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r
W
A
Good Roads a Bier Issue
It is significant that the two leading
articles in a recent issue of the Na
tional Advocate a journal devoted to
agricultural life and interests should
deal with The Rush to the Cities and
The Relation of Good Roads to Rural
Life The first of these papers by
President David Starr Jordan of Stan
ford University points out as one of
the most disquieting features of our
social condition the alarming tendency
to congestion in the cities The second
paper commenting on the necessity of
improved roadways gives one of the
most important of the reasons for this
tendency
Entirely apart from the immensely
important considerations of commer
cial and industrial welfare the nation
must look to national and State sys
tems of good roads if it would build
up the country And the country is the
storehouse from which every nation
draws its strength The journal quotes
from the California Advocate
First and as the necessity without
which nothing can be done wre must
have good roads roads over which ve
hicle or bicycle may glide rapidly and
smoothly and even now with such
roads with good horses or the swift
bicycle are neighbors and families in
the country in closely settled commu
nities practically brought as near to
gether for all social intercourse and en
joyment and advantages of education
as residents of a city Small holdings
well tilled bringing thickly populated
rural communities will support in
near by towns good schools churches
public libraries gymnasiums halls for
musical and theatrical entertainments
and social enjoyments of all kinds and
all within easy reach of the entire com
munity Under these conditions noth
ing which the city has to offer may not
be had in the village and within the
reach of the means of every thrifty
farmer
Nor should it be forgotten that the es
tablishment of good roads would aid
materially in bringing on the day of
rural mail delivery which itself prom
ises to do a great work in building up
the country If the various legislative
bodies of the nation would abate dis
content and give the nation a lift to
ward brighter days let them turn their
attention to this problem
Watterson on Good Roads
Henry Watterson takes issue with a
good roads advocate who insists that
the general government should have
charge of road making that there
should be national highways built and
maintained at public expense This ad
vocate points to the highways leading
from Rome and expresses the belief
that the United States would be great
ly benefited by imitating the example
set by the Roman Empire hundreds of
years ago Colonel Watterson brushes
this zdalous advocates arguments aside
with perfect ease and in a manner
that will be satisfactory to the great
mass of people and particularly the
farmers who are more interested in
having good roads or who will be more
benefited by good roads than an
other class
Mr Watterson says that the good
roads of the Roman Empire were
created for convenience in the move
ment of great armies Certainly the
United States does not need wagon
roads upon which to move its armies
in time of war Our system of rail
roads answers that purpose fully It
did so thirty five years ago during the
great civil strife It can do so better
to day that it could then It can do so
much more promptly and satisfactor
ily ten twenty thirty fifty years from
now The good roads that are needed
those that are most needed in the lan
guage of Colonel Watterson are those
that lead from the farm to the rail
road the mill the factory the school
the church the ferry and the market
This apt remark of Colonel Watter
son is a condensation a simplification
an absolutely plain presentation of
what is most wanted In the matter of
good roads Carry out that idea and
what will be wanting It will meet
the requirements of the farmer it will
save the farming element hundreds of
millions of dollars every year it will
meet the expectations of the pleasure
seeker it will add to the value of every
foot of land in the country it will be
of value to every merchant and eei y
professional man it will be a source of
pleasure and profit to all classes in all
communities
Agitation along the lines laid down
by Mr Watterson will prove the most
valuable effort in bringing about a sys
tem of good roads Such agitation
would reach the hearts and minds yes
and the pockets of the public It should
not be forgotten that that which is most
needed to day and which will be need
ed most during the next few years to
bring about good roads is agitation
Those people who are anxious to exert
an influence in that direction cannot
study too carefully the question of agi
tation in order that they may agitate
practically successfully agitate so as
not to antagonize so as to educate in
the right direction and so as to get the
co operation of the masses of the peo
