The Tiffin tribune. [volume] (Tiffin, Ohio) 1848-1859, 1859-04-08
Rnrnl Intereourse.

L
ciot v. Connersville, Ind. on the "Ned'
Of American Agriculture, trutqnhy
remarks:
81 rank among the urgent needs y om
! agriculture n more intimate and 0H'her-
lly intercourse among our neighboig TAR
mers and their families. lappreheid chat
we are to-day the least social people on
earth, and that this is especially true OF
our purely agricultural districts. lhe idle
and the dissipated are gregarioufbut our
industrious sober, thrifty farmhEpopula'
ton enjoy too Httle Of each others socie'
lty. In the Old World, for the post part
] lthetilors Of the soil live IN villaqsor ham
let's, surrounded, at distance varying
from ten rods to three miles, " the lands
they cultivate aud sometimes 0vn. When
the days labor is over. thief gather, in
good weather, on tho village Ceen, under
a spreading tree, or ia some iayiting grove
and song and story, conveultion aud a
moonlight dance, are de cleap soace OF
their priyations. their labtrs, and iheir
cares. But our American farms are is
lands, separated by seas olforest and fem
cling, and our farmers their families, and
laborers, rarely see those living a mile or
two away, save when they pass in the
road, or meet on Suudy iu church. This
insolatiou has many dihdvahtages, prom
inent smong which arkthe obstacles il in
terposes TO the adoptiA ofimproyed pro-
cesses and happy SUGGESTIONS. As 'iron
sharpeneth iron" so he simple coming
together Of neighbors and friends bright
ems their intellects andaccslerates tho pro-
cess Of thinking. The farmer not merely
profits by the parratD1s Of his neighbors
Experience and experiments in this or that
Geld OF production 4he gains quite as
much by the stimul@ given 10 his desire
for improvements by)Ae facilities afforded
for gratifying that dssire. 1t is we'll that
be should be enabled 70 share the benefits
of others obseryationB and achievements;
it is even better that te should be melted
to observe and achiets for himself But,
more than all else, it s Important that he
should now and then be lifted out of the
dull routine Of ploWirg, tilling, and reap
ing-that he should be Reminded that
"the life is more than meat" and that
the growing of graih and grass, the ac-
QUESTION OF flocks and herds, arc meaUs
of living, not the euds of life. Especially
is it important 70 give more social, fra
ternal, intellectual aspect to our rural econ
omy, in view oflhe needs and cravings oil
the rising generation, who, educated too
little to enjoy solitude aud their own
thoughts, too much to endure the life OF
oxen, are being unflted by their very &C.
tqutrcn'eata isI tbo rural existence Which
satisfied their less intellectual, less cult.
vated gr,ndflthers. 1t is the most melan
oholy feature Of our present social condi
ton that very few Of our bright, active
inquiring, intellectual youth are satisfied
to grow up and settle down farmers AT
ter all the eloqueuee and poetry that hav,
been lavished upon the farmers vocation
Its independence, It's security, its dig
nifty. its quiet. is happiness-the are
not many decidedly clever youth, eveuir
the households Of farmers, who are deib
erately choosing the farmers calling AZ
preferable to all others. Hundreds drift
or settle in Agriculture because they can.
not acquire a professional training, or be-
cause they hate to study, or because they
cannot get trusted to a stock Of goods, or
for some one Of hundred other such rea.
sons; very few because they decidedly pre-
fer this life to any other. Advertise in the
same paper to morrow for a clerk in ,
store and for man to work a farm, the
wages in each case being the same, and
you will have twenty applications for the
iormer place TO one for the latter Thi,
TACT argues q grlye error somewhere, anC
as l don't believe it is in human nature
nor in that Presidential necessity whicl
requires most O us to be farmers, mus
believe il is to be detected in the arrange
ments and conditions under which farm
labor is performed We must study ou
the defect and amend it. When the rura
neighborhood hAll have become more so
cial and the iamer's home morei Intellect
ual-when the best books and periodicals
not only Agricultural but others, also shal
be found on lis evening table, and hi
hired men be invited To profit by them
the general tepugnance of intellectua
youth to farming will gradually disap
pear.
TARMER's HOMES.
Nor can / refrain from insisting on IN,
beautifying Of the farmers homestead al
one Of the most needed reforms in our Ag
ricultural ecoaomy. We Americans, as ,
people, do less to render our homes at
traotiye than aay other people of equa
means on earth. And for this there i
very much excuse. We are trolling
stones" which have not yet found time !,
gather very graceful moss. We are on ou
march from Western Europe TO the shore
Of the Paeids, and have halted from tim,
70 time by .he way, but not yet settled
That SACRED and tender attachment {,
Home which pervades all other humar
breasts has but slender hold upon u.s.
There are Dot many of US who would moi
sell the house over his own head II he wer
offered good price for IL. Not one fourtl
OF us now i've 10 the houses in which W,
were born mot half Of US confidently ex
pect TO diain the homes we now occupy
Hence We cannot be expected 10 plan
trees. aud rain vines. and set Towering
LIT.