An Angel That Lives

By EDWIN B. PETERSEN

HELLO FOLKS! — Perhaps most of you read "Mary Worth" in the Tribune. The fictional Mary Worth is always traveling around doing good. Have you ever run across a real live "Mary Worth"? I have.

Her name isn't Mary Worth, but the nature of her living can be closely described by it. Her real name is Winona Brookbank. She is better known to her host of friends a Grandma B.

The other day a card arrived from her stating that she would soon be through this area and would like to stop over for a day. We were, of course, delighted. Two years ago when she landed in this area she turned out to be a real "angel of mercy." Here is how it happened.

I was at a church metting in St. Paul when someone introduced me to this lady. She was planning a visit to Leroy east of Austin, and wanted to know how to get there and what transportation connections were available.

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I WASN'T SURE that there were any, but told her that if she came to Austin and couldn't find transportation, to call the Edvera farm and we would try to get her there.

When she called I took her to her destination and that evening invited her to our home for supper, as she didn't have any other place to go.

About this time wife Vera was having a very severe time with an infection. She realized the next day she would have to go to the hospital. That was all it took for the real, live 'Mary Worth' to go into action. She called from Austin the next morning, saying she felt compelled to offer her services in out home if a stay in the hospital was necessary.

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THE STAY LASTED nearly three weeks. During that time Grandma B. really pitched in, even to baking bread and churning the excess cream into butter. The children loved Grandma B — just took to her naturally.

A lot of other people also helped out during the situation we were in, but in the case of Grandma B. it was more uncalled for. She had never seen us before; nor had we her.

This is typical of this great lady. When she visited us last week we found out that she has been doing this sort of thing ever since she left here.

Her eldest son's wife was in precarious health. She took over there until the wife was well again.

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LAST SUMMER HER son-in-law wanted to further his education, but with three young children to feed it would be pretty hard to do unless his spouse could find a teaching job. In turn it would have been pretty difficult unless there was someone to care for the children.

Grandma B. went to the rescue. She offered to care for the children and that is what she is doing now, while Leon is getting better educated and daughter is teaching.

Grandma B. has been active all her life. She reared 9 children, all of them upstanding citizens. After they were left fatherless at an early age Grandma B. went back to teaching. She has had nearly 40 years of teaching experience.

Grandma B. is not a young person anymore but she still substitute teaches on occasions, and she is still young at heart. When she hears dancing music her feet can hardly stay put and she can still keep up with a good many people 20 years her junior.

A Look at the American Indian

By EDWIN B. PETERSEN

HELLO FOLKS! — If the leaders of the so called "Poor Peoples March" are sincere about doing something constructive for their constituents they will take a few trips to the areas where people have been living off federal paternalism for a long time. I mean the American Indian.

I visited the Rosebut Indian Reservation, recently. These people have been receiving government checks for 50 years. We drove them off the land they possessed, which should never have been done; but let's not get the idea that they owned the land. They didn't. For the most part all they ever did with the land was to live off it. When game became scarce they moved and drove other tribes off where they wanted to settle, if they could.

As I started to say, if the people who are agitating for greater government aid would take a hard look at what has happened to the ones who have been receiving such aid for many years they would suddenly change courses of action. To one who has known these Indians for a long time and seeing what has happened to them, it is really disheartening.

I first talked to a former rancher who had given up ranching and turned to truck driving. I asked him why he gave up ranching. He explained that he was unable to get help. He nearly killed himself working trying to take care of 800 cows. Decided it wasn't worth it.

This man had his ranch in the Nebraska Sand Hills which is right next to the "Rosebud," where there are thousands of Indians supposedly unemployed. Basically it is because they don't have to work and is has become such a way of life to look to someone else for sustenance that they havent developed the talent of doing something for themselves.

If these people had not been dependent on government aid they could have taken jobs with ranchers and learned valuable trades. To put it bluntly, they would have been forced to do so or starve.

Instead they exist from day to day doing nothing constructive for the most part. Now that it is legal by them to buy liquor many of them have become alcoholics.

It is a pitiful situation really. These people need help, but the kind of help the government gives them does more harm than good. If government would get out of the picture and let them and people around them take care of the situation so many more of them would live useful lives and become assets to themselves and the community.

