The Security News from Topeka, Kansas • 10

10 THE SECURITY NEWS April, 1921 INTERESTING INCIDENTS OF THE H. H. i A Story of Kindly Remembrances of the Home Folks and Details of Daily Life at Our Home and Hospital Out on the Hill. all our big-hearted 275,000 band needs just jogging a bit whether it is in the matter of birthdays or the contributing of a few dollars each for additional buildings so that our fraternal arms may reach out farther and yet farther to succor those others who are needing it now. The birthdays for April and May arenas follows: Vivian will be 12 years old April 1, Bobbie will be 8 years old April 2, Benny will be 5 years old April 5, Big Ben will be 11 years old May 6, and Nadine and Maxine (twins) will be 10 years old May 25.

A bevy of little girls was found sewing one evening, secluded in a private room, and being asked what they were doing, said: Oh, we are getting things ready for the old folks building, and then proudly showed us some pieces of cloth about six inches square which they were sewing together to make, as they sai.d, lifters for hot kitchen utensils. They call themselves the Little Helpers Club and the membership roll thus far is Grethal, Josie, Dorothy, and Clemen-tene. May their efforts expand, for we are going to need lots of things totfurnish the new building. 0f We have had some windy days on the hill this spring and on one of the windiest, one of the workmen employed by one of the contractors lit a cigaret and carelessly threw the match on the ground out on the prairie where he was filling up a ditch, setting fire to the dry grass, and in no time the flames were leaping northeast towards the barns of Cedar Crest. The alarm was given and all hands quit work and rushed to fight the fire.

About thirty men and two teams were in the array the men with shovels and sacks and the teams plowing fire furrows. Five minutes lost would have sent the fire to the buildings and into our timber with disastrous results. A week or so later, also on a windy day, a neighbor southwest of us separated by two roads, started to burn off a field. The wind was strong and in our direction. Much to his consternation the fire leaped both roads and caught our grass.

With the aid of Mr. McNeal and the boys we stopped it at one of our driveways after burning off the grass south and west of our building and destroying some of our roses. The boys worked like troopers. Had it gotten over the driveway it would have spread to our timber. the H.

and H. Mrs. W. H. Wardrop, North 5506 Lincoln street, Spokane, sent a box containing childrens clothing, which will be put to practical use in the Home.

Little kindnesses seem but trifles to us, but the gladness they bring to the hearts of those whom we serve means much in their lives. So, should we not do whatever we can to ease the burden of the brother traveling by our side? For this reason, do we appreciate the gift made by Sister Wardrop. Is not friendliness the thing of all things that is the most pleasant in this world? The best thing we can do is to reach out and lend a helping hand to a needy neighbor. A life that is spent in continuous service; a life that is patient, cheerful, kindly, and unselfish; a life that is rich in deeds of mercy and in deeds of love that is, in truth, a beautiful life. Some of the members of St.

Charles Council No. 3007 gave expression to this thought when they sent to the Home a box consisting of the following useful articles a large comfort, a pair of pillow slips, and twenty-seven towels. The members who so generously donated something to the box are: Mrs. David Fine, Mrs. Weeke, Mrs.

Leiper, Mrs. Suckey, Mrs. Hobush, Mrs. Christianson, Mrs. Mrs.

Tucker, Mrs. Weis-man, and Mrs. Cooper. Five of the boys have invested some of their pocket money in baseball mitts and they have already gotten up a game or so with the neighboring boys. Mr.

Ashworths duties were to give our orchard and vineyard a thorough pruning; and now he is busy getting the garden in shape over at Cedar Crest. Egg production in February was from Farm No. 1, 45 dozen; Farm No. 2, 30 dozen; Farm No. 3, 17 dozen.

From Farm No. 3 we received 390 gallons of milk. A song that is left unsung, a word that is left unspoken means far more than we can guess. If we ever hear the voice of those who need our love and our care, making some sacrifice for them, whether it be large or small, we shall find the largest measure of happiness. Thus, have the members of McPherson Council No.

