Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1882-05-19
Affairs of the County.

Mr.. Editor The various letters from diff.
ferent parts of our county put your many
readers in possession of many things of in.
terest transpiring in Montgomery, yet you
rarely see an item in your columns from this
portion Of the county. The fault is moi
yours, it is ours. You would publish if we
would furnish the articles.
Not few of the most thoughtful people
in our community are in grave doubt as to
the wisdom Of the late action Of our County
Agricultural Society in repeating its prohi-
billions of promiscuous horse-racing. 1--WE
shall see what we shall see."' What their
action is to be in regard to throwing open
the Grounds to games of chance, and thus
tempting the supplemented youth of our
county to grow familiar with the insidious
charms which chance, under the guise of
skill, has ever woven around men, we know
not. 1t would he well for the Board of Di-
rectors, or better expressed, the Executive
| Committee, to ponder the wisdom of "hur-
rying slowly" For one, confess to be pro-
foundly impressed by the calm, dispassion-
ate appeal of that Christian gentleman, Mr..
Charles Albert. Touching this grave ques-
ton the farmers of Montgomery county owe
it to themselves and their children to be ex.
ceedingly careful what, by their consent and
concurrence, is allowed to be done. Without
uCoitiuS W CItCi uPOu Vic OlSIuoSlOIl vi Vic
merits of the question as to how far amuse-
ments of questionable character can with
safety or propriety be engrafted on Agricul-
tural Fairs, l will end what have TO say
on this subject by reminding all concerned
Of what we all know but are prone to for
get. In religion, in politics, in social as we'll
as public amusements, in fine, in anything
involving the energies or the happiness OF
man, the middle ground is always the safest.
| Further STILL we would remark that where
any change involves question of morals,
and there is a doubt in the minds of those
who by long years of unselfish service have
shown an intelligent interest in the veal of
the community both as TO the expediency
and propriety of the change, the present
state of things should have the benefit of the
doubt
There are many Improvements going on
| in this section OF the county. Land is chang
ing hands and at fair prices. Dwellings of
comfortable character are going up all
around us. Miles of post-and rail fence
have been constructed this spring and past
winter, and many and marked other indi-
cations OF an increasing permanent thrift
among us are visible in almost every direc-
| ton. Thousands of bushels of lime have
been sold at Silver Spring this past season
| This is most hopeful sign. 1t is indeed
better than sign, for that eminent old farm.
er of Virginia, Mr. Edmund Ruffin, said
truly that lime was to the soilvery import
anti was old mother earth's gastric juice,
that by which digestion or assimilation was
carried on. In this connection we would
remind the farmers OF Montgomery that
some years ago Mr.. Ruffin published an adj
mirable work on calcarous manures 1t was
published in Richmond, and in the hands of
| ha q. T.
be valuable.
Much pleasure and no little good have been
derived to our neighborhood from the liter
airy association, the Linden Lyceum. They
have met every Friday evening for weeks
past, and in calling the youth Of both sexes
together, under the mellowing and refining
influences of music, with those healthtu
stimulants To high endeavOr in debate which
the smile of woman ever brings, this fine
band of youth have been much profted.-
Voices which in the hours of the day might
have been heard saying "gee" 10 "old Brin-
die" the Ok or "whoa" to "old Billy Barlow"
the horse, have been modulated to the proper
cadences in making point of order on the
adversary from Cushng's OF Jefferson's man
ual. Who will venture to say that this lit
erary club is not developing among us "somc
village Hampden" or ''some tat presently
mute, inglorious Milton, or
"Some Cromwell guiltless of his county's
blood?"
We know not We prefer to hope (whie
we would not object to Milton, neither to II
Hampden nor Cromwell if the times de-
handed them) we are developing band of
young farmers who are
"To scatter plenty DER smiling land"
Yours truly,
May II, 1889. RUsTICUs.