The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1897-01-29
We speak of rye in common as a food,

We speak of rye in common as food,
And so 1t is, most people think;
But we shall chant its uses, bad good,
In calling it a civilizing drink.
For fluid rye, since man first learned to still,
Has held n sway unbounded in extent,
Crowning all others by its own sweet will,
And swsying all the social armament.
The vicious heathen wild uncom bed ,untamed
Searching for gore falls helpless in its clutch
And freely gives his little all unnamed
For fiuid-fire, and never gets too much.
Then, when his frame is stepped in liquid rye,
He quiets down In calm, contented mood,
And is as civilized till he gets dry
AS whites are, who over.gorge such food
AS an eye-opener to benighted mind
This food has always served an entering
wedge
Since time began, and as the forward trend
OF newer arts in diplomatic pledge
Grows strong, so d es the ever festive food
And rivets bargains that would otherwise
Fall through, and prove to be OF little good,
But with it man can cheat his very ey es.
And like the hand of NJ nagic works this spell
On human kind throughout our earthly ball,
Requiring but a touch to e'en raise-well,
Raise crops of deviltry for great and snall,
Always provided that tits overdone-
over production lowers everything
Regardless of its action on the one
Who tries to tamper with the serpents sting.
Great men and minds around the festive board
Have formulated schemes and given birth
To words which live and thoughts tn at people
hoard,
And gliding downward reached their mother
earth,
In weak submission to the common call
Which comes to everyone of mortal kind,
In squalid poverty or gilded hall,
Alike regardless of both man and mind.
What dire delusion drives mankind to drink?
thing which numbs the reason, robs the
soul
OF keener sensibility to think
On human woes, to tread the brink
OF dread insanity. Makes fendish men
OF worthy citizens, and leads to crime
Good people, who with crazed and angry ken
Go to the bad in early manhood's prime,
Or sinks a woman to the yilest den.
oh, Great Creator, in thy wisdom grant
Some boon to battle with this liquor woe,
Some wond'rous influence to disenchant
The votaries of drink, before they go
Past the broad portals never passed by hope,
Where drunken revels Danish all that's
bright;
And helpless mortals gliding downward grope
In the fell darkness of eternal night,
The evening sessions were full OF inter-
est, more socially than in practical work.
G. b. Cook, the secretary, kindly prepared
the following review of the sessions:
The evening session was called to order
at seven thirty. There were about three
hundred present. At this session more
town people were present and less farmers,
as many were called home to attend to the
routine work of farm life, and distance pre-
vented return until the next day.
The music was furnished by the ''Owl"
Glee Club, of LaiDgsburg. Both instru-
mental and vocal music was rendered, and
the "Owls" demonstrated their ability to
make the dusky air ring with sweet melo-
dies.
An interesting feature of the evening was
the recitations given, which were all very
entertaining. This part of the program was
furnished by Roy Bailey, Iva Feek, Edna
Waters and Maude Whitney.
The subject of EARN Buildings" was
very ably handled by John S. Shawver, of
Ohio. Mr.. Shawver spoke of the impor-
tance of surroundings which add SO much to
the buildings themselves. He recommend
ed the covered barnyard as an almost in
dispensible adjunct of the farmers outfit.
Mr.. Shawver was the first man to recon-
mend and construct barns with framework
of plank, thus doing away with much of the
troublesome interior framework of the barn
built on the ordinary bent plan. Not only
are barns of the plank type more easily
framed and raised but are cheaper and
stronger as well. He also spoke about
house building and mentioned many i'm
portant things we are too prone to overlook.
He also gave the institute splendid advice
on character building, which is never com.
pleted. The reporter only regrets that
more people could not have heard this beau
tiful lecture.
r. M. Kellogg spoke of the Farmer s
Garden" 1t was very practical subject
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