Always the Easy Course

By EDWIN B. PETERSEN

HELLO FOLKS — It seems to be easier for some family heads to raise hell than it does for them to raise the rent money.

Wives who say they haven't a thing to wear usually need their husband's closets to keep it in.

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WE USUALLY think of 'big' government as the villain that takes the initiative in weakening people's character. But how about local governments that hand out so - called surplus food to people, whether they need them or not, and do not require work or repayment in return.

Seems to me that the idea of "something for nothing" is what stimulates theft and much or our crime. Handing out food without getting a guarantee of repayment is a real lesson of teaching people that the world owes them a living and lowers people's character as much as anything could. I doubt if very many of the recipients really appreciate the "gifts" anyway.

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The report on the effects of cigarette smoking are in, and the report has been accepted by the U. S. Surgeon General. So where do we go from here?

The question is up to the individual for the most part, but there are a number of things that can be done collectively. For instance, how about outlawing it in our public schools? I know that we expell the underage if they are caught smoking on the grounds. So they have learned to do it off limits.

But is it any less crime for teachers to do so? After all, aren't our schools the place where we expect our children to learn a lot of the culture, refinement and good habits?

Of course we should probably put the blame mostly on the kids. It seems that they are just too dumb to realize that there is such a thing as a double standard. They don't seem to realize that because smoking is harmful that means they can't have it but adults can. Pa can come home, pull out his favorite filter tip cancer st— I mean cigarette — and the dumb kid can't figure out why he gets a paddling for sneaking one.

Mark Twain said that he would rather see a sermon any day than hear one, but Mark Twain was a square. None of this today. It's old hat, and belongs in the garbage pail. Today it's the word that counts. If the kids can't understand plain English (even if they don't know their phonetic sounds) why let them take the consequences. After all, we adults have to prove that we are 'He men' and we'd rather fight than change. And it's mildness that counts.

I suppose the answer lies in breeding smarter kids who just naturally understand without having to have a paddling to get it through their thick hides. Now if someone will just figure out how to accomplish that we will have the problem licked. Where are all our genetic scientists?

All Depends On the View

By EDWIN B. PETERSEN

HELLO FOLKS — One-fourth of the U. S. is covered with forest.  – The rest is covered with mortgages.

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I HAD a birthday May fifth. Daughter Karen sent me a reminder of it. It was on a funny card and here is what she wrote.

Dear Dad,
After counting my fingers and toes several times over, I came to the conclusion that you are getting older instead of younger. I am sure this will come as a great shock to you. Cheer up, Dad! Just because you are nearing the age of grey hairs, canes and rocking chairs doesn't mean that your life of usefulness is over. Think of all the golden years ahead of you when you can sit on the street corner bench and whistle at all the young chicks strutting by, or bounce your great grandchildren upon your arthritic knee. Think of the years of wisdom you will gain by listening to the younger generation's advice!

Yes, growing old will bring you many joys, but I hope that one of your greatest joys will be knowing that your eldest daughter still loves you despite your ancientness.

Love, Karen

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FARM BUREAU, this year entered upon a new project; that of finding the ideal farmer's daughter in Freeborn County. We had 10 entries from around the county. The young ladies were ages 16 to 20. We were very proud of the quality of the young lovelies.

There are of course several other contests such as Miss America, Miss Universe and the Dairy Princess, but we wanted this to be more than a beauty contest. Something that was based more on merit.

Miss Ethel Wicks was the winner of the contest and now bears the title of the Ideal Farmer's Daughter, and represents the other contestants for the year.

It would be hard indeed to find anyone that represents the more ideal type of daughter then does Miss Wicks. Ethel is 19. She is a student at Austin Junior College and earns all her school expenses working out.

Ethel is a top student. Active in many affairs. Talented in music, baton twirling, 4-H, a hard worker and apparently strives constantly for self improvement. She has a lovely personality and beauty to go with it all. She is active in church also.

She is leaving soon for a six weeks trip to Maryland representing Minnesota in the Annual 4 - H exchange. She will also visit Washington D. C. while in the east.

When you see a black convertible with the sign "Farm Bureau Farmer's Daughter" on the side in the parades around the county this summer, take a good look at one of the top young ladies of our age.