The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-01-13
My Thanksgiving Sermon to a
Farmer.

The following sermon from the
Prairie Farmer is apretty good sermon,
and with little alteration to 6t local.
tiles, will apply in any farming neigh
borhood:] j
I spent Thanksgiving Day at the
house of an old friend in Kansas. in
wlnd-blown. cyclone-harrowed Kansas.
I might as we'll own up that Jeremiah
Peters is my cousin, and his wife-well,
we were acquainted before Jerry came
around. I am in the Egg and Poultry
business and I suppose can properly
be called lay,nan, and this is lay
mans Thanksgiving Sermon.
In his youth Jerry was great burly
fellow, with more fun than wit, and too
broad faced even to be named Jeremiah.
With a great effort his father had sent
him to our town to school, and that is
how We first met. In school Jerry was
too ambitious for the job of making
fires and ringing the academy bell to
make much of rush in grammer, and
yet, though Natural Philosophy was
little bit tiresome for him, when taken
from the books he soon discovered what
made the academy chimney smoke, and
'remedied the matter, much to the relief
of the overworked teachers, and greatly
to the joy Of tho smoked damsels. So
Jerry became hero in his sphere
One long and one short term concluded
Jerry's school days, and he went back
to take up his farm tasks. But his
fathers farm was small, and Jerry's
energies required wider range. From
a road overseer he began to take con-
tracts to build bridges, and do heavy
work; then married the girl OF his
choice-"the biggest contract" he said
he had ever taken. At forty years OF
age he found himself with a family on
his hands, with poor health and '.broke@
on contract in the taking of which his
arithmetic had somehow missed some
important figures. And SO he deter
mined to strike out for his health and
general financial salvation. The change
was good for him and he had prosper.
ed, and my visit found him after he had
experienced nine years Of Kansas life.
Xxx
After the usual greetings, and day
of real home enjoyment, found that
my cid friend was "in the dumps" To
say that my somewhat stylish business
suit of clothes and my stiff hat made
some impression upon Jerry, is not to
fatter my own dress or appearance.
Jerry did look shabby and he knew it.
Life looked gloomy; he saw no sunshine
anywnere. Some of his neighbors had
gone to the new town of Applebin, had
bought town lots, and had mads "bood-
les' Of money, and Jerry was cross to
think that nothing bnt hard work and
farm drudgery loomed up before him.
Then his eldest daughter had married,
not to his liking. A true and dutiful
girl, she had served her time on the
farm, had many time driven the team
and rode the planter dropping corn,
and had done more than girls work,
aud now had married and settled near
her father and mother, on new farm,
and both the daughter and her husband
were industrious and hard at work to
build themselves home, and yet Jerry
was not happy. His eldest son, his
Jerome, had determined to leave the
farm for some other business, and the
other children were fast growing up
With few privileges and no enjoyments,.
and Jcrry's ambitions were not satisfied
l went the rounds with him, saw his
farm which was good one, Interview
ed his live stock, and wesoon came
back pas good turkey and thanks
giving dinner as a man need ask for,
all cnoked and served bv the hands of
his wife and daughters, and We had no
"hirei man. or SHRED girp' around to
interrupt the hilarity of the occasion.
But / soon saw that thanksgiving
cheer was not doing Jerry the good
that it should, and l proceeded to ad
minister consolation to him with few
figures. There's nothing like them