The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-04-04
A COUNTRY BOYS SPORT.
HIS LIFE IS IDEAL FROM A HEALTH
POINT Or VIEW

phientiy "a bright Particular Feature
Nobody realizes more fully than We
farmers that "all work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy" While most
of the work done on the farm by
boys Is regarded by them as play
and there Is even q scramble among
them for some kinds of II, there are
special times for q 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 neighbours TO plant corn
or thresh, In apple parngs. In stirring
of apple butter IN tho big copper ket-
tle I'm corn hushngs on the barn
floor which often winds up with an
old-iaslioned 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 q dozen farms
near me In one way is a 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 pillow 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
o. day. The finest angler in ali our
township is now G5 years Of age, but is
still as spry on a trout stream as a
boy Of II. One day last summer he
caught 12O large trout in a half day
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 OF 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 a trout When
be 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 tho circus, once
OF twice a year, and it is common for
us farmers to promise the boys that
] .1y
shall so 10 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 lesthewould 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 a boy has
been at a circus to see him standing
on the horse which he rides in the
cultivator, and the father, VINO holds
the handles, enjoying it all
Going to town is always a treat, and
especially going for the mail, which
gives the golden opportunity of the
week for storebox 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 it 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 al
any time is the old-fashioned serenade
We had one last summer. The young
couple took trip to the county seal
and the night they returned the boys
came from all quarters, with horns
bells and a 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 SC
bad as some of the machines they
run with a 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, wher
ne was out on a land excursion las
spring.
Sports of the fall, work and play
combined, begin before the almanac
indicates the end Of summer. Picking