Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-02-11
THOROFARE.

L begin TO think that | ike sparroWs.
They ARE such cheerful home-leving little
BIRDS. When the snow has covered the
ground this Winter, they have come in
squads and settled on the branches Of
tree near my window, until it has seemed
to be covered with dead leaves-and dead
leaves are better than no leaves. 1t is true,
they do not sing, but they converse in the
sweetest of tones and one must not expect
too much Of any one thing, in this world.
Perhaps my thoughts turn 10 the sparrow
because my heart is with the robin, which
some idiots want TO kill off because he eats
their cherries. Why doesn't the farmer
plant more cherry trees, so that there will
be cherries enough for both? The robin
will never eat more than he wants When
/ was a child, and lived on a farm, We had
rows and rows OF cherry trees. The avenue
which led from the main road to the house
was lined on both sides with them; the
old-fashioned garden, which contained an
acre of ground, was surrounded with them,
and the falm-y ard--a stretch Of green lawn
between the house and the barn had, at
least, three rows of them The robins had
what they wanted; we children had what
we wanted; they were used in all ways
possible in the household, and baskets and
even thought of shooting robin in those
days. Aud | have sometimes Thought that
the frui which was allow ed to grow near
the house, may have attracted the
house fly, because / feel quite sure that
housekeepers, in the country, were not so
much troubled with them then as nov,
Notwithstanding the screened doors and
windows which were not known then.
The robin is held sacred in England, you
know, and man might as we'll be caught
shooting one of his fellows, as one of them
You may all know the old tradition; that
while Christ was hanging upon the cross
one of these birds flew so near as to wound
his breast upon one of the thorns in the
crown which had been placed in dersion on
the head of the King of the Jews " The
wound bled, the blood covered the feathers
of his breast, and he has since been known
as Robin Rtd-breastn In Germany the
stork is held sacred, though don't quite
know why. Ia Strasbourgh, where the
slope OF the roofs is longer than the height
of ordinary houses here, several stoIk nests
may be seen on the roof of one house. tt e
stork comes and goes unmolested; or
stands on one foot aud views the street
scenes below him with Supreme dignity,
and apparent contempt 1t is the grass
hopper which is worshlpped in Greece He
is supposed to embody the souls of the
muses., and neither eats nor drinks, it is
said, but lives solely upon air. He must
be altogether different from our grasshop-
pers, and if he eats nothing I suppose that,
no matter how hard you pinched the back
ct his neck, he could not be made to spit
mOasses.
1.-THE phantoms of times forgotten
Arise from cut their grave.
And show me how once IN their presence
| lived the life it gave"
The new store of Mr.. Charles w. Will
kins was opened on Monday morning with
fine display, although Mr.. Wilkins has
not nearly all of his stock in yet. He pro-
poses to make his store the best of its kind,
and his patrons will receive the coui tesy
and attention which was shown them
under the old firm name OF wilkins
Bros /" and more, if possible. The bnsi-
ness firm was dissolved by mutual consent,
but the brothers still hold their outside
property values in common, as in the past.
Mrs Sarah Wilkins and Miss Ida Will
kins, from Paulsboro, have been recent
visitors in the home of Mr.. and Mrs. VIM.
H. Lodge.
Mrs. Stephen Snyder, of Paulsboro, was
buried in the cemetery at Thorofare, on
last Monday morning. She had been VIC
tim Of epilepsy for some years, and her
death was the result of it.
Mr.. John Merefelt moved last week
from the Heritage farm to the farm of Mr..
VIM. D. Rambo, near the river.
Mr.. Charles Gleason has resigned his
position in the Wilkins store, and will
take up farming as soon as the weather
permits.
As the quarantine forbade church service
in our own church last Sunday, the Rev.
George S johnson preached in the M. E.
Church, at Woodbury., in the morning, and
at Paulsboro in the evening The Rev.
Isaac L. Fowler accompanied him to the
latter place. and was in one of his happiest
moods during the altAr service, it is said.
One of the happiest events of the last
week, was the birthday surprise given to
Mrs. Isaac F. Allen. by her children and
her friends. She is famous FIR her hospi-
tally, but this time her daughters and her
friends forced her to be the entertained,
and not the entertainer. An elegant sup
per was cooked and carried, and everything
arranged which was possible without ex-
citing her suspicion. The surprise was
perfect, and the evening delightful one.
As a woman is only as old as she 10 ks,
will leave you all thu privilege of guessing
Mrs. Aliens age. The guests were, after
Mr.. and Mrs. Isaac F Allen. Mrs. Ellen
Densten, Mr.. and Mrs Enoch Kircher. Mr.
and Mrs John Densten, Jr.; Mr.. and Mrs
Hiram Clement, MIR aud Mrs Rufus
Shuster. Mr.. and Mrs Howard Phifer, Mr.
and Mrs. Milford Titus Mr.and Mrs. John
Merefelt, the Misses Hannah Alien. Jennie
and Anna May Merefrlt, and Tlllle aud
Lizzie Banpain, Of Philadelphia. The
Messrs. Winfield Allen, John All en-, Henry
H 'ckett, Albert Glass, Earle Shuster, Allen
Phifer and Rae Shuster.
The Misses Title and Lizzie Banpain,
Of Philade phia, have been guests, for some
days, Of Mrs. Howard Phifer.