The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-11-27
News for the Farmer
TWO THOUGHTS FOR
THANKSGIVING TIME

Once again the Thanksgiving sea-
son is on US, and now as perhaps
never before, our Southern farm
ers need to be reminded again of
the Masters Parable of the Rich
Farmer-a selfish and covetous far
mer who with his overfowing barns
and abounding prosperity forgot
the finer things for which humanity
was created. We must indeed prac-
tice thrift, prudence and economy,
but not at the expense of the things
which dignity and ennoble men and
women-the development of knowl-
edge and virtue and the apprecia-
ton of beauty in all its forms.
In the matter of promoting knowl-
edge, we must again warn our read
ers that the very prosperity we are
enjoying may temporarily inJure
the public schools in many districts
unless some remedy is found. In
thousands of communities neither
school tax rates nor property as
sessments have been increased since
the present era of high prices be-
gan, and the result is that with
only the same tax money as before,
and necessarily higher salaries If
teachers of equal skill are employed
it is impossible to get as good teach
ers and as long a term. The very
prosperity that should enable us to
give our children twice as good
school advantages as before may
| prove detrimental rather than bene-
fetal unless we bestir ourselves.
Why not use the Thanksgiving sea-
son to work out some plan-an add
ed special school tax or a genuine
ly rural community subscription
to get more money for the use of
the local school?
And there is the church. Has the
pastors salary been raised? How
can you better invest money than by
so using it as to attract men of tai
ent and training as leaders of the
spiritual life of the community?
And how about the equipment of
church and school? Are there wor-
thy buildings, properly painted,
school and Sunday school libraries,
are beautiful pictures on the school
room wall?
Then let us also look about us to
help the needy, not merely with
food and raiment, but with other
things also. In many a family boys
and girls are suffering as much for
lack of good books and papers os
others suffer for lack of food and
clothes.
This is our first Thanksgiving
thought-that we should use unset
fshly whatever blessings Heavenly
Father has given us.
And our second thought is that
we should be thankful not merely
for material prosperity, but for the
simple joys of life worth more than
money, and found more often in
country than in town; "a quiet
home; vines of our own planting;
few books full of the inspiration
of genius; a few friends worthy of
being loved, and able to love us in
return; a hundred innocent pleas
ures that bring no pain or sorrow;
devotion to the right that will
never swerve, a simple religion,
empty of all bigotry, full of trust
and hope and love-" No man need
be rich or famous or powerful in
order OF find the happiness de-,
scribed in John Richard Green's
saying:
"What seems to me to grow fair
er as life goes by is the love and
peace and tenderness of it; not its
wit and cleverness and grandeur of
knowledge, grand as knowledge is,
but just the laughter of little child
rem and the friendship of friends
end the cozy talk by the freside and
the sight of flowers and the sound
of music. THE Progressive Farm
er.