Do We Have

HELLO FOLKS — The difference between a statesman and a politician is that the politician creates problems and the statesman solves them.

--o--

THE DEMOCRATIC convention is over and the Republican about to begin. I was pretty sure that Kennedy would win at the convention and on the first ballot. I had been following his campaign and organization and anyone who has as well oiled and healed an organization as Kennedy is bound to win.

His choice of Lyndon Johnson as running mate surprised me, but had he not chosen Johnson he would have lost the South and might do so even now. However, Johnson has a great influence in the South and that might pull it into the Democratic camp. It also might draw a number of middle of the road votes.

I have always had great respect for Kennedy. He at one time stood for solid principles and still does if it is politically 'smart'. The thing that bothers me most is his falling into the same trap that Stevenson fell into.

When the Democrats had their midwest farm conference at Sioux Falls in 1956, Stevenson had a prepared speech in which he stated that neither high rigid nor flexible price supports were workable. This was his feeling. The so called 'liberals, who were running the show and intended to be sure that the decisions of the Conference went their way insisted on seeing his speech in advance. When they learned what Stevenson had prepared they informed him that if he insisted on giving that talk he would not get the Democratic nomination. The upshot was that Stevenson changed his theme.

We all know that Stevenson, as a result of that switch, got the nomination. In doing so however, he lost the esteem of a lot of clear thinking citizens.

Now Kennedy has fallen into the same trap. He says that he has changed his thinking because of the drop in farm income. The fact is that he knows he could not have had the nomination unless he knuckled in to the extreme element of the party. What this will cost him in the long run is hard to see. but one thing is certain, there are a lot of good people who are disappointed.

There are a lot of well meaning people who think that letting the 'government regulate the prices and production of commodities is all right, but the real propellent behind it all is the subversive element that adheres to the orders coming from behind the 'iron curtain.' The Communist planners know that they have to control the food that goes into the peoples' stomachs before they can really have control of the masses.

History has shown that a free market controlled by co-operatives and free organizations of the land assures the most for the product in the long run. The forces who are drumming for government controls are for the most part not interested in good income for farmers: they are interested in subverting the nation and can sing more confusion than in solving problems.

In the days ahead let us not be confused and let us not he misled by those who advocate government control. They are only interested in setting the farmer hack to the horse and buggy days and weakening the nation by heaping the food bill on the consumer making him unhappy and giving the farmer a smaller portion of the economy 'pie', all this through slowing down and reversing efficiency, destroying our markets. exports and causing general confusion.

And That's Culture?

HELLO FOLKS! — They call it the picture of the year; it wins four academy awards; it is hailed as the best comedy picture of the year. But it is filled with nothing but debauchery, perversion and satanical lust, picturing sick minds filled with evil intent. And those paying their money to see it are supposed to enjoy such trash?

--o--

OF COURSE, IF we are going to have self - government we must have the freedom of enterprise. Free enterprise generates the competition and also some of the co-operation that is vital for economic progress.

It seems from here that if enterprise is to compete fairly it must do so with as little interference from government as possible.

We know that there are times when government must step in and furnish capital when business will not or cannot do so, in order for certain segments of the economy to prosper. This is why we have the REA today. There are times when government must furnish wheel chairs, crutches, or other helps to get needed industries going.

The danger therein lies in continued governmental paternalism and interference in such business when it once gets on its own feet. It would seem that if business is to compete fairly and have profits then government must also withdraw from the field when it has accomplished its avowed purpose.

This has happened in such fields as finance, where I understand that Production Credit Associations now borrow their money on the open competitive market. This same thing must come to the Rural Electric Cooperatives if they are to continue to be healthy and useful tools in the economy. Government must cease to be a crutch to them whenever they are able to fend for themselves. This point many of the utilities have reached. They only hurt themselves by wanting to rely on
cheap government financing, subsidied by the taxpayer. There must be incentives to get them off loans as soon as possible.

From free business comes the competition that generates leadership. This leadership feeds back into government, both on the local level and federal. Without this feeding we would be in dire straits for the needed government direction, much as Russia and other totalitarian nations are lacking in this area.

Businesses, to be prosperous, must also be free to fail. We see how programs in agriculture have deadened prices. So would business be hurt if profits are guaranteed. With guaranteed profits there comes the inevitable slowing up of ingenuity, care and watchfulness. As government moves in to interfere more with business, whether it be in agriculture or any other field, so goes self government. The railroads would today be in much better position financially and better able to compete with other modes of transportation were they less restricted.

If we are to grow in self government and with it the increasing standards of living we must be vigilant in seeing that there are no unnecessary restrictions anywhere.

We Should Teach 'Basic Economics

Hello, Folks! Christmas time came and went so fast for me I got very few greeting cards written. So to all my friends who read this, here is wishing you the best of all good things for 1955.

We had a lovely Christmas as usual. Spent Christmas Eve with the Petersen Clan. Then Christmas morning we opened the gifts from Vera's family. I came in from chores Christmas morning and the children were getting dressed, anxiously waiting to open the gifts. I noticed a Christmas tag tied to the baby. Inside it read, "To Mother and Daddy from Heavenly Father."

