Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-11-13
AS UNCLE JOHN HEARD 1T AND
SAW IT-PROF. DILLON'S
SPEECH.


Uncle John was at the Court House
the other day, and heard Prof. Dill
Ions address before the school chill
dren and farmers, on The Farmers
Problems. He dropped in to express
his opinion of the address. He said
he liked the speech. AS near as can
be recalled this is about what he
said, in part; That young man is on
to his job. He has learned his piece
and speaks it well. AS rule we old
fellows don't relish having young
fellow get up to advise us and tell us
what we ought to do and not to do.
We have been going along pretty
well, and our race is about run, and
we can't make changes now, but to
tell the truth and be entirely honest.
that young fellow was about half
right at least, i'll many things he said
While he was speakin', | thought of a
number of things about my place that
oughter be changed, and still more
things about some of my neighbors
farms that might be improved. For
instance, take what he said about
putting water in the house. He spoke
the truth. Two years ago, my girl
come home from school-one of these
schools where they teach girls to be
useful at other things than banging
a piano, and one day | saw her meas
uring off something in the back yard,
and asked her if she was goin' into
the surveyin' business, or what? She
said, No, she was just thinkn', and
then right after supper, when we was
all sittin' around the fire, she brought
out piece of paper covered over with
figgers, and she said, Daddy, do you
know how far it is to our spring
from the back porch ?" l said | had
never stepped it off, but supposed, at
rough guess, it was only about 40
steps. Then she said she had meas
ured it exactly and it was little over
GO yards, with fence between. Then
she went on to calkerlate how far her
4"' anu IiS SHlluieu udu 10 Walk our
ing the year to get water, and it was
astonishin'. Sixty yards to the spring
and sixty back means 100 yards every
trip, she said, and supposing only
four trips day, every day during the
year, meant 1865 times $50 yards. How
far is that Daddy? she asked, and |
told her to count it, as | was not good
at figgers, and l was gettin' nervous,
too, so she went on. Three hundred
and siXty-five times four hundred and
eighty yards gives 175,200 yards.
There are 1,760 yards in mile. So,
you see, Ma and the children tramp
nearly 100 miles every year after wa
ter. That's walking some, isn't it
Daddy? And then, ma spoke up and
says, yes, and we make more than
four trips a day, too, for there's the
trips to the spring house certainly
three times day, and that would
make seven trips instead of four. ]
said, gee whiz. | hadn't thought of
that. And then Mary, my girl that
was doing the figgerin' and calker-
latin wasn't done with that sum yet
She turned to her Ma and asked how
long have we been living here, Ma ?
Her Ma said, we moved here when
you was baby, so you can tell how
long it has been. Then she figured
more, and said Daddy, we have travel
ed nearly 100 miles every year for %
years just going to the spring ant
back, and more too. But | said, that's
enough, and her Ma spoke up again
and said she didn't mind it much in
the summer time but during the win.
ter it was awful bad carrying water
up that hill. And | said it was about
bed time. Mary lit her candle and
went up stairs to bed, and lay down
too, but l couldn't sleep for thinking
of that 100 miles year to the spring
and back. Then l remembered, too
| had had pipe laid to bring water
to the barn for the stock, and right
then and there ! made up my mind
And it wasn't long until Ma and the
children had water in the kitchen anC
in every room in the house. We tap.
ped a spring up in the woods, ant
brought the water down. Then, tc
make long story short, it was AZ
easy step to a bathroom, acetylent
lights, etc, and when it was all fin
ished Ma said, "John, don't you wish
we had thought of this years ago?"
And, so l say, the young man made
speech that out to set people t.
thinkin'. We need have these smart
folks come around and tell us what WE
might do. Often we don't just think
and oftener we don't just know how
If Mary hadn't gone off to that schoo
and caught on to things, we would
still be totin' water up that hill, trav
cling 100 miles year. And so, il
many ways these folks who know how
do us good, and / wish some of tn,
people / know of had been there t.