Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1923-07-04

port given it in this respect. Com
| alunfrations must be signed. but the
name of writer will not be printed ex-
opt by permission. communications
| viii I've subject to approval or rejection
ny the editor of the column. but none
! "i'l he rejected without good reason.
! \ddress all comunications to The
| American. Ellsworth, Me.
Should Old Acquaintance be For
eot?" Certainly not, as the follow
ing good letter proves that the writer
still remembers old friends and the
NJ b. column. 1t is not the first
communication we have gladly re-
ceived from his ready pen, and We
hope it will not be the last.
Dear Aunt Madge:
Except on the rare occasions when
t-ncle Sans mail-carrYing system
fails to function to perfection, | re-
ceive The American each week. 1t is
much like a letter from home, and
serves to supplement the weekly let
ters get from Bangor. When l find
the paper at my house / first look at
the list of deaths. then at the items
from my native town, and afterwards
at matters of interest, among which is
the NJ. :. column.
l notice that the contributors to this
ooiun:n are apparently all of the
female persuasion. My attention,
however, was called not long ago to a
masculine contributor VINO signed a
feminine name. The revelation of
this so far as | am aware was not
made during his life. Very recently
there has appeared what at first might
be considered an exception to the rule;
but / hesitated for while to form an
opinion when l learned that he did not
wear his own pants and devoted the
most of his time to knitting. After
due consideration, l have concluded
to hold and insist that he cannot in
truth be deemed an exception to the
rule. until satisfactory evidence is
produced that he has really got his
pants on and not merely got tangled
up in them.
Whether this rule lis the fault of the
men or the desire on the part of the
women to show their independence
political significance, l have not suf-
ficient knowledge on which to form
belief: but l realize that this COM
tpiiihS iloiii oiiS Niio' III
the language of to-day, claims to be a
herman" is very likely to be rolled
into compact ball and deposited with
promptitude on the bottom of the
editorial waste basket.
Do you remember a story that an
old friend of ours used to enjoy tell
ing? A man got into some alteration
with his wife, who, armed to all in
tents and purposes cap-a-pie with the
family broom, drove him under the
bed. From this point of vantage he
persisted in peeking out, much to her
displeasure, because it was so clearly
a breach of the due proportion of
things. so she tried to put an end to
this fragrant practice; but he. ! with
drawing far enough to be out of reach
of the aforementioned utensil. stoutly
declared that as long as he had the
spirit of a man, he would peek Emu
lating the valor of this brother, we
hope only temporarily in eclipse. l feel
that | should run the risk and proceed
with this letter. now that | have be-
gun it.
l think it is generally admitted that
most persons are DESTROYS of being
happy. though it is a question. consti-
tuted as we are, whether continual
happiness would not, after a while, be-
come so monotonous that we would
have an almost unquenchable i'm
pulse to go out and kick up fuss with
somebody, perhaps over something
not more important than an old hen
just for variety, which is said to be
the spice of life While a hen might
10 rIa &c a
hict, it must not be ignored that the
possibilities of hen, either young or
old, or even a chicken, as row pro-
Queer, have never been measured.
In our endeavors to attain happi-
ness. it is somewhat disturbing, as we
carefully look around, to have it inn
pressed upon us that the alienation of
sunshine and storm seems to be neces-
sary in this world to develop depth,
force and zeal to life. The person who
has an easy time of it never amounts
to much. In order to be strong, there
must be struggle, and sometimes the
struggle is forced upon us, because,
if left to our choice, we would
not struggle. Nature furnishes
food enough for all the birds, but it
does not throw the food into their
nests 1t gives them the pleasure of
going after it. True happiness is COM
patible with usefulness and, indeed,
is the product of usefulness. This is
a truth worthy of deep and sincere
consideration by those sapent in
dividuals who deplore that things are
as they are and advocate legislating
against natural laws as sure to bring
forth universal bliss.
While there may be difference
of opinion to what con-
stitutes happiness and what will pro-
duce it, l am convinced that there is
general agreement as to the value of
a happy home and the chief principles
upon which such home depends
Doubtless it would be agreed that the
ann..I alAlaI.. ~ IA Ia hAc