The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-07-11
Country VS.. Town.

despised pursuit in the United States? That
it is so, we are free to declare, in the face Of
the town people who affect to be fond Of the
country, merely to please their country Gus
toners and acquaintance, and in the face
Of the country folks, who, though they may
affect an independent preference for their
own mode Of life, nevertheless think, and
are educated to feel, that farming isthe low
est condition Of American life. The mass
OF farmers are taught to look with jealousy
on the merchants and professional men OF
the towns, and imagine they grow rich sud-
denly and without labor. We say they are
taught to feel thus. Erroneous ideas are
instilled into their minds when young. The
country boy comes to town in his homespun
dress, and gazes with wondering curiosity
upon the novelties about him, and he is
forthwith snubbed by the insolent town boy
and laughed at as "green;" he goes home
Disconnected, thinking that town folks are
his superiors and that living in the country
is q despised mode of life.
The country girl is also laughed at by the
pert school misses of the village and city,
for the shape of her bonnet and the healthy
proportions of her limbs, and she returns
to her rustic home, mortified with herself
for having been born beneath the skies of
the country. The next time she goes to
town, she tries 10 gain respect and reach an
equality with her fancied superiors, by imi
tating their dress and customs; her broth
er, also, tries to be smart by smoking a
cigar, and acting as though he had been in
town before, and didn't love the country
near rs well as he was supposed to. So, the
whole rising population Of the country, by
apingthe mannerisms of the town, aeknowl-
edge their inferiority and degrade them
selves in their own estimation. If the
country girl is sent off to school TO get a
useful education, fitting her better for the
duties of home, she gets the foolish notion
into her head that she must marry some
town sprig, because he looks nicer and
slicker than her country friends; if her
brother is sent to school or college, he
thinks he knows too much for a farmer,
and he must turn doctor, lawyer, or a store
clerk. And thus We say, as the population
Of the country grows up, they are educated
10 undervalue their own pursuits; TO des-
pse their condition in life, and tn long for
the honor and ease-as they fancy it must
ue-to live in town, strut over clean pave
iuents fan themselves in the shade, eat,
drink, get ricIi, aud be happy.
II IS hard to root out this false impression
among tillers of the soil, that town folks
have the easiest time OF il; il has IA bad ei-
irct on the Young men OF the country when
they are snuLbed, laughed at, and ridiculed
rs thc Inbred pimrs OF the town, and
smariing under the modification, they rea-
son thus " We in the country are theseris
they 10 town are tue lords; we work hard
al the year; they do nothing hut enjoy the
fruits OF our labor, we are the PRODUCERS
they the consumers; we toll and spin, and
they laugh at our ignorance and little en-
,ovment, they 6 toll not, neither do they
spin vet in our Sunday suit we are not ar
rayod like one Of them farming is pleasure
less, pro6tless, and dishonorable' The
consequence of all these false views is, that
farming, as an honorable science, is neglect
el by the best men-that is, by those bes
fitted by education for the pursuit, and LEFT
to the most ignorant, the least aspiring ant
energetic II farmers could but bc brough
to know AMI reflect what a continous drudg
cry IS the life of most Of our merchant AM
professional men in the city--what weary
days they spend year after year, sitting
perhaps rs though doing nothing and a
ease. but in reality overwhelmed will
mental toll and wearying cares, and envy
inE the careless life of the farmer; spending
night after night, plotting, planning, an'
toilinp till "a late hour ut the sacrifice of res
aud sleep, while the careless sons of the sol
are repoaing sweetly and serenely on thei
touches in the pleasant homes of the coun
Try, we think they would be far from envy
ing the lot of the Pcnt up denizens of TIN
city.
But speculate as we will on The opinion
and prejudices Of farmers, we cannot ayoi,
the stubborn facts that agriculture in on
country is not what it should be it doe
not progress 50 rapidly s. the mechanica
arts and the less useful sciences. Invention
and Improvements in agricultural inple
menls even 80 ahead of the wants, or rattle
preparation OF the country. Naturally
is the prime pursuit of man, and the mobiles
because the most necessary pursuit, an
above all others, it calls forth the mo
extensive range of hnman science. Chemi
try, Geology, Botany, Physiology, MechaI
ics. Mathematics, and the minor explor
tons of Nature are all involved in the 0
binary pursuits Of agriculture There is
reform needed on ;his subject. If the INTEL
gent but L., taken young men who are star
ans, the. overstocked professions and cler