The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-05

things. l repeat, will make life sue
cess, 10 wit Living the golden rule
and making such investments as that
when life ends we may find a goou
bank account in heaven. All our a.
tons are to be reviewed, and reward
or retribution will come at last. If
we have been cold, selfish and cruel
the feeling and language of Adoni-
Beck will be ours and we shall have
to say. when the sentence is pro-
nounced: LAS I have done, so God
hath requited mel"
If that be true, the language of
the poet is most appropriate ana
sho; II become the watch-word of
every mortal:
How careful, then, ought l to live!
With what religious fear!
Who such a strict account must give.
For my behaviour here!"
That ground hog ought to be ex-
terminated, if all the cold weather we
have had lately is the result of his
getting scared at his shadow and run
ming back into his hole. / don't be-
lieve much, however, in the ground
hog theory, but / do contend that our
noathern and northwestern sections
have been entirely too liberal with
weather generally, this winter; and l
think it's about time for Monsieur Vor-
Hermann, our very gentlemanly and
obliging weather man, to notify the
various weather offices to the north
and northwest of us that, IL it's all
the same to them, We prefer they
should not send any more of their bad
spells down here. We've had as much
cold as we need to kill out the germs;
and If the potato bugs didn't dive pref
ty deep. 1 am inclined to think they
are so frost bitten they won't be able
to commence business until very late
in the spring, If at all. i hope so, at
least.
But talking about potato bugs, | am
by them like / am by the grippe. /
acknowledge they are here-here in
abundance. and just as aggravating as
they can be, and, like the grippe they
hold their grip; but l don't know
where the plaguery things came from
We never saw potato bug before the
war. / heard a fellow say they didn't
come at all, but were already in the
potato. If that's so ] think we'd bet
ter boil the potato before planting it.
! don't accept that theory, however,
but incline TO the theory / heard an
other fellow advance, to-wit that
they (the potato bugs, are a sort of
miniature incarnation of trusts and
monopolies. doing IN a smaller way
what the trusts and monopolieS are
doing In larger Way-maklng 1t
harder for folks to live. Taking that
view of them I'm very much inclined
to hate them; and that's the reason
/ dose them with Paris Green ana
take pleasure in seeing them keel over
and drop off. 1 hate all kinds of para
sites, from the potato bug to the bed
bug; from the beef trust bug to the
oil trust bug, including all the other
bugs that are getting their living by
feeding on what others make.
If It had not been for the timidity
of that ground hog, or some Other
equally unfortunate circumstance, con-
trolling the weather movements. our
Irish potatoes would have been plant
ed on or about the 14th of February.
The time we used 20 begin gardening
IN the good old days when winter came
on time and didn't linger so long In
the lap of spring, as il does these lat
ter years.
Easter comes so late this year !
don't know how about planting things.
Snaps must be planted on Good Fri
day. according to the old rule; and
that comes so late I'm afraid I'll have
to wait a long time for a mess; but,
of course, I'll have to wait. BY the
way, Easter comes this year just as
late as il can come. The full moon In
March will be on the goth, and that
throws Easter away over TO the 23rd
of April. If the full moon in March
had fallen on the END, then Easter
would have fallen on the 26th OF
March. So, it will be seen that be-
cause the moon fulled one day before,
instead of one day after. the 2lst or
March, we poor fellows who are hard
UP for something to cat, in the spring
of the year, will have to wait nearly
a whole month longer for our Vege-
tables which have to be planted about
Easter. Why can't we arrange for
Easter to come on a better schedule?
1t took me about half my life to learn
when ii does come, without looking
at the almanac; and | find a great
many people now who don't know
when to expect it's arrival. For their
benefit ] will write it, that, Easter
comes tho first Sunday after the first
full moon after the 21st of March: ana
this year the first Sunday after the
first full moon after the 21st of March
will be the 23rd of April. Society,
therefore, will have three weeks longer
to play cards and dance before the
beginning of Lent, when it is expected
years sins will be prayed off, with
the understanding, however, that the
Lord will be expected to put up with
the sins of another year. Some may
be so deeply in debt, like some farm
ers. who can't settle up in full, they'd
have to give UP the Ghost and be turn
ed down, but for the mercy of the
Great Landlord.
What a kind Heavenly Father is
ours. He feeds and clothes us. gives
us health. strength and opportunity.
and showers along our pathway bless
ings innumerable, but what ungrateful
wretches we are! Even we who pro-
fess to love Him show ingratitude. We
eat. we drink, we kill time; we dis
regard the injunction. Go teach. as
you have been taught" forgetting that
we are stewards of the Master, who
will require of us, at His coming. how
we spent life; whether we put our
candle on a, candle stick or hid 1t un-
der d bushel; whether we lived to
save souls, or lived to crafty our
lustS.
Yes. I'd like to do away with that
ground hog, the potato bugs and other
bugs, and so arrange the advent OF
Easter as to be able to have early veg
etables. Such long winters. with
wood and provisions high. leave fell
lows pocket book SO empty it's hard
to run through tho snriup months W.