The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-03-17
GIVING THE coy OF THE SLUMS
A CHANCE TO TASTE COUNTRY
LIFE - WONDERFUL RESULTS
FOR BODY AND SOUL THAT
MAY BE ACHIEVED BY A SIM
PIE PRACTICAL PLAN.
written for The Catholic BulIetin.)

Last summer Frank left South Min
neapolis and lived for three months on
small farm within twenty miles OF
the city. The farmer and his wife en-
ioyed the lads happy disposition; but
could hardly appreciate his keen in
terest in everything he saw and heard.
lie would gaze at the fresh green
grass in the yard before the door with
a smile of satisfaction; he would bend
down over a violet with a tenderness
AKIN to love; field of daisies set his
eyes a-Sparkle and his feet dancing
with delight; even the commonplace
dandelion would draw his attention
as If a magnet lay concealed in each
gaily colored head The lark singing
IN the meadow, the swallow darling
| across the brook, the boot of the owl
at night, the frisking calves, the pigs,
the chickens, the sheep-each seemed
| possessed of a wonderful attractive
ness for tWelve-year-old Frank, and
each in turn absorbed his whole at
tentlon and filled him with contented
| JOY. He was singing, dancing, running
about all day long in sheer delight,
drinking in big wholesome draughts
OF health and knowledge. When hay
ing time came the fragrance of the
neWiy-moWn hay seemed positively to
intoXicate him. He insisted on get
| ting short-handled pitch fork and
helping the men as long as he could
stand on his feet. That, however,
was seldom longer than four or five
hours a day. At the end Of that time
he was usually worn down by his
| strenuous play-Work, and was ready
for rest and food.
Now, the farmer and his wife
| both good-natured and large-hearted,
thrifty and industrious people-en-
Joyed the things that Frank enjoyed;
| but in quiet, unconscious or sub-con-
scious way. To them and to their chill,
| dren these things were so familiar that
they had become mere commonplaces;
and they could not understand why
Frank was so concerned about the
fooIishness of the pigs in getting their
| stubby feet into the trough at their
dinner time. They did enjoy the lads
naive delight, however, when he first
informed them that three Of the COWS
were chewing gum"
They did not appreciate Franks
ardent joy in everything on the farm;
because they did not realize that his
! only view of nature from babyhood
had been smokey patches of sky be-
tween dingy walls Or the mud sticking
to his shoes when he crossed the
sSoggy, vacant lot
The rattle of wheels on the rough
brick pavement; the loud guffaw from
the ever present saloon, the grind and
roar of deafening machinery had been
the noises assaulting his ears and bat
terlng his brains. His idea of grass
had been a narrow greenish strip be-
tween curb and sidewalk, soaked with
beer foam and darkened by the tread
CT careless shoes. OF animate nature
he had been familiar with the rats
that lodged about garbage cans and
sewers; while among his companions
had been many of those boys, deni-
zens OF streets and alleys, stunted in
body, young i'll years, but old in knowl-
edge OF evil and cunning, with the
trickery of the cheap vendors and
hawkerS that watch the policeman as
their natural enemy.
Yet Frank, despite his dingy sur.
roundings, had remained light-hearted
and unspoiled, His language, indeed
was often the slang of the streets. and
his manners were uncouth; but his dis
position was kindly and unselfish and
though his mind was not ignorant OF
sin his heart was innocent.