The Press., 1888-03-15
A BOYS LUNCH BASKET.
VIEWS ON THE SAME sUBJEcr

I once stood by farm house table while a lunch was being thrown together for a boy of twelve or thirteen, who was only waiting for that to be off to school Tht. pail was large enough to hold dinners for three or four children, and whatever was put into it could not fail of being jplted in- to fragments in the mile aud half journey it must take in the hands of an energetic boy.
 1.-Two thick, irregular slices of brown bread were spread hastily with butter, placed together, and deposited in the bot. tom. Then in went a cold sausage, left from the family breakfast, and huge cu cumber pickle. A wedge of dried. .appI.- pie crowned the whole, the cover was push ed ou, and the boy, who had stood by with 4 look on his fac4, which he was too well disciplined to put into words, picked up his pail and started for school, ptuslng just outside the d DOT to supplement his re past with half dozen half-rpe sweet ap ples.
 ''On the same table stood basket oi d-licious-lookiug Bartlett pears, and an ',ther of snowy, fresh eggs; but those were for market, and the farmer was al r+adv harnessing to take them there. In the pantry was generous piece of cold roast beef, and in the cake cnpb ,ard wss a store of crisp set cakes and delic .t,. cup cakes, not to mention loaves of pound and truit cake but all these were for expec ed company. What if they were 2 There were plenty for the company and the boy, too.
 "If l had been preparing that boy mid. day meal, I would first have fouud bask. '-t of suitable size, if had bought one es- p+clally for the purpose. A stout, littl'- ha.t tr A l. A. IL banging as well as the pail, aud, perhaps. if 1t had been a pretty basket with lid, he wonld not have banged 1t so much. Then would have lined the bottom with clean, white paper, "a fresh piece every morning.
 II would have cut the brown bread thin ly and evenly, bnttered it as neatly as pos slble, inserted some of the cold meat b,-- tween the slices, and wrapped them tirml, in some WaEm of the same white paper. Il would slsd a couple of thosh eggs.
 - caI . l2s 0r two, a.ld, d one 5rf fdD of those lovely pears, and covered the whole with napkin, if it were only one made from the end of worn-out ta blecloth. In short, if my boy had to carry his dinner to school, he should find bit of his mothers loving thought. for him in the bottom of the basket.
 "Then 1 would have eniOined the boy to shake the crumbs out of his basket, fold up his papers and napkin neatly, aud lay them therein, aud bring them safely home again. Too much bother to make about a boy? am not so Certain of that. Girls pick up the little graces of life naturally, tNY,k Lo, x,FAn l., f,. As~,, Then, just as little child will often be- have better a whole afternoon for being dressed up," putting off mischief and noise with the glngham morning apron, aud putting on mildness and docilIty with the clean collar and freshly polished shoes, SD think, oftentimes, the carefully put up lunch Is more tntly eaten, with more regard for the properties and amenities And that is always something Ill the bring ing up of boys"
 The above extract from Mrs. Fl. Annette PDole's "Diuuer Fails and Lunch Bask- cts" in God Housekeeping, called out the following vigorous comment from N Vermont farmer's wife and brief remarks from Burdette in his rollicking vein of hu- nor.
 The article on "DInneI Fails and Lunch Baskets" from tue pen of H. Annette Poole, published iu G Iod Housekeeping, seems to suggest that the writer is young iady who has been supported by the l tbor uf others and knows very little about ob. tainlng living on d small farm. Her sug. gestions as tO what boys lunch should be, when clrcums' auces admit, of it, are Corr, ct. There Is au implied meanness in the fact that basket of fresh eggs aud au. other of Bartlett pears stood on the table, ready to be sold, and that cakes and cook irs were reserved for company. It is an established fact that farmers, as a class, are hospitable, and put thems Ives to more, inconvenience to grdtlfy aud entertain wis. Itors than professional or mechanical peo- pie usually do. Many people seem to ig- uore the fact that the good things that farmers raise have really cost any more than wild berries, that may be had for the gathering A lady sitting at the table of friend, and doing ample justice to the. delicious butter and cherse, told her host eSs she ought 10 give her cheese to her friends inst-ad of selling 1t for strangers 10 eat. An examination. into a small farmer 8 re~ources will show he nee ssity of a con, 8 ant saving i'll the very smallest items. Suppose a farmer owns farm as large as . keeps three or four COWS, horse, two hogs, and fl ,ck of hens; has four chil. dren to feed, clothe, aud educate; repairs to be made on his buildings and feuc-s, and his tools to be kept iu order his taxes to be paid, aud the various claims of socie. ty to be met. Suppose that he raises meat, vegetables, anu gram (exceptine hour) enough for his ,mily consumption. Few small farmers can do more thau that. Perhaps he may sell few barrels of ap- ples aud few bushels of potatoes, but his | principal income is derived from his cows and hens. Perhaps his wife and children eau pick few berries to sell As he dnes not keep hired man and, and his children are not old enough to held him much, his wife does all the chores she can 30 that he can save his time for field work. Some times she turns the grindstone, and frr- quently takes away 8 load of bay or grain, and, in emergencies, gives him lift in various ways. Now, can the family live chickens, eggs, butter, cream, and cakes !