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home and farm magazine section
Editorial Page of Home and Farm Magazine Section
Timely, Pertinent Comment Upon Men and Affairs, Following the Trend of World News; '
Suggestions of Interest to Renders; Hints Along Lines 01 regressive iann Thought.
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TO ADVBKTISERS
Advertisers in this locality who uMi to fully
cover all sections of Oregon and Washington
and a portion or Idaho will apply to local pub
lishers for rates.
General advertisers may address C. L. Kur
ton, Advertising Manager of Oregon-Washing-ton-Idaho
Farmer, Oregoninn lluilding, Tort
land, Oregon, for rates and information.
TO HEADERS
Readers are requested to send letters and
articles for publication to The Editor, Oregon-Washington-Idaho
Tanner, Oregoniau Uulld
ing, Portland, Oregon.
Discussions on questions and problems that
bear directly on the agricultural, livestock and
poultry interests of the Northwest and on the
uplift and comfort of the farm home always
arc welcomed. No letters treating of religion,
politics or the European war arc solicited, for
the .Orcgon-Washington-Idaho .Farmer .pro
claims neutrality on these matters.
Comparatively brief contributions arc pre
ferred to long ones. Send us also photographs
of your livestock and farm scenes that ou
think would be of general interest. Wc wish
to make this magazine of value to you. Help
us do it.
FARMER AS ULTIMATE MARKET.
MOKE than ever before the manufac
turer, the retailer, and the politician
is looking to tlic farmer as one upon
whom their prosperity depends, lie is the
ultimate market for manufactured goods; he
is the ultimate market for a politician's
wares. The manufacturer who does not
mukc good with the farmer, the retailer
whoso policy does not please the farmer,
the politician who neglects tin farming in
terests soon learn of the power wielded by,
the man on the land.
The farmer is increasing in numbers, as
he is also increasing in wealth. The farmer
is a man with whom business men of. tint city
like to deal. Not that they think that be
cause he is not living in a metropolis that he
is nil "easy mark" for shady deals, for they
know better than that from experience, but
because he is good pay a ml a plea.snnt cus
tomer. No one has been quicker to sense
tlio importance of the farmer than the wily
politician. Today it is not the man who
breezes about with a glad hnnd.exteuded to
the farmer, the man who kisses their babies
and talks stock and agriculture with those
in rural communities that wins, by those
methods ulouc, in the political world, but it
is the man who has the ability to make good
his promises and integrity to do so.
The farmer has been coming into his own
for many years. It has been slow, but we
may confidently say that he has "arrived."
" TAKE-IT-BAOK DAY."
THE citizens of u small town in Western
Kentucky had a unique festival re
cently. They call it Take-lt-Buek
day."
On that fixed and formally proclaimed
day everybody who had borrowed articles
was supposed to take them back where they
belonged.
The man who borrowed his neighbor's
lawn-mower last .Summer and forgot to
bring it back was to take this day off for
tho return of the borrowed implement.
His wife, who had borrowed her neigh
bor's cookbook, was to take that back.
Their neighbors, who had borrowed the
snowsbovel lust Winter and tho nutmeg
grater last Spring, were to exchange tho.se
articles for their own belongings. .
And then, of course, everybody woidd be
raady to start in on another year's bor
rowing. Not a bad idea, at all. There is a good
dual of borrowing in small towns. It's a
sort of social function, in a largo way. Bor
rowing is often done wlioti the borrowed
article is not needed; but When tho borrower
feels the need of a little social exchange and
makes the borrowing the excuse for it. Bor
rowing, too, is made the vehicle for exchang
ing the latest news. Mrs. Housewife, hear
ing the latest bit of scandal, must hasten to
Mrs. Neighbor's house to tell it, professing,
though, that she is there to borrow Mrs.
Neighbor's famous recipe for layer cake.
It's a very pleasant custom, too, in many
of its aspects. It is the medium whereby tho
newcomers in tho neighborhood get ac
quainted and are gotten acquainted with.
It is the peace overture that has patched
up many a quarrel.
Unhappily, too, it is the occasion of mnny
another quarrel, because borrowers arc
sometimes not returners. The "Takc-It-Baek"
day, then, is a social reform move
ment aimed at robbing tho borrowing prac
tice of some of its annoying features. There
fore it is a good thing.
We wonder the information at hand
dons not disclose whether "Tnkc-It-Baek"
day applies to books and money. Probably
not. That's asking almost too much.
FIGHTING THE MAIL ORDER.
(LMttorUl In Lebanon Kxprrxn.)
