Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1868-03-13

The House lind its SUR
roundings.
SHOW me the house he lives Ia and
Will tell you the character Of the man,
Is . saying embodying much truth but
which too few. especially among our
American farmers appesr to ccmpre.
hend. A mean house as surely exerts
debasing Influence upon the minds of
its inmates, and pleasant, attractive
mouse, an enobling influence, as
fr0wn depresses or smile lightens the
spirit Of childhood. In the planning
and construction Of house, while be-
coming reference should be had TO out
ward attractiveness and from the exer.
else of hospitality which we de-
rive many Of our choicest pleasures
the chief aim should be to make a
nome for the family, and not to CRAFTY
false pride or the public eye. 1t is
not the sum invested In q dwelling,
but the neatness, taste and convenient
ees wi.ieh 1t embodies, and It's adapta-
tion 70 tile circumstances aud wants OF
its owner that constitutes Its harmony
and beauty. The surrounding of the
house should be- characterized with
like neatness and taste. Trees, shrubs.
hedges, vines and flowers, abuunding
with strips of refreshing greeri---all
these are essential. They make any
home more attractive and lovely, and
cause the sentiments of love and beau
~ to sprout in the heart, like the very
leaves and buds themselves. How few
realize that "a thing of beauty is a JOY
frever," or stop to consider what a
powerful association lies hidden I'm ev-
cry simple but familiar object, like a
bush, . tree, rustic seat or vase, y bit
OF grass or a border of flowers. They
are objects which hold us almost as
steadily and strongly to home as wife
and children, to whom they are closely
allied. Ina home such as we here
plead for, there is wealth OF beauty,
comfort and happiness. The children
in their daily life exemplify the benuti-
In our infancy" and all the members
of the household realize "there's no
such place as home," while 1t attracts
proper associates for the children and
entertaining guests for the older ones.
A home the reverse of this lies under
cloud of adverse influences certain to
produce unhappy results. Parental
neglect To beautify and embellish home
has driven thousands of sons and
daughters far away from "their old
homestead" /" to which, otherwise, their
natural affections and interests would
have securely bound them. fN
"scenes mtikt be beautiful which daily view-
Please daily. and whose novelty survives
Long knowledge and the scrutiny OF years"
The F'arnaers~ slate.
How many farm matters are forgot.
ten that should he attended to In the
proper time. The memory is called
upon to retain every little item of la
Dor, and with the multiplicity of "odds
and ends" about the farm, IL IL not
singular that some should be forgotten,
and the work left und0ne. How much
time would be econOil ized, and how
great. too, would be the saving OF mon
ey, were farmers to initiate the exam
pie of the old farmer, who kept slate
for jotting down everything that re-
quired attention.. From the Rural
Ne,c Yorker we have an account of
the good use to which systematic old
gentleman put his slate. Let every
farmer be assured II will be well for
him to do the same:
"Writing about Improvements re-
minds me that farmer does not al-
ways think Of what Is yneedful and
may he dune when leisure times occur,
and IL recalls to my mind the practice
of a large and successful farmer, who
at his death left his affairs In pros
porous conditions, and his premises I'm
complete order. His neIghbors often
wondered at the care with which he
conducted his operations: he never
hurled, but the right thing was always
done at the right time, and his work
never Jagged. Much of the improve
ment he had made was In odd spells,
when the routine of regular farm work
was broken by rainy weather, or after
finishing the work on crop, and
while waiting for another to get to the
proper stage. He kept large slate
hanging In the kitchon where all
workmen could see it. and whenever
job occurred to him IL was noted ON the
slate. For instance, some of his en-
tries ran thus: Make gate for the
brook lot;n Clean out the open
ditch In the wheat field !" "Lay
new floor ON the scaffold over the barn
hoor :" Bury the large stone In the
middle lOt;n 'fjet some whitewoOd
to the mill for making garden fence
pickets .Plant shade trees along the
roadside "Dig the elders out of the
fence corners, AM look after the wild
mustard that come up where the
threshing machine stood in the field
last year. In this way his slate was
filled, aud tia leisure half day occur
red, his men had plenty of work; and
IL the master happened to be absent,
the slate told the wOrkmen what to do.
After time 10 was his custom to lay
out the days work on the slate each
evening previous, aud when the job
was done the record was erased. To
get the slate clean was the ambition of
the workmen.n