Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-10-15

sHAND AVE YE
7 WAS invited to spend . day on one
i Of these farms consisting OF $50
acres, which the tenant rented from
. great landlord. He took me over
. part Of the acres and explained
that under the present depressed
state Of business It 10 much more
profitable to rent q big farm than
to own one. because all expense in
CURED n the upkeep OF the place is
borne by the owner.
He let me sample cherries from
him 400 bushels. He pointed out
prize rams that vere to be entered
in . county fair held the following
week. What mammoth fellows they
were. with their square backs and
heavy wool leach would yield about
twenty-five pounds to the shearinE)
and absurdly small faces! His decks
numbered many hundreds Of sheep.
and one sees sheep everywhere in
Kent pasture after pasture made
picturesque with their white bodies.
A. one motors from Dover to Rye.
In southern Kent, one sees scarcely
anything save field after deld In
which sheep. all bearing numbers or
initials stamped upon their backs. are
grasing in their placid, dumb way.
On this same farm saw prize pigs
with their Ntters and cattle with good
pedigrses. Beehives furnished excellent
honey and many leshorns made the sale
Of eggs q means Of keeping the house
wife's purse in a plump condition. Plum
and apple orchards, wide fields Of grain
and hay gave this home an excellent
living.
The barn was long and spacious and
equipped with tho necessary machinery
for taking care Of the products Of the
nelds. It was matched, the matching
being almost q foot In thickness and
laid on with the absolute nicely Of
Singing In America On many Of
those farms are picturesque windmills.
used for grinding grain and for drawing
water. They add an inimitable touch
20 the landscape.
One sees in England many matched
roofs. for they are used on both
houses and barns. They artistically
delight the eye even while reason pro-
tests against such ancient methods of
protection from the weather. In the
case of the small rural cottage with
its low matched roof one wonders
how the Inhabitants manage to reach
any age At all. for there are few win
dows. one door and walls that are 50
low that any one can reach up and
touch the thatching. Where are sun
shine, fresh air and dry rooms to be
found under such picturesque roofs?
Al one goes into these places he
shivers and shakes and feels some
thing deep within him urge him out
into the sunlight. Generations have
lived In these tiny, cluttefed rooms.
and one surmises correctly that each
generation adds to itself all the ac-
cumulations in bric-a-brac. In furni-
ture, in feather beds that the previous
generations have possessed.
It Is hopeless to attempt to dust
this heaped-up waste. SO dust lies
everywhere In these rural homes. The
air In the rooms seems ancient too.
and rseks with indefinite and damp
odors Of which the owners are seem.
inRly unaware. It has been my lack
Of good fortune to havesto sleep in
soms Of those ancient, malodorous
feather beds, and must confess that
rve done it with q very bad grace.
my disdainful nose keeping me awake
for the first night or so. especially
when the hostess was kind enough to
tell me that her father died with
cancer upon that bed!
However, these conditions are not
confined to the villages. for the cities
show the same things save for the
thatchinE.
IF tho interior distressss one with
i its numberless and meaningless
articles Of furniture and Of decora-
ton, the exterior never fails 70 de-
lisht: for somewhere. either 70 the
front, or side. or most frequently 70
the rear, there is q garden kept in
IN order and . stately dignity that
the most exacting housekeepsr might
envy. Against the brick walls that
shut out the neighbors' gardens are
borders In . profusion Of bloom
snapdragons and shasta daisies. roses
and jasmine vines. fuchsias and be-
gonias. forget-me- nots and stocks. ira
grant and luxuriant under the fire.
quent rains and damp climate that
mako England bit trying to the
tourist. -. ~......-
Always amid the gay sweetness OF
these growing things, like . spire
above the village trees. there lifts .
dump Of Madonna lilies. whose bells
unfold from June 70 late September
In an Immaculate wonder. TO me
their. .ubiquity and their beauty sSsm
symbolical Of the Englishman's de-