ple
Such work as that would build up a
good roads sentiment that will as sure
ly lead to the building up of good roads
as the sun is to shine when the skies
are clear
Silkworms of Lebanon
Harry Fenn the artist has written a
paper entitled Silk and Cedars for
St Nicholas describing his visit to the
famous mountains of Lebanon Con
cerning the silk industry which plays
such an important part in the lives of
the natives Mr Fenn says Aa the
time approaches for the silkworm to
hatch out of the egg the family move
out of the house and camp under the
trees giving up the entire establish
ment to the worms after having placed
the eggs on shelves made of a reed like
bamboo At first the young worms are
fed on finely chopped leaves but as
they grow larger the leaves need only
be broken in two The people have to
feed and watch the worms night and
day or they wander in search of food
and be lost and in the silence of the
night the sound of the worms feeding
is like a gently falling rain
The worms fast three or four times
during this period and about twenty
four hours is the length of each fast
A curious feature about their fast is
their posture they assume the atti
tude of a cobra snake about to strike
and remain rigidly fixed in that posi
tion for the entire period When they
are ready to spin small branches are
placed on the shelves and as the co
coons are formed upon them the dead
twigs seem to bear golden fruit When
the worms get through that part of the
business the neighbors are called in
something as to an old fashioned New
England apple paring bee They call it
qtaf in Arabic that is picking
and soon you see piles of pale green
pure white and golden yellow cocoons
heaped upon the floor Later they may
be spun into hanks but usually the
cocoons are sent down the mountains
to Tripoli or Damascus and after their
thirty or forty days of toil they too
often have to sell the produce for next
to nothing as the Chinese are always
ready to undersell them
Another curious use Mr Silkworm is
put to is to soak him in vinegar for
some hours after which he is drawn out
into so called catgut to make snella
or leaders for fish hooks
Both Were Gentlemen
One cold and stormy evening last
winter a prosperous looking business
man stopped in the vestibule of a large
office building on his way out and at
tempted to light a cigar An urchin
with an armful of papers also stood
within the arch stamping his feet on
the stone step to warm them as he
lustily cried his wares
The wind blew out the last match
which the fur coated broker had about
his person and he turned to the boy
and said
Here boy give me a match
The lad eyed the gentleman furtive
ly as he inquired Say mister is that
a demand or a request
Instead of being angry at this re
proof the gentleman for he was such
replied kindly
A request my boy a humble re
quest and Ill take a couple of even
ing papers too I guess he added as
he received the match from the young
sters hand and passed him a quarter
and you may keep the change
That mans got manners if hes a
mind ter take the tinie ter uoc cw
said the boy as his patron boarded a
car
That boy wont always have to sell
papers if he practices what he preach
es thought the broker as he sat down
to read the news Philadelphia Itei
Close Cropping
Sir Henry Hawkins one of the jus
tices of the English bench wears his
hair very short the prize figih tors cut
and is clean shaven On two occasions
this habit has led to Her Majestys
judge being mistaken for a member of
the class to be shunned
Sir Henry was once waiting to take
his ticket tat the Epsom Railway station
-cit which there were a number of roughs
returning from the races One of them
was rude to the judge who remonstrat
ed witlh him whereupon the man in
vited him to go outside and have what
for Sir Henry then took off his hat
thinking that as the men were proba
bly of the criminal classes they would
recognize him and quietly remarked
Perhaps you do not know who I
am
Selp me Bob his assailant said
edging off a Tblooinin prize fighter
Not me and the judge was not further
molested
On another occasion iSir Henry out on
a ramhie between assizes with a com
panion stopped at a wayside Inn and
they were soon hard at skittles -with
two rustics Things went on pleasant
ly until in an unguarded moment the
judge removed his moleskin cap There
upon one of the rustics eyeing him sus
piciously said I dont mind being
neighborly but Ill be hanged if Im
goin to play skittles with a ticket of
leave man
Would See His Mother
Mr Greville was persuaded when he
was over 65 years of age to attend a
spiritualistic seance Foster the pre
siding medium was in great form and
the revelations were astounding Gre
ville sat silent and his aged wizened
face was emotionless as a mask Sud
denly the medium grew excited and
said to the old gentleman
A female form is bending over you
