The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-02-20
BILL ARP'S WEEKLY LETTER;
REQUIRES FIVE HUNDRED MIL.
LION DOLLARS FOR 4 DINNER,
SAGE OF BARLOW LIVES HIGH.
Writes of Knowledge, lts Acquisition and
Observation-Disclosures is Pleased With
Til" Question Department.

| There Is no column in Il newspaper that is
40 attractive anu Instructive l3 that devoted
To questions and ansWrrs. Indeed. il any
whole page were set apart % this mode OF
diausiug knowledge it would all be read
There are books enough, Of course, but the
masses Of the people have not got them and
cannon buy them. Cycl0pcdias are e1pcn-
sive, but almost every successful newspaper
is we'll equipped with suc., works and can
readily refer to them and answer the uues-
lions correctly.
was Illuminating about this because of the
eagerncSs with which my own family peruso
| all the questions in the Constitution and tho
Home and Farm and then make research to
answer them. [ unco had quite I. valuable
library, but about thirty-thrcc years ago
some vnDdals calling themselves soldiers did
Enormously take, steal and curry it away and
have not been able since to supply its
place: nevertheless, VIC have more books
than tho average family and find great COM
fort III them.
The Evening Constitution promises its
readers Symposium Of ten historical uues-
tons every Week--;in while The people arc
seeking the sh'wers, they una:oidab}y come
! across much interesting AMI valuable iofor-
NATION. My folks hal o read the biographies
Oh all the presidents, from Washington to
JacHscu, before obey found out which O;
! tNeiA WA married twice, to the SAINT. lady.
lhlS good method Of d.fusiuy knowledge
| ana 1t Is gratifying 10 note how many re-
Ssponses are made by tie young Deop!.. 1t
| IS u pleasant mode OF Touching without con-
stralnt or discipline. The reward is small
put tho acquisition Of Knowledge is r,o!lta-
DC ana enduring. Then there i: IL dare q
hanter, competition ABOUT it that makes it
inviting.
Nothing fia.ters IN Old mans vanity more
than to be- uppeaInd to for information con-
corning such things. He is proud 10 have
inc Young people look up to him as "a phi
losophcr, historian, Il scholar.
solomon says: 'Got wisdom: get under
standlng. Lord Bacon saya: .'knowle,.se
Is power and Shakespeare saws: "E.oWl-
cage ~ the Wig with which We ily to
heaven Most Of us get our know);,drs
IRON oooks-troM the brain Of other people
VINO nave gone before; but that obtained
from thoGSht.ul observation and experience
IS the better kind. Lons. long ago | knew
an old man who had no books and could
nardly write his name. Yet his knowledge of
things around him--of the changes If tina
moon and the forcbodngs Of tbs weather.
the growth Of plants; 1ile habits CT fowls
and fishes: and tho structure Of animals was
remarkable. was glad to be q punil under
such master
!, Ihe other day thought TO show, Of :, lit
VIC OF my learning Ill the dinner table. It
was lot an extraordinary dirue-. and +
asked what did it cost. They figured Il ON
to BE about 10 cents Then reioarSeG thst
the capital invested in Procuring this uDnrp.
te!lolnS meal was not less: than five hundred
millions OF dollars and gave cmploymc,:t to
I'VE million men, lNr it takcs many ships and
many railroads.
The pepper in this little box was grown in
the East Indies, 10000 miles awa;. II crew
on Z iltt!e vine about eight feet high and not
less than five years Old. It was green when
IL was gathered, and was then dried
IN The sun until it turned black. The
%llte pepper is male'by taking tho black
si'e1i Oh be1oro it is ground. The
vine IS said to be very beautiful! and the
nati'es use the root for {. beverage that in
toxlcates them, just like the Mexicans use
INC magyar plant or tie Americans their rye
ana corn. SO you Sc, that since the day OF
Noah the people Of every nation have found
something to exhi:arato or make them drunk.
Well, it took q ship and 1000 miles of rail.
read to bring this pepper here. Then here
Is the tea that Is brought al the way from !
CHINA and the coffee FROM South America |
and MEXICO. The Goldfish we had for break !
last came from OF the coast Of Maine. This |
piece OF boiled ham ca!no from Kansas CITY:
ms Dread was nGdo from -four that was
ground from Dakota wheat. This salt came
from the Indian reservation in New York
state This Worcester sauce came from
London. These cnnccd peaches car.:c from
California. The spices that ara jn the cake
the cinnamon and mace and nutmeg came
from the Mo'Uccas or Spice islands in the /
Indian Archipelago. AID tho cloves that
you use came from over there. Cloves, YOU
must know, are the little short blac; hob
nalIs mat the cobliors drive in The heels Of
peasants shoes and the spice resembles them
80 much that it took thoir name. Cloves
are not the fruit nor the seed OF the trea, but
IL Is the bloom p,nckcd and dried before it
mas quite opened. A Great naturalist SAYS
tHat the Glove tree is thu most beautiful the
nos1 eleSant and the most precious OF all
known trees. 1t is about forty feet Ii~f,
and lives to be 100 years old. Woul1n't Won
ike to have one in tho front wand? And
'here is another fragrant fruit--thc cilron Of
commerce that you use in your fruit cake,
It takes big ship to bring that here from
taiy and the macaroni has to come along
WIN A'' NoN A'1lc itt' luc pC.iltOoS anu rice
ma sugar and cheese that come from abrDad
Please tell me what we have that is home
made or home grown within tho limits Of
Barlow county2''
Torn bread ndbuttcr and ,iuttc-milk,,
vas The reply.
swell, we could live on that" said I. {
Suppose We try it for Il year and see how ,
works. 1t looks like q shame to have
S5OO GOO, 600 and five million men cmp!oyed
o get us dinner"
suppose we wait till next week2" said
ny wife. "Ws are going to have COMPANY
omorroW. BY tho way, you didn't mention
MS linen damash tablecoth that came from
Belfast, nor these knives that Rogers made
n England and the ivory handles that came i;
rom tho junSles OF India. All Of these =
fishes came from somewhere up north. aud /
0 did this extension table and that side q
oan1.'' +
nc" said I, eve never had anything but y
egroes and cotton before tho war, They
ook the negroes away from US and have run e
ne cotton down to 4 and cents, but we
ill live, poor and proud, thank tho good
ord for His ma7cias.''
Yes, said my wife, "better is q littlo With
ne fear OF the Lrrd than great treasures and !,
:oubJe Herewith. That is what Solomon
AVS, but want good dinner as long as I 7
m get IT," Il