The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1914-04-30
THE GOOD WORK OF A SOUTH.
GEORGIA FARMER, III. c.
NEWTON.-
NEWTON.

Dear MIR. Watson: Today being
my 59th birthday, instead of the
usual stomach-loading and mind
dulling dinner, decided to spread
a great intellectual feast and invite
my friends and neighbors to partake
of a menu whose vitaliZing influ-
ences will not be transient, but per-
manent and lasting for ages to come,
inspiring and infusing patriotism as
handed down from sire to son.
The dinner hour having arrived
and those who accepted invitation
being present, the table cover is re-
moved. Behold! inloco, WATSON'S
JEFFS. Four monthly, and thirty
eight weekly.
AS this mental feast, so unlike the
ordinary birthday feast, is no trans
lent affair, each spread lasting for
twelve months, I predict for it's par
Elephants most enjoyable year; for
], myself, have been the happy par
taker Of this same menu for many
years without the least symptom Of
gorge or mental dyspepsia.
All those invited to the feast, how
ever, did not accept the invitation.
Many declined for the present, rem
dering various excuses. l hope and
think that quite a number Of them
Will Join in the feast later, at or
even before the eleventh hour"
He that cometh in at the eleventh
hour is as worthy Of his hire as he
that cOmeth sooner according to
scripture, you know. But, some how
Or other it always seemed to me that
those who bore the burden of the
chase through the heat of the day
were more worthy than those who
came in at the close of the chase and
ostensibly boast Of what me and
Betsy did," and especially more
worthy than those who are disposed
to leave even Betsy out, and say
behold! what eve" did. And alas!
we poor mOrtalB, enjoying the fruits
of good Betsy's chase are like the
hogs under the persimm0n tree gulp-
ing the luscious fruit, but so devoid
Of gratitude that we never look up
to the noble tree that bears the fruit
But l am DEPRESSING Let US back
to the feast and the excuses rendered
for not attending. Of the many
rendered, I will give a few:
One doctor and one dentist had
sour stomach and therefore could
not accept. I regret this very much,
because they are both good, genial,
jOvial, Well-met fellows and are men
Of influence in their respective COM
munities and MasOns Of high de-
gree. Were it not for the fact that
they seem to be admirers and devo-
tees Of an important parsonage
whose forgotten name seems to have
been Mike, would still hope to have
them join us in our feast at least
at or before the Eleventh hour"
Another dentist had bitten off
more than he could chew. You see
his mental teeth were bad. Nothing
wrong with his mental digestion. I
told him it was only a repetition of
the old story carpenter without a
house" "shOe-maker's wife bare
footed" etc, and advised him to go
to some good dentist and have him a.
set Of teeth put in SO he could chew
gOOd strong mental food and Join us
later. | hope and think he will, for
he is & good fellow and we will be
pleased to make him toast master if
he will join us.
Many others gave practically the
same excuse That was, they had
more mental food already than they
could eat and digest. But a peep
into the dinner buckets Of many Of
them revealed only corn bread and
sweet potatoes, and occasionally a
persimmOn.
My reply to this excuse was: If