The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-10
For the National Era.
WHAT FARMER JOHN THINKs.-NO. /.

City folk are apt to think they are n little
wiser than we country folk. They have "
kind of lording way about them, as if they
were born to rule, and we poor drudges of the
plough-hande were made only to be helps
for them in noney-ge getting.
Now, money-making is all well enough i'm
its way and for my part think that most of
the riches that are heaped up by those who
spend their whole lives in traffic, with hardly
"A thought beyond the dollars and cents Of
their profit and loss account are we'll earned
| would not bear the endless racking of brains,
the fear of protested notes, the whrl of bust
ness, the dread Of failure, tho everlasting
stretch of thought by day and by night, on
the single point OF business success, for any less
reward than an Overlooking purse or some
thing else as well worth seeking after The
workman is worthy of his hire; and "a Nam
mon il one of the hardest of taskmasters, he
ought to pay well
do not mean to say that all merchants are
mere Mammon- worshippcrs, for ! do not think
1t. | have known many country boy who
had been brought up to be jealous of good
works, and who went to the city to seek a for
tune ~ he said, for the good he might do
with it have seen such boys make out
well, and sometimes make a good Use of their
but merchants may be as good on the average,
and act their parts in life as faithfully, astbe
majority of farmers. But we country pe5{'le
have good deal of time to think of other
things than our cattle and crops-more time,
perhaps, than the citizen can spare from his
day-book and leger and we do not altogether
like it when we are treated as if it is no matter
what we like, or what we don't like.
Now there is neighbor Joel as good heart
ed man AZ ever breathed, sent his son Abijah
to New York, after he found he never could
make farmer out of him Abiah was al
ways a smart boy that is to say he was quick
witted, aud knew how to make the most ont
of everything He could read man like Il
book, and 50 he always knew when it was safe
to speak his own mind Such seed, sown in
the field OF Broadway, could not but yield a
good crop; and if ever you should drop in at
Sharp, Dash, & Crafts, you will be pleased
with the perfect order in which every branch
of the business is kept, and the fautless sys.
tenn which has made the house 40 successful.
! have habit Of looking to Abijah az a
kind OF business barometer to show the pressure
of the money market on the city conscience
Not that put any great trust in the depth of
his Judgment or the truthfulness of everything
that he says but ! have found that ne was
almost always on the popular side; and when
ever the politicians make one of the sudden
summersets that ! have so often seen in my
day, ! am never able to find anybody that can
conquer his prejudices quite so soon as Abijah
Neghbor Joel naturally enough, thinks
good deal of "A son that does 80 much credit TO
the family and AZ bijah was always u great
letter-writer, he manages to shape his fathers
politics somewhat after the pattern of his own
Thus, when Abijah was a Silver Gray his ia
Their was Wo0lly Head and when the son,
AS member Of the Union Safety Committee,
voted for Pierce, 80 as to kill off Sewardism,
neighbor Joel voted for Pierce, because the
Wing party had forfeited all claims to his re-
spect by swallowing the Compromise, while
the Democratic party had taken a step for
ward, by thrusting aside all the candidates
who had pledged themselves TO veto what might
he the popular will. | think. and 40 | tell
Abjah that most of the voters, the country
through, are good deal like neighbor JOEL
right ut heart and disposed to act with that
party which they think will be likely to go
nearest right But if any party makes fair
promises, merely to get votes, wo to it when
the trick is found out
AbDah says am mistaken He quotes the
late election as a proof that public sentiment
is changed and that all opposition to slave
catching ana to the emigration of shareholders
with their property and institutions, to our new
Territories, will soon come 10 an end He
thinks that religion has nothing to DO with
Politcs-that the Constitution was made for
the good Of property and trade--and inasmuch
as we all must yield to the laws Of our conn
try, he thinks 1t not only useless, but wrong,
to look for any higher law
have no doubt such is the tone Of thought
in Broadway and Wall street; hut neighhor
Joel says he was taught when he was a boy,
and 20 was !, that there were some command
ments written in the Bible and some impulses
given by God 10 the heart Of man, that were
above all the laws Of Kings, or Congresses, or
Conventions; and that IL, "a has sometimes
happened, any Of the powers that be should
make decree contrary TO those command
msnts aud impulses, il would not be binding