Oh the extraordinary likeness
Greville signed
She lifts her hands to bless you
Greville sighed again
It is your mother
Ah poor thing said Greville I
am glad
She smiles She says all is well
with her
Greville sighed again and said Im
delighted
She says she will see you soon You
are old and you must see her before
long
Then Greville quietly observed
Thats very true Im going to have
tea with her this evening
Tableau London Judy
A man nhould work every day or nc
at all Yi hen a busy man rests on Sun
day he j upset for several days
TIMELY tfAUM TOPICS
MANAGEMENT OF THE -FARM
GARDEN AND STABLE
The Farmer Should Use Brains as
Well aa Muscle Device for Turning
the Grindstone How to Stop a Kick
ine Cow Savine Grass Seed
For Turninc the Grindstone
A contrivance for turning a grind
stone by means of which one can turn
and grind at the same time with com
parative ease has been devised by a
correspondent of the Rural New York
er To construct the device take the
small sprocket wheels and chain from
an old worn binder or other farm ma
chinery and gear it two to one that
is the lower or crank shaft wheel
must have twice as many cogs as the
one on the stone shaft Use a stone
twenty or more inches in diameter and
be sure to get a good one An Amherst
is better than a Berea for all purposes
If geared higher than two to one it will
turn hard and if much lower it will
r
GIUNDSTOXE DEVICE
ii i - i 1
not turn fast enough It is the fast mo
tion that cuts One may find an excel
lent pair of cranks from some old bi
cycle
System on the Farm
On many farms the most apparent
causes of failure are a wrant of system
wastefulness and misdirected labor
It doubtless is far more difficult for the
farmer to reduce his business to a
definite system than it is for the aver
age merchant but that is no reason
why he should abandon all attempts
to do so and work blindly There are
many farmers who are careful men
who are striving to reduce their ope
rations to systematic rules and who
are doing a good deal in this line in the
way of keeping daily records of the
milking of each cow in keeping ledger
accounts with each important crop
and in carefully recording the average
work done by faithful men in the sev
eral occupations of the farm These
are the kind of farmers who are as a
rule successful They quickly detect
a leak vrlkcn ono occurs and can usual
ly tell after a year or two of expe
rience which operations of the farm
are profitable and deserve extension
and which should be abandoned as un
likely to prove profitable The farm
ers business as usually carried on is
largely a mixed industry There are
usually a few staples produced for sale
which the farm is adapted for by na
ture to produce and besides there is a
considerable variety of produce raised
for home consumption b3r the family
or by hired help If the farmer would
carefully count the cost of each of
these products he would doubtless find
that he could profitably extend some
of the small products and sell the sur
plus at a profit and not infrequently
he would discover that some of the
staples supposed to yield a sure profit
are produced at a very small profit or
even at a loss In short the farmer
-who uses his brains and does not sole
ly rely upon the strength of his muscle
is most likely to be successful The
absolute failures are those -who at
tempt to get along with a minimum ex
penditure of both qualities
Ftop the Cow Kickincr
The kicking cow while milking is an
abomination says a correspondent of
the American Agriculturist To pre
vent the kicking a small rope or large
cord should be passed around the body
43
lk iiir a --
mf M
SIMPLE PIA THAT 1IIEVEXTS KICKING
just in front of the udder and tim
top of the hips It need not be drawn
tight just snug will do and no cow j
to which it is applied will even try to
kick Sometimes a cow thus tetherd
will lift a foot as if to kick but some
how she seems to change her mind and
puts it down again I
Vt P rice of Cheese
Considering the small risks run mid
dlemen make far too large a profit on
cheese Four five and even six cents
a pound between the wholesale and re
tail prices is much too great a differ
once When there is a good sized fam
ily all liking cheese it does not lake
many days to dispose of a whole
cheese If more people would make
cheese a staple article of diet it could
be used instead of meats with great ad
vantage in summer
Slnhinjr Cornrows traiht
Much labor in cultivation may be
saved by making corn rows straight
It is very hard to hold the cultivator
so as to miss hills that are alternately
a few inches out of plumb line one side
or the other The result is that in try
ing to save the hills it is impossible to
cultivate Hip fcoil as it should be or to
take all the weeds With the jorn In
a straight line earth may be drawn
from the stalk and thrown back again
so as to destroy all the weeds while
they are small It requires not only
