The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-06-18
MELODY ON THE FARM"

fSCOIIeS Is not tue only way IN WnlcL
incautious newspapers may mislead
the youth of the land and corrupt the
public taste. A soulful little thing
like this from the Sylvania CGa) Tel
ephone, which the New York World
reproduces on its editorial page, may
do more harm than the goriest and
raciest of sensational news:
IF you like music and pretty pic
lures, you can have them at your
will by getting up early on the farm
and listening to the Songs of the birds
and all the signs and sounds of ma
lures resurrection. You can hear the
chickens, the cows and the hogs
the neighing horses as the farmer
comes with their feed. You can hear
the voices at the lot-as the boys or
the hired hands draw water for the
stock and make ready for the day.
Then, as the first long, golden lance
of light strikes down across the silent
fields, you can see all the life and
hustle of another opening day. And
all of it is sweet and bringetb peace
and joy-as we find out sometimes
when we have left it and pine for it
again"
We know a man who was raised"
on the farm, and his recollections Of
it are very tender. He remembers a
typical morning in the springtime. He
arose with the dawn-it was his bus
mess to do so-and he lit a candle,
having shivered five minutes before
he could find a match. Then he
went out to the horse-lot ITO feed" 1t
had been raining in the night, the
trees were dripping and the thermom-
eter was nearer forty than fifty de-
grees.
1t was a cold. wet, drizzly, drozzly
morning, and the sun would not be
'up"that day, and the mud in the
horse lot. where the pigs and mules
had romped, was six inches deep. The
ROSTERS were sitting low on the
limbs of trees with their heads hid
den, without the slightest disposition
to crow. Nor did the horses neigh"
there was mary a horse" so to say,
as they were all mules, three of
them.
After Juggling at the latch and
wrestling with the stable door, which
the rain had caused to swell, and af
ter SHINING the back of one hand. it
was to climb into the loft and dig
around for three bundles of fodder
for each mule. Then it was to go to
the crib, 100 yards distant, and get
eighteen nubbins, after untying the
Irvine string that held the crib door
in place. Then came the transference
of the corn to the mules, as well as
the fodder.
As to Old Sal and Mike it was easy,
but only a skillful mule mariner dar-
ed venture into the stall of that
young Pete mule-and yet it had to
be done. Pete was wonderfully handy
with his heels and was no respector
of persons, so that feeding him was
the one matuitinal performance on
that farm that really thrilled and
warmed. All, how keen was the joy
in Waiting around Pete in the stall, |
with a bundle of fodder in one hand, |
six nubbins in the other, in the des-
perate attempt to be nearer his front
than his rear. Petes motive in kick |
ing was merely to have a little fun. |
One did not hear the little birds |
twitter; they were busy in the gar
den eating the young plants and de-
stroying the raspberries, etc. One |
was expected to drive them away, |
though ones feet sank an ell in the |
soft garden mould. AS for the voices
of the hired hands, it was to go |
down to Jim's house and yell at him, |
then to Jake's, and then wander down |
the lane if perchance one might per-
Suade Aunt Millie to reconsider her |
resolution never to cook another |
breakfast for white folks" Besides
the cow might go unmilked, and like
ly as not she had jumped the lot |
fence. strayed into Neighbor Jones
roastipg-ear patch, and he had taken
her up" to surrender her only on re-
ceipt of a dollar.
True, there were days when one
could see the first long, golden lance
Of light and, good gracious! they
were hot mornings. 1t was difficult
to listen to the ravishing notes OF
he moeking-bird and thrush; the note
of the crow interfered with the har-
nony in the watermelon patch close
oy.
To be sure. there is much Joy on
he farm; but not much poetry. What
'ur Georgia friend sings is true some
lines. but the cold and the hot and
he stormy days are in the majority
ust as they are In the banking house,
he lawyers once and in all other
'laces.-Charleston News and Cour-
or.