Litchfield enquirer., 1853-06-16
Mistakes of American Roxs.

American youth TALL, that manual LG00T
IS not honorable. To be a merchant. a
lawyer, a doctor, an engineer, military
or naval officer. or shipmaster. is, in
their esteem, much more honorable than
is to be mechanic OF farmer. 1t cans
not be denied that all these other occu-
pations require exertion. The doctor is
oftentimes quite as weary when his day s
work is done as the farmer and blacks
smith can be y; but he is not half so sure
of quiet nights sleep as they are, and
we all know to what hardships engineers
are exposed, as we'll as persons who fol~
low the seas.
We often see vigorous young men
seeking places as clerks in stores. They
all hope for, and generally expect, some
favorable tide in the affairs of life. which
"will lead them OH to fortune"
Other men have accumulated vast
sums Of money in buying and selling
goods-why not =? is the language they
use. They rarely consider that but
very small number of those who embark
ever complete the voyage. Where one
succeeds, ten, fifty, perhaps hundred
fail.
But an industrious, thrifty farmer SELL
dom fails TO secure for himself and family
the common comforts Of life. The skill.
full and practical mechanic, too, is gener-
ally sure Of remuneration for his labor,
and with common rudeLce, he can pro-
vide competence for the future. That
plincely fortunes can be heaped up by
handling the pillow. the jack plane. or the
sledge, we do not say ; nor is it pretended
that men a'e as likely toacqui'e fame on
the farm or at the wo,k bench, as at the
bar. But the history Of the world will
show that the men who have done most
for the welfare of their race, and whose
memories are cherished with the most
respect, came from the hard king
ranks. Princely fortunes arc more easll,
wasted lkan won, and while the moderate
possessions of the farmer or mechanic
supply all the comforts of life. they are
attended With few temptations 20 luxury
or extravaganza, and still fewer risks
from the folly or fraud OF others.
There can be no doubt that agricultural
employmen,s are the most natural to
men, and there is no country on the
globe in which the facilities for pursuing
these employ are so great as in the
United States. 1t requires but a very
small outlay Of money to obtain respec
table farm to begin with. A good knowl
edge OF methods Of busbandry can be
easily acquired. The implements of LABOR
are as good and as cheap as can be found
the world over. The products OF the
earth are sure of a good market. and one
which is easily reached. The title Of
land is we'll secured, and large monop>
olies, such as some Of the countries OF the
Old World are buldened with, can never
exist here.
The farmer, that honest, goodly Jar
mer, is one of the most independent men
in the wide world. He has the promise
Of the great Creator that seed>tIme and
harvest shall not fail. He may always
pillow in hope and reap with joy. 10 till
the earth. then. is really an honorable
noble calling.
But it does not require that a man
should be enslAved 10 the pillow. nor that
be should make companions Of his sheep
and oxen. The shlewdest and mos! in>
tellisent men who sit on our juries and
help make our laws. come from their
farms aud return to them as soon as their
public duties terminate. The good sense.
sob,iety, contentment, industry, and love
of order, which characterize our farmers,
are, under God. among the post impo'>
tant safeguards Of puplic peace and
prosperity.