"I dote on eddikation," he began; "it makes the taxes high; I've lived
in this town man and boy more'n fifty year and I never saw them anythin'
but high." A general laugh greeted this remark. "But when I'm in town
meetin' I allus votes an aye to make our schools as good as those found
in neighborin' towns, and none of them are any too good. For my
political actions I'm proud to give my grounds, for I never cast a vote
that I was ashamed to give my reasons for." A burst of applause followed
this declaration.

"Years back when I was young, we had no modern notions. We had to be
satisfied with the three R's, Readin', 'Ritin', and 'Rithmetic, and
larnin' was dealt out in rather meagre potions, 'bout three months in
the winter after the wood was cut, sawed and split, and piled up in the
wood-shed. We allus had to work in the summer, make hay and fill the
barn in, and not till winter come could get a speck of larnin,' and then
it took most of our time to pile wood into the stove and settle our
personal accounts with the teacher." An audible titter ran through the
audience at this sally. "And yet when I was young, though this community
was rather behind in letters, no people in the land could say they were
our betters. But now the world is changed, we live without such
grubbin', learn Latin, French, and Greek, how to walk Spanish, talk
Dutch, draw picters, keep books, fizziology, and lots of other 'ologies
and much piano drubbin'. Now what brought this about? I think I have a
notion; you know the immergrants from about every country under the sun
have piled across the ocean. They've done the diggin' and other rough
work and we've thruv on their labor. I have some ready cash. Mr. Strout
comes 'round and gets some of't every year, and likewise my neighbor
has some put aside for a rainy day." Many of the audience who probably
had nothing laid aside glanced at the well-to-do farmers who had the