Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1858-01-23
THE TIMES.
QUOTATIONS OF AN OLD FARMER.


Hard times So, everybody says; and
80 say we-for the "times do bother us, as
everybody else is bothered. Possibly we
may not be SO badly damaged us some
others, but we know enough about the
hard scratching which they inaict upon us
to wish they were otherwise. We have
had good" times TOO, and quite run Of
them for several years, until few months
ago. So the same Everybody" told US
time and again. Yes, they we're good
times. We had free-teade, and free credit
abroad and we used it freely too, with a
vengeance. We have built long array
of free rail roads, free TO the select coteries
of Spectators who got them up for their
own especial benefit, mind you, on bonds
which were gobbled up by the usurers with
decided freedom. The roads gave free
passes to the legislators, and judges Of the
country, as we'll as to various editors, for
which the little share that we had in the
riding We shall never cease to thank th,m
We imported millions Of free gods that
we did not need, but which we have made
out to wear, and eat, and drink, and
dispose of in one way and another; and
the beauty oil it is, those which are not paid
for, or used up--and there are many-the
owners are free to send back to where they
came from, as many of them probably will
or let the goods lie long while in the
bonded warehouses, awaiting better times
for sale and consumption.
The truth is, for the last eight or ten
years we have built estrsvagantly, dressed
nonsepsically, lived lavishly, specdlated
wildly, trusted everybody about us, as we
got trused abroad, and laid loose" around,
generally. Our farmers got great prices
for their produce to feed the fools and ty
rauts who were doing up their own fighting
in Europe; and they cot such prices so long
that they supposed they were always to
have them. Our towns were SO prosperous,
and people in them got rich so rapidly
that vast many others, old and young,
who were doing well enough on their
farms and thought they could do great
deal better in town, left them to know
little peace or quietude afterwards. Oul
women and girls quit spinning stocking
yarn at home, and took to spinning street
yarn, and wearing crinoline abroad Ip
stead of humping the clothes in III,
pounding barrel in the kitchen, they too
to humping the piano, and The melodeor
in the parlcr; while the boys, and "Youn
America" took to 6" fast horses" lop
nines," cocktails" and general "cut
up," all sround the board, and SO went tn
world.
These be homely truths, bluutly spoken
We admit. But are they MT true! w
opine them to be so, for we have seen jus
such times before-bating the railroa'
speculating-twenty years ago - and whic
We have the bes. reasons to remember S
lung as We live.
Our lives are mixed commodity c
good and evil. The old patriarch Jacot
who, after many days of prosperity, cloude
occasionally with a triae of adversit
being brought in deep afiliction, and ques
toned by Pharaoh OF his life, answered
"Few and evil have been the days of m
pilgrimage So a great many of us ma
say now yet, with a the warnings of wis
men Tor some time past, like Jeshurun {
old we "waxed lat and kicked at th
shadow of calamity aiar off; and with tn
bcmely proverb, having danced, we no
must play the fiddler. In short, we hav
to square accounts--those who can-an
'or those who cannot, they must do IL
best they can, and get "clear of the ropes,
somehow. In sober truth, We must "settl
up" and again 60 to work. We mu
cease importing goods we do not want; "
must abandon superfuities we do not need
we must stick TO our farms, our workshop
and our trades, whatever they may be
we can get living by them-and if "
Gao not do that, take to those at whic
We can. Instead of spending one, five, G
ten hundred dollars year, and spendin
more, we must earn all we can, and spen
less. That is the only true aud hone.
way to fortune. A great master Of huma
life has said
"Rweet are the uses Of sdyeFsty,
Which, like a toad, ugly a ID venOmous
Hath yeI a precious jewel in its head"
He did not know much about toadS
however, for they are decidedly good thing
in garden. Miners Journal.
EAu nE CnUndNE Taxa Of lpmoI