Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-04-04
A COUNTRY BOYS SPORT.
HIS LIFE IS IDEAL FROM A HEALTH
POINT OF VIEW.

pdTcHtiy u DrlKnC Feutur0s
Nobody realizes more fully than We
farmers that "all work and no play
makes Jack dull boy" While most
Of the work done on the farm by
boys is regarded by them as play,
and there is even scramble among
them for some kinds of it, there are
special times for great variety of
special recreations which run the year
round. The lines between some kinds
Of work and many forms of recreation
can hardly be drawn. There is very
little sport more enjoyable to the
average boy than working on the
roads, when he has much amusement
in lodging the eye Of the supervisor;
in helping the neighobrs to plant corn
or thresh, in apple parings, in stirring
Of apple butter in the big copper ket-
tie, in corn huskings on the barn
floor, which often winds up with an
old-fashioned country dance.
The fun in special recreations be-
gins early in the spring. With the
melting of the last SHOWS the boys
are off for suckers and trout. Just
over the hills from dozen farms
near me in one way is fine run for
suckers, and by the other in the
slpoes of the mountain are to be found
the best of trout streams. When it is
too wet to plow or plant oats or corn,
the boys dig worms, get out the fish
ing lines, cut holes along the bottoms
and are off for the stream at break
OF day. The finest angler in all our
township is now 65 years of age, but is
still as spry on a trout stream as a
boy Of 12. One day last summer he
caught 100 large trout in q half days
fishing. He is an old man who does
not take at least one day off with his
boys for trout. They have no fancy
tackle or baskets, but they almost al
ways come home with splendid strings
of trout. They have many laughs at
the city dude who follows them up the
stream with his costly tackle and
comes down without trout. When
he asks a country boy for the best
stream he is often sent up the wrong
branch, but he usually can buy enough
trout from his successful competitor
to make a good showing when he re-
turns to town.
Then there comes the circus, once
or twice a year, and it is common for
us farmers to promise the boys that
if they work well all the week they
shall go to the circus. This amuse-
ment has standing through the country
generally. Our old minister, who
preached in our valley for 60 years,
refused once to attend a meeting of
the Blairsville Presbytery when it met
in his town lesthe would thereby coun-
tenance heresy, but he attended every
circus that came to the village. The
boys pick up all kinds of innocent
tricks from the clown, and it is very
common that next day after boy has
been at circus to see him standing
on the horse which he rides in the
cultivator, and the father, who holds
the handles. enjoying it all.
Going to town Is always treat, and
especially going for the mail which
gives the golden opportunity Of the
week for store-box gossip. On this
account the rural mail system is not
regarded with favor in some quarters,
as it takes away the stock excuse
which the farmer can give his wife
for a trip to the village. But 1t Is
likely to be a good while before the
United States interferes with our nee
essary trips to the blacksmith and
shoemaker.
The wife usually claims the trip to
town when it comes to taking in the
eggs and butter. She is expected to
provide out of his produce the grocer
les for the family and an occasional
plug Of tobacco for the head of the
house.
An amusement likely to occur at
any time is the old-fashioned serenade.
We had one last summer. The young
couple took a trip to the county seat
and the night they returned the boys
came from all quarters, with horns,
bells and Crawford county fiddle"
which is made of store box, across
which resined pole is drawn. A city
boy criticised the noise, but it strikes
most of us farmers that it is not so
bad as some of the machines they
run with crank in the city. One of
our neighbors tells me that our seren-
ade is as good as the music he heard
in Chinese theatre in Portland when
he was out on land excursion last
spring.
Sports of the fall work and play
combined, begin before the almanac
indicates the end of summer. Picking
apples, making cider, boiling apple
butter, husking corn, gathering the
pumpkins and similar work made an
unending round of enjoyment for the
young people. Halloween opens the
season for parties. Sleighing parties
are common all winter and We drive
six or eight miles frequently to pass
the evening. There is always t1e big
eupper of chicken and wafiles, and we
eat apples and crack shellbark,s after
the games of the evening are ended.
in INV