—o—

The scoutmaster asked the four young scouts if they had done their good deed for the day. They all nodded in unison, grinning broadly. "What did you do?" he asked. "We helped an old lady across the street." "It took all four of you to help one old lady across the street?" "Yes, she did not want to go!"

—o—

I think Albert Lea has the prettiest decorations of any town I know. Those large illuminated bells hanging over the middle of the street add the real touch to the rest of the decorations.

—o—

Farmer — "Young man, what are you doing up in my apple grass!' "
Boy —. "I'm just obeying your sign that says, 'Keep off the grass-"

—o—

It seems to me that the biggest failure of our educational system has been in not teaching our students the basic principles of economics. They are not, or need not, be complicated. There are a few basic facts that we all can and ought to learn. In fact, they must be learned if we are to have a stable economy and continuing prosperity.

Communism has capitalized on our failure to teach them. I think if we had learned these principles as part of our regular education we would be far less apt to be taken in by foreign philosophies. Too many people believe that it is possible to get something for nothing. This is a good basis for gambling, but it does not work out for the individual on the job, in the school, or anywhere else. You can't . spend more than you have and remain solvent. We just fool ourselves when we try otherwise.

You can't equalize ability by a control system, Competition is the dynamo for progress in our economic system. We should welcome it rather than stifle or try to get around it.

—o—

Mother — "Jimmy, where did you get that bump on your nose?"
Jimmy — "1 bent down to smell a brose."
Mother — "Why, there isn't a 'B' in rose."
Jimmy — "There was in this one!"

—o—

Farm Bureau insurance companies have shown a tremendous growth the past 30 years. The first one was organized in Illinois. Today Farm Bureau insurance companies have a total of $287,023,269 in assets.

On Monday, January 10, the officers of all Farm Bureau Units in the county met to work out their programs for the year. They will work out the educational, recreational, and social aspects of the Farm Bureau program.

A state training session will be held in St. Paul, January 17, 18, and 19 for County Farm Bureau presidents, secretaries or office secretaries and some of the county committee chairmen. An attendance of close to 500 is anticipated.

Headlining the "imported" instructional staff will be T. C. Petersen, midwest organization director, Kenneth lngwalson, director of leadership services, AFBF, and Herbert Alp commodities director for the AFBF.

Dropouts A Problem

HELLO FOLKS — Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil: Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, h o p e t h all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth. —Corinthians, Ch. 13.

—o—

I HAD PLANNED for the next few columns another topic. Then it occurred to me that there is a much more important subject that needs to be taken care of before I delve into this other.

The one that I am going to dwell on now is the subject of school dropouts.

In every one of our communities there are young citizens who get discouraged with school, then by quitting it doom themselves, for the most part, to a life of mediocrity and low income.

By quitting at that age they often become discouraged with themselves. They they get a poor outlook on life in general. This affects the community and eventually the nation as a whole.

We cannot afford such an attitude. The very reason we have people on relief rolls and on unemployment is because we haven't developed the attitude of continuous education and re-evaluation.

There is a lot of talk about the Gross National Product and how we can increase it. Here is the only sure way: Get every boy and girl back into school, get them to realize the value of proper attitudes and training. Get them to realize that there are millions of people depending on them to direct the future of society. There are a lot of things each of can do to contribute to solving this problem. Parents are of course most directly concerned and too often we do not give the problem the attention it deserves. As parents we should be constantly on the alert to see that our children are working up to their capacity; that their attitudes toward learning are good and that they respect their teachers and school.

For each one of us we can take an interest in the youth of our community by getting better acquainted with them, by encouraging them to better deeds and let them know that we are expecting great things from them.

We have a lot of senior citizens who could help out with loans to students at low interest rates. The satisfaction derived from such projects would give more real joy than a lot of things the money could be used for. This could give a number of young people the courage to go on to higher learning.

Next week I am going to tell you about three young fellows who could have ended with the ranks of discouraged youth but who by their own efforts practically lifted themselves out of the ruts and are on the way to being real successes.

I am inviting others of you who know of someone in your community, who has picked himself up from mediocrity and gone on to success, to tell about it in this column.

Do You Know Interest Pay?

Hello Folks — Usually when a man gets too big for his britches his hat won't fit either.

--

As of today Freeborn can be called the county of 10,000 lakes. My, what a lot of water, I have seen more, I think it was in 1953 we had more during the summer than we have now. This kind of weather does things the politicians could never do — take care of the surplus corn. I don't think there will be much of a surplus next year.

--

How much interest do you pay out in a year? I believe that few of us know, and if we get it figured out we pay a lot more than we realize.

Credit is a wonderful thing when it is used right, but abused it can be. a mill stone and keeps many a man from getting ahead.

There are many ways of figuring interest and some of them are deceiving. One per cent per month sounds pretty reasonable but when it adds up to 12 per cent it gets mighty big. There are a good many people paying much more than that. Most of the time pay plans run around 16 per cent.

...tion it in the contract, It really makes a 'whollaper' of a lot if one gets 'bit' by such a deal.

The best thing is to stay out of debt for anything but a home or business. Then we learn to be thrifty and we are more apt to watch the purchases and see to that they are bought right.

