Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1921-04-13

| Are WalloWing in deep distress,
| They seek to know the hidden cause
| Why farmer boys desert their pas
"Well. stranger, since you've been so
| frank,
IN roll aside the haZy plank,
| left my dad, his farm. his pillow,
| Because my calf became his COW.
| left my dad, twas wrong, of course,
| Because my colt became his horse.
| / left my dad to SOW and reap.
| Because my lamb became his sheep.
dropped my hoe and struck the fork
Because my pig became his pork,
| The garden truck that l made grow
| Was his to sell, and mine to hoe.
| It's not the smoke in the atmosphere.
Nor the taste for life that brought me
here.
| Please tell the platform, pulpit, press
No fear of toll nor love of dress
Is driving off the farmer lads,
It's just the method of their dads"
Woodstock Chamber of Commerce
journal.
Dear M. B. Friends:
When | give you a poem like the
one this week, | am always thinking
Of the grange members who read our
column, and wonder if it will not be
made use of in some of their pro-
grams OF course | don't want to be
too hard on the dads" and, more
than that | would not want them to
lay anything up against me, es
pecially when their wives are both
grangers and M. BIS In truth |
think the dads" do recognize the
worth of the boys on the farm more
than formerly.
Providence, r. l., March 90,
Dear Aunt Madge:
Acting upon your suggestions in the
Mutual column, l am sending glimpses
of some of my experiences at the
Worlds Eighth Sunday School conven-
ton:
GLIMPSE NO. |.
After nearly seven years of prepa-
ration, the Patrons association, the
Imperial Government, the Associated
Churches in Japan, the American COM
mittee in New York, and scores of in
dividuals throughout the world, We're
happy in the thought that everything
was in readiness for the opening of
this convention on October 5. 1920, at
Tokyo, Japan.
The convention hall was completed.
1t was a frame building with plaster
over a lattice work of bamboo. The
big auditorium was in the fore part of
the building, seats for over $500
persons being arranged on sloping
| main floor and two galleries around
the sides of the room. The main floor
ARRANGED | 400 and each
gallery more than 500 The platform
was large enough to seat a chorus of
LOCO.
The dining room was back of the
auditorium, and large enough for 400
to be served at ne time. Besides the
main sections of the building there
were about a dozen office and commit
tee rooms and rest rooms for both men
and women.
At o'clock on the opening day, the
electricians were testing the lamps for
the last time when Prof. Augustine
Ii. Smith, who was directing the final
rehearsal of the large chorus. saw
tiny spark shoot out from "A sign, Il
am the Light of the World" He
raised his hand and raped with his
baton for the music to stop, and
NulthlS SlS udlltu the young musicians
to file out of the building in orderly
fashion, While telling us the story,
Prof. Smith said he had never handled
such a self-possessed crowd of young
people. Some of the men in the chorus
tried to get at the blaze by pulling
down the curtain, but it was useless.
Little was saved, so quickly did the
flames spread
After many inquiries. Prof. Smith
succeeded in locating the four young
Japanese who rescued one of the
convention pianos amid much danger
to themselves. During one of the SEES
sions he led them upon the platform
and introduced them to the audience.
We stood and gave them three rous-
ing "Bonai, Bonzai, Bonzai."
The fire trucks began to appear
within a few minutes after the fire
could be seen, but by the time the
hose connections We're made and the
streams began to flow, the fire was be-
yond control. In less than half an
hour after the fire started, there was
nothing left of the convention hall it.
self but "A mass of smoking ashes.
some charred timber, and a few bits of
twisted wire.
In front of the place where it had
stood there was a group of statuary.
and the central figure of that group
was life-size image of Christ bless
ing the children of the world. That
alone remained unhurt.
Many of the delegates gave eX-
preston to the opinion that the fire
was fortunate catastrophe in many
ways-fortunate that it happened
when it did, since it must happen;
| fortunate that there was no loss of
| life; and particularly fortunate that it
| gave the Japanese a chance to show
| their real spirit. the spirit of Japan.
| A DELEGATE.
|
| We all remember with pleasure
the letters we had from 1.-The Dele
| gate when she was on her wonder
| full trip across the Pacific. Since
her return and the resumption Of her
school work Ito use her own words
in personal letter. she has been
trying to tell some of these wonder
| full stories to mission societies. SIM