The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-06-05

udllOH. 4u0 lcSo COuNdtlOn Tic A1OlC
vice and wickedness."
'That's jest the way 1 look at it."
says the squar. 81 say education be-
fore everything else, but we've got
men in this town who differ with me.
You wouldn't think that leadin men of
town would be ag'in schoolhouses,
would your
"They must be queer sort of men.
Don't they want their children to know
who discovered America
That's a mighty strong pint, mighty
strongr' says Deacon Spooner, as he
turks his cane on the floor and looks at
Abner Jones.
81 reckon you're hittin at me-" re-
plies Abner after whittlin away for a
moment, land I've got a few words
to say. I'd like to ask this stranger
here if he knows who discovered
America"
"Why, certainly, SIR said the man.
HAS it ever done you any good? Has
it ever made any difference to you
whether it was Smith, Green or
Brown"
But 1t is KNOWLEDGE.
eyes, it's knowledge, and that's a
strong pint" whispers the deacon.
eyes, it's schoolhouse knowledge"
says Abner, "but let me ask you sun
thin. What month in the year d'you
plant pumpkin seedsY
Pumpkin seeds Why, what have
pumpkin seeds got to do with educa-
tionT
"Quite a little bit, reckon. This
county ships huff pumpkins every
year to make 100000 10 cent pies. I
don't believe ten farmers kin tell you
when America was discovered, but
they know when to plant pumpkins.
Which is the best fur 'em? l reckon
you kin tell what year George Wash
ington died in, which can't, but dyou
know whar to fasten rope when you
want to drive hog to market"
by jingo, but that's strong pint,
and Abner's got himp' shouts the dea-
con as he jumps up and down.
The stranger appeared to be sort Of
confused and taken down, but tried to
git out of it by sayin they were
trifin with the subject.
'I'm one as isn't opposed to schools
and education" says Moses Plumber,
"but l don't want too many of 'em.
I'm sayin that everybody orter know
how to read, write and cipher, but
nowadays they want to stuff children
with heap that's no good to any
body"
But what man kin know too much"
asks the stranger. But fur higher
knowledge how would we know that
the earth revolved on it's axis"
But s'pose we didn't know? S'pose
we tiggered that the earth stood still?
wouldn't we have licked the British
at Yorktown jest the same, and
wouldn't the price of wheat be the
same as today? l was talkin with
Young Jim Benson tother day. He
could tell the distance to the sun with
in a mile. but he couldn't tell how
MANY rails to a rod of fence. He could
give the names of all the stars, but he
didn't know that cuttin a hogs tail on
would make him root the harder, PROD
ably hopin to find new one. He could
tell when every state come into the
Union, but he didn't know that a cow
kicked sideways instead of straight
behind"
"By lingo, Moses, but that's oratory
and strong pint besides!' exclaims
the deacon. 'In the face of them Facts
/ can't see how we are to git another
schoolhouse."
"You have been i'll at some time or
other in your life?" queries the stran-
ger of Moses.
81 hey. Three years ago was down
with fever and everybody thought I'd
die"
"But YOU were saved, and how? If
the doctor who was called in had SIM
NV known about fence rails, hogs
tails and the way cows kick, where
would you be today? He had gone
beyond readin, writin and hgurin.
II was his higher education that saved
your life"
"That's strong pint ag'in you
Noses" says the deacon.
eyes, but l didn't call doctor, grihs
Moses. my old woman pulled me
through with herb teas and good nurs-
IN. and you all know she can't ngger
the value of two dozen eggs.
"rhen the pint is on the stranger
and I'd like to see him dodge IT.
"The stranger was stubbin ms zoe
op,In stones in the road and didnt look
hannv. but he braced up and sald III
answer:
.Iet us take case right here at
home. Here is a store. 1t had to be
designed by an architect before the
carpenter could build it. Mr.. Plumber
kin read, write and figger, but kin ne
draw the plans fur a buildinF But
fur higher education no man could 40
it." =,
eyes: it was a smart bit of work, "
acknowledged Moses, ''but had con-
/ siderable to say to that architect. he
had never heard that thunder wouia
! t,rn sweet milk sour; he didn't know
cows had only teeth on one jaw; ne
didn't know how to stop hen from
settin, a hog from rootin or dog from
KILN sheep. He even poked his finger
into a wasps' nest to see II the critters
was at home. I'm not agin schools,
but IL they is to tell our children that
the earth revolves on It's axis why
don't they also tell 'em that scratchin
q hogs back with corncob will help
| to fatten him?"
sThats a pint Moses-it's a pint!'
4 hn roT