I think it is very important to teach our children thrift and how to buy wisely. They have to learn sometime and it should help by giving them an allowance when they are too young to earn it themselves and see to it that they learn to know that before there can be a penny spent there first has to be one earned. We are all creatures of habit and by teaching the youth the value of a dollar the nation grows stronger and more financially secure.

The credit and finance system is what has aided us in getting the great standard of living that we have but the abuse of it can also be our downfall. Borrowing when money is easy to get and then having to pay it back when the dollar is scarse is a situation that none of us would envy. Let's watch it. Huh.

One day a salesman stopped in and wanted to sell his wares. Had a good product but he didn't want cash. It had to be time payments spread over two years. I insisted on figuring up what the interest rates were and they added up to a mighty 24 per cent per year. No wonder he didn't want to sell for cash. He probably could get his financing for around 6 or 7 per cent, then turn around and get about. four times that for the same money. That is what I call a raw deal. We had better all look out for our own financing lest we get taken into such a deal.

A feed salesman drove in the yard and insisted on selling some feed. He had a grand plan for the farmer, Pay when the hogs are sold.

I asked him what the interest figured out to. His answer was," Oh, just about the same as the bank charges. I took a pencil and figured it out, It came to 11 per cent. The catch was it was on about a 6 months term, The interest didn't sound like much but it counts up when you really go to adding.

Then there is the service charge. I have been told that a lending institution can add a service charge and they don't have to men...

Mama, Please Read A Book

HELLO FOLKS! — Giving children the privilege of telling parents what they can do is placing an awful burden of responsibility where it does not belong and cannot be directed.

--o--

MY SISTER Erna has four handsome sons. One day I heard her say something that impressed me deeply. I asked her to put it in writing which she rather reluctantly agreed to do. Erna's husband Bob teaches in the Albert Lea Schools. Here is what she wrote.

MAMA, PLEASE READ ME A BOOK?
By ERNA BERTHELSEN
"Mama, please read me a book? This is the question often asked by my three-year-old son when I am busy with some household chore. Only a mother can know the joy of seeing a little boy's big blue questioning eyes turn to happiness when the answer is, "Yes, I will."

This little boy knows which day his older brother will bring home a library book just for him. Even our one-year old boy knows the joy of story time as we sit in the big rocker to share this favorite book together. I have learned that in no other age can I make them so happy with so little. So that household chore has been delayed; but two little boys have received the loving attention they needed and Mother has rested.

Five or ten years from now, no one will know that the refrigerator wasn't cleaned, the dishes weren't dried, or the floor wasn't swept, but my boys will know that I took time to read to them."

P. S. — I believe that if every mother everywhere would take a few minutes a day to do the above described duty, wars would soon end, crime would cease and man would soon be at peace with his fellow men.

--o--

I totaled up the rainfall for the month of May. It reads as follows. Three and seven-tenths inches, with almost half of it falling on the 25th and 26th of the month. The only other large amount was on the 5th with 0.7 that day. The month of April gave us 3 inches.

I am aware that this figure is tremendously different than what was received in many other parts of the county and elsewhere. We had only one storm which slowed up field

Is Harmful Integration

HELLO FOLKS — One of the farmer's biggest enemies as far as hurting his income, today, is the feed company that has gone into the financing business and aims to tie the farmers into a program that assures the company of a ready market for their products.

Such firms started with the broiler business and from that went into egg raising. I have an idea that they are mostly responsible for the plight the turkey raisers are in today.

Now they are in the swine business. They encourage the farmers to go heavily into debt on a big setup that will keep him tied down for years.

They paint a big glowing picture of the huge profits to be made under such a program. They take what amounts to the most favorable years there are and use these as an example to convince their prospective victims of the advantages of using their program.

Naturally the feed companies are interested in their own well-being. The sharecropper, for that is what the farmer becomes, takes the risk. The fact that these companies are still hard at it is proof enough that they are coming out alright on it. What is bad is that it upsets the supply-demand balance and causes hardship to the whole industry.

Wherever and whenever these companies have have gone into this program they have ruined the markets. I think it is well for anyone interested to be very cautious about going into these programs. It is best to use local credit, start a little smaller and be more sure of doing the right thing.

I think it would be well for farmers to do business with companies that have not gone into the finance business and thereby are not injuring the farmer financially. There are lots of good brands of feeds on the market and it is easy to find one as good and perhaps cheaper than the ones who follow the integration pattern.

These companies are hitting heavily on swine integration now. A lot of this pressure is being done outside the regular swine raising area, probably because it is easier for them to convince their prospective customers where they know less about it. If they have as much success with this venture as they have had with broiler, eggs and turkeys we are in for trouble here in another year or two. This is apt to come at a time when the market is in it's bottom anyway.

This reminds me of the time when the farm implement companies went into the business of convincing the farmer to switch from horses to tractors. They encouraged the homesteaders to plow up the prairie sod and plant crops, showing with glowing pictures how much more could be made that way than by grazing the land. The farmers and many ranchers bit on it and spent years in bankruptcy. The dealers had taken the farmers' and ranchers' horses as down payment on the machinery. Then when the land started to blow and the added supply on the market broke the price the farmers were in a pitiable condition. The dealers and companies, for many years, had equipment on hand that they could not dispose of.

This all took place about the time that row crop tractors came out and probably had a lot to do with precipitating the big depression.