a true eye In the driver but an active
strong horse to draw the marker
straight across the field It is not ev
ery man or horse that can ever be
taught to do it Those who can should
be paid extra for the job for their work
is really skilled labor
Cuttinc Potato Seed
It is slow tedious work to cut the po
tato seed for planting large fields Yet
with most kinds of potatoes the cut
seed is a necessity for if the seed is
planted whole there will be too many
small potatoes from crowding of so
many stalks in a hill It is true not all
the eyes on a whole or even of a cut po
tato will grow but if seed is planted
whole there will be far too many for
profit It is dirty work cutting pota
toes not so much from the soil adher
ing to them as from the potato juice
which discolors and rusts the knife
and stains the hands This discoloring
is easily removed by wetting the hands
in pure water without soap and then
holding them over one or two burning
sulphur matches The fumes of sul
phur are excellent to bleach anything
Breeding Ground Hoes for Food
Mr Henry Singer a well known and
thrifty farmer of near Duvall Station
Scott County Ky has for the past two
years been domesticating the ground
hog with much success Mr Singer
found a burrow in which he captured
seventeen ground hogs and taking
them into a small lot on his place he
built a close wire fence through which
none could escape Last year the hogs
increased to 205 and this year there
were 1G73 Of this number Mr Singer
killed 1000 which he salted away and
will smoke dry as Kentucky farmers
do with ordinary pork The ground
hog when so cured is a great delicacy
and Mr Singer has more than enough
to furnish his meat for the coming
year Southwestern Stockman
Pave the Grass Seed
It is an easy matter to save hay seed
by a slatted manger bottom a as
shown in the cut If the seed is fanned
it may be used for spring seeding Or
if weedy as poultry never void undi
gested food such seeds may be profit
ably fed to the poultry by placing in
pox fon setD Iff
A GRASS SEED CATCHER
the scratch room each week Farm
and Home
Kccr Plant
The egg plant is not difficult to grow
and it is one of those vegetables not
often seen on farmers tables but
which If provided would help make an
agreeable variety The purple egg
plant is most productive and best The
plant belongs to the same botanical
family as the potato and must be pro
tected from attacks of the potato larva
The best way is to watch the plants
closely so long as the potato beetles are
flying and kill the beetles before they
have laid their eggs If any larvae
hatch a weak dilution of paris green
will kill them
Profit from Garden Herbs
A few papers of herb seeds such as
sage parsley and the like should be
found in every farmers garden They
are easily grown and a home supply
will not only save paying out a good
deal of money in the course of a year
but the surplus may be sold at rates
which leave a good profit The demand
is not largo in airy neighborhood but
for the amount of land and labor re
quired few garden products pay as
well
Work in 1 o iltrv
Every year many people begin poul
try keeping with a vague notion that
it is an easy way to get a living all the
work being done mainly by the hens
But such persons inevitably fail as
they ought There is no easy way to
success in anything To keep fowls free
from vermin and disease needs con
stant attention and a great deal of
dirty and very disagreeable manual
labor
The Truly Good
A newspaper man needs no Sunday
and seldom gets one His life is usual
ly so pure and good that he goes iuto
a state of chronic humiliation and re
generated sanctification that is only a
tritle below that of the angels When
several other inhabitants of this ter
restrial sphere get out of old Charons
catboat on the other shore they will find
several editors fishing along the banks
for mud cats and the new arrivals will
have to dig bait and spit on the hook
Ripley Ohio Bee
The 20 eent piece was authorized
March 3 1S75 and its coinage was be
gun the same year Its coinage was
discontinued by act of Congress May 2
1S7S great inconvenience and annoy
ance to the public arising from the
confusion of this coin with the 25 cent
piece
NOTES ON EDUCATION
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO PU
PIL AND TEACHER
A Similar Coarse of Study to that in
a Connecticut School Should Be
Adopted by Every Bourd of Educa
tion in the Country
Study of a Town
There has been prepared for the use
of the public schools of Brookline a
guide to the local history of that town
which is so admirable because sug
gestive and instructive a work that it
well deserves to be made a model for
similar publications in other munici
palities he aim of those who prepared
this pamphlet was to build up in the
minds of the children a knowlege of
and love and respect for their town
The first point taken up is geography
