Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-13
CITY AND COUNTRY PEOPLE.
A Bright ''Farmer's Wife, Reads the
Smart Reporters O Lesson.

To the Editor Of The EVENING star:
EDSoR, Mo-, Sept. II.
The Agricultural Society of Montgomery
county has arrived, apparently. at that stage
in its career when the special artist has ap-
peared upon the scene of the fair grounds in
Rockville, and your issue Of Saturday last de-
voted considerable space to depicting us coun-
try people with pen and pencil. Now VIC re-
gard the Washington STAR with respect and
affection as valued member OF our family.
and consequently are too much interested not
TO take 1t little to task when we think it msn-
festly in fault
The very corner stone of our republic rests
upon the broad fundamental principle that all
trades and professions are equal. but for gener-
sarcasm, and We are puzZling once more over
the old conundrum, why, oh, why does tho
average reporter treat all tillers OF the soil with
such scant Difference?
II we find ourselves in the city we do not
select the homelest cake woman and the
shabbiest car driver and say-.yes. these are
citizens. types OF all the rest'-ye this is cx-
actiy the way we are regarded by the brother
hood Of the quill. Are our manners always
awk ward, our attire always antiquated and un-
becoming, our sentences always bristling with
obsolete phrases and mispronounced words, or
does the reporter frequently mistake the
hired man for the proprietor and the wash
woman for his wife2
That the crowd, numbering six or seven
thousand, scattered over our beautiful natural
amphitheater contained quaint, ignorant and
possibly vicious people by the score we do not
doubt, but there we're ten times as many present
whose appearance denoted a far higher grade
OF education and refinement. Burns wished
that the power Ito see ourselves as ithers see
u.s. might be bestowed upon humanity. but if
these same "ithers' view us critically at all times
and too often with open contempt, We may
well pause and ask ourselves whether il is
worth while to be embarrassed or distressed by
the scrutiny of eyes afflicted with chronic,
moral trabismus.
THE CITY GIRL AND THE COUNTRY GIRL.
The country girl is supposed to show dense
stupidity il she mistake faille for muls or gros-
grain for brocade. but her cit y cousin is in
nowise abashed by never being able TO distin-
guish wheat or oats from rye at any stage of
their growth, and not always after they are
threshed. She would deem it useless to tax
the powers Of her mind to the extent of know
ing Baltimore oriOle from woodpecker, or
q robin from cat Bird forgetting that while
fabrics are sure to get out of date, grain and
birds will always be in fashion.
The young man from tho rural district may
not recognize at a single glance the vast and
important difference between Victoria and
landau. or dog cart and village cart, but
there are ton chances to one that he could take
horse from either vehicle without unfasten-
ing ecery buckle in the harness, and feed the
tired animal without laundering it. which may
be quite beyond the ability OF his disdainful
city companion. 1t is as we'll perhaps to re-
member sometimes that even iminacula attire
and gold-washed jewelry may not invariably be
the badges OF real intelligence.
We confess to an ill-natured delight when we
secure good piece OF evidence on tho other
side. and with your permission will give a few
instances drawn from life. Your reporter
seems to have been infinitely amused by the
incident OF the two" mouths with but a
single" plate, two" spoons that ''eat as one''
Now, We do not assert that this may not have
occurred at Rockville, in fact from the number
Of times the anecdote has appeared in print
during the last twenty years, some frugal
Montgomery husbandman may thus have
learned that such economy was possible. Never
theless we do not believe that this parsimony
OF food il at all common in the country; the
farmers are apt to be little too lavish in pro-
viding for the inner man. But this we do
know: One OF our neighbors, with commend
able desire to return five or six visits of
ten days duration each that city friend
had paid him. spent day and night under tho
roof tree of his frequent guest, who was the
happy possessor OF at least hundred thousand
dollars. After tea a waiter of apples was
brought in and placed before the host, who
proceeded to pare and quarter some of them
before they were handed, remarking that they
always served apples in that way! Still, al
though We know this to be a fact we are far
from believing that there are not many house
holds in every city where fruit is offered whole
to 1.-THE stranger within the gates" even
though he hail from the country
A city man who happened to be driving
fcw minutes behind II daily stage, alighted at
our entrance, picked up our paper and carried
it a mile to a store saying, that he supposed the
mail carrier had dropped it! II we ever hap
pen to pass his door just as the postman is
leaving, we will try to return the favor by
bestowing has paper upon the corner grocery
Within the past year we met young lady
who was nearly or quite ready to enter college.
The higher algebra, geometry and trigonom-
etry were hers, also French. Latin and
Greek; but she was not well educated after ALL
since she thought it was necessary to pare
potatoes before planting them!
We are constantly informed in various ways
OF the intensely verdant hue which our sojourn
among the stones instead of on them, is sup
posed to impart, but We are convinced that
there is more than one kind Of verdancy in the
world and that there is no corner" in it pecu-
liarly ours.
Now, Mr.. Editor, we could still cite other
cases in point, but will forbear, and
"In spite of all temptation
To belong to another vocation"
Remain A FARMER's WIFE.
Willing to Assist Her.