Happiness There If You Look For It

HELLO FOLKS — Happiness is not something at the end of the rainbow or at the end of the road — it is all along the way.

There are more people who lose their jobs because they can't get along with those they work with, than because they cannot do the job.

--o--

THERE IS wide speculation about who will be the next President of the U.S. Seems that most people think the Democats have the upper hand.

My personal opinion is that the Republicans are the ones to have the first say and that if they do the right thing we will have another Republican Administration. Here is how I think it stacks up.

There are a lot of good men in both parties — men who would be good administrators in their own right. The Democrats have a machine that is well oiled and no matter who runs there the candidate will pull a lot of votes.

The Republicans on the other hand are the only unorganized group in the U.S. They have used poor publicity. There is no discipline in the party and too many of them are confused. Therefore there is no rallying point (so far). There are too many of the Republicans who are so un-Republican that they are actually a liability to the party. The hard core of the party is afraid to really come out swinging because they would be hitting their own members, in many cases.

The Republicans therefore must have not only a party man but must have a personality; one who has not had his hands too badly dirtied in the political battles and who will pull a lot of personal votes such as did President Eisenhower.

If the Republicans really want to win this election they must remember that had they not had a personality running in 1952; meaning Dwight D. Eisenhower, they would not now be in power.

That leaves them but one choice. A man who has proved his vote getting power in a Democratic year; a man with peronality, stability, and political acumen, and a man who is respected by all segments of our society — such a man is Nelson Rockefeller, Governor of New York. I believe he and he alone can win for the Repbulicans. Therefore if they are to win they must. choose him. With any other man they cannot win. Not in 196O
 
That gives them first choice. If they fumble they are out and the Democrats have the say. It would hardly seem likely that they would choose a man who could not reach the people, not again anyway.

I have been an admirer of Nelson Rockefeller for some time, He comes from one of the most stable families in the United States. The Rockefellers are a family who money has not spoiled, a family who has its sights on the real worth in life and who has the inate belief that money is something to be used for the benefit of humanity and not thrown away in selfish squandering.

I have studied some of the Rockefeller reports on the various phases of our economy and I find them devoid of prejudices, broad minded and respectful of all peoples.

On top of this I think Nelson Rockefeller is the one man who would have the prestige to bring the nation's economy into balance without sacrificing political integrity or alienating or irritating some segments of our society.

He has proved his ability to legislate wisely, handle politicians am; do it all efficiently.

Our Influence On Our Children

HELLO FOLKS —
Sons and daughters—in their teens Think their parents—don't know beans.
Which would not be—hard to face
Were it not—so oft the case.

--o--

PARENTS AND people in general wonder what the coming generation is going to amount to.

It is becoming increasingly clear, to anyone who observes, that we are literally creatures of habit. To often we overlook the maxims 'like father like son' or 'like mother like daughter' when we might add, 'only more so.' For the most part our children grow up to be just what we teach them to be; and that teaching happens to be more by example than anything.

Republican parents genera11y have Republican children. Democratic parents generally have democratic children. Roman Catholic parents have Roman Catholic children. Protestant parents generally have Protestant children.

But whether they have good Republican, Democratic, Roman Catholic or Protestant children is another matter.

There are enough proofs given to show that strong tendencies can be built into children by strong parents and weak tendencies can be built into children by weak parents.

Man by nature tends to degenerate. We have to counter this by being continually on guard against our weaknesses — to bestir ourselves when we find weak tendencies in ourselves or our children.

The parent who realizes that he should do this or that or correct this or that in his son or daughter and fails to do so does not only himself and his family a disservice. He is a liability to the whole human race in varying degrees. The reason for this is that anything we do tends to help or hinder all those around us, just as weeds in one farmer's field tend to blow or creep into another farmer's field.

It seems to me that many of our children tend to be better than their parents. I believe the reason for this is that our schools, churches, teachers and public spirited citizens have a great influence on them.

While there arc a lot of signs of a degenerating society, there are more signs of a regenerating society. Perhaps we are entering a period of greater extremes. Certainly we have mounting problems, as our world shrinks, but we are solving them pretty well, I think.

In the surveys taken of teenagers, most of them think that parents do not give them enough leadership. They think parents are too weak. They want parents to restrict them in their questionable. activities. They don't really want to get into bad habits, but without the restraining hand of the parent they full into the traps against their own will.

It all points up the importance of good leadership in all phases of our society. We need our extremes but the extremes must never be in control, whether they be the fanatics of religion or the dross of the mobs.

Demoralizing Advertising

HELLO FOLKS — What, in your estimation, is the most demoralizing advertisement on TV?

We all have our own opinions and they vary with our views. Some will say it is the liquor ads. Others will say something else. To me it is the ads that are slanted to the very young who are in their most formative age. All week They advertise something like this: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Funnnnnn-day.

We have a host of very young who love to watch animated comics; and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, but the real danger is getting across the idea that the Sabbath day is a day of fun Certainly Sunday is not to be day of sadness or even of somberness, but it is meant to be a day of worship, a day of concentrating or things divine. We need to practice that side of it more than we do.

We recently had a demonstration of parents who were concerned over childrens' physical welfare, which is certainly good; yet some of the more insidious dangers we sometimes overlook until it is too late.

