The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-03-08

Lament OF the Pioneer That OLD
Time Customs Are Passing
Away.
IL is the lament OF the pioneer farm
ers that country life isn't what 1t used
to be. In chorus they ask: What has
become OF the spelling bees, the corn
huskings. the log-rollings. the quilt
ings. the apple-parings and all the
other gatherings that once made coun-
try life the happiest on earth?"
''Onc by one the customs OF our
early life have been abandoned" said
an old farmer. until country life has
| lost all its charms. No wonder the
young men and women OF the country
are constantly drifting TO the cities,
and strange IL Is that more OF the
middIe-agcd people In the country are
not DISCONTINUED. The trouble is the
people OF the country have. Ia late
years, become possessed OF false
pride. which prevents them from In
dulging in the Publications that gave
health. happiness and noble characters
10 their fathers | shall argue as long
as live that country life will never be
what IL should be until we get back TO
the speliin school, the corn huskln's,
tho cuttings and the apple-parings.
The log-rollin' days, OF course. are
past, never 20 return again.
"How | wish the young folks OF to-
day could only have taste OF the en-
joymcnt we got out OF those old-time
gatherin's. I'll warrant they would
be rs willin' TO get back into the old
path as | am anxious 20 see them
there. Lord, but what times VIC used
10 have" continued the old gentle.
man, his face lighting upat the visions
OF bygone scenes passed before his
mind Those -huskin'sl What
times OF love maltin'l Young and old
could hardly wait until the season for
them came round and | think every
body weeped In private when tho
corn was all huskcd. None OF your
little cliques ia society controlled
those gatheriu's. Everybody was on
an equality then and no one in the
neighborhood was sighted when there
was 10 be u huskin'.
''As soon as the corn was ready TO
harvest there was "A race In the neigh
borhood TO see who would get his crop
Jirked first. and consequently open
the huskin' season Whenever a man
got his barn full he fixed his day for
the gatheiin', and the word was passed
around over the ncighborhood. Men,
women and children all attended, and
the labor OF huskin' the corn was
always forgotten in the frolic. Often
have seen hundred men and
women, OF all ages husk all night, and
never "A one OF them complain OF being
tired. How the boys aud young men
would hustle the shining grain, look
ing for a red ear. Ii was n standin'
custom that whenever young man
found "A yellow ear OF corn he should
have "A kiss from the girl seated nearest
to him. aud the girl who found the
most red ears was % be married first,
aud % the young man who sat nearest
her To make the sport lively we
would mix just n few grains OF red
coon with the seed corn. SO as TO have
only a few hundred ears OF that color
in the whole crop. When the crowd
was large a fellow was lucky il he got
many kisses and luckier still II some
good girl-perhaps just the one he
hoped forgot the largest number of
Teu ours uhu Sul hcuitSt MIN. w nat
sight IL would be To see "A young
fellow find an ear which entitled him
10 kiss some pretty, bashful girl.
Girl-like. she would jump and run as
soon as she saw what was coming. and
then began the chase up and over and
around the pile of unhusked corn,
through the barn and out aud around
the barn-yard, until she was caught.
generally in some secluded corner,
where the fellow could steal n half
dozen kisses, instead OF one. INDIAN.
npois News.