Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-09-28

4 70 oOuClbtu. Auure56 AIl CONN unlC6IlOns IN
tended for this department to HENRY u
HAMMOND, Agricultural Editor Oxford Dem
ocrat. Paris. Ne.
Brighten Things Up.
Brighten up the farm life. Brighter
up the farm, Land sakesl 1t ought
not to need Frightening. 1t should be
the cheeriest, the sunniest, the happiesi
place in all the world, Talk about
Frightening up streak Of sunshine OIL
putting polish on beam of starlight
Ridiculousl
And yet, sometimes the lustre Of the
farm life does seem to get bit dim
Say, know Of man and woman who
went round about their daily work on
the farm day after day for years, and
never spoke loud word TO one another
Think of it! NV stars. What a pun.
ishment for anybody to put upon them
selves, and what for? The Lord only
knows, and he keeps it to himself
Then, too, the young folks on some
farms do not have as good time as
they might, and first you know, out they
drop aud are away 10 town, to be lost in
the whirl of shams and foolishness and
false living. Poor boys and girls, to get
it into their heads that somewhere else
is better place to live than the farm
How they are TO be pitied! The world
loses something every time one of these
young people pulls up stakes and goes
away to the city.
A good many other things come up
first and last to bring shadow over the
farm home. You know some of them /;
and you know, too, that most OF them
are foolish and uncalled for. Sometimes
We think the war over in Europe was
without cause; and one of the great men
over there, when he saw that it must
come, in spite of everything he or any
one else could do to prevent it, broke
out into pitiful wall, "Oh, if we only
had one day more," One day more in
which TO sit calmly down and think it
over and talk about it till it appeared in
| its true light. Then there would have
been no war with all its horrors. And
probably that man was right. 1t is this
getting hotheaded and sprnging up
quick as a wink to strike somebody that
brings most of the trouble in this world.
THINK IT OVER TOGETHER
These are busy days. Up early and
away to work before the sun is knee
high to grasshOpper. Sticking TO IL
till the last dog is hung, so that we may
get the last acre plowed and ready for
the crops. In the house everybody is
just so busy, too. There are so many
things to be done, Seems as if the days
are not long enough to turn around in,
and the nights are merely nothing. The
little folks keep the steadiest of any
body. Dear little treasures! They do
not yet know the weight of care that
presses SO hard on the shoulders of ia
ther and mother. They can be out in the
fields. following the paths that lie along
the old creek or roaming the fields in
search of the beautiful in nature. The
birds sing to them and they listen, the
flowers nod to them and they nod back
again; the grasses whisper to them and
they lean down to listen. So they es-
cape the worry and the fret of life better
than do the older folks.
But when night comes and father and
mother are so tired that they are ready
TO drop; when it is hard work to smile
and say kind things; when nobody
seems TO think it worth while to keep
brave and cheery-ah, then is the time
when links are loosened between the
young heart and the old farm home!
oh, men and women of the farm, let's
Danish the crouch. 1t kills the home
life SOL 1t wears the heart out so sure
ly, and so surely makes the boys and
girls think the farm is the poorest place
to be; and all the while it really is the
only place where happiness ought to be
most surely in sway! So God help us to
capture the miserable old crouch and
confine it to the very lowest dungeon till
the sunshine of life comes once more
with its healing touchl
WHAT WE SHOULD DO
How can we do this? You know; so
do |. Why don't we do as well as We
know? The right thing, the best thing
TO do, is just to grab on to ourselves and
hold like dog To root, till we can
speak without sting in every word, or
smile, even if it takes the last bit of grit
in us. Think of this, dear good woman.
John is coming in from the field now.
He is tired. How his steps lag! He can
scarcely put one foot before the other.
His big boots almost floor him as he lifts
his feet on the way homewsrd. Now
slip up and get into the prettiest dress
you have. Run out and pick bit of
bouquet while he is putting out the
horses, even If it be only few clover
blossoms with wisp of the first spring
grasses for background. twill bright
en- the table at supper time and bring
cheer to the soul of the man when his
eyes rest on them and he thinks you
| have done il just for him.
And man of the weary heart and tired
body, as you come along, bend down aud
gather up flower or two for Mary's
little supper-time bouquet. Pin sprig
of daisy on her heart as you meet her
i at the door. Get a smile on your face,
| if it costs the last bit of strength there is
in youl Lift the toddlers high above
your head; God will give you the strength
to dc it! Say CHEEKY word to Tom and
Kit! Find out where they have been to-
day. Ask them what the school or the
open fields have told them of life this
day! Put that miserable old Crouch un-
der lock and key and never let him out
again as long as you live. This is the
way of love aud peace and happiness.
AND WE CAN DO IT
Because we ought to do it and because
we want to do it, We can do it. There
never was duty placed before US thai,
we did not have grace given us to meet
lit. 1t sometimes takes every bit OF the
manhood there is in us to face the most
trifiing duties. Indeed, the place where
life shines brightest is right down where
these little everyday cares come face to
face with US. Anybody can yell fire and
fight like demon for the sake of having
his name in the paper. But to get down
in the ditch, away at the back end of the
farm and do a good honest job-that
takes real courage. But it can be done.
IL must be done, If we are ever to make
a life that is worth anything.
Sometimes il seems as il we get the
notion into our heads that we are here to
earn few dollars, to grow a hundred
bushels of wheat or corn and then pass
lon. But that isn't il at all. We are
here to build up life and help some
body else build one too. All the sowing
aud the narrowing and the reaping are
for is to give us a little better chance to
roupd out a life-a heart life-that will