I think that if we could fully realize what some of these things really do to our youth we would have letters by the millions flooding in to some of these advertisers, who probably do not realize the real dangers in their actions.

Observing the Sabbath day is a divine commandment that has existed since creation, and was reaffirmed on Mount Sinai and again by the Galilean 2,000 years ago. It has never been revoked to my knowledge and as far as I can see, if ever the day comes that man revokes it, or tries to, then civilization is doomed. For the beacon of civilization is divine law and guidance. When we become so self sufficient that we think we can sup-plant higher laws by our own choosing we are in for a fall.

—o—

IT LOOKS like Freeborn county is in for another good crop. As bad and late as the season was last spring it seems a miracle that the crops turned out as good as they are. It seems that generally the weather evens up pretty well over a year's time at least in this part of the state.

Even the fellows who had some crops drowned out can plow under a good crop of weeds and probably in a couple of years end up with as good an average as otherwise. I had a spot drowned out and it is a good thing for me. This is the first year I lost a crop on it so I tiled it. It has always been hard to work because it was too water logged. Now I can probably get full production from it along with the rest of the land.

Misleading Statements

HELLO FOLKS! — The father of a rapidly - growing youngster mumbled to a friend on the bus:

"He's getting too smart to outargue and too big to spank. I can hardly wait for him to fall in love so's some little girl will take him down a notch"

—o—

THERE ARE a lot of false notions going around that if not corrected are going to be used by self - interested parties to forward their own interests.

One of them goes something like this: "The farmer is the only businessman who buys at prices someone else sets and sells what others offer." Or they say, "Everyone else's prices are set but the farmers. They take what they can get."

Without much thinking such words seem to have some truth to them. On the other hand — are they true?

A man said to me, trying to prove his point, "If you go and buy a sack of tankage you pay what they ask, but when you sell the pig that ate the tankage you take what they offer."

Tankage is no different than any other item. The manufacturers get all they can for their product just as the farmer gets all he can for his hogs, or what ever it be. There is plenty of competition in protein feeds. If tankage is too high priced, we buy soybean meal and fortify it with vitamins. Or we may go to another dealer who has another brand of tankage at a lower price. Surely the price they are asking is probably marked on the bulletin board. And the hog prices they will pay are marked, but that doesn't mean they aren't competitive.

Then they will tell you that the auto manufacturers set their own prices. I have bought several cars and I shop around and get the best deal I can. There is plenty of competition in the auto industry. The salesmen are constantly at each other's throats to get that sale and the lowest offer usually sells.

The same is true of the manufacturer. He knows what the car costs him to produce. To that he adds the necessary profits and any other that he thinks the "traffic will bear." If he feels that he has an especially good seller he will add a few dollars to it. The opposite might also be true. He may have to take off a few dollars for the [time] being.

There are [plent]y of manufacturers who have gone out of business because they couldn't meet the competition in the long haul the car producer also takes what the buyer offers just as the farmer takes the highest offer he gets for the animal. And there is of course no law that says the farmer can't cooperate with other farmers and butcher the hogs themselves if they feel they aren't getting enough for their products.




Tankage - a fertilizer or animal feed obtained from the residue from tanks in which animal carcasses have been rendered.

Farms Cut Food Cost

Hello Folks !

An indication as to how agriculture is progressing; consider the advance in the broiler industry. Ten years ago it took 15 weeks to grow a bird to three pounds. That was gradually shortened to eight weeks and now a new process of feeding and breeeding has been able to get that bird to three pounds in seven weeks.

That means that the same facilities can now produce twice as many chickens as they could 10 years ago. The profit from such progress has been passed on to the consuming public which is a big factor in our increasingly high standard of living.

This efficiency added to the efficiency in production of the feed raised for the broilers, plus the efficiency of other industries accounts for most of the reason the average worker today gets twice as much for his food dollar today as he did 20 years ago.

—o—

Next to being shot at and missed there is nothing quite as satisfying as an income tax refund.

—o—

My wife says figures don't lie but girdles certainly condense the truth.

—o—

A baby is born each eight seconds in the U. S.

—o—

The most valuable time a man has are the hours he spends beyond what is necessary for earning a living. They can be frittered away at nothing; spent on hobbies; used to the disgrace of society or put to the service of one's fellowmen.

My deepest respect go to those who spend these extra hours in service to one's neighbors. We have many such people around about us and could use many more. There is no more satisfying work than that.

I think that success in life can be counted more in time thus spent than it can be in financial gain or social standing.

The one business of life is to succeed. I can't believe that the Lord placed us here to waste our lives. The greatest tragedy in the world is not the devastation that goes with war, nor the cost that goes with crime; nor both of these put together. The greatest tragedy in the world is that human beings, you and I, live so far below the level of our possibilities. It is the lack of this positiveness that causes most of our woes. We can all look hack and see things we should have done that we did not do. These are the seed bed we make for future evil.

We have the basis of this belief from the words of The Great Teacher who gave one of the bitterest denunciations. He ever uttered to the one who hid his talents in the ground, he said "Thou wicked and slothful servant".

