess my
negligence (as my name was called
some time ago), and humbly ask par
don, promising to come nearer the
line of duty in the future. I do con
sider it a duty for us to write, espe
cially those who are gifted with both
thought and pen. I do not know
how it is with others, but I can han
dle my thoughts better than my pen,
for I never could, when going to
school, satisfy my teacher with pen
as well as with my tongue. But
every man to his gift or talent, let
it be little or much. So let us do
our duty towards Aunt Jennie. I
well remember having the honor of
being the first to join the Circle at
the start of the new century. I
thought then of living up to my duty
by writing as often as once a year,
but have even failed to do that.
I feel impressed to write some
general considerations of duty, leav
ing it for others of the Chat to take
up special lines of thought on the
subject. I fully agree with the im
mortal Lee that duty is the grandest"
word in the English language. Duty!
what a world of meaning in the
word ! Solomon, the wisest man of
all time, sums up all his knowledge,
experience, observations and instruc
tions in the final injunction: "Let
us hear the whole conclusion of the
matter. Fear God and keep His
commandments; for this is the whole
duty of man."
How important it is, then, that
we as individuals exercise the talents
that an All-wise Creator has so kind
ly given to us, remembering that
where much is given, much will be
required." Therefore we must all
give an account of our stewardship
according to time and chance, knowl
edge and opportunity. I consider
that we are as individuals responsible
to our Maker for whatever talent
has been given us. For we shall all
be judged according to our deeds,
whether they be good or whether they
be evil.
Paul said: "Do good unto all as
you have opportunity." The greatest
mistake that I have ever made in
the treatment of others used to be
that I tried to treat everybody alike
by trying to do good, whether they
gave me an opportunity or not, there
by perhaps giving occasion to be
humbugged or imposed upon. So
my present aim is, first, to be true to
myself, and then to others, and re
quire them to be true to me, other
wise leave them to deal with others.
Let us all strive to do our duty to
ourselves, and to the Giver of All
Good, by trying to live up to the
Bible as a rule of life.
ONSLOW OBSERVER
Onslow Co., N. C.
Indifferent correspondents will
sympathize with the lad who, after
he had been at a boarding-school for
a week without writing to his pa
rents, penned the following letter:
"Dear people: I am afraid I shall
not be able to write often to you,
because you see when anything is
happening I haven't time to write,
and when nothing is happening
there's nothing to write about. So,
now, bood-bye. From your Georgia."
Liverpool Post.