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10 THE YOUNG SOUTHERNER All communications and contributions intended for this department should be addressed to Mrs. Louise T. Hodges, 83 East Avenue, Atlanta, Ga. Yellow Jessamine. O g’olden bells that lightly sway In the deeps of Southern wildwood, Where balmiest breezes gently play Like memories of happy cildhood. Gently, slow, To and fro You swing in the scented air, And your dainty chimes softly swell, Calling fairy folk to prayer. The merry dances now have ceased And the flower bells are pealing, While fairy folk and fairy priest Are on mossy carpets kneeling. Tender, slow, ' Sweet and low The mystic tones faint, remote, Like echoes soft from cloister tower— On evening zephyrs lightly float. With lavish bloom and trailing vine, The fairest of Southern flowers, Its graceful tendrils closely twine Making dusky, dreamy bowers. Soft winds blow To and fro The fragrant, clustering bells, And music—dumb to mortal ears— Is heard in the elfin dells. —L. T. H. Value of Temperance. The Admiralty or head of the English navy has taken a strong step in the direction of cutting off the liquor supply of the officers of the English ships. This action is taken on the ground, it is stated, “that whiskey destroys the nerve quickness of the brain, and consequently impairs efficiency.” No officer under the age of twenty is to be per mitted to use liquor of any kind. If the head of the greatest navy in the world can take this decisive step, why, then, my boy, who is just starting in life, should you contract the habit ? Why, while your lips are still pure, your body in excellent condition, start with your first glass of beer or whiskey? If the greatest sea-fighting force in the world cannot endure it, how can you? This is not a temperance lecture. It is a bit of hard common sense from a wonderful body of men offered to the growing American boy as worthy his attention. The question involves not only your soul, but your future bodily strength and bus iness success. Do you know that there is not a reputable busi ness house in Chicago or New York today, if you applied to it for work, but would ask you, among the first questions: / “Do you use intoxicating liquors?” Do you know that life insurance companies re ject thirty per cent of their applicants for insur ance on the ground that they drink to excess? Do you know that they prefer as a risk the man who does not drink at all? Think these things over before starting on the drink habit.—The Boys’ World. With Correspondents. Dear Editor: I am a constant reader of The Golden Age and I think it is a very nice paper. I enjoyed greatgrandmother’s letter so much. The old time schools must have been very funny, but I suppose the children enjoyed them as much Conducted by Louilse Threete Hodges. as we do ours. I don’t see how they could study, though, with everybody studying aloud. I guess our teacher would go crazy if we made that much noise. She wants everything to be as still as a mouse. If any of us should swing our feet as the little children of the old time did, our teacher would think it awful and give us demerits. It is right hard sometimes to keep so still. I believe I would like to go to school where I could move when I wanted to and sometimes speak without permission. But I think I like our way of coming in and going out the best. I hope greatgrandmother will tell us more about old times. I do love to hear old people tell about the way things were done long, long ago. My grand father sometimes tells me how he used to carry corn to mill to be ground, and how he used to plow the fields. He went barefooted, and said sometimes in the early mornings it would be so cold he would walk in the freshly plowed “furrows” to keep his feet warm. My cousin and I and two or three friends had a delightful walk in the woods the other day. We took our lunches with us and met at the car line right after school. We went some distance on the car and then got off and walked to the wood where we spent several hours. We gathered a great many acorns, beautiful bright colored leaves, and some autumn flowers which we made into lovely wreaths. I like to visit the woods in spring and gather flowers, but I believe I enjoy the autumn woods the best. With much love to all the Young Southerners and a double portion for greatgrandmother, I am Your young friend, M. A. S. Dear Mrs. Hodges: I read in The Golden Age last week a very inter esting letter from greatgrandmother and I want to tell your readers that my greatgrandmother went to the same school. It has been so long ago that of course, she does not remember the names of all her schoolmates, but she remembers the name of the school house and of the teacher, his name was Gill. It was to me a very interesting coincidence that my greatgrandmother should have remembered so many of the things mentioned in the letter. I love to hear my greatgrandmother tell of the many strange things people used to do when she was a girl. She says they used to weave the cloth at home to make the clothing for the family. They would first card the cotton into “rolls” and then spin it into thread after which they would weave it into cloth. Then they had to do all the sewing by hand as they did not have any sewing machines. I think the people must have had a very hard time in those days, but grandma, says they were hap pier than people are now. I dearly love old people, my dear old grandma best of all, and I think it is very interesting to hear them talk about old times, but I am rather glad I did not live then for I think we have bet ter times. I don’t think I would like to have to spin and weave, and I am sure I like our schools the best. I forgot to tell you about the way grandma says people used to go to church. They called the church a “meeting house.” They would usually ride on horseback to “meeting”—sometimes two —a man and his wife on one horse. The men would all sit on one side of the house and the women on the other. During the service the young people would often leave their seats and go out to the spring for water. Sometimes there would be a stream of young people going to and from the spring all during the sermon. I must close now as my letter is already too long. Lovingly, Great Granddaughter. The Golden Age for November 15, 1906. Bananas. Nearly all the boys and girls like ba nanas, and would be glad to know, per haps, something about the way they are handled before and after importation. The plant bears fruit every month in the year. The bananas are shipped while green; otherwise they would rot be fore they reached this country. The dealers here treat them differently in different seasons. In win ter they are hung up in a room heated to 70 degrees by gas. It is said that any other kind of artifi cial ripening would make the fruit shrivel, or ripen it too quickly. In spring, they are allowed to rip en naturally, but in summer they are hung in cel lars, because the outside air rots them. They are one of the best, and most nutritious fruits we have, but, of course, we miss the delicate flavor that they have when taken ripe directly from the tree. The B’s and the P’s. A swarm of fat, lazy 888 Set out to disturb the sweet PPP; When IT asked them “Y?” With a wink of the I, They said, “0, we’re quite at our EEE!” I said, “If you harm those dear PPP, Or continue the sweet things to TTT, Then the first little B That I happen to C Shall be banished straight over the CCC.” Miles—My goodness! That Englishman has fall en off a stepladder. Wonder what caused the ac cident. Giles—Oh, it wasn’t an accident! I told him a joke three hours ago and he has just tumbled. Sunday School Teacher: “What was it that the whale swallowed ?’ ’ Tommy: ‘ 1 Why—er—er— ’ ’ Sunday School Teacher: “Come now, that’s an easy question.” Tommy: “Oh, it ain’t the question that bothers me, but the answer!” “How,” asked the inquisitive museum patron, “did you manage to become a contortionist?” “By trying to amuse my baby,” replied the bone less wonder. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” I have several times recently had my attention attiacied to the words lc T can,” in various con nections, and have been impressed with the possi bilities that follow the adoption of the phrase as a motto. The habit of mind which results from a belief in one’s ability to do things is a powerful factor in attaining success. Faith in ourselves gives us con fidence, and confidence inspires endeavor. A great truth is embodied in the homely, hu morous story of “Brer Rabbit,” who, when chased by dogs, climbed a tree because he was “ ’bleeged to.” So, relying o n the strength of our Lord which is promised to us in all difficulties, we should never hesitate to undertake any task to which duty points however impossible it may seem of accomplishment. At last we find that an Imperial Edict in China has ordered the abolishment of the sale of opium, the same to become effective as a law within the next decade. Apart from its influence on the trade conditions with China and foreign countries this law should be noticeable because of its moral influence on the natives of the great Empire.