In our efforts to better the lives of ourselves and others we need to plan carefully and work our plan. Our efforts have to start at home we can't be at our best if we allow our health, (both mental and phys, cal) to deteriorate, or permit slip shod ways to clutter our lives.

frittered: waste time, money, or energy on trifling matters.

slip shod: (typically of a person or method of work) characterized by a lack of care, thought, or organization.

Do You Know Interest Pay?

Hello Folks — Usually when a man gets too big for his britches his hat won't fit either.

—

As of today Freeborn can be called the county of 10,000 lakes. My, what a lot of water. 1 have seen more. 1 think it was in 1953 we had more during the summer than we have now. This kind of weather does things the politicians could never do — take care of the surplus corn. I don't think there will be much of a surplus next year.

—

How much interest do you pay out in a year? I believe that few of us know, and if we get it figured out we pay a lot more than we realize.

Credit is a wonderful thing when it is used right, but abused it can be a mill stone and keeps many a man from getting ahead.

There are many ways of figuring interest and some of them are deceiving. One per cent per month sounds pretty reasonable but when it adds up to 12 per cent it gets mighty big. There are a good many people paying much more than that. Most of the time pay plans run around 16 per cent.


...tion it in the contract, It really makes a 'whollaper' of a lot if one gets 'bit' by such a deal.

The best thing is to stay out of debt for anything but a home or business. Then we learn to be thrifty and we are more apt to watch the purchases and see to that they are bought right.

1 think it is very important to teach our children thrift and how to buy wisely. They have to learn sometime and it should help by giving them an allowance when they are too young to earn it themselves and see to it that they learn to know that before there can be a penny spent there first has to be one earned. We are all creatures of habit and by teaching the youth the value of a dollar the nation grows stronger and more financially secure.

The credit and finance system is what has aided us in getting the great standard of living that we have but the abuse of it can also be our downfall. Borrowing when money is easy to get and then having to pay it back when the dollar is scarce is a situation that none of us would envy. Let's watch Huh.

One day a salesman stopped in and wanted to sell his wares. Had a good product but he didn't want cash. It had to be time payments I spread over two years. 1 insisted on figuring up what the interest rates were and they added up to almighty 24 per cent per year. No wonder he didn't want to sell for cash. He probably could get his financing for around 6 or 7 per cent, then turn around and get about four times that for the same money. That is what 1 call a raw deal. We had better all look out for our own financing lest we get taken into such a deal.

A feed salesman drove in the yard and insisted on selling some feed. He had a grand plan for the farmer. Pay when the hogs are sold.

I asked him what the interest figured out to. His answer was," Oh, just about the same as the bank charges." I took a pencil and figured it out. It came to 11 per cent. The catch was it was on about a 6 months term. The interest didn't sound like much but it counts up when you really, go to adding.

Then there is the service charge. I have been told that a lending institution can add a service charge and they don't have to men-...

Who Built The Pyramids?

HELLO FOLKS — Pronounced by the ancient Greeks as one of the seven wonders of the world, and about the only one of the seven wonders remaining in existence today, are the pyramids of Egypt. Who built them is a question that has been asked many times but never answered. It is of course assumed that they were under the supervision of the Egyptian rulers but the pryamids themselves were probably constructed by slave labor.

For many years it was assumed that the great knowledge needed about astronomy was the product of Egyptian culture, However today the majority of students of the pyramids seem to think that the Egyptians received their knowledge from some outside source, as they do not seem to have had the basic culture to have developed it themselves.

Encylopedias state that the pyramids were the product of the fourth dynasties of Egypt and that they were built about 2500-2600 B. C. In this they must be wrong, for that would place their history be-fore the flood. The flood occurred approximately 2400 B.C., according to biblical cronology; which must be pretty accurate as an exact record was kept of mankind since the creation.

Egyptian history is strictly post-diluvian. Were it pre-diluvian there would be no Egyptians today. As it is they are very much alive.

Being post-diluvian they are the product of one of the families that escaped the flood (probably Ham). It takes centuries to establish a nation from one family no matter how prolific they are. Therefore the pyramids could hardly have been built before 2000 B. C.

That takes us down to the days of Abraham, who was born about 300 years after Noah's flood, and most likely before the pyramids were built.

We know from scriptures that Abraham was taught great truths about the stars by heavenly messengers. Abraham being highly respected by the Egyptians and also having been told that his descendants would be held captive by the Egyptians 400 years, could possibly have given them the needed knowledge needed to erect the pyramids. Then with the descendants of Abraham bing slaves in Egypt for (as it turned out to be) 350 years, is it not highly probable that they could have been the ones who furnished the man-power for the pyramids?

We don't know, of course. But it is interesting to speculate and what could be more appropriate than for the children of Israel to have had a hand in the building and their great-grandfather having supplied the knowledge. I believe that some day we will know. Then we won't need to wonder.

Race Issue Attracts Many

HELLO FOLKS — Children have active fertile minds. Something must be grown in them. If we fail to fill them with good things they will fill with evil and filth.


—o—

WHENEVER A cause tends to become popular it attracts 'fair-weather' friends of every color and hue.

Such is the case with the present racial integration program. Well meaning people who just never had the nerve to speak out and act before suddenly become exceedingly active and move to the forefront.

