The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1869-11-19
'Urowding to the Cities"

Abiding to the fact that there is
growing disposition on the part of the
young to leave the "paternal acres" in
tho hope of bcttcring their fortune in
citios, and to the fact that the proper
tior of agriculturaist to the whole
body of the population is not as large
rs it should, the Times says:
"Now, there can bo no moro fixed
axiom in political economy than that
agriculture must form the basis of the
prosperity and power Of the Ameri-
can people. 1t is tho great founda-
ton Of our national wealth and con-
scqnencc-the primary source Of all
our prosperity. 1t feeds us. TO de-
gree it clothes us. Without it We
could not have manufactures. and
should not have commerce. 1t fur
nishcs our factories with their raw
material and it fills our ships with
their cargocs. Socinl industry de-
pcnds upon it individual life depends
upon it. There il no man in the
country who is SO wealthy as to he
independent Of the success Of this gr. at
interest. nor any so poor rs not to he ut-
fccted by it's prosperity or its decline.
This country has peculiar facilities
for advantaScously prosecuting this
great department Of human labor.
The variety of its climate, tho abun-
: dance and chcapness of its fertile soil,
arc such as no other nation OH the
surface Of the globe can boast. 1t is
no credit to our vauntcd enterprise
that VIC have never yet made adequate
use Of these signal advantagcs-,hu,
the time has never yet been when the
proportion Of our farmers to the whole
population was as large us it should
have been = when the number of those
gased in profession, and trades
were not, at the very least, twice as
greut as the actual necessities Of soci-
ETY. required. There is reason to ap-
prehend that this disproportion will
increase. This restless, adventure,
spirit is ever tending to take more
complete possession of onr people.
Everybody is getting more Infected
with the cagerncss to get rich in haste
There is growing impaticncc Of tn.
good old plan of earning competence
BY steady, pcrscvering labor and fru-
gal living. The young men Of the
day have tired Of the isolation and
monotoay of agricultural life, and
pant for something moro stirring ana
exciting, and something that seems
to promise quicker and moro splendid
returns. They have seized upon the
first opportunity to launch away into
the tide of trade and speculation.
And that tide once embarked upon,
it is very seldom that they fnd their
way back to the plowed fields. A
large proportion Of them have not
succeeded i'll their new pursuits tens
of thousands of them have miscrably
failed, and became bankrnpts and
droacs, and yet they have, from the
pure force of acquired habit, clung to
town-life with all the greater tcnacity.
"It cannot be too well understood
by these young malcontents in the
country that failure there almost in
fallibIy foretokcns failure here. The
same qualities and habits which stand
in their way in the country will cause
them to stumble in tho city. 1t is
everywhere the same all over tho
world ; to fill any situation successful
ly, one must fill it as belonging to it,
The man who feels above his business,
let that business DO what it may, is
actually below any business. lie is
without anything to hold him up any
where, and is bound to sink anyhow.
The great work Of life, whethcrin city
or country, cannot be maintained by
any suoh weaklinys. Least of all is
this teari &, grinding, crushing mart
the place for them. We already have
an over'pro''uction of incapablcs of
and drones. There is no room here
for the drift Of rural weakness and
cowardice. Let tho farmers sons
heed tho c unsels Of their governor
and stay ut home-holding fast to the
Oldest, happicst, most independent
and most honorable Of human occupa-
tion." .4
A PRoPnEr.-A private letter
received in. Washington. from a
prominent Government otficiai in
New York, contains prediction