News From Cookstown, 1875
New Jersey Courier 22 Jul 1875:
I notice in the last issue of your excellent paper, an exclamation like the following: "Where on where is our Cookstown friend?", also the question "Why don't you write?". Now it is quite easty to write when one has the time, and a good subject; but when the time is scarce, and no subject to be found, then writing becomes not a task easily performed. However, I will try to give your readers a few items.
First is the Spelling Bee, which came off with great success last Wednesday evening. Two classes were chosen, and after a long time but two spellers were left, i.e. mrs. Chas. Lamb and Miss --- Pointsett. Mrs. Lamb finally went down on effervescence, and Miss Pointsett was declared the successful competitor. The Rev. H.G. Williams, pastor, acted as prounouncer, and John Nutt, pedagogue, was the referee. The contestants spelled exceedingly well, and added considerable credit to the affair by their good humor toward each victim as they took their seats. The profits of the affair we are told, was something over $20. Quite a snug little capital to improve the library with.
The huckleberry crop, in this section, is good, and large quantities of them are gathered, and sent to New York. Mr. Samuel H. Kirby is the principal dealer, and gets most of the berries.
The prospect for a large crop of cranberries is also good, at present. Should no enemy disturb this valuable berry, we may expect the largest yield that we have had for many years.
The harvests are now nearly over and the farmers are somewhat agreeably disappointed in their hay crop, it being heavier than they anticpated. Rye is far better t hatn it has been for years. Wheat is nearly an average crops, while oats are A no. 1. The corn crop bids fair to be the heaviest known for many years. The early potatoes are fair, notwithstanding the ravages of the "bug". Late potatoes look finely, so far. Peaches will be scarce, these being but few in our immediate vicinity. Apples will be below an average crop. Our garden truck looks well and bids fair to give us an abundant supply for home consumption.
Being done with the farmer's produce, let us look at our village. Cookstown is a finely situated village near the P. & H. R.R., and contains one M.E. Church, two good country stores, two hotels, one grist mill, and the usual kind of stores. Ther are also two confectionery shops, or saloons, where the children of our village deposit money for safe keeping. Speaking of children, let me here give a sketch of what I saw a "Young American" lad aged four years doing last Saturday. Whilst sitting on Mr. Lewis' store porch (on a shoe box), our attention was called to a bright fellow, who was in the act of unwrapping a paper, containing something which he was he was very anxious to show his father. When he got the roll undone, he produced a cigar, which he said some one gave him and wanted his father to get him a match. The father lit the said cigar, and gave it to the young gentleman; and then to see the smoke rollout of teh side of his mouth, and to see that fore-finger grasping said cigar showed at once that here was an "old hand at the bellows." I believe the father stated that the youngster had chawed and smoked for about two years. This is but a specimen of some of your youngsters that come out of the edge of the woods. We have seen some individuals in our time, who had not money enough to pay their tax, to keep up a public school, but who had plenty of money to get whiskey and tobacco every day. When our beautiful country will become Christianized, or even civilized, is a question that is far ahead of my comprehension.
I was in Pemberton, last week, a few hours, but had not much time to look around. But I saw several improvements among which was the new dwelling house of Mr. Geo. D. Gilson, and the new store of Mrs. Farrow. We also saw that the hotels were doing no business in the way of selling, what is usually called, rum, but is really in fact only a mixture of drugs and poison. This is the greatest improvement that has ever been noticed in the borough, and God willing may it remain for all time as it is at present.
I notice in the last issue of your excellent paper, an exclamation like the following: "Where on where is our Cookstown friend?", also the question "Why don't you write?". Now it is quite easty to write when one has the time, and a good subject; but when the time is scarce, and no subject to be found, then writing becomes not a task easily performed. However, I will try to give your readers a few items.
First is the Spelling Bee, which came off with great success last Wednesday evening. Two classes were chosen, and after a long time but two spellers were left, i.e. mrs. Chas. Lamb and Miss --- Pointsett. Mrs. Lamb finally went down on effervescence, and Miss Pointsett was declared the successful competitor. The Rev. H.G. Williams, pastor, acted as prounouncer, and John Nutt, pedagogue, was the referee. The contestants spelled exceedingly well, and added considerable credit to the affair by their good humor toward each victim as they took their seats. The profits of the affair we are told, was something over $20. Quite a snug little capital to improve the library with.
The huckleberry crop, in this section, is good, and large quantities of them are gathered, and sent to New York. Mr. Samuel H. Kirby is the principal dealer, and gets most of the berries.
The prospect for a large crop of cranberries is also good, at present. Should no enemy disturb this valuable berry, we may expect the largest yield that we have had for many years.
The harvests are now nearly over and the farmers are somewhat agreeably disappointed in their hay crop, it being heavier than they anticpated. Rye is far better t hatn it has been for years. Wheat is nearly an average crops, while oats are A no. 1. The corn crop bids fair to be the heaviest known for many years. The early potatoes are fair, notwithstanding the ravages of the "bug". Late potatoes look finely, so far. Peaches will be scarce, these being but few in our immediate vicinity. Apples will be below an average crop. Our garden truck looks well and bids fair to give us an abundant supply for home consumption.
Being done with the farmer's produce, let us look at our village. Cookstown is a finely situated village near the P. & H. R.R., and contains one M.E. Church, two good country stores, two hotels, one grist mill, and the usual kind of stores. Ther are also two confectionery shops, or saloons, where the children of our village deposit money for safe keeping. Speaking of children, let me here give a sketch of what I saw a "Young American" lad aged four years doing last Saturday. Whilst sitting on Mr. Lewis' store porch (on a shoe box), our attention was called to a bright fellow, who was in the act of unwrapping a paper, containing something which he was he was very anxious to show his father. When he got the roll undone, he produced a cigar, which he said some one gave him and wanted his father to get him a match. The father lit the said cigar, and gave it to the young gentleman; and then to see the smoke rollout of teh side of his mouth, and to see that fore-finger grasping said cigar showed at once that here was an "old hand at the bellows." I believe the father stated that the youngster had chawed and smoked for about two years. This is but a specimen of some of your youngsters that come out of the edge of the woods. We have seen some individuals in our time, who had not money enough to pay their tax, to keep up a public school, but who had plenty of money to get whiskey and tobacco every day. When our beautiful country will become Christianized, or even civilized, is a question that is far ahead of my comprehension.
I was in Pemberton, last week, a few hours, but had not much time to look around. But I saw several improvements among which was the new dwelling house of Mr. Geo. D. Gilson, and the new store of Mrs. Farrow. We also saw that the hotels were doing no business in the way of selling, what is usually called, rum, but is really in fact only a mixture of drugs and poison. This is the greatest improvement that has ever been noticed in the borough, and God willing may it remain for all time as it is at present.
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