Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1924-06-25
THE SURRY PHILOSOPHER.
A. T. Milliken Writes About Wood
ChopDers and the Joy of Living.

ChopDers and the Joy of Living.
How many of you readers have
ever had the privilege of cutting pulp
! wood? If you have been deprived OF
| this privilege, you have missed some
thing. Chopping wood isn't the
| easiest work, nor is it the hardest.
II sounds better to be banker, law
yer, minister, doctor or editor, than
common wood-chopper, but the
work is lust as necessary and honor
able as any work.
The time will come when person
will be rated according to his worth
to society, not by what his ancestors
were or what his job is. I'm natur-
! ally a sympathetic person, but | shed
no tears when | hear that Prince
| Kenselovoloif is working with the
pick and shovel beside the Russian
| peasant.
Peeling wood isn't mental work.
| After a little practice, one can do THIS
work and think about other things.
| Usually one thinks about the sWarms
| of countless flies that sing and buzz
and fill the ears and blind the eyes.
| The ground at ones feet is alive with
creeping, jumping, crawling Great
ures that hiss, and sing, and bite and
sting. Yet | know that if it were not
for all these insects, the human race
would cease to exist. These insects
and flies assist to hold nature's
balance.
The worst pest in the woods is the
MOSQUITO. Millions have been spent
in trying to exterminate him, but he
is still doing business. He is uni
versally hated. In this respect, he is
like a tax-collectol. The mosquito
is always cheerful, always singing.
He is never sulky. If you drive him
away, he comes again as though he
was a welcome guest. When he
lands, his music ceases. Without any
preliminary movements, he thrusts
needle-like contrivancs deep into
your flesh and begins sucking blood.
If any man can work in the woods
in fly time and not swear, he should
enter the ministry at once. In Mark
Twain's Life on the Mississippi
the author describes the rough river
men as the champion swearers in
America. He says they have the
largest collection of choice swear
words of any one living. This may
be so, but | doubt it. For pure, UNI
adulterated profanity, the wood
chopper in the summer time has
them all beaten to a FRAGILE.
Fir, spruce and poplar are the
kinds of wood used mostly for pulp.
Other kinds are used, but only in
small quantities.
The bark on fir starts about April
90, on spruce a little later, and on
poplar always called "pople" among
choppers) May 20. The bark sets
about August. The exact time, OF
course, varies.
Two men usually work together.
One cuts the trees, while the other
man removes the bark with a "spud.
These spuds are usually made of an
old blacksmiths rasp. They are fiat
tened at one end and slightly turned,
Then a handle is fitted, and one has
complete outfit of tools for peeling
wood. Another thing needed is fly
mint-mosquito dope
The trees are felled, peeled and
left, usually till fall. Then they are
sawed into four foot lengths, knotted,
piled and the road swamped. The
price paid for chopping, peeling, saw
ing, knotting, piling, and swapping
roads, ranges from three to five dol
lars per cord.
| wouldn't recommend this work as
a health restorer for invalids, or for
those seeking a fortune. Hundreds
of men who have followed this bust
ness for years are still riding in Ford
cars. Pm glad of it. The men and
women who ride in Ford cars get
more real enjoyment than the rich
who ride in Cadilacs. 1t isn't neces
sary to be rich or famous to be happy.
Whether you enjoy life or not de-
ponds on the brain-on your
| philosophy of life.
John Burroughs was plain work
| ing man, but to him life was an end
i less joy. He spent his life learning
natures secrets. He was in love with
nature. The world is better for his
having lived.
No, to be a common wood chopper
| doesn't sound big. It's doubtful if
the statue of a wood chopper ever
adorns the hall of frame, but it's pos
sible for the working man and
woman to get out of life all that's
| worth having.