The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1869-04-03
Poetry,
THE IDEAL FARMER AND HIS
WIFE


TIE following are extracts from poem read
by Professor II. w. Parker, at the Inauguration
services Of the Iowa State Agricultural College,
March 17t y
The American Farmer, son OF the SunI
Bronzed with glow ff0m its glory won;
As free as the air II is heaven to inhale,
And strong as the steeds OF the prairie gale:
Lord Of his castle and broad domain,
The herd his vassals, the nock his train,
And rich In the coin his granaries hoard,
He sits at the head OF his bountiful board,
And laughs at the crowded world afar,
Buazing with ceaseless commercial war,
Behold him at morn l. his polished plow g
Traces dark lines with his silver PROV,
Writing the verse in alluvial mould
The summer shall print In letters 81 gold, q.
And set to the trill Of the Oriole 9 tame.
Behold him at rest In the languid noon. ..
Stretched on the grass and cooled Dy the breeze,
His kingly pavilion the ghstening trees.
Behold him at eve tho evening his own,
Home ioys are his that to few are known:
The rIsset is brought from his last years stOre
His fruity-iaced children play on the floor,
And his wife, her cheek like orchard bloom,
Is the crown, the queen Of the cheerful room.
That mine OF riches-that farmers wife
How busy and happy and proud her lifel
From her pans she pans out her rolls Of gold,
And her eggs are all nest-eggs Of wealth untold;
1t tries not her patience to try out her lard,
And her lot, like her bread, is never hard;
Gives the fowls a dressing, but not her spouse,
Oh, busy and happy and proud the life
The farmer lives, and the farmers Wite.
Is the picture too fair, too rosy it's glows
Tell us, thou husbandman, John or Joe
What are thy musings the livelong day,
Or home returned in the twilight grayY
What honest pride, what bliss OF health.
OF peace, content what conscious wealth.
What converse with Nature what hidden lore,
Wiser than books, is It thine TO explorer
-,s,.. NgN aaInn n
OF soil and plant, or Of beast and birdF
John-who is one Of the Farer kind,
Sunny in heart and searching Of mind,
Replies In few words All, well DO know
Itfe's flowers and hrets commingling grow,
And man may pluck, if he so desires,
The flowers alone, or only the briers.
One thorn there ISL feel 1t in truth
The lack of studious habit in yOuth." t..
Thus worthy John. Is he rights 1t SOY
Come, give us thy mind, thou frequent Joe.
"Wall, now, guess" Joe answering says,
rutheT hard time ont the farmers hez;
There's nuthin to think on but work and eat,
And arter his chores man Is dead beati
An there's oilers bad luck felleT frets,
High price an low price, notes an debts,
An breachy critters an losin' hoss,
An somehow the gains no more'n the loss.
I was down with the rheumatic May an june,
An the seed wa mt sown the right o. the moOP'
The sleeps got foot.rot an market is COVE,
An wheat kept, hopin prices come Touni
An the children took sick can't tell hoWi ~
I'm sartin we gin 'em plenty o pills,
But bilious fever brings doctors bllls,
Wal honest folks--they must oilers Work
It's only Your village sharpers can shirk.
Thus Joe discourses; alas how the real
Kicks over the pail Of the creamy Ideal.
If Joe were honest there still would be
Some milk remaining for pOetryis tea.
But he keeps, tits said, the strippings apart
When he yends HIS milk by the pint or quartz
Aa11E, 81 on1 hUn in
And his four-foot wood is cut--by the yard.
Isit then but dream-this son Of the soil,
Noble and wise in his primitive tOill
Hail, these fair halls i-ye teachers, hail
Hence shall 60 forth no si.ters pale,
BFooding fine wOrds, and those Of an age
That has reached the hydr0sulphuric stage
dCton not freshened by daily resort
Direct to the seaside Of Nature and Art.
None shall go hence, who, when they ar'
At loss what the Lord has formed them to do,
Save longer to paddle in learning's pool,
Must enter perforce professional school.
But hither shall come and hence shall go
Youth who their earnest work shall know
The artisans son and the farmers boy,
Whose fathers calling is honor and JOY.
In mind and muscle strong and skilled,
BY them our ideal shall gradually be filled
The woodman's name be name of pride,
BY knowledge aud character glorihed.
WOuld there we're time the life to trace
OF one complete, who leaves this place
To SOW his knowledge with his seed,
And reap far more than mortal need,
Whatif his corn be not increaAedl
He is mind-a man-at least
Not machine like that he rides,
Not like the plodding horse he guides.
He reads in plant and soil and sun
Wonders undreamed by Solomon. ..
Or might we track his after course
Who ponders here the laws OF Force
He secs in every breath Of steam
Shot from yon mill, cloudy steam,
A mammoth power dissolved in air,
He builds a township laundry there,
And frees the world-its bapless wife
From bondage to the plague OF life.
But who the happy change may guess
When woman takes her proud B. 81
Smile not ! She Is in nature's plan
Chemist and doctor to every man.
Shall she, through scientific lack
Shall she-the dnek-be but quack
Doubt not Ger all her daily toll q.
Science shall pour Its wine and OIL
The skill that smOothes her weary way,
The light of thoughts perpetual playi
This and relgion are the wine .
ShalImake her lowly life divine
*B.s. Bachelor Of Science.