BY-WAYS - 8/10/39 - Poultry Show and Nowrytown 8/17/39 - Surveying the Right Road. The Poultry Congress


How are you all this nice, hot weather? There is one creature that seems to revel in hot weather: the locust. There are a good many locusts around our house; and it seems that the hotter the day, the more they speed up their tiny "saw mills." I love that sound - and would like to see how they make it. Nice echoes are coming back from the "By-Ways" column. Here is one which I would have liked to include in the "Mailbag" last week. It's just what I wanted; but the sermon that inspired that letter was not preached until last Sunday. So let's add it as a postscript to last week's column. Rev. David Crawford, of Clarksburg, gave the message; and Charlotte Marshall McCall, one of his appreciative listeners kindly passed it on to me. Let me quote from her letter: "Sunday, our minister, Rev. Crawford, preached a very good sermon, taking for his text Matt. 7:13-14, 'Highways.' He said each one is building a highway. Before a Highway is built it is first surveyed. Are we following our Surveyor. We have the highway to destruction and the Highway to Eternal Life. Which Highway are you following? The Highway of Satan, leading to blind alleys, or the Highway of Christ, leading to life everlasting? If you are on the highway of Satan, take a detour to Christ's Highway. Satan's Highway is broad, the way of least resistance; Christ's Highway is straight and narrow, requiring hard work, boulders to go through, not around, chasms to bridge - not detour the easy way. Be sure you are on the right Highway of life."

If you only knew how letters like Mrs. McCall's help, more of you would write. The well will soon run dry, unless you help keep it filled. The word "well" reminds me of the "Wishing Well" that the boys and I saw yesterday. And where do you suppose we saw it? At the World Poultry Congress. And what could be in that wishing well? Goldfish and fluffy baby chicks, living apparently in sweet harmony at the bottom of the illumined well. It was a clever optical illusion, but we discovered that the fish-tank - only about 2 in. thick - was in between the chick department and the water above. I wish I could begin to tell you about the wonderful things we saw there; the finest in chickendom; the latest in incubators, brooders, feeders; the countless products that contribute to the well-being of poultry. I should like to spend at least two days there; but I had too limit my visit to five hours. As we entered the Public Auditorium, where, only two weeks ago, we heard symphony orchestra music, from the lower level we heard the clear call of the chanticleer. Such majestic fellows! Magnificent plumage, and a proud strut. The first creatures that caught our eyes were Mr. and Mrs. Peacock. I wanted the boys to see a peacock in full display of his gorgeous tail; but the day was hot, and he refused to show off. The giant turkeys were hot and panting. One beautiful bronze turkey weighed 35 pounds. One turkey - dressed for the dinner-table - or rather, the oven, weighed 42 pounds. One of the most interesting sights was the process of incubation - at that interesting point where baby turkeys were emerging from the shell. The baby chicks are so dear. Every breed on display - and all interested in just one thing; getting enough to eat.

Oh, I must tell you more next week. But a surprising amount of company has just made any more writing today impossible. And here it is - the deadline. Good-by 'til next week.

Sincerely,

Florence B. Taylor
4501 Lilac Road
South Euclid, Ohio.

Next - 8/31/39 - What are "Regular" Mothers made of?

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