Norwich bulletin., 1918-08-23
THINGS or WHICH THE FARMER NEEDS MORE = f8Ezsas e THAN ON AVERAGE

merit of anything. It implies and necess!tates praise when 8 per fogmance is good. just as much as blame when It is poor. Yet there are several farmers within my acQuaint- ance who set themselves up as critics of the rest of us. but who never allow a good word to creep into their criti- cisrns. They seem to regard cT1ti- cisn as synonymous with carping and fault finding.
 I've even known 8 grange to ap-
 point "critic" before some sdebate or l literary exercise, with the avowed in i tention and expectation that he or she was just to find fault with every thing into which pin could be stuck. l Il put up a big protest against 1t
 once, Tn my own grange, with the re- suit that the twinkhng- eyed master 1 appointed me fcritic,' next time. And, say, I made the biggest hit of
 my literary career, right then and there! I "soft-soaped' every partic- ipant till the father stuck out in Jumps! After which I politely but firmly declined any e-appointment tc
 that job.-
 Manners are very much like clothes They don't make their wearers any
 more efficient or change their cor poreal make-ups. But we don't take off all our clothes to pitch hay or get out manure. We bow to the con ventionalities sufficiently to keep 3 little something on, even on such oc-
 casions.
 A shiny -bladed shovel hasn't nearly
 as much metal in 1t as a bar of pig iron But it is a great deal better fol
 shovelling dirt and worth consid-
 era1ble more.
 A good looking man always looks 2
 little better in good clothes, and ever
 the manifest man is more attractive
 if he adds good manners to sterling
 worth.
 I am not defending obsequiousnes'
 or sycophancy. Nor am l commendinG
 fawning and f1unkeyism.
 I will not say that one should evel
 lie for the mere sake of politenesS
 But do say that one need not alwayi be on the Qui-vive for a chance tC
 blurt out disagreeable truths just fo the sake of seeing someone els'
 Squirm.
 One gets more milk from his GOV , if, instead of pounding her on the bacl with the stool when she Hicks her tai in his face, he says mildly, 50, boss, and throws an old, cloth over her t keep the flies off.
 I think even the four footed Hin denburg out in my hog-pen eats
 little more and puts on a little nor fat if I scratch his back occasional, at swill time and call him Piggy t Wiggy."
 ,1 Folks may be critters" in goo many other ways; they certainly ar f in their fondness for pleasant word l and kindly treatment. You can cate l more flies with molasses than wit l vinegar, and make more friends b
 courtesy than through boorishness. One doesn't have to be unciVil t r be honest Nor is churlishness requisite of candor. It isn't impera . lively necessary to be unmannerly i l order to be manly.
 ) The hedgehog doesn't throw quill nor skunk discharge stench exceE
 on very special occasions and unde - dire compulsion of self-defense. To s many people quote MT Roosevelt famous big stick remark without re 3 | 'membering the introductory word :. Walk softly, but carry big stick t and the walk softly" is just as i'm e portant part of the advice as tn e "big stick end.
 t The north. wind of winter buster and raves and bangs us about wit t arrogant masterfulness. But W a farmers know that the gentle sout
 breezes of the good summer time ar 7 vastly more effective in producing an D maturing crops. ,sl Which parable of the winds is nC s a hard one to understand and lear d THE FARMER.