The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-06-29
Hss(hifi oYts,lss bssss4:

Tael 4 ldhnk5 80 Democrat
makes ss'sfhsT e dttsisir contFshu
ton 70 The alsc8ssion OF rural life,
this time devoting space "a = rather
sAtiFilal exposition az the lack 0f
amusement Oh The farm The Demo-
crai says.
Mrs Martha p Faic0ner 81 the
school for girls a Darling. Pa has
reached the conclusion that rural
youth is In need al more amusement
The ruval youth az this day must
IN that case ne less resurceful than
The rural yCNth ef the last century.
for certainly no boy who grew up on
a farm forty or nfty OF sixty years
ago ever found time hanging heavily
oa NJ. hands 49,.
'Am6ng other asausenverss ssfs: N
good healthy hoy might he mentioned
Ia ssilisting 81 stowe wood. feS9inS
he chickens. driving the coMs 70
and from pasture milking and
ehagning Aehng. aud ourrying the
horses, vestiiHg The garden: carry.
ing sl0p to the pigs. picking goose.
berries. carrants blackhc-ies and
cherries. helping with ,the famiiy
wash. working In the harvest Geld
hnsking corn. carrying a grist On
horseback to the mill: turning the
gFindst0ne: moving the lawn. shel.
ing corn. chasing the chickens out
Of the garden killing potato bugs;
digging potatoes pulling tnrnlps:
gathering apples and working the ci-
der press. pumping water fos rs Ia
lRQ head Of cattle. tanning wheat.
chopping hay and straw and doing
any odd JOB tc which his strength
and skill were equal
And what couldns the rlgh. sort
oi country boy do2 EverythIng *
espt mans work; aud III q pinch he
could almost 10 that If he ever felt
dun is wasn't because there we're
wantings things 10 absorb his inter
est and his time
And what a treat u was to 90 to
town Saturdays and TO church Suis-
days. These we're red letter events.
and the yearly circus VIII any boy
Of fifty OF sixty years ago ever for.
get Old tchn Robinson or Hemmfng,
Cooper & With or Adam Fore
paugh Or win any boy Of fifty o.
sixty years ago ever forget the husk-
Ing bee the quilting party. the huge
harvest dinner the kissing parties
where red apples. sweet cake and
cider added zest to the rollick ,ng
games which were played in stock
Inged feet boots and choeS discarded
20 keep down the noise? Then there
were the spelling matches ana the
singing schools and the magic lay
tern lectures In the little school
house and the sleepy trudgg home
by the light Of a tin lantern. Why,
the life OF the rural youth fifty or
sixty years ago vas full OF excite
ment What could equal the adven-
ture Of q coon hunt or of a midnight
stampede OF two or three hundred
head Of cattle III mad flight under
the terrorizing influence OF thun.
derst0rm?
Over and above all this there
we're visitors coming from afar, kin
folks from back at the old home,
boys and girls you knew ais You
know your own brothers and sisters.
but new grown strange, and awk-
wardest~ ..gaunfest funniest looking
creatures you ever saw in your life.
the girls blushing and giggling. the
boys freekled and more laundering
than new born calf But at that
time Of life II was easy to get ac-
quainted and before the visitors had
been there half an hour YOU had the
noys off IN the hay NOW or m in the
loft or down In the woods lot TO
show them some marvel or some
treasure or some object OF pride;
and OF course that two-yearo.d hlly
which pap had promised you ills the
visiting boys with envy and they
begin TO lie 10 you like pirates about
what their pap is going TO give them.
'Ah, well, alaekaday! Much water
has passed under the bridge since
those far sunit hours OF youth on
the farm What rural life may be
today who ol US coOped up til town
Can have any real conception? We
nave notion, however, that the boys
and girls OF Cambria and Somerset
and Indian are not dying OF stagna-
tion They know little Of moving
picture shows or OF The other more
Or less dubious lures of the city. bur
they still have resources Of their own
az varied perhaps as those which SO
completely filed the lives Of their
fathers and grandtathefs. II the
country youth OF today are filled with
Wild desire % rush 70 the cities II
Y not because diversion VI lacking
on the farm Il Ii rather because for
nifty years federal legislation has
been discriminating against the rural
population and Offering ailurng
prizes to those who are drawn 10 the
Industrial centefs
- %]-y-r1es-~