Radicals and emotionalists as usual find their place in the movements. Some who never gave a thought to integration before suddenly have all kinds of ideas. Among these people are those who don't seem to have their purposes too well oriented.

There are those who in the past have made every endeavor to take away freedom from their fellow citizens and who now speak the loudest for integration.

Probably most of us will agree that racial integration is a good thing. Although if we lived in certain areas of the United States we might not be enthusiastic about it.

However, if racial integration is important, then religious integration is vital. If we do much studying of history we will generally conclude that the blending and competition in religion has done tremendous good for the nations who practiced it. There seem to be some, who, while they favor racial integration are heading the other way in religion.

—o—

THERE ARE those who have headed the integration movement, whose hands are not too clean, either. For instance in Chicago this week as in the past few weeks there were sit-in demonstrations. Streets, hallways, and entrances to public buildings were blocked. Why?

To force integration at all costs. They want students transported by bus to areas that have little racial mixture.

It would seem that they have little interest in the welfare of the children. The children are mostly a pawn to accomplish another aim, probably not stated. If they get their way, white students will be taken out of their neighborhood schools and bussed across town to other schools.

Also Negro students will be bussed to other areas where there are no Negroes. Tactics such as that make the word integration seem quite hollow..

Do We Owe People Living?

HELLO FOLKS — I think we will all agree that we live in a pretty topsy-turvy world. At least it seems that way at times.

Take the case of employment. I think we will all agree that we as a nation owe everyone the opportunity to make a living. I think we also will agree that it is destructive of everything good to hand out a living to anyone and everyone just because he or she doesn't have quite as full a stomach as the rest of us. And while some of us have more work than we can readily do there are many who want to work and can't find jobs.

We have plenty of work to do. Things that need to be done and aren't being done. Take the case of the Albert Lea lake. It is a pity that it has not been cleaned up, or is not being cleaned up. I believe there are people on relief rolls who can work for what they get, who could be given jobs now and create an atmosphere for future employment growth in the future, such as the tourist trade.

Certainly the welfare officials are to be complimented for their conscientious work in giving such people the opportunity to be self-sustaining. But the job is much bigger than for one organization to do alone. It takes the cooperation of all.

What we need is a reserve of funds to use when such a project is needed and a list of jobs that need to be done whenever there is anyone in need of a job.

There are of course many contributing factors that lead to unemployment. We can price ourselves out of jobs, such as has been done in the auto and other industries. Sometimes it is the need of capital.

Whatever the cause we need to get to the root of it and create a better world, one that gives all the chance, plus the impetus, to become respectable self-sustaining citizens.

Speaking again of this topsy-turvy world, we are putting out millions of dollars to retire land and bolster prices. Then we spend millions (or I should say billions) more to feed people on relief. Many of these people on relief could be given land to put in a garden and the supervision to do it right so they in turn could almost feed themselves. And in this garden spot of the U.S. there is much food going to waste that could be gleaned to feed practically all the needy.

In biblical days the farmers were commanded to leave the edges and corners of the fields that the needy could glean for themselves. Thus all the citizens could be self sustaining, except of course the indigent.

A closer attention to such a program would make better citizens out of many who need the aid.

We go astray in this free world of ours but we gradually seeem to find the way back sooner or later and I think we will someday consider it a major error to dole food and clothing and just as great an error to not have plenty of projects to take care of all the unemployed and the where with all to do it.

Boiling it down to simple terms we owe everyone the right to earn an honest living, but we owe no able bodied man the living itself.

——

Easy but glamorous: serve vanilla ice cream with green creme de menthe, chocolate ice cream with white creme de menthe.

In the Front Or Back Seat?

HELLO FOLKS—Even if today's cars are supposed to be mechanically perfect and smooth running, some of them have a lot of jerks in them.

And Life Dotted With Heartache

HELLO FOLKS — My neighbor says that a checkered career quite often leads to a striped suit. suit.

—o—

THE FATHER was visiting his son in college. The son was working in the chemistry lab. Said Father to Son: "What are you doing with all those bottles and stuff?" Son: "Trying to discover a solvent that will dissolve everything". Father: "And what will you put it in when you discover it?"

—o—

J. EDGAR Hoover, the great leader of the FBI nearly always says something worth while when he talks, and I admire him greatly.

He gave a talk once that has been widely repeated. He has given his premission for its use and it is so fitting that I think It can hardly be over emphasized.

What he said goes something like this.

"There is no place in America for part-time patriots. If your nation is to live, if we are to continue to enjoy the fruits of liberty, we can do no less than follow the example of the men who won that freedom for us. Freedom, while a heritage, must be re-won for each generation.

"With complete selflessness and with blazing intensity of spirit, our forefathers dedicated their lives first to securing and then to maintaining, freedom. They knew at first hand that life without freedom is intolerable. And so they dreamed of freedom, fought for freedom, breathed it and spoke it, prayerfully and without self-consciousness.

"Independence, freedom, liberty — are words that ring like exulting bells! Today we need such bells to be rung. This nation is faced with the gravest danger ever to confront it. The menace of Communism is no simple, forthright threat. It is a sinister and deadly conspiracy which can be conquered only by an alert, informed citizenry dedicated to the preservation of the principles on which America was founded.