524, McPherson, made the folks at the Home feel that someone takes a genuine interest in them, through their donation of some clothing, and we wish to take this opportunity to thank them for their part in helping along this work. Burlingame Council No. 23, Burlingame, sent a large bunch of back numbers of the Ladies Home Journal to the Home. We wish to thank the members for the interest they have manifested in the Home. (From the National President's Department) THY NEIGHBOR Thy neighbor? It is he whom thou Hast power to aid and bless.

Whose aching heart or burning brow Thy soothing hand may press. Thy neighbor? 'Tis the fainting poor Whose eye with want is dim; Whom hunger sends from door to door; Go, then, and succor him. Life is as a tangled skein of silken threads, some rose, some gold and many gray, and it is your task to untangle, at least your own share, and at the same time turn the gray to rose just by shedding a ray of sunshine upon the life of your neighbor. If you start anew each morning with the desire in your heart to discover what your neighbor needs most to bring him happiness, if you soothe and comfort him when he is in trouble, if you scatter the flowers of kindness along the pathway of this same neighbor, your heart will be lighter in consequence. Success lies not in the fame you acquire, the wealth you store up, or the knowledge you gain, but rather in the kindly neighborliness you have shown, the help you have given when help was most needed, the sympathy you tendered to a sorrowing neighbor, and in fact, all the deeds you have wrought patiently in a spirit of brotherhood.

You, perhaps, were not meant to carve your name in letters of fame, but you have within you the power to ease the suffering in the world just by being a neighbor in every sense of the word. Your neighbor needs you; needs your aid, your encouragement, your faith in him, and you will not fail him. The world is, after all, merely a huge melting pot, into which are cast the joys and sofrows, the tears and laughter, and the sunlight and shadows of all humanity. Whether our substance proves to be of pure gold, depends upon the manner in which we live our life from day to day; whether we leave a record of little nameless acts of kindness, and deeds of loving sacrifice, and whether we render some worthy service in behalf of our fellowmen. We do not want life to hold for us all dross and no gold.

And that the Master Alchemist may find more gold than dross, let us live only for others. This thought came to us when we received a box containing two large quilts and a bed spread for the folks at the Home. We wish to express to the members of the degree staff of Seneca Council No. 2601, Seneca, who donated these articles, our sincerest thanks for their gift. C.

A. Baxter, of Blue Rapids, sent a collection of fifty-two volumes for our library, and two pairs of boys trousers. One of the greatest assets of this day is a good library, and it is one of the best universities to be found. A great book that comes from a deep thinker is a ship of thought deep-freighted with truth and beauty. Because a library can never be of too large proportions and because of the entertainment and knewledge they will afford, do we wish to thank Brother Baxter for his gift.

One. makes ones own happiness 'only by taking care of the happiness of others. The following members of Olive Council No. 300, St. Joseph, made a generous donation of miscellaneous articles to the Home: Mrs.

F. Kerns, Edna Vest, Mr. and Mrs. J. M.

Griffis, Emma Bush, Mrs. Mary Walters, Mr. and Mrs. Dix and Mrs. R.

J. Clark. We wish to express to these loyal members our appreciation of their thoughtfulness in bringing a little added happiness into the lives of our folks at the Home. The charities that we perform for others and the charities that soothe, and heal and bless, those whom we serve, have an indefinable influence upon our lives, even as the fragrance of scattered flowers rises up, and carries us out of the every-day world, into a realm of beauty. And so, to Mrs.

J. L. Harbaugh, a member of Council 506, West Salem, Ohio, do we wish to express our gratitude for her donation of a quilt, a pair of pillow slips and a couple of towels. All these articles will come in for much practical use. It is just such kindly acts as this that make us feel the spirit of good-fellowship is far from being extinct.

