Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1908-01-22


broken friendship over 1t. 1t was
while was In the high school that
party of girls and boys went to-
neighboring town one night in an OLD
carryall, or hack, to attend Literary"
exercises at the academy.
The daughter of our friends, from
whom this episode separated US for
life, was not Invited. She and were
"chums," and the next day she wrote
ne note at school stating that her
parents would not have allowed
her to go IL she had been in
vited, as they did not consider
the Crowd" fit for her to associate
with. hastily replied (not being at
that time given to stunning the fray)
with something derogatory to her par
ents., This note she carried home at
noon. and then the trouble began.
Think OF intelligent and well-bred
people taking up girls quarrel
nowadays! Why, 1t would not be
thought of! But from that day for
ward all members of my chum's fam
lily and our family ceased speaking,
and though we were members Of the
same church the breach was never
healed between our parents. All are
dead now, and no doubt they have met
and smiled with the old affection, into
each others eyes again.
II we are lacking In the old socia-
billty and hospitality that character
lied the good old pioneer times we are
also free Of many Of the faults that
belonged to that somewhat narrow
mental horizon. If it was good to get
together us we used to do for work
days like cuttings and chickering's
and wool picklngs, 1t had its bad side,
too. Many were the scandals that had
their origin here and many were the
neighborhood or family quarrels that
emanated from the excitement of the
occasion.
Well do remember the apple-butter
row in our family, which came about
by the ton of my aunt, who was
iprogr ,slye, slipping In little CHINA
mon on her own responsibility. Grand
fathers family was particularly stiff
necked and opposed to new-fangled
dolngs. but there was one town aunt
who, in cahoots with my mother, was
always found guilty of trying to put
new wine into old bottles. The rest of
them stuck to the good old ways and
to making apple-butter as they had
oil a}r
Imog.
Our folks had gone out to the farm
to help ms usual, with the exception
that we children had been left at home.
There was reason for this. 1t was
at "butchin' time" the year before
while we were all shut up in the sum-
imer kitchen, chopping lard and making
sausage, that l had dropped pinch
of red pepper on the hot stove and pre-,
:cIpitated q GENERAL misunue rsfanding.
IT wits thought best to leave me at
home next titae. but somehow the spice
got in anyway Y
1 remember the dnglorious return
from this apple-butter affair-mother
and aunt sitting on splint-bottomed
chairs In the back Of the wagon, aunt
In speeches. detection over her en-
counter with Aunt Peggy-who was
opposed to clnnamon-and uncle, who
was a deacon and opposed to all I'M
seemly conduct, driving, with coun-
tenance sternly made up of reproof and
depreciation. But mother looked bright.
Her eyes shone clear and thin line
of laughter quivered along the closed
upper lip. 1t was indeed a cold day.
when mother couldn't see the joke
l do hope that nm right in believ-
ing that quarreling has gone out of
fashion! If we could only stop and
think bit and discover the root of
our animosities! My life has led me
all along the thorny pathway of poll
tics, and thus have been enabled to
see how far-reaching is human envy.
Envy shows plainly in business and
society. but more plainly still in poll
tics. doubt that we ever rise entirely
above it, but we can rise to the point
of seeing why people hate us, and are
unkind to us and not blaming them too
severely. When we have done this
we have gone far to eliminate one ele-
ment Of unpleasantness.
We are all envious in degree, but
some people are morbldly So They are
envious on general principles. No mat
ter If your business or your special
talent in no way crosses them, they are
still possessed of the old human grudg.
ing Of brothers success. If all of
our feuds We're traced to their origin
two-thlrds of them would be found to
originate in envy. Somebody has got
what we, ourselves, wanted Much OF
the animosity between rich and poor
is pure envy. And no envy is more
bitter than social envy.
l heartily dislike the conventional
people who are so afraid of a disagree.
ment that they actually avoid having
opinions. like to spat little with
my friends, and to "arglfy" more OF
less, but I like to believe that I, and
most of the people I know, have out.
grown the feud and the quarrel, and
learned the higher selfishness Of keep
Ing peace and semblance Of harmony
with neighbors and friends, no matter
If, when we come to sift 1t to the bot.
tom, there are several reasons why we
might fall out" IL we didn't know
better.-Jullet v. Strauss, in Chicago
Journal.
A Cane in Defense.
"If you want to keep off hold-up
men," said an old detective to the OBJ.