Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-07-11

days You know how that that Natio mai
Higher arithmetic was made for the very
purpose Of stretching the brains OF the
puph, It would seem, and working the
problems therein contained did stretch
trem.
AMI then. You well remember that those
so-cailed menta. exercises were BRAIN
stresehers, too. An exa mple, "Good
morning, neighbcr, With your hundred
sheep" Says the neighbor, III have not
hundred, but II I had a. many more
and half as many more and two and one
halt sheep, would have . hundred. -
And that other example: IA fish's head
Is nine inches long, and bis tail is as long
~ bis head and half his body, and
his body 10 a. long ss his head and tail
How long IL the fishg''
We had some good reason, or thought
We had, for moving away from good old
Maine; and we are privileged here to-
night to take account OF our acts o. We
look little way back through the years
and history Of oar lives, and understand
whether we have succeeded or failed. But
this - no good reason why We should
have no morn concern for the State, or
forget those who are content to remain
there. They love their homes and live
well on those rocky shores, among those
bills and BY those beautiful lakes and
ponds.
The whole State In summer time IL one
grand picnic ground. have never found
her equal In this respect, and l have
Travelled about our country considerably.
Tho only trouble found, and that was
more away from the coast, there are few
moro mosquitoes there in summertime
than really care for, and little too
much snow and ice to suit my rheumatic
makeup, in winter.
But when the founders come out OF the
mud in April, and the ice il breaking mp
along the shores, then is the time to 70
forth with the founder spesr, using .
cake OF Ice for . boat; then it 10 that fried
founders taste mighty good, and that Is
the best time OF the year to b eating
them. A little later gunners are after
coots and ducks In the river; and In May
II is good time for you to set your
lobster traps. could have gotten rich
when lived there, catching HOLSTERS ct
present prices. Three years ago, believe
he price OF Holsters was 80 cen.s . pound
down there.
We keep In pursuit OF our vacations
here, but you stick . pia in . Maineits
vv,<~f suvv harS =. % . vvxa ~ A.v .uA ,c.. ,tt
find he Is thinking Of Maine, II not a. q
whole, some feature there. He III walk
ing and talking, in his mind, with his old
neighbors there. He 10 telling them
stories OF his adventures here, and listen
ing to their stories told in the forcastle
OF some old dugout, perhaps. He works
upon the rocky farms with his father,
brothers and neighbors. He hoes many q
hard row again. He digs potatoes sitter
frost has stifSened the ground.
He drives the ox-team on the farm and
in the woods. He cuts down giant pines.
He sees them again standing on end as
masts to schooners and ships. He sees
great white wings unfurled to the gentle
brccxes from them. He sees how strong
winds s~ell the sails till the beautiful
water walkers show their teeth in mad
racing. It's . beautiful sight, this that he
sees, and what makes II most beautiful Ia
the flag that flies.
He lives over and over again his youth
In the camps upon her shores and In her
forests. He fishes, be hunts, he plows,
he mows and he chops wood. He goes 10
school; he plays truant; he copies sums
from others states. He gets logged him
self and sees others Of his schooimates
hogged. Floggings were an essential part
of his and their education.
It's good, living over those old days
again; and we laugh In our feelings when
we are doing il. And we extract great
lessons from 1t, too. II we could, who Of
us would hide away from the days and
things OF our YOUTH Where on earth
could you ind hiding placer Blessed
memory makes each one OF Us take the
old home with Us wherever We go. Every
man and woman OF Us enjoys walking .
long memory's roadway among the scenes
OF his or her youth. Those pleasure-d days
OF youth and the scenes OF them will not
down.
We enjoy meeting our brothers and sis
ters out here. We have these association
meetings and our annual picnics for that
very purpose. We enjoy it all.
Not long ago, . Maineite, sea captain,
called on me. He and had attended the
same little red schoolhouse school for sew
erai winters. We had sat on the same
hard benches. We had used our sharp
jacknives on the same soft pine desk-tops.
We had carved much, ciphered . little,
ruined our states scratching them with
poor pencils. We had recited poorly
while sitting in the recitation seats; we
had stood, many . time, in line in the
same spelling class. We had missed the
same words. We had had our brains
roasting At the same time our feet were
freezing. This was because OF the posi-
ton Of the stove and tho stove pipe, and
the low ceiling OF the room and wide
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