Wishing to give something to the Home in memory of. her little granddaughter, Mrs. Porter S. Cook, 1061 West Fifty-fourth street, Los Angeles, sent a beautifully dressed doll for the little girls at the Home, and when the children play with the doll they will often remember the kind friend who sent it to them. Realizing, undoubtedly, what it means to meet the demands made by healthy appetites, which have been sharpened by out-of-door life, Mr.

and Mrs. Jesse Bron, of North Topeka, sent to the Home fourteen quarts of tomatoes and eight quarts of rhubarb, for which we wish to express our hearty thanks. We know that the folks at the Home will greatly appreciate this gift. J. T.

Montague, of Perry, gave 50 cents to our superintendent, Brother Walker, for the purpose of purchasing candy for the children. A childs grief is just as deep as that of a man, and is long remembered, and the joys that come to them live in their memory, as well. Then, should we not try to put as much sunshine as possible into these little lives, entrusted to our care? Although Mr. Montague is not a member of our order, he is deeply interested in our big family, and we wish to thank him for his kindness in remembering the children. The Topeka Laundry sent the following articles to the Home recently; three wash dresses, one boys shirt, one blouse, two pairs of bloomers, and three skirts, all of which will come in handy, and we wish to thank them for the donation.

The foundation of knowledge must be laid by reading. General principles must be had from books, which however, must be brought to the test of real life. Mrs. W. H.

Horton, one of our members, residing Osage Iowa, sent to the Home, a short time ago, a box of magazines and also a box of books. We want Sister Horton to know that we appreciate her kindness in thinking of our family in this manner. If we would have kindness in our own life, we must sow it in the lives of those about us. The way to gather is to scatter. If we scatter sunshine along the pathway where a weary brother treads, our life, as well as his, will be brightened.

The members of Sterling Council No. 2601, sterling. donated the following articles to the Home; sheets, towels, pillow slips, a pair of blankets, a comfort, shoes, and a number of books, thus voicing their loyal interest in the Home, and we wish to thank them for their kindly thoughtfulness. The ladies of Mystic Council No. 1363, Leavenworth, a group of loyal workers who have the interest of the Home very much at heart, made a quilt and sent it to the Home.

Such a gift is most practical and will come in for some real service. If we see in each one we meet as we travel the Highway of Life, a brother; if we endeavor to make his life less lonely if we try to understand him, we shall find a greater happiness thanwe have hitherto known. We wish to thank the ladies of this council for such a fine expression of their loyalty. It is kindness and compassion that this old world needs in great measure. If there were a little more kindness by you and by me, would not life be more worth the living? The members of Stockton Council No.

467, Stock-ton, sent to the Home three large quilts and four books for children. It is with a deep feeling of gratitude that we extend to these warm-hearted members our sincerest thanks for their gift. For one year, ending February 1, we have, each month, weighed the children in their nighties for the purpose of noting their increase. Their height, also, has been recorded (without shoes). The heaviest boys are Cecil, 122 pounds; Herschel, 133 pounds; Wayne, 110 pounds.

The heaviest girls are Pauline, 117 pounds; Marie, 113 pounds; Ruth Edna, 97 pounds. The greatest gains in weight among the boys are Cecil, 21 pounds; Herschel, 14 pounds; Wayne, 9 pounds. Gains in weight among the girls Ruth, 18 pounds; Grethal, 14 pounds; Vivian, 14 pounds, and Ruth Edna, 13 pounds. The tallest boys are Cecil, 65 inches; Wayne, 63 inches; Herschel, 61 inches. The tallest girls are Pauline, 64 inches; Marie, 63 inches; Ruth Edna, 61 inches; Ruth, 58 inches.

The greatest gains in height among the boys are Cecil, 4 inches; Herschel, Bert, and Claude, 3 inches; Warren and Harry 2 inches. Among the girls, Ruth Edna and Grethal, 4 inches; Dorothy, 4 inches; Ruth and Lucile, 3 inches; Josephine, Marie Maness and Marian, 3 inches. The lightest weight boy is Bert, 34 pounds; the lightest weight girl, Tedie, 39 pounds. The shortest boy is Bert, 39 inches; the shortest girl, Marian, 43 inches. In the year the total gain in weight of girls is 157 pounds; boys, 86 pounds, or a total of 243 pounds added to the weight of our family by three good meals a day and plenty of pure milk.

