Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-06-20
MISCE LII A Y
How n Thr,ftless Farmer was Reformed.


rWe copy the following story from one of Dr..
Glen G.. Haven's Letters to his son, published in
Life NIustrated:
Ii you have place for everything, and every
thing its place. if you have tame to do business,
and do it in its time you will find that you wills drre
bls ess Instead of business driving you and 50 will
haveleisure instead constant worry. 1t pains me
t. see sltne men undertake any business of moment
They are as sure to becOme enangled, and thrown
on their backs, their business top of them, as
they are TO undertake it Take farming for in
stance. Now venture the assertion that two
thirds of all the farmers in this State burning
rreea wood this terrible cold weather. Go into
their houses. and hear the kissing of the beech. or
maple, or elm, as like to the dirge of cocEroach
as can be- Out of the chimney tops comes forth
noke dark as Tartarus. af& their wives and
hired Girls are cross as bedlam. These men, could
not find time to cut their wood aud have it sea-
Soned Now charge it on you, that you fail not
to haze time 10 do all that you undertake-la or
der Every day accidents. casualties, catastro-
phes, providences are taking place, because men
women and children have not time to do things
AS then onght 10 be dune. | mast tell You a story
winch is f,ct When was a BOY, there
lived in my natjye village "a family by the ns."e
| of Wilson There were four boys aud iuof girls.
aud they We're exceedingly gifted. Not one oi
them was there vino did not rack IN beauty, nlei-
lect aud personal physic', power a good way a.
bove mediocrity. They All had more man coul-
mon educational requirements, tor they learned
easily The girls all married early, and to young
men of high promise. Tic mena'l marfied-and
Ia respectable women Yet all remained pour
Their failure was directly attributed to q 'oG''t oi
order. not ore of them was ever kGown 10 do
la, N IL ri
with one exception, and he the hero OF my sto-
ry. Of one of lAe girls may say trutn!uily mat
for over thirty-t;ye wears she mas neUer seen The
sur rise. always going to bed past midnight and
rising past midday But to my story. Erastas
/ Wilson was farmer-a shiyiess. sloyenly, dis
Iorderly. sp-shoi former The winds and the
waters, the sun and raln, darkness anG broad day
all c1nsD;red to jo him harm lis gates were
uahung, his hul'S uuseS were unwru2g his sheep
could leap his fences like wild deer, his cattle
| we're seen with boards over their eyes, great
spiked chains nn their neckS, yokes ON, aud "hed
| head and flat" His horses were as thin as a
Rhode Island spare rib-you conuId see sunrise
thr,noh them. His windows had old hats, old
coats, old newspapers, and Shingles, instead OF
rlass His corn was stunted, his meadows halt
cnvered with grass, and around and about him the
spirit of decau seemed to brood. Yet he worked
| hard. did not drink, nor gamble, nor quarrel. In
fact. he was a piouS man, but he did every thing
at the wrong time aud in the wrong way
Thus he lived until his hair turned gray, and
poyerty sat at his table an acknowledged member
| If his family. One cold December day he was
goinr to his barn, and it happened that re hhed
I'D his ewes. and afar off in one OF his lots he saw
something to him like deer horns sticking through
the TOP uf snow drift. He was all alive. lie
would make a conquest-sO over the fence he
leaped and made for the deer. He waded the drli-
tod and the undrifed snow till he reached the spot,
when, behold instead OF the horns OF DUCK
there stuck ND the too handles Of his pio,c! He
was very angry. and started to go back, when he
said he heard a voice as audibly as ever voice
spake. ay,"Erastus Wilson, you deserve good
| fogging for leaving your pow out In the snow
II is by such heedlessness you have come 10 pow.
erty. Pick up your Plow and take II to the oarn'
! He immediately set about 1t, and oy what means
he did it he never could tell. But through that
deep snow and over the drifts ne dragged the I'M
plement to the barn. Once there ne took raw
hide, stripped himsele naked, and addressed him-
uelf
.Erastus Wilson you are mean, dirty power
iy-stricken- man. All your long life you have been
to lazy to save what ycu have earned or too
careless 10 90 IL IOu
Here is your plow whose handles you could never
see. them till you thought them the horns OF deer
then YOU could wade drifts waist deep to- get them,
| Yol deserve good iogging, you careless block
head, and you shall have it" and he laid the raw
hide on to body, legs and feet till he raised grkat
wales, he skipping around the floor naked and
screaming while he would say, leave your
pl ~ GU ! will you2 P city farmer you ar :, All t
YOU y? III see if can't teach you better" Thus
ne hOgged himself must soundy, dressed himself
aud went From that fogging he came forth
changed man. He was prompt, orderly saving,
and up with the times. His nelghbors were
surprised. His family were wonder struck lie
began to thrive. and in less than three years his
farrn. his flocks and herds all bore the evidence "f
being under the guidance of spirit whose ener-
gles wore of the aluplest order. About this time
he sckeued and died