The Monroe journal., 1922-02-24
RUBE COULDN'T GET
HIS MIND TO WORK
Commencement Address Was
Well-Prepared and He Was
in Fine Trim-But
WATERMELON WAS A FAKE
Boy Wanted TO Test His Capacity
Before Betting on His Ability;
Satisfaction State of Mind
By L. E. Huggins

By L. E. Huggins
i A Journal reader is very much in
terested in the stories Rube Lem
mond gets off occasionally and he
comes TO the bat with one that he
wants told on Rube. This reader
says that when Rube was in school
at Unionville the school committee at
Ebenezer asked Prof. o. {. Hamil-
ton to send them a teacher for the
winter term and Solon Cotton, who
was also at Unionville Institute, ac-
cepted the work and taught a good
school. When commencement rolled
around Solon sent for his friend. Mr..
Lemmond, to come out and deliver
the annual address. Rube went and,
since he had been reading history and
learning of what great men had ac-
complished he took for his subject,
"What men have done and what they
can do" 1t was among his first ef-
forts and AT times he couldn't get his
think-tank to work worth a cent. But
he blazed along for awhile and finally
forgot what he wanted 10 say. At the
time his memory left him, he
was telling how to succeed. He start
ed to repeat that quotation, IF at
first you don't succeed, try, try
again." and this is what he really
said; "lf at first you don't succeed
just keep on suckin' till you do sue
ceed."
Watermelon that Wouldn't Be Stolen
Mr.. C. ]. Helms doesn't believe that
people as a rule are as honest now
as they were years ago. why, when
| was boy" said Mr.. Helms, "a man
who was guilty of stealing was looked
upon as nobody at all and decent folks
wouldn't associate with such per-
son." Ee then told of an incident
when he was boy which he says is
the nearest he ever came stealing.
Mr.. Helms was in company with sew
eral other young men when they
passed a field of watermelons. The
ground was covered with beautiful
white melons and one of the boys
suggested that they stop and get one.
Mr.. Helms states that he didn't feel
right about it and refused to go to
the field. However, the other fellow
ventured out and brought about the
finest one he could find back to the
roadside with him. He took out his
knife and everybody's mouth began
watering for the delicious meat they
were about to stick their teeth into.
The youth stuck large jack knife
into the melon and ripped it open,
when 10, and behold, they discovered
that it was just plain old citron.
II wasn't eaten and therefore was
not stolen.
Was Willing to Bet
The above story suggests another
one that Rev. Z. C. Snyder delights
to tell. A gentleman was carrying a
fine watermelon home with him one
day when he met small boy WHO
asked him for the melon. "All right
replied the man, "if you will eat all
Of it yourself at one sitting down |
will give it to you The boy studied
little and then replied: "lf you will
wait here until | run home I'll tell
you whether | will take you up or
not" These remarks aroused the old
gentleman's curiosity and he decided
to wait on the youngster. Within a
short time the boy returned and in
formed the waiting gentleman that
he would cat his watermelon. "You
may try it." answered the fellow,
"but would you mind telling me why
you ran home first ?" "Oh, no" came
back the words from the boy, you
see | had one at home about the
size of that one and knew if | could
eat it could also eat yours, and I've
already eaten the one that was at
home"
II Depends Upon the Way You Look
1.-TWO men looked through the self
same bars; one saw mud, the other
saw stars" That's the way colored
preacher puts it, and there is good
thought in the expression. Some
men go through life looking at mud
and never see anything beautiful and
they get mighty little out of life,
while others who live under no better,
and, in many instances much worse
circumstances, enjoy life to the full
est extent. Human beings are so con-
stituted that whatever they form the
habit Of doing grows upon them to
such an extent that it is the hardest
matter in the world to oct away from
it. While l have never had expert
ence enough to be a competent
witness to the fact, they tell us that
q man who amasses a great fortune
is never happy. We often hear the
expression that "if | just had this,
that and the other, l would be sat
sfed." Satisfaction consists more
largely of state Of mind than of con-
dition or position in life, The col
ored population of the country who
live from hand to mouth and often
have nothing except what they eat
and wear | verify believe get more
out Of life than great many multi
This is no argument,
however, in favor Of idleness and in
It is the duty Of every
one to try in an honest way to lay up
something for a rainy day, but It
would be great service to the race
If somebody could convince folks that
happiness really does consist of a sat-
isfied state Of mind.
Illiterate, But Good Citizens
Tho capeus ranort for 1oo0 cIa;,,,