The Adair County news., 1915-02-03
A Fable and Not a Fable.

near him. the son had an intelligent,
sensible wife, bright, promising chill.
dren, and owned good, but very
much neglected farm.
The father called the son to him
one day and said, "John, have been
looking over your farm and premises,
and discover that they are not what
they should be. You are not deriving
either the pleasure or profit from
them that you should Your fencing
is down, and in decay; your fields are
Overgrown with sage and saSSafras
bushes, your out houses are not |
sufficient to protect your stock: your
dwelling needs new roof and other
repairs. 1 regret to see this condition
of things, and it ought not to be so.
l have concluded to help you, if you
will help yourself. l tell you what
will do-if you will go to work and re- !
pair your dwelling, put up necessary
out buildings; renew your fences,
grub out your fields, and sow them
down in clover and timothy and red
top, will pay half of the expense.
In other words will put dollar on
every dollar you will advance in i'm
proving your farm.
Think about it, son, and let me
know what you will do about it, for if
you do not act, will give it to some
other member of the family"
| John went home and told his wife
what his father had said John SEEM
ed to be MISUNDERSTANDING between
two opinions. His wife looked at him
with wide open eyes, and said; "John,
you know whenever it rains we have
to put buckets and pans around to
keep the house from flooding?"
Eyes"
4 "You know how we stuff rags and
pillows in the windows to keep out
the coldT'
yes"
"You know how the front door
swags and that the door steps are so
rickety and rotten that they are an
safe for us or the children"
. Eyes"
. ''You know how some of the COWS
stand around the lot in winter with
, out shelter with icicles hanging to
their sideS?"
r Yes
You know how ragged the fields
5 are becoming, and that they would
: furnish an abundance of grazing in
summer and forage for winter if they
were only put in proper condition.
Yes" .....,.
"You are able to do all your father
0 asks of you, ar'nt you?'' -. .~~@ p
Y Eyes" 81 ........
well, John, if you don't accept his
proposition, and accept it quick, all l
can say is, you are blamed-f,- poor
business man."
d The good mother, Kentucky, says to
4 her daughter, Adair:
r Daughter, wish to have a little
!. talk with you, and it is all for your
: good. You are no longer an infant,
2 but comedy matron with a large and
S an interesting family around you
y Conditions Lave changed very materi.
e ally since you were born one hundred
# and thirteen years ago. Your chill
dren are not as we'll off as they should
IL be. and you are not doing as much fol
II them as you should do. Your roads
d are worked in the same way they were
,el when you were baby, and they art
l. no better now, perhaps little worse
than they were then. This is a re
prOach to you, Adair. The world il
le moving up to better things, and yoJ
Is ought to move with it. Do you know
that taking into consideration wea
and tear on team and vehicle, it cost
as much to move barrel of flour owe
nine miles of your dirt road as t,
transport that same barrel of f1ou
~ from New York to Liverpool. D,
y" you know that your children are pay
ing more for their mud roads thai
good roads would cost them?
" Have you ever considered how goo,
as roads would aid your schools an,
A. churches, how much more of comfor
Ii. and pleasure, and of the convenience
ed of life they would bring into you
I'd homes, and how materially all of you
tic interests would be promoted?
Think about these things, and il
the mean time I will tell you of
y, proposition am making to you an
o. all your sister counties. The contrac
he on my past is drawn and signed an