THE REGISTER
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1903.
Letter from Rev. G. O. Huestis.
DEAR EDITOR, -
According to intimation in my last letter, I resume talking about the two Counties, Kings and Lunenburg. They are alike in many particulars, but differ in more. Yours is lined with mountains, making a great valley; ours covered with hills, numerous, but not large or high. If we could weigh your "mountains in scales," and our "hills in a balance" there probably would be an equipoise. Perhaps this measuring and weighing would also apply to our fish and your apples. I fear this year, on our part, would be sadly deficient. I am glad it is not so with you. While our fishermen are now coming home with very small fares, greatly discouraged and cast down, your farmers, except a few frostbitten ones, are rejoicing in the abundance of vale and mountain. There is one relieving circumstance: fish are higher in price than for some years; yet we cannot say of them, as Moses did about the gathering of the manna, "He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack."
Educationally, this County is doing fairly well. But this has been the case only of late years. Hence general intelligence is more limited than with you. We have, however, one of the very best academies in the Province. This applies, not merely to the building, but also to its equipment; to principal, teachers, number of pupils, and work. Your glory in this particular is the distinguished presence and influence of collegiate Wolfville.
Religiously, we are much alike: many church members, but very few devoted Christians. A spirit of worldliness is taking the place of evaporated Christianity. "Lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God," abound. Yet there is much attention to the externals of religion. We have four churches in this town that pay $1,000 each to the pastor. I doubt if you can find four in Kings County that do that.
We have less railroad accommodation than Kings, and much less travel thereon. Our fish are exported on the surface of the deep, their former home. We have about an equal number of papers, with you. One of ours is a tiny daily. I will not further compare the counties, or express my thought of their relative value. But allow me to say: We have more oxen than you have horses.
G. O. HUESTIS.
Lunenburg, Sept. 21, 1903.