in which the suggestions for a detailed
study of the present and past physical
conditions of the town are presented
nd its relation to surrounding mu
nicipalities or objects of historical or
political importance Following this
comes the geology of the town with
enough indications to enable teachers
to give their pupils field lessons bear
ing upon the geological formation of
the particular area covered bj Jie
township Then follows an abstract
in questions and answers of the settle
ment of Brookline how it became sep
arated from Boston what old or note
Avorthy buildings it has or has had in
what way it was related to the early
routes of travel and the services per
formed by its citizens In the various
wars in which our country has been
engaged All these subjects though
given in the pamphlet in the abstract
have such side note references as would
enable teachers and pupils to make in
other quarters a most exhaustive study
of them
Having thus established in the minds
of the public school scholars a knowl
edge of what the physical conditions of
the town are and what its history has
been attention Is called to its govern
ment and this latter topic of study
when combined with what preceded it
seems to be one of the most satisfac
tory services to which public school in
struction could be turned The pupils
are taught the distinctive features of
a town government in what way its
officers are chosen who they are and
what they do The questions of mu
nicipal finance are considered how
taxes are raised how public debts are
incurred what the various expendi
tures of the town are and what have
been the rates of taxation with their
variations for the last few years These
are the outlines of a course of study
which are filled in partly by statements
in the pamphlet itself and of docu
ments to which side note references are
made
It seems to us that a work of this kind
canuot fail to be of incalcuable value
For years past the attention of teach
ers in both our public and private
schools has been turned to the study
of the history of our country AYe have
in this way developed and possibly
overdeveloped what would be termed
the patriotic sentiments but we have
perhaps developed them at the ex
pense of what would be called the sen
timent of public spirit If our country
was in danger either from a foreign
war or a great rebellion this faith in
our national institutions and pride in
our national career would unquestiona
bly lead millions if need be to sacri
fice their lives upon the altar of their
country Unfortunately however this
sentiment does not count for all that it
should under the ordinary conditions
of life It may make a man a self-sacrificing
patriot in the hour of great
peri but it by no means guarantees
that he will be a good citizen in time
of ueaee This latter want can best be
-- tttt ar
a rainy day Tt would also serve for
Friday afternoon exercises as well as
for supplementary reading Intelli
gence
Greeleys x ritinv
There was only one printer who conid
read Greeleys writing well enough to
put it in type He used to boast that
he could read the great editors won
drous scrawl a mile away
One night the boys in the New lork
Tribune composing room put up a
job on the old man They took two
roosters made them walk on a
form and then run all over ten
sheets of copy paper
The foreman wrote over it in Gree
leys well known scrawl The Plain
Duty of Congress and put it on cd
man Lawtons hook I think his name
was Lawton but if it was not it does
not matter much
The old printer picked it up swore a
little remarked that they had to shove
the stuff on the old man as usual ad
justed his spectacles and began stick
ing type
The other printers watched him for a
few minutes but beyond a muttered
oath or two he gave no sign Lawtou
went on setting tJTe until about naif
way through the copy
Then he was stuck
no took the copy over to the fore
man and asked
Jack what is that word
I dont know replied the foreman
You know I never could read that
stuff
Lawton took the sheet down to Gree
ley and pointed out to him a particu
larly awful scrawl of the roosters foot
asking what that word was
Greeley looked at it a moment and
replied with a frown
Unconstitutional of course
Lawton went back to the composing
room and finished his task with the ut
most sang froid
The old man never knew how the
copy was produced Journal of Edu
cation
Stray Notes
Lippincott quotes some very explicit
and at the same time peculiar excuses
and remonstrances sent by parents tc
eacher One of them seems to be a
very emphatic protest against leading
children to read according to the new
method
Teacher I dink you are a fool yon
want my iy to read when he dont
have no niferbits Please teach him
some
There are few parents who have
such dutiful sons as the boy whose ab
sence is thus explained
Dear Teacher Please excuse Fritz
for staying home he had der measl s