TEN mail sacks filled with Sears, Hoc
buck & Co. catalogues was one of tho
interesting items in the day's work at
the Albany postoffice recently. These cata
logues will find their way into hundreds of
rural homes, and in due course of time tho
parcel post will be delivering various arti
cles of merchandise at the farm homes.
Many will argue that the goods arc sold
cheaper, when often close inspection will
prove that the goods are cheaper in quality
than those offered by the home merchant.
There is no doubt that many thousands of
dollars are sent out of Linn County every
year to the Eastern mailorder houses that
should remain at home. What is the secret
of their success in attracting the trade 7 It
is liberal advertising, and if the home mer
chants would study the proposition from this
point of view and present their goods in the
same attractive manner the order of things
would change to the advantage of all con
cerned. The farmers are busy peopl,e and it is
much earier to scan tho pages of the news
paper or turn the leaves of a catalogue, then
make out an order for the articles needed,
than it is to drive to town and shop in per
son. Chicago is only a few days farther off
than their usual trading point, naturally tho
order goes there. The home merchant who
advertises intelligently and systematically
will not have long to complain of the mail
order houses.
THE HOBO DEFINED.
IT IS commonly understood that a hobo
differs from n tramp in that he wants
work; at least tlmt he professes to want
it. As he puts it himself, he is an itinerant
worker who, if he does not find employment
in one town, travels to another in search
of it.
A newer definition is that offered by a
member of the profession temporarily iu
New York. He says the word hobo is taken
from tho two Latin words, ''homo," man,
and bonus," good. It means, therefore,
good man, a man who will work when he has
a ehanue. The accuracy of this philologieal
information is opon to some doubt, but at
least this particular man is living up to tho
nmue by directing a gang of hoboes in the
. - rcmouelmg ami ropaiH 7
winch has been turned over to LlH
uuuuvoicui, citizen n m !..,. ""
"itu hs n
-a place where t hey can Uy in ,1M 1
comfort while iunll,,B wotk JS?1
accommodations they will pay n. 11
able. ',
Already they are showing their ,lB
ness and self-respect by offering to pirt
some form of labor for tl,u unsolicited r
of furniture, food supplies, etc., that K
comu to them. The working r u. i .
schema will bo a good test of the fa
of their assertions that all thev ... J;
In Philadelphia' is another group 0( 5
or 100 men who call themselves hobonk
cause, iih one explains, their work, whf nil,
have any, is of a kind that compels
wear old and often soiled doting
Dictionaries make the term hobo w$
v.uiij ajiiuiiuiiiuiiM whii irninp, and dc!
its origin to be obscure, but it is pta
only fair to let the members of the frateruh
fix the definition themselves; they m
however, to get together on the suhWt 3
avoid contusion.
WAR'S WASTE OF INTELLECT i
nr NOMAS A. EDISON says that irajul
J bo devised beam; long to protect
ships from torpedo or sulmarite
tack. It is not inconceivable, tlialimeitis
will make cities immune from air Mi
The chemistry ami mechanics of w p
duco a constant game of wits, to whiclfii
brightest intellects in science mid invtt'n
are directed.
But here, as elsewhere in the elfilia
war, appears a vast, even criminal ii&
Wc deplore war for its ruthless wnfittd
lifo and its Wanton destruction of proi'iti
But what if all the brain power laid utk
liarhnriu altar of professionalized klk
making were turned to tlic paths of j-Ktl
Instend of bottling up energy iu hira'i
looking substances that explode with ta
mendous force, suppose Hint energy eotil
be converted into beat, light ami Vn
How much better off the world would M
the sum total of brains devoted to contnYaj
ninnlitmui fnr ulinln.illi killilU' COllld IW
uninterruptedly at the conservation (B
and energy I
Wni. no n liiioiunuu ilenriVCS tilt WOIU)
world of many minds that ought to be thi
. ... i
ing civilization, not destroying h.
In putting in a furnace be sure and pit
size lnrgcr than you think jou netd. i
,.r,.i. r ,,mii vnnt iint Inn. Have tit to
deep where the furnace stands.
Argcntiue has borrowed $15,000,OW
American hankers. "Seeing America
is becoming a slogan for a nurabtr f '
countries.
ftpnee.il Vnn Hindenbunt ll "I08"
the German women not to send hi j
more love letters. Surely that is not i
to arms.
Two officers who jumped parole "l
ordered back to Holland by KafariWI
erals. That's sportsmanship.
There are a lot of individuals vlM m
method of taking vacation would Ml
to work.
iTs..i.r t....i : n uncertain t'l
the heavy bread is tho worst.
Much- of the Billy Sunday hW1.
merely slanguage.
mi
.win