Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-12-25
Mltsteli0neous.
Lafayette Smith, or The Man who
never made anything at
Farming.
BY A NATIVE HOosIER.

After all that has been said and written about
the dignity Of labor-the independence of the
farmers life-t domestic comforts and quiet
rnjoyments Of honest agriculture. Lafayette
Smith was dIscontented man. Discontinued,
not because he delked labor--not because he
did not appreciate The honor of his calling--but
BECAUSE he always insisted, there was nothing
to be made at it,
Lltuyctle was a great talker; and he always
talked large and loud, about the bone and sin.
ner' of the country the men who were at the
very bottom of AL snpport-the people who dug
up the treasures from the earth by hard lO, and
paid for all the rest of mankind in general, the
taxes, the tariff, and government expenses, and
all that kind Of lhlngs-und was alwaS abusing
Office holders, and merchants, and clerks, and
even newspaper men sometimes, and calling
them all a set of puupers, who had to be suppor-
ted bv the bone and sinner still there was
nothing TO be made at farming
Lafayette was reader of the Tribune, and
had some notions about association, and the
combination of labor, and didn't know but some
thing might be done that way for the benefit of
mankind, and farmers in particular, buut wasn't
quite ready to try 1t yet hunsef, though certain
Of one thiGg-nothing could be made at farming
under the present organization of society, where
every man's interests were opposed to his neigh
bor's-and every mans cattle were disposed to
commit depredations on his neigbbor's crops
without recourse-evelybody injured and no.
body benefited by each other!
Such was some of Lafayette Smiths philoso-
ply, and he ne7er met neghLor in the field or
on the road, but he stopped his plough Or team
to enighten his mind with his own notion OF
things, as well as to demonstrate the fact, that
} there was nothing to be made at farming.
Smith was abusy man-don't let any one sup
pose that Lafayette was lazy-far from that be
5 got up eorly in the morning, and went to bed
late at night nor did he rest quietly then for he
5 snored awlully, and was constantly annoyed BY
, fears, that something was going wrong outside
4 when not under his supervision; wolves ate
e the sheep, or minks among the chickens; or i
' there was danger of premature or too lat
f frost, he would have to get up often for meteor
=. ooglcul observations 10 see il ii had cleured OF
or the wind taen-he was sure it would be SO
: before he went to bed; but there was no use, la
0 Dor in vain, CROPS would be destroyed, there wa
? notl ing to be made at farming!
Sm h was an early settler in this fair land
: he had heen one OF your very pioneers. SMitl
was from York State he emigrated early be
e cause there was nothing to be made at farming
in the East. He was about thirty five years oil
e when he started had worked hard all his life
commenced with nothing, and held his own to
D gGher with the accumulation Of large family
could boast as many children as the marty
c Rogers, and they were all so many living lesli
Il nonials Of the laws Of physiology, embracn
the transmission Of qualities that is they wer
II all Smiihs--wnh very slight notifications, ,whic
might have been ,ruced to soue ancestral idloG
lie lncracy far back in the history of the Smith fan
ar Ily,lo US unknown but no matter, the evdenc
e was sufficient, and any one to see Mr.. Smit
n would never doubt, or if he did, would still
y convinced OF the TACT, that there is no account
e ing for tastes
- To hear Smith tak,he must have been goo
ls deal of man in York State, although he nevt
o made anything there. He knew the big men
ls he State " like q book" from Governor Clntc
n. down, und evidently figured largely in tow
r tectlngs and caucusses; his affections are a
- centered there still. York State was gre
81 Dlace-beals ali--nothlng like it and the met
81 Iry Of it would seem to steal over him som
= times, like the day dreams of boyhood, or ii
nc shadows of al early love; h. almost wsht
OF himself back again, though he never made an
'r hing there at farming, and was certain be ne
u r could.
A.: When Lafayette first arrived here he WI
'r' ehghted- overjoyed--tns was "the land
!! jomlse overlooking with milk and wild honey
i! Smiths h pes were high he never had made al
O hing in his liie, but here was chance gre
~ prospect, the richest soil on earth and all ere
st. ion unoccupied. No land monopoes, no rem
e' 10 taxes no tariffs, all he had 10 do was to ina
n us claim, stick his stakes around whole sectiu
BE Il smooth soil unincumbered by stone or stun
IN put in the plough, turn over the bright sod, Il
u, SOW his seed upon the nutrieut mould, a
Ia. hen wait for spontaneous and qbundant hi
Vi vest