to oblige his father
Another woman would like to take
her choice among accomplishments
You must stop teaching my Lizzi
fisical torture she needs yet readic
and ligors mit sums more as that J 1
want her to do jumping I kin mpJjljB
jump
Another may easily have beu
much distracted from anxiety to pay
attention to her style
Please excuse my Paul for bein aV
sent he is yet sick with dipterry aui
der doctors dont tink he will discover
to oblige his loving Aunt Mrs
I am his mothers sister from her firH
husband
Hints for Teaching
For geography International trade
or commerce is an interesting and prac
tical subject What does our country
buy of the other countries of the world
and what do they buy of us Reciproc
ity treaties should be considered in
this connection
The different nationalities form ex
cellentlessons in geography so do the
races Write out the names of coun
tries inhabited by each race How are
the savages of Europe Asia and Africa
distinguished from those of America
In what countries besides Ireland and
America will you place the Irishman
supplied by a study of local questions Where does the black Caucasian be-
such as that suggested by this Brook- j long
line public school pamphlet The Con
necticut School Journal
crap Boole5 or Fchool
As you are to teach geography and
history and as a rule will have no ref
erence books you should make at least
three scrap books If 3 011 have any
money for this purpose buy three large
invoice books from a book store If no
funds are available you can probably
secure from some patrons some old re
ports from some of the State or nation
al departments From these cut out
every second and third leaf pasting
your scraps on the remaining pages
Or you can buy a regular scrap book
from a store Use one book for geog
raphy including descriptive physical
and mathematical another for civics
history and civil government not only
of the United States but of all things
bearing upon its history and govern
ment and the other for general infor
mation
Now when we have the books and
paste or mucilage of course the real
work begins Do not undertake to fill
the books at once Sift everything care
fully Envelopes may be kept in the
desk properly labeled and the pasting
can be done at stated times Do not let
the matter accumulate too fast The
book can be filleld up with newspaper
clippings and with written matter
gleaned from valuable books and mag
azines The patent insides of most
country papers contain much valuable
matter for all these books You need
-not take all of an article but omit para
graphs that are not pertitnent It
might be well to make an outline on
the board designating the subjects on
which you want clippings and each pu
pil can be requested to watch the pa
pers and magazines for material for
the scrap books You will soon have
three valuable reference books and
others can be made in other years It
is but little trouble and the expense is
slight and the returns large Another
might be made under the head Poems
1 and Anecdotes which would serve to
amuse and interest the pupils on many
Note the countries to which the well-
known animals belong In what coun
tries do you place the horse Why not
in all countries Where are no dogs
found no snakes Give reasons
These exercises will awaken the
thoughts and lead pupils to study geo
graphical principles
Make relief maps of countries show
how mountains have laid the founda
tions of nations and the dstribution of
animals and plants
Relief maps can be made with pulp
and very beautiful ones by mixing
salt and flour moistened with water-
Intelligence
Typewriter Telegraph
A novel apparatus for the immediate
typewriting of telegrams received in
the news service has been introduced
in Berlin With this apparatus any
one can send or receive It The
pie is that the keys of a typewriter are
electrically connected with another ork
a number of other typewriters similar j
ly fitted and the greatest benefit claim-
ed for the new invention is that the
writing Is always kept in sight A tele
graph operator sending a message sees
before him in print what he has been
writing his copy forming the officiaL
proof of the message sent It is hardly
necessary to say that a telegram sent
by means of this apparatus becomes as
strong evidence as a written document
of which a copy has been taken since
a copy of the message exists at the sta
tion where it was sent from with no
possibility of the operator having mado
a mistake
In England no physician may legally
give a certificate of the cause of death
unless he has prescribed for the person
at least forty eight hours before death
Without such a certificate no under
taker Is permitted to bury the body
A portrait supposedly Charles Car
roll was discovered lately In Baltimore
in a cellar of the old Carrollhouse Its
authenticity is left to the decision of
the Maryland Historical Society