The total gain in height is: Girls, 41 inches; boys, 35 inches, or a total for both of 6 feet 4 inches of growth in stature. Just for fun we will give you the total weight and total height: Girls weigh 1,222 pounds; boys, 991 pounds, or a total of a ton and 213 pounds of S. B. A. boys and girls.

And the total height of girls is 765 inches; boys, 867 inches. If they were strong enough and acrobatic enough to build up a column by standing severally upon the top of one anothers heads, it would pierce the sky 136 feet not quite as tall as our new 150-foot smokestack is going to be. Ruth Edna got up another show last month to which we all, of course, were invited. The show was one of her best efforts. She surely is a versatile girl and does things when she undertakes them, and she is not slow at undertaking either.

Her birthday was in March and she asked Mrs. Walker if she might not be responsible for the dinner on that day (Sunday) with the help of some of her followers. So, with Mrs. Walkers consent and a few little suggestions, she made sure of getting her birthday celebrated by cooking up an elaborate menu. We might say, in passing, that perhaps all of our members do not know that each month one of the local drug 'stores in Topeka supplies us with periodicals for the month, and although we are most grateful for those magazines which have already been sent in, yet we have an ample supply of all the magazines at the close of each month, and we really have just about all we can handle.

NOTES FROM THE H. H. (By S. T. Walker) Lest you forget.

There has bee little mix-up in announcing birthdays. No announcement appeared in the February sisue for March, but we did get the March birthdays announced in the March issue with the regrettable omission of Brother Bunch, who was 77 years old on March 22. Also little William Maness was missed in January, who was 7 years old January 22. As has been stated before, we always do something a little extra for every birthday, but in addition, we like to give anyone else a chance to bring a little sunshine if they feel like it, by sending for birthdays some little remembrance. Of course we do not expect much, nor from many, but we know that there are always some who are willing to stop mid their own busy cares and prepare a little package occasionally for our family birthdays.

Brother Bunch has a pretty lonesome time of it, being partially paralyzed and not able to get about much. He likes to chew tobacco and enjoys fruit, but aside from that and his daily meals there is little of physical enjoyment, day in and day out. Then there are the two blind men, one of whom is also partially paralyzed but one of the most appreciative of our household. Brother Teague. His birthday was announced but some way or another the whole 275,000 brothers and sisters forgot him on that day.

We fixed it up the best we could, and not a complaint from him no sir; he is content with whatever happens, just sitting in. his room thinking, thinking, thinking about what, no one ever knows. It is a little difficult for him to talk but when he does, it is never in complaint, but rather in praise for what is done for him. All the same, we know he would have had something pleasant to think about for a while had he on his natal day received some little package by mail. The other blind man did receive a handkerchief from some kind sister who did not forget.

He, however, can get about, and enjoys smoking, so time does not hang quite so heavily with him. We are, mind you, not begging just jogging. Thats The garden boys asked to have their garden plat doubled this year. That would be an indication, wouldnt it, that they found. last years work profitable.

Well, we cant (in this case) have too much of a good thing, so Superintendent Walker doubled it for them and for weeks before planting time their spare hours were used in drawing plans on paper and measuring off their respective beds and deciding what to plant. In the meantime Mr. Walker was consulted frequently and plans submitted to him for suggestions and approval. Mr. Walker got busy too and ordered the seeds.

They thus had practical lessons in drafting, as Mr. Walker told them to draw their plans on a scale. Greatest enthusiasm prevailed for a season, I tell you. Mr. Smith plowed our potato land with the tractor March 3 in about four hours, which made him late for supper.

The next day Mr. Sligar plowed part of the oats land with the tractor his first experience. Wayne and Mr. Wise plowed with teams and we finished putting in eight acres of oats in less than two days. Upon invitation of Editor Songer our household was invited as the guests of Topeka Councli No.

2 last month. Continued on Page 1 1.