The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-14

try ana the more independent spirit that prevails which is perhaps born of sell nshness, the custom is rapidly going out of fashion
 The farmers are now rolling their own logs with the assistance of the help on the place and the less fortunate ones are doing the best they can. blowing around the fallen timber on their farms.
 Sellshness increases with prosperity. True lberality is found only among the poor and dependent.
 50 1t is that In the early settlement of the agricultural section of North Ala bama the pioneer settlers cultivated a habit of helping each other in the heavy tasks on the farm. Instead of calling 1t charity drudgery they made pas time of 1t and the old-fashioned log ro-.ings were looked forward to with great anticipation by all hands, old and young male and female.
 On day specified the neighbors were all invited to roll logs for Jim Jones' All hands and the dogs were included in the invitation.
 The wives and daughters assisted Mrs. Jones In preparing the dinner, while the men rolled the logs that had ac- cumulated on the fields during the winter or had been cut on the new ground"
 The dinner was ready at noon, and it was always a big one.
 There were turnips, spring mustard, string beans, hog jowl raised by Farmer Jones, cornbread a la southern pone, wheat biscuit, potatoes backbone pie, fried chicken, roast hen, baked turkey, chicken pie, fruit pies of many varieties, cakes, jellies and preserves without limit.
 The dinner was worth working for, and was heartily enjoyed by all hands The logs were usually piled up and ready foi the torch by the middle of the afternoon, and the young men had time to go home and dress up for the party that night. The girls, too who had assisted their mothers in preparing the dinner reap peared al Farmer Jones house about sun down in their neat Sunday frocks and were rosy and ready for the fun.
 The music and the fun started early as all hands had to be ready for the log rolling at Farmer Browns tomorrow morning.
 If the old people objected to dancing, which they very often did, the boys and girls engaged in innocent games, which sometimes call for kissing to round them out completely and also required fiddle music to make the feet "go easy"
 Where the old people objecetd to straightout dancing such games as Tuck CT and "Twistification" were resorted to. Now you who have been there know that these names were nothing more nor less than innocent deceptlONS, put Sihcc thSy satisfied the old people, the young people were happy, and while the parents winked at each other and smiled knowingly, the fun went on undisturbed. Young toes moved gladly and lightly to the throb of the fiddle.
 The young man who had carried off highest honors with the handstick at the log-rolling was the undisputed honore of the belle of the community with whom he led the game of Trucker"
 The days performance, including the dinner and the party at night, was re- peated next day at Farmer Browns. and so on until all the logs in the neighbor- hood had been cleared away and farming begun In earnest
 Many a happy home dotting the nils and valleys of north Alabama got it's first inspiration at the old fashioned log roll ing when young Bob Jones took a fancy to the biscuits and smiles of Miss Sally Smith,