"If our nation is to retain its liberty in the future, now, as never before, its citizens must understand that the inescapable price of freedom is eternal vigilance. And eternal vigilance with dedication to its
cause, brings unity and strength in I time of crisis."

Those words of Mr. Hoover should be the controlling influence in the lives of every one of us. I hope everyone of us will take such things to heart and use that eternal vigilance we must ever need.

Throwing Dirt A By-Product

HELLO FOLKS! — It's a good thing to get in and dig, but be careful which way you throw the dirt.

—o—

MY NEIGHBOR says that a cold can be both positive and negative; sometimes the eyes have it and sometimes the nose.

—o—

THERE IS a move in the senate to start a youth development camp for boys of ages 16 to 28.

The idea is to make it a conservation camp on the order of those had before World War II. The reason for it is that so many boys of that age do not have work.

Here is a move that could have great benefit if it is handled right. On the other hand if it is handled like the CCC camps of former days it might not he so good. For one thing I think it should be a summer camp and for boys of ages 15 to 18. It should meet the highest specifications morally and physically. It should be a camp that would develop the young boys into men, in every sense. The boys who apply for permission to attend such a camp should have their pastors recomendation. The men who are chosen should be of the highest moral character and the training should be so it will teach the boys to work and learn. Boy Scout principles should be taught and observed. These camps should be of the nature that any parent would be proud and willing to send their boy to.

The reason that it should be just a summer camp is that these youths should be in school the rest of the year, and the reason that it should be for youths of the tender age of 15 to 18 is that they are the ones who need the recreation and training that such a camp affords. Boys that age are formative and will learn to do and develop.

The reason the ages should not be over 18 is that such men over that age are usually set in their habits and would be the ones most apt to bring evil influence into the camps. They should he out preparing themselves for a lifetime occupation and not be in such a place. A camp for them would be a liability and not an asset. Also they would be a drug on the economy.

Such a camp would either be a great asset or a breeding place for vice and evil. If it would be like the CCC camps of the 30's it would be a hangout for prostitutes and gamblers, surely not in the camps themselves but all around them.

Our youths of the teenage need something to keep them occupied during the summer months and this would be a good thing for the state, to develop parks, recreation-al areas and beautify our natural scenery. By having it as just a summer project we would be able to get highly qualified men to handle it. These would probably be teachers who want jobs through the summer vacation. They would be apt to be the best leaders anyway as they are used to handling youths. The cost would not be prohibitive that way either, as winter provisions would not be needed.

It would not be necessary nor wise to pay too high a wage as the work would not be of the highest skill and just the training and food they get would be worth it to them.

There is one must that I think should be followed and that is that our pastors should nave a heavy hand in it. Without that the camps would not be apt to be run right. If the pasors have the veto of the leaders and applicants it would have an uplifting effect on the projects and these boys would be apt to come back into the community better than they left it. 1 am sure that if they will take the initiative in asking for the privilege the public will back them up in it and the consequence will be good.

That Dad Of Mine!

(While the following may seem mere hero worship, you should note several bits of youthful wisdom in it. Karen attacks current cliches about youth. Her father is frequently absent from home. He demands, and apparently gets, obedience.—Editor)

"That Dad of Mine" ,,
Hi! I'm Karen — eldest daughter of the above. Dad has given me permission to write this article for him. Therefore, I am going to take this opportunity to crow over a favorite relative of mine—Edwin B. Petersen.

The thing I admire most about Dad is how much he has accomplished with as little an education. Oh, yes, he did spend a year at Dana college. There he learned how to flood bathrooms to make swimming pools, find watermelons, and flirt with the girls—all of which must have prepared him for a future of great responsibility! However, for the most part Dad has gained
an education on his own.

As you probably know, Dad is an excellent farmer. Being the oldest son of a hard working homesteader, he gained his first lessons by following example. Then in college he majored in agriculture. The next step was practical application.

Like anyone else, he made a lot of mistakes in his first years of farming, but he learned from his mistakes. Also, he looked at the mistakes and abilities of other farmers. Later on he became active in Farm Bureau and local agricultural committees. They added the latest facts and figures he needed on how to make farming profitable. When Dad showed a real interest in new farming set-ups, the agriculturists worked all the more closely with him.

On our 280-acre pig farm, Dad is still learning something new every day. Three summers ago he found that eldest daughters make for very poor hired men. Today ha found a new antiseptic to cut down on disease hazards.

Last night we went out to the farrowing barn to do chores. As we entered we stepped into a pan of antiseptic. Dad explained that the sows were brought in to farrow. A heater in the back kept the barn at 50 degrees while lamps keep the chill off the litters.

The newborns had their ears notched for future reference and their teeth clipped. Their navels were touched with iodine to reduce infection. Chores didn't take much effort nor time because of the efficient set-up. Perfect records are kept of these litters.

Politics, church and civil affairs have always got a great contribution from Dad. There never seems to be a breather for him. He's always attending a political meeting or something else just as important. Right now he is "President Petersen" twice over. He always holds a position in our church. He is willing to extend a helping hand when he sees need. Dad has given a great deal of service to both God and man. More people than he knows love and respect him.

All these and many other virtues does he have, but the position I like him in best is what is called "Father". Here he excells by demanding obedience and respect while giving an abundance of love. That's my Dad.