Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1907-04-10
Dear NJ. b. Friends:

Dear NJ. b. Friends:
1 wonder if you are all finding it con-
ducive to health and happiness to go
deeply into house-cleaning in such
weather as this. II this is your present
occupation, my sympathy this month will
surely be with the Johns and 'sthe boys",
for those muddy boots will never escape
the eyes of any woman who cleans house
in wintry April.
The wise housekeeper who feels that she
must begin cleaning in early spring, will
keep a placid countenance, step softly
about, keep all evidences of her labors out
OF the rooms in common use. In fact, she
will skirmish around in the outskirts of
the house SO as not to attract attention to
the real work IN hand.
Dear AUNT Madge:
Many 3 time and oft my thoughts have been
of you and of the NJ. B. column these past
months. Three months illness part of
which time was in a hospital-gave me time
to read the letters, and wasn't it singular that
while in the hospital 1 found three who be-
longed in Hancock county, Maine-all de-
passed around. How small the world is after
all! I think we viii all miss Bea, for she
seemed to be one of the charter members of
our NJ. b.
had the privilege two weeks ago of hear
ing DR.. John Watson lecture Uan MacClar-
ren). He lectured about the humor of the
differert people of the world, the Scotch in
particular. fremont temple seats $500. 1t
was almost full. One seldom hears such .
speaker. It was the keeuest wit, the bright
est humor, the funniest fun, the sort one can
enjoy deep down. DR.. Watson left nothing to
be desired in his appearance, manner, topic
and delivery, except An earnest hope to hear
him again. When he closed, after talking an
hour and . half, every one seemed reluctant
to leave. X
This week It was my pleasure 10 hear Jacob
Riis lecture, his subject being my Neighbors.
He dealt largely with his great work in New
York among the poor. Looking into his
kindly genial face one felt and saw great
friend Of humanity. We who saw him will
never wonder why everyone loves him.
Speaking OF his experiences in such an easy
way and in NO way boastinRly one could
scarcely imagine him to be the great man
that he is, and the great splendid work he has
things, better things, to be under the personal
influence Of such life even for an hour.
All over the city now everything speaks Of
preparations for Easter. Lilies, lilies, every
where. The florists windows are gardens Of
beauty, and it would seem that the milliner
was trying to Guido the florist, for the arti-
Hcial flowers are beautiful. We sometimes
feel that in all this rush and hurry, buying,
trimming, making, that the real Easter-the
spirit Of the Easter time-is almost forgotten.
To-day saw q curiosity, q friend of mine
brought to show me. It was an old fashioned
sampler. Many Of the older people know
what that is. Hardly any of the younger
ones do. This must have been over one hun
dred years Old. It was worked on home
woven brown linen. At the first glance it
looked coarse like burlap, but not yet like 1t.
1t was smooth and even. The alphabets, capt.
tails, script and small let ers, these sets were
all worked in cross stitch. Then the child's
name, date Of birth, September Is, 1870, and
LET Virtue be thy only guide and equity thy
only PRIDE, then the name again, and "Eng-
hsh 10 my nation, my dwelling place
and Christ is my Salvation, then: "when 1
am dead and In my grave and my bones sre
al rotten when this you see remember me.''
The last line was never finished. These were
made BY the children, I am told, to tcach them
to sew and how to mark things In cross stitch.
/ want to write lots more but see that more
Of tina II. BIS have been writing lately, and
this letter 10 quite long. when zee the
rasadena, CAL, letter IL reminds me that ON
Of my near neighbors married this last fale
"a m