Where shall we go this week - into the by-ways? Let's go back to the poultry show (The Seventh World Poultry Congress) and peek into a few more chicken coops. Our vast and versatile Public Auditorium, which can adjust itself to grand opera, or a circus, must feel that it played host to a very important event, ending last Monday. For never has there been so much crowing as took place July 28 - August 7. The female of the species produced the prize-winning yearly output of eggs - and the gentlemen did the crowing. Has it not been always thus? No wonder the roosters are cocky! Such gorgeous plumage! 'Tisn't fair to the plain little hen, who does all the hard work. Well, like woman, her day of emancipation has come; for she doesn't have to sit for twenty-one days and hatch her brood. Science has taken that job away from her. Now she will have more time to think about her personal appearance. Who knows? The hens may develop their own "beauty parlor." I tried to find the duck (the drake - pardon me) who had a complete marcel, but I couldn't find him. Of course the drake originated this idea of a "permanent," with his one unspoilable curl; but this is the first time I have heard of an all-over permanent wave on a fowl. Did you ever see chickens of pastel shades? Cleveland has them; and they were on exhibition at the poultry show. Smaller than a grown leghorn, they have feathers much like the Marabou feathers of the ostrich - in soft shades of orchid, green, blue, pink, and peach. I know where the owner lives; and sometime I must learn more about the dainty creatures. No doubt the buyer asked the owner if they come from Easter eggs. The woman remarked, "Their feathers must be dyed." But no, they are the real thing. If I learn the secret, I'll tell you. The large national and state exhibits were housed in the two long buildings used in the Great Lakes Expo. - the Automotive Building and the Hall of Science. The boys and I were bent on seeing the Japanese chicken with the seventeen-foot tail. Charlie and I were somewhat "under the weather," but we trekked the weary miles - or so it seemed - over to the Nations and States exhibits, only to find that our Japanese wonder was stuffed. He was perched on a house-top in dramatic display of his flowing white tail. But the live birds were much more interesting. There were pigeons of every variety - one with a feathered "goiter" as big as his body; cooing love birds; gorgeous birds of paradise; beautifully feathered bantam chickens; guinea fowls; every kind of duck and goose. Two tiny bantam cocks were true to type, and put on the best fight they could through a heavy wire partition.
We were glad to slump and rest in front of a large enclosure - a web-footed creature's paradise. This was a pond, surrounded by earth, barnyard style. Two beautiful, lordly white swans acted as if they had dominion over all the other fowls. One swan felt especially belligerent toward a great tan goose, who fled from him in the water; but when he reached shore, he turned, drew himself up to his full height and dignity; and waggled his posterior section in a defiant way that seemed to say, "Come on, you big palooka;" then winked an aside to us, "I'll molder the bum." It was feeding time. The lad scattered the grain - on land and sea. The water was quite shallow, for even the small ducks stood on their heads, and had a grand time. We saw a pair of white chickens, raised in the far north, by Canadian Monks. These chickens have neither comb nor wattles; another evidence of a creature's adaptation to its environment. These chickens were for sale - $150. We had not time to gather scientific information - except by pamphlet. We collected enough literature to start a poultryman's library. This is to be shipped to Pa. - to interested friends. The poultry show was a signal success. Nearly 850,000 admissions were counted. Of course many of these were "repeats," who came day after day. Even so, there must have been nearly half a million people, interested in this phase of the farm industry. No neurotics, nor psychopathic cases in this crowd. Just good wholesome folks - many of them right from "the sticks' of Ohio - and a little behind on the latest style from Paris; but the kind of people I like. I fairly ached to go again and spend a whole day, but I had to clean the home roost, and mix mash for my own chicks.
Mr. Walker kindly relayed to me a message that came from a former resident of Nowrytown, and mother of two of my little pupils in my first school. This message opened the floodgates of memory for me. I had to get out my old album, scan the picture of my Nowrytown flock, and see if I could remember all the names. The rest of this letter is of interest only to those children, whose ages ranged from 4 to 9. And now the youngest is 30! Think of it! Where are they all? I have no list - nothing but this picture, taken on the north side of No. 14 school. Let me try to name them - and may I be pardoned for forgetting the names of two or three of my prize pupils! Everett and Billy (Floyd) Stockdale, Joseph and La Verne Young, John and ? Regnick, Myrtle and Robert Long, Paul and Ila Marts, (Ila - such a precious child - taken by diphtheria), Herbert ?, Sammy Hill, Lillian Kridler and her brother (brown eyed and bright), Violet, Robbie and Allie (Alice) Lawton, Goldie, Minta and Louis ? Johns, also tiny Mabel Johns and a blond sister, Margaret and George Bowman, Leona and Harry Bortz, Harry Johns, Lloyd and Ethel Parsons, Mildred Libengood, Joe Calhoun, Grace and Florence Calhoun, Alberta, Alverta and Anna Swanson, Letha Yeager (her sister is not in the picture), Hazel Steffey (and Frieda, who is missing from the group; my star speller) the Gray girl - why can't I remember her first name? Four bright girls, whose characteristics I can remember so well - but I can't name them. Also two or three boys I cannot place. Where are you all? Please, someone with that picture, help me out with the names.
Reminiscently yours,
Florence B. Taylor
4501 Lilac Road
South Euclid, Ohio.
Next - 8/17/39 - Surveying the Right Road. The Poultry Congress