The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-11-14
ARP ON GOOD PLANS
Tells What Should BE Done and
How TO DO Il
Keep Your Books DalnDced-However, II
the Cook or tha Cow Leayes Xou
Needn't Recerd Et-They'n
CONS Back.

up his books once or twice IN awhile
and see how the account stands. Idon't
mean his money accounts, nor his
debts and credits, but his blessings and
Affections. In doing this be should tote
fair with himself and his Creator. He
should not magnify his troubles nor
minify his blessings and privileges. If
100 is the maximum on either side, then
light Affections, which are but for a
moment, as Paul says, should not be
set down at Is. II the cook quits and
the COW runs away, / wouldn't put it
down at all, for both have come back
just as expected. Hope cancels a great.
many troubles. Ny turnip seed have
been in the grond Is days, with not q
drop OF rain to sprout them, but I am
still hoping, and 50 / won't put the tur-
nips down as a lost crop-not ye8 4
won't; some dog, with two legs or four,
killed my peafowl while she was set
ting, and 1 put that down at five, for it
was a great aggravation. and It lasts a
long time; nothing frets me more than
cruelty to animals, except cruelty to
children. / see young bucks driving
fast horses past my house, and they
press them to their utmost speed, and IL
the horse breaks they jerk him and
whip him numerically, and think it is
smart. l would like to see one Of them
fellows refined up with a bit in his
mouth and a check-rein drawn over his
head and fastened somewhere, just to
let him feel the agony for a few min
utes.
Good health in the family ought to
be put down to-day at not less than so,
for that is the greatest blessing in life,
and perhaps the least appreciated, until
we get sick. One of our boys is sick
now from the effects of sunstroke in
Chattanooga a month Ago., and his
mother sat up with him all night last
night, and her anxiety is very great.
You see, he is her boy, and she knows it.
There is never any doubt about who is
the mother of a child. But 1 won't put
that down at more than 20 on the
trouble side, for hope comes in-hope
that he will be better tomorrow.
Then, again, we are all out OF Jail, aud
that is worth something. There are
AOl0 Va AO4h6 III IAlA WI III GlVC AuldBlC dEY-
lum OF in the poorhouse, and that is a
great afaiction, and mighty nigh takes
all the figures to count the misery. L
met an old man in Arkansas who said:
"Mr. Arp,I am "a years old. Me and nv
old oman have been livin' together GO
years, and have 10 livin' children and
lots of grandchildren, and nary one
hadn't been called to court for anything
they've done-put that down-and you
may say that me and her have belonged
to the same Baptist church for 60 years,
and all that time I have voted the demo-
cratic ticket-put that down.
"Hain't lever been called to court"
Well, that's a big thing-no lawsuits in
the family, no crimes nor bonds nor
jails. That is worth ten every day on
the credit side. Then there Is peace
with the nabors, and good will all
around is another big thing. And hav-
ing a home and shade trees and vines
and flowers and good water and gentle
hreezes and friends to come and go, and
a faithful dog to warn intruders, and a
Jersey Cow-these are all blessings that
count up. And then there is the priv
ilege Of living in a Christian land, under
Christian laws and rulers; and of going
to church and worshiping God accord
ing to u conscience. Our forefathers
away back couldn't do that. Speaking
of worshiping God reminds me Of an &C.
centric friend who didn't belong to any
church, but sometimes attended and
paid dsvout attention. / met him one
Sabbath morning, walking fast in that
direction, and / said: "VVhere are you
going in such9a hurry?'
I'm going to church." said he; Ego
Ing to church TO worship God-not the
preacher
Neither poverty nor richest" That's
another blessing. Pinching poverty we
have never known at our house, though
II looks like it is coming, and Is almost
in hailing distance.
II Mr.. Bryan or Mr.. Mckinley or
somebody don't do something very soon
I don't know what win become Of US.
Somebody is TO blame about all this
depression, and If I knew who IL was
I would use language on them. A re-
publican friend told me The other day
that It was the want of ~protection4 70 our
industries, and that Mckinley would
straighten 1t all out next year. He
said that Vermont had started the bah
to rolling, and it would roll on from
the Atlantic to the Pacific a He
believes that, and furthermore, that he
will roll into our little post Office next
year. That's all right. He may put
down five for hope on HIS credit side
and I'll sign his petition if his side wins,
for he is about as clever a man as a re
publican can be, and that is not fat
tering him very much. But Vermont
don't prove anything. for they all want
protection up there where there is a
little mill on every branch and water
fall making 1ishhooks or hairpins or
jews harps or suspender buckles or
something. just walt till the west Is
heard from, where oats are now selling
for 10 cents a bushel and the railroads
get seven cents q bushel for hauling
them to market. What is protection
going to do for them2 A writer in the
Review of Reviews, a gold standard
monthly, says he has just come from