The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-09-21
THE MIND DON'T NEED REST.
"A CHANGE OF MENTAL FOOD
O. REQUIRED.

hElUlt lthD.
Rtll ARD TELLS How He Secures Men
tai Rest Wh"n He Grows Weary
With Study.
The mind doesn't need rest, for 1T
will not rest, but it needs change OF
mental food. We cannot at will stop
thinking, but we can give our thoughts
more pleasing direction and that is
rest. And so, when l got tired aud
perplexed reading and ruminating
about the war and the negroes and
political corruption, take day of
and commune with nature and her
wonderful works, which are ever be-
fore us and around us. 1t ls even u
the gathSfing OF the clouds and well
come tho by drops Of rain that fall
upon the steps. When the lightning
is flashing and the thunder stroke
comcs aulck and sharp and near, we
retire fl ON the vAranda and for little
while humble ourselves under the
mighty hand Of Goa, and that is rest.
Then let us not worry ana perploX
oursClvns al Of Uur waking hours about
things which are afnr Off, but take
shelter and comfort at home. Let us
change the diet and it will rest us
mentally and physically. My good
father was a philosopher and would
say tonne, now, my son, L want you to
hoe these POTATOES and when you get
tired you Gun ""od the onions for
rest" Professor Mitchell, tho great
astronomer. told me that when his
mind was hsScaricd with long aud per.
picking calculations and his eyes were
tired OF figures, nothing relieved him
moro than q game of whist with his
wife and children. 1t was delightful
rest.
But my sweetest rost is u frOlic with
the little grandchildren and listening
to their innocent discourse. There are
two little girls Of three and five years,
who visit me 3lmOst every day and
climb my knees and kiss my old rough
checks, and say that am not old nor
ugly and ovcry night | hCl their mo
thor put them to bed and tell them the
same old stories about Jack the giant
killer, and the bean vine and the wolf
and the pigs and little Red Riding
Hood, and wuat | did when | vas q
little boy. BY anu by the monotone OF
my voice EGcomcs their lullaby and the
little eyes uIo5o and the little hedds
fall over on my shoulder and they are
or for the land IF dreams. When the
father has ~ 20 10 his drug Htore every
night AN old grandpa is a help to u tired
mother, and am thankful that | am
yet fit for that.
saw pair Of old fashioned blue
birds today and felt like the friends Of
my youth had come back. Some years
ago they disappeared and have won
dered what became Of them. a ay-
bird with only one leg comes every
day to the fountain TO drink. am
trying to make a friend Of him, but he
is very SLY and suspicious. Some cruel
boy hit him with sling shot, [ reckon,
for | see them sometimes In the back
alley trying to get "a shot 1T my pigeons,
Maybe that jay bird will meet that boy
in purgatnry. Boys are as mean about
killing birds as our government Is
about killinGnshe Filipinos. But this
is q Chris tiau country, and, | reckon.
it is all right. These pigeons that
have q happy home at my house arc an
interesting study for the young people.
Wo have about q hundred OF them,
and some of them are ever before ue
rs we sit on The vornntia. They are OF
many COlOrs, from almost black to q
pure snow hite, and at ali hours OF
the day they gather at the little hy-
drant fountain in the front yard and
drink and thon fly away. The pigeon
is the only bird that drinks by draught
or suction, as we do. All other birds
raise their heads and let the water
run down by gravity and then dip the
bill down for another drop, Pigeons
do not feed their young with worms or
bugs, but the old birds digest their
food in their own craws into curG
and eject IT. into the mouths Of their
young. Hence it is that every young
pigeons or squads generally die whcI
they are given away. Pigeons are no
exactly po!ygamists, but the males
have no particular mate and they viii
feed the young OF any mother. Indeed
they do mosvof the feeding. They
are not gallinaCcOuS nor razOres. Now
let the young people hu t up those big
words They can walk, but cannot hop
Most all other birds can hop, but can
not walk. Of course, pigeons are
pigeon-toed, and so arc some folks we
kn0w. pigeOn-tOed girl general
wears long dresses. Then there Is
language called pigeon English. 1t il
really pidgen English, for pidgen is ,
Chinese word and means bus stness, an
pidgen English Is q mixture OF Chimes,
and English and OF signs by which
business is transacted in the ports be
tween natives and foreigners.
The migrating butterfly is moving
south ward. For two weeks past on
or moro have been seen at all hours o
the day on tho wing passing through
our grove. My neighbors far and nea
tell me they arc passing their homes
IL Is d BOOu, lbfBc yol'o" Du1GcIHy u
uniform size and shape and color
They do not come in pairs or ilocks
but singly and not often in sight O
each other They oil como an
go In the same direction and do 10
stop moment nor pause to suck tn
honey from flower. Wcll, now hav
counted them by the clock as the
passed and made five in minut
through my livo.acre grove. Tha
makes 300 in an hour or 5000 in q do,
II, thon, we count 600 to an acre ia
day 100 acres would make 6O,OOO. Te
thousand acres would make 5000 O(
for single day. How many NOR
acres do they pass over and how man
more days? Think Of it and the book
say they ore going South to winte
and die. They laid their eggs u
North before they began their Ion