A Lesson Learned

BY: EDWIN B. PETERSEN

Hello Folks — The Month of August gave us one and three quarters inches of rain.

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"WHY, DOROTHY! Sakes alive, I hardly know you after 10 years. You've...."

"You've gained, too Marie. Why, I wouldn't have known you either — but for your old hat!"

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THERE ARE a number of philosophical sayings that come to mind just now; such as, "Snap judgment, like a bear trap, can snap back at the one who baits it."

Or, "Experience is a dear school but a fool will learn in no other."

Or, "Experience is the best teacher, but sometimes very expensive."

MISSING TEXT – been suffering the penalty of it ever since.

Because of snap judgment. Prophets have been killed or their warnings unheeded, only to the bitter shame of the one who did it.

Because of snap judgement nations have gone down in defeat and oblivion.

Because of snap judgment sons have been imprisoned for year innocently.

My snap judgment this time was serious only to myself and except for being out about fifty dollars I may be a bit wiser. I hope so, anyway.

Oh, yes! Another though that comes to mind is this: "Hind sight is better than foresight.

An Inspiring Evening

By Edwin B. Petersen

HELLO FOLKS – Mr. Khrushchev says, “We will bury you.” – If the present Department of Agriculture plans for the farmers work out Mr. K. won’t have to do any digging.

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WE ATTENDED our daughter Karen’s graduation last night and as is usually is the case I was greatly inspired.  The moving “Pomp and Circumstance” the beautiful invocation, the colorful grandeur and the fitting address all combined to lift the spirits to greater heights than we mortals are apt to follow in our daily pursuits.

One of the quotations given that I think quite appropriate went like this.  “Be careful of what you do.  You may be the only Bible some people read.”

As I was saying, graduation night has a great uplifting influence on me and I hope it has just as great an influence upon the graduates.

When one is placed spiritually above the clouds we can see the beauty of nature and the purpose of life better.  We can also see the dross and sham and it gives us a sense of shame for the frailties of man.

I got to thinking as I sat there how wonderful it would be if we could and would all pull together in the finer things of life to better the conditions of our fellow men.  There is so much of brute force in this world, so much imposing of our will upon our fellow man, so much selfishness.

Sometimes there seems to be so much evil that it is about to overwhelm us.  Vera and I took in the show, “Mien Kampf” and today in much the same vein history is repeating itself.

I am confident that in the overall purpose of it all there is a ‘silver lining;’ a worthwhile purpose.  I think it was very well stated by Rev. Albert F. Ciarcia in ‘Quotable Quotes’ in the Readers Digest:

“If we do not go out into the world and call every man our brother, there are those who will go out and call him “Comrade.”

We do have the greatest challenge before us today we have ever had.  Man has the ability to destroy himself off the face of the earthy and he has the potentiality to make every man his brother.  It is up to us to decide which it will be.  I think it will be the latter.  I believe it will be latter because evil always destroys itself.  Good, on the other hand regenerates itself.  If you like a people enough they are pretty apt to like you, etc.

Anyway, here’s hoping.

A Glance At Our Living Standard

BY:  Edwin B. Petersen

Hello, Folks!  Each one our children is a lot different.  Jared seems to be as normal in all respects as a boy can be.  Ann is what one might call a “clothes horse”.  She loves clothes; from anything as scanty as a “Bikini” to long flowing skirts that she has to hold in her hand, with cowboy and tramp clothes thrown in to boot.  Last summer she found an old red, wide-brimmed hat and for the next few weeks it was a regular fixture on her head.  She likes them nice and clean unless cleanliness interferes with her having a good time, then anything goes.  She has a very torrid kiss that she likes to floor her Daddy with.  Her favorite hobbies are dancing and taking care of the baby.

Randy is a “hot house plant” who loves to play by himself.  If it even looks cold outside he stays in.  He is a handsome little fellow with sparkling brown eyes and happy smile.

Dana is strictly an outdoor boy, with a determination the likes of which I have never seen.  When he wants something nothing else matters.  He is able to take a lot of weather and pain, although not yet two.  He will stay outside in zero weather for hours and it does seem to bother him.  He loves livestock.  A neighbor boy rode into the yard last summer and Dana insisted he had to have a ride.  It wasn’t until the horse gave itself a terrific shake that he was ready to get off.

All in all I am very glad they are each different; it makes the occupation of rearing a family more interesting.

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People who say they sleep like a baby usually haven’t got one.

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As two little boys were leaving the theatre, one was heard to remark to the other:  “I shut my eyes during the kissing scene and made believe he was choking her.”

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The women’s Committee of the Minnesota Farm Bureau is sponsoring a cake baking contest this year – a plain butter cake.  Here are the rules:

1. Contest is open to all rural women.
2. Cake must be a plain butter cake using whole egg, butter and whole milk.
3. Size – it shall be a loaf cake, usually 8X12X2.
4. No icing will be allowed prior to judging.
5. Contestants may use any type flour.
6. Recipe must accompany cake.
7. Winners of Unit contests to compete in the county butter cake contest.
8. County Winner will represent their county at the District Contest – cake to be baked at the site of the contest.
9. District winners will bake cake in the State contest to be held at the Minnesota Sate Fair.
10. Highly desirable awards will be provided at each contest

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The old negro lady was giving her recipe for a long life.  “When I walks, I walks slow; when I sits, I sits loose; and when I worries, I sleeps.”

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The American consumer today gets more food per dollar spent than ever in history.  This is also true of other commodities.  This is due directly or indirectly to America’s free capitalistic system.  The following will give you an idea of how fortunate we are under the free-enterprise system:

                     U.S.   Russia   Great Britain   France

World Pop........... 7 ....... 9 ......... 2 ......... 2

World Prod.......... 32 ...... 18 ½ ...... 9.5 ....... 4 ½

Land................ 6 ....... 14 ........ 2 ......... 3

Electricity......... 46 ...... 5 ......... 6 ......... 2

People per car...... 4 ....... 252 ....... 22 ........ 18

You will notice that Great Britain has nearly as much production per person as the U.S. which is more than twice as much as either France or Russia.  The interesting thing is that a tremendous amount of the U.S. production goes into our standard of living while a big portion of Great Britain’s goes in bare necessities and Russia’s seems to dissipate without benefiting anyone.  Notice the staggering difference in electricity and autos.  Are you thankful you live in America?

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Every rural Minnesota boy and girl between the ages of 10 and 21 is eligible to become a 4-H club member.