Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-01-18
AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPEED THE PLow."
The GREAT White MautIe.

II INC nEodl w utl0 WAN t1Cs
Now Is the time of year when th,
farmer, or more generally bis children
are reminded OF the advantages OF long
evenings in which TO build up theil
characters.
1t has long been saw in Maine thai
the best of her crops were men; but she
never cnltivates that crop as long % she
can raise Murphys or sweet corn. 1t Is
fonly
l "when the frost is on the pumpkin"
and snow covers the ground and there is
nothing doing but chores and getting mp
wood that the msn-crop Ia cultivated.
just why this thing is impressed on
country folk more than village folk may
be hard to determine. Maybe it is lone
someness. The Inherited Hebraism Of
our Puritan fathers who always viewed
the world as going to the deuce appeals
more to lonesome country boys than to
village boys and girls, where there are
dance and concert halls, and who are
more inclined to view the world through
our Hellenic Inheritance Of the world
on Q spree.
Any way, q long evening, an open fire,
an armchair and circle Of yellow lamp
light were considered just the environ
ment In which Q boy should put on
long face, With wrinkles 10 his forehead,
to read and brood over the problems of
the world, or at least that was the con-
dition before grange halls were built In
the country, and Greek culture got the
better Of our inbred Puritan character
istics.
Perhaps following crawling ox-sleds
all day with icicles hanging from the
drivers nose and bis back feeling like .
section OF the north pole might natural
ly induce such thoughts; although one
should not blame the oxen for them.
One doesn't know what their thoughts
are. They must be horrible, however.
They start out in the frosty morning,
when their breaths look like the exhaust
from o locomotives cylinders, and 1t
floats back over their bodies and catches
on their sides-their sides which may
have been bright red when they start
ed, but which turns white within an
hours time. That almost beats q shell
shock In results and time. Timel Per-
hsps one thinks an OK don't compre-
bend much about timel Perhaps he
doesn't; any way one can't expect him
to have much Of q time with only haul
ing cord wood and the beef barrel ahead
of him.
Then the music Of those sleds, or
rather the snarl they give ont. II any
reader has never heard 1t, he or she
should follow couple of "bobs" on
frosty morning before sun-up. No dog
bowling TO the moon or Thomas-cst on
a spree can give quite 80 much cussed-
ness to tone. IL reminds one of the
wall of one of those Mephistophelian
victims In Faust after he had spent fifty
years In hell. II that would not make
boy feel solemn nothing can.
Yet some people, as mentioned above,
have the temerity to call that snarl
music, and perhaps think IL should
breed up q class of composers. II IL
ever does, their compositions will not be
noted for lightness, especially II their
studies are made in winter, when all
nature takes on minor key In Its sym
phonic murmurings. Every pine shrub
exercises in thorough bass, while bare
trunks and branches above put In q
counter to the Whitney air of the twigs
surmounting all, orchestratipg In viol,
viola and violin. Such funeresl sounds
may produce solemn hymns and an
thems, but scarcely jazz.
However, IL Ia an indisputable fact,
the man crop should be cultivated when
ever possible and II Ii can only be done
in winter, why let that be the season.
AQuARIUs.