St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-10-17
ARP ON GOOD PLANS.
rells What Should Be Done and
How to Do It.
Keep Your Books acknowledgements, u
che Cook or the Cow Leaves You
Needn't Record Tt-They'u
Come Back.

/ # Al is d SOou plan 1oi d luaII " pdibACc
/ up his books once or twice in awhile
and see how the account stands. Idon't
mean his money accounts, nor lis
lebts and credits, but his blessings AMI
Affections. In doing this he should tote
fair with himself and his Creator. He
should not magnify his troubles nor
minify his blessings and privileges. Ii
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 rs. If the cook quits and
the COW runs away, wouldn't put it
lown at all, for both have come back
just as expected. Hope cancels great
many troubles. My turnip seed have
been in the grond is days, with notsa
drop of rain to sprout them, but am
still hoping, and so Iswon't put the tur-
nips down as lost crop-not yet l
wont; some dog, with two legs or four,
killed my peafowl while she was set
ting, and put that down at five, for it
was great aggrayation, 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 if
the horse breaks they jerk him and
whip him numerically, and think it is
smart. I would like to see one of them
fellows reined up with a bit in his
mouth and 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
! Chattanooga 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 child. But 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, and
that is worth something. There are
| lots of folks in Jail or in the lunatic asy
lum or in the poorhouse, and that is
great affliction, and mighty nigh takes
all the figures to count the misery. 1
met an old man in Arkansas who said:
| s'Mr. Arp, am "a years old. Me and my
old 'oman have been liyin' together 62
years, and have 10 ligin' 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 have voted the demo-
cratic ticket-put that down"
"Hain't never 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-
and flowers and good water and gentle
breezes and friends to come and go, and
q 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 our conscience. Our forefathers
away back couldn't do that. Speaking
of worshiping God reminds me of an ec-
centric friend who didn't belong to any
church, but sometimes attended and
| paid devout attention. i met him one
Sabbath morning, walking fast in that
direction. ard said: "Where are you
going in such hurry?"
"Im going to churah,'' 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
it looks like it is coming. and is almost
in hailing distance.
If Mr.. Bryan or Mr.. Mckinley or
somebody don't do something very soon
[ don't know what will become of us.
Somebody is to blame about all this
depression, and if I knew who it was
would use language on them. A re-
publican friend told me the other day
that it was the want of protection to our
industries, and that Mckinley would
straighten it all out next year. He
said that Vermont had started the ball
to rolling, and it would roll on from
the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. 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 man as 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 fshhooks or hairpins or
jews harps or suspender buckles or
something. Just wait till the west is
heard from, where oats are now selling
for 13 cents q bushel and the railroads
get seven cents bushel for hauling
them to market. What is protection
going to do for them? A writer in the
Review of Reviews, "a gold standard
monthly, says he has just come from
there and you might as well sing
psalms to dead horse as to
try to convert them from the
silver craze. He says that all the
golden literature you send them is
thrown into the fire without reading.