The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-08


Farmers Regulate Their Daily
Lives.
One of the curiosities to be found at
many news stands is the Hagerstown
almanac. or ''almanack,' as it calls it.
self. says the Baltimore News. II IS
ninety-three years old. 1t is said TO
have been started by Jacob Gruber, a
methodist preacher of early days. 1t
descended to his son, John Gruber, and
IS now owned by John Gruber's daugh-
ter and granddaughter.
The Maryland and Virginia farmers
get up and go to bed by the Hagerstown
almanac. They toll and spin, they SOW
and reap. they gather into the barns
and get married and give in marriage
all according to dates furnished by the
venerable Hagerstown almanac. Sum-
mer and winter. seed time and harvest.
fete days and festivals are all regulated
by the same omnipotent force.
The almanac has a grapevine wreath
around its front cover. Branches of
grapes hang to the vine. Inside this
fence Of fruit the publisher has corralled
a woman dressed in Greek costume.
She is in a sitting position and holds
in her hand something that looks like
a Crab-net and gives one the idea she
is contemplating a grabbing trip to Toll
chester. couple OF barrels unfortu-
nately lacking spigots add to the Toll
chesterian aspect of the occasion.
An unknown sea floats an equally UNI
known ship to the left of the woman
while behind her two awkward farmers
are cutting wheat with Old-fashioned
sickles \ churn and spinning wheel
add TO the toilsome appearance of the
scene and give some foundation for the
assumption that the lady is a personiti-
cation of industry. This becomes almost
certain when an eagle is noticed above
carrying this motto waving from his
beak:
BY industry we thrive
The almanac is for sale at nine news
stands in Baltimore. Ii prints these on
the cover with list of other places
where it is regularly for sale. Its agen-
cies are in Frederick, Nd; Hagerstown,
Md; Chambersburg, Pa; Stanton. Va;
Cincinnati, O.; Washington, -. G.; Pitts
burg. Pa, and Somerset. Pa.
1t is a queer thing that while other
almanacs are given away by thousands
ton continues TO be sold at the old price
OF a dime This is the certificate of the
public that il is worth just 10 cents more
than "A patent medicine almanac, and the
certificate is accompanied by the cash.
The almanac has a marvellous CirCula-
tion. Every farmer in western Maryland
and thousands in Virginia and Pennsyl-
Vania have il In their homes. When the
corn has been gathered, the potatoes are
in the cellar alongside of the apples;
when a barrel of cider promises accom-
paniment to the cracking Of nuts before
the blazing hearth. then the farmer is
ready for the winter provided ne has a
Hagerstown almanac with "A string in
one corner hanging TO a nail behind the
stove
The uses for the book in the rural
household are numerous. IL must be
taken down to find when school begins,
fl must be consulted - ascertain when
Thanksgiving and Christmas come; all
the family have their birthdays accord
ing TO the Hagerstown almanac; its
pages are scanned ahead to select good
day for killing" when the family sup
ply Of beef and pork shall be sailed down
for the winter: methodsts look in it TO
find when quarterly meeting shall come
and presbyterians for communion Sun
day: crossroads politicians consult IL to
make sure of election day. because they
cannot quite remember " neither II Is the
first Monday after the first Tuesday or
the first Tuesday after the first Mon
day.
1t is a great time at the farm house
when the next years almanac arrives.
The father brings it home from town
some evening along with the mail and
the sugar and the cinnamon for the win
ters apple pies. The children cry for il.
u is the center Of attraction that even
ing after the chores are done and the
dishes are washed. Its puns. recipes.
items Of information and weather pre-
dictions are conned and discussed by all
the family The children never fail to be
Interested in the signs Of the zodiac In
solemn procession, Aries. the ram, Tau
rus. the bull, Gemini. the twins Cancer.
the crab. Leo. the lion, Scorpian. the
scorpion. Sagitarius. the bowman and
Capricornus the goat. II is almost as
good as "A circus parade To be sure.
they are the same every year. but they
come with a freshness each autumn,
when the first Hagerstown almanac is
brought home.
The second page starts with a notice
'tO all whom il may concern" that the
one man named thereon is authorized by
John Cruber to publish the almanac. and
all others are warned to keep out. Four
eclipses are predicted for the year 1894
two times the sun viii hide its face. Be
sides Mercury will have a transit over
the suns disk. a list OF movable festf-
walls is given as follows:
Septuagesmia Sunday ............Jan q
Quinquagesima Sunday ............ Feb. 4
ShrOve Tuesday. .....................F Feb s
Ash Wednesday. .-..--..............F Feb.
Palm SUNDAY. ........-........... March Is
Easter Sunday. -. -. March %
Ascension DAY, or Holy Thursday May
Whit Sunday, or PentecOst. May Is
TRINITY sunday .....................M May 20
corpus tnflSll May "A
First Sunday in Advent. .
Sundays after Trinity are.
At the top of the third page is the an
nouncement Of the almanac's age in the
number Of the volume. The 1894 num-
Der Is 80 Of the almanac Page Is the
inside title page. The title is as follows:
The Hagerstown Town and Country
Almanack for the Year OF Our Lord 1894
Being the 18th Of the Independence of
the United States. and year OF 356
days. Arranged after the system Of the
German Calendars. Containing the ris-
ing setting and Eclipses Of the Sun and