The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1902-03-06
The Cutting of Wood.

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| No sooner have the alders begun to
swing their fringes out to the bright 0 t
early.Spring, 10 sooner have the crows
come in from the seaboard than we be-
gin to hear tales of chopping bees and
feats of endurance from the sweet coun-
try where the people still burn wood for
fuel, and where the dust and smoke OF
the cities and large towns seldom reach.
For the past week our wide awake cor
respondents have been busy telling lis
about these events. And all of us like
to read them. 1t does not matter
whether We live in a bro Wnstone front
in the big city OF abide III a log camp in
the woods, there comes to every NAH
every mortal man, at least-a time when
he longs for breath of fresh country
air, when he pants for the odor of smoke
from a wood fire as the hart panteth
for the running brooks. This love of
nature is born III most OF us. 1t may
be some atavistlc trait which we have
inherited from some way back ancestor
and therefore not i'll good form
among good society people; but a major
ity of mankind keep the memory of
green fields and babbling brooks fresh
longer in the mind than any other fancy,
and We are glad it is so. Hence, when
We are tied down to desk and see the
sky for days through anetWOrk of tele-
graph wires. the best relief we can get
from the mOnotony is to receive and
edit a letter from somebody who can
still take a view of the world as God
made lt-not as man is trying to have
it.
This week there came to Us q letter
from Brooksvile-We believe-in " hich
it was stated that two brothels-GUth
famous wood choppers, no doubt-had
long claimed to hold the wood chopping
championship of their neighDorhood,
and who had boasted of their supIema-
cy until at las one brother challenged
the other to make d test and lind out
who was, and who was not, the better
man at the business. The day was set:
and early IN the morning both were on
hand with axes and courage for the
trial. They worked until nearly dark
before they began plling, and when the
result of the days labor was corded up
one brother had cut three cords, While
the other had chopped only two cords
and six feet. Then, tired and hungry,
Leslie locked arms With LEROY and
went home to supper We are opposed
to betting on general principles. but
we Will wager small risk that both
men ate heartily and slept well the fol-
lowing night. What a pity it is that
our sluggers, our runners and our fam
Gus men in the athletic world could not
adopt Wood-chopplng or some other pro
ductlYe occupation, and Wreak their
great energies upon feat that would
be of material benefit to the world,
Another charming feature about this |
art of cutting wood is the time honored |
chopping bee, a kind of muscular enter |
tainment that the residents OF a given |
neighborhood get up to help out those |
convert their own wood into suitable |
shape for burning. This is the highest |
form that real charity Can take. Hold |
bee i'll the afternoon and chop and |
pile all the wood in sight Then 60 in |
to a supper of baked beans and coffee,
after which comes a time when every
body can play down on the green
carpet" and "ChaSe the squirrel and a |
lot more of real good games that will |
never grow old so long as there are
young people to play them. Looking
back through the mists of many years, |
we can still see the ring of laughing |
faces, the youths and maidens clasped !
hand in hand, and we can hear those |
old songs as plainly as church bells in
the belfry next block. There were
romping and chasing of girls from
place to place, and when the girls were
caught there was-but never mind what
followed. We'd just like to go to one
OF those old kissing parties again be
fore we die.-Bangor Daily News.