Mower County transcript., 1902-11-19
FARMER BEN'S COLUMN. .

in and application Of lots OF the Old
sayin's we used to copy in our old copy
books which l spose the youth Of today
are still gettin' impressed on their in
tollectual tablets. Take the one about
a rollin' stone gatherin' no moss, what
in all creation does stone want of
moss anyhow? Take the one about the
early bird catchin' the worm, don't it
apply just the same to the early worm
that gets catched? If the worm stayed
in bed longer, wouldn't he escape the
devourin' of the early bird? What a
whopper the one about the stream
never rises higher than its source is.
When my old naybor Olin was up from
Texas a while ago he was tellin me
that they put engines along the rivers
and lifted the water right onto lots of
upland flats and raised rice on 'em. L
don't think that this is a proper motto
to teach twentieth century children. Ii
the water don't rise to suit you, make
it 60 where you want it.. Don't the
city water works put water up into the
upper stories of the big buildin's? [
tell you this works all right when you
think of raisin' the standard of our
children and morals all round. Don't
you spose if children that was raised in
slums and novels didn't hav any show
Of risin' higher than their source, they
would be in a hard pickle? [ tell you
local politix and morals and improve
ment can be lifted up above their level
and source right along and don't you
neglect to bank on this asseveration.
T see a New Jersey justice of peace
the other day sentenced six law break
in lads to good hard spankin' and
two kops with broad hands and plenty
of strength back of 'em were called in
to act as master of ceremonies. You
just bet those kids won't break into
any more freight cars for while and
destroy property. I tell you the
youngsters of today need this kind OF
disciplinin' just as much as they used
to when [ was lad. Moral suasion is
all right in it's place but it's place amt
when boy or girl is surly and disobey-
in and evil. My dad used to rawhide
me until he made a new boy out Of me.
Talk about regeneration, I tell you
many unruly boy has been converted
into a new actin creature by sound
lickin'. I never calkerlated there was
much need of much spankin' and thrash
in but I also calkerlate that when
youngsters know for certain that there
is certain possibility Of gettin' it if
they don't mind, it has nifty salubri-
Gus effect. I amt arguin' for all the
time slashin' and thumpin' and threa-
tenin' your chi]der. That is worse than
no lickin' at all. I've seen in my day
mothers that would keep maulin' their
boys until it had no sort of effect Over
at the state reform school at Red Wing,
if lickin' the unrulies is prohibited, l
wouldn't accept superintendent for a
hundred a week. Oorporeal punish
ment is o. K. if administered in the
right time and right place and right
way.
The Britt sh officers are throwin' bo-
quets at the Missouri mules in great
shape. It is high time that the mule
had a chance to hold up his ears with
the rest of the quadruped world. In
our opinion, say these British experts,
nothin' approaches the Missouri mule.
I believe it. I've seen lots of mules in
my day that nothin' approached unless
it was at the head end and with a
fifteen foot club. But every old soldier
knows that we wouldn't hav been in it
at all in war time if it hadn't been for
the old army mule. He was the fellow
that snaked us thro the swamps and
mud and over the mountains when
horses were like putty skins they
would collapse so easy. Pat Gillan's
mule ought to be brought out every
year to remind the old boys of what
they used to be familiar with. My, but
didn't they draw swearin' from the
drivers some times but they got there
just the same. l'm glad the mule is
gettin' vindicated. He has been the
butt of more remarks of sarcasm and
objurgation and suspicion and abuse
than any other breed of animals in
sight. don't see why folks don't breed
more of 'em. see by the paper that a
Minneapolis man has bought up car
load Of female mules and is goin' into
the business of raisin' 'em wholesale.
Experience may teach him somethin'
but hope he will do we'll and rival old
Missouri in raisin' lop ears. The mule
has been one OF the important items in
the salvation of the United States
aud South Africa and should be respect;
4 s44l