The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1870-02-03
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
The Buster Family.
BY ROCHELLE,

or four groceries, one blacksmith shop a
shocmaker's shop but no postoiilre, no
church, no school-house. The agent of the
Peabody school find had visited the place,
and proposed to appropriate handsome
fund for the establishment Of 4 public free
school. provided the citizens would cop-
tribute enough to build comfortable but
inexpensive school hbuse. A meeting had
been called. and the settlement was pref
ty generally collected to consider the mat
ter, and called to order by Squire Collins
under an oak in the rear of one Of the gro
ceries. The agent presented the advan-
tages of the offer, and the claims of cduca-
ton, and the very small amount to be
raised by them to secure permanent free
school,. After q considerable pause Mr..
Buster arose and said: "For my part, am
oppOsedto this whole 'biznCss.' 1t was 4
notion and he was opposed to all new
notions. They had always got along first
rate without free school, rs their fathers
had before them. For his part, he went
dead agin all this book farming, and edi
cation generally. II was to improve upon
'natCr, and he went for 'natnr' generally
This thing of cdication is all unnatural !;
All this ciphcrin', and spellih', and SIGH
like, is mere stuff, gotten up to get our
money, take the boys of the farm and
make them lazy. Our 'bizness' is to raise
cotton. and corn, and hogs and sich like,
and lac could beat the man that made the
hooks at this. He had the best hogs in the
settlement, and would show stock with any
man; and my advice is, Just drop this mat
ter. and let hatur take her course
His speech took effect, for the Buster
family was numerous In all that settle
mcnt, all present being nearly or remotely
related TO him. SO the meeting adjourned
70 the grocery for Refreshments" and the
srh0ol fund was lost.
fell into conversation with the Squire,
who seemed greatly chagrned at the. result
Of thcmeeting, for he was a friend Of i'm
proyement. lie said it was useless to at
Tempt to DO anything to improve the set
Element, so generally was it under the
influence Of the Buster family. Some years
since the railroad company proposed To
run the Mississ 'ppi and Tennessee Rail-
road through their county, and make
station al Dark Corner, but relatives of the
buster family lived all along the proposed
line. and not one would subscribe a dollar
nor give the right of way" but bitterly
opposed il, rs a NEW notion and an on
uatural' way of trayclin and 'hauiin'
things and here we are left twenty miles
OF one side, and instead Of our lands being
worth fifty or sixty dollar, per acre, they
cannot be sold at any price, except 10 some
relative OF the Buster family, and only for
three to five dollars; for who but they wish
TO live where there are no schools. no
churches. no post-oilcc, no papers taken,
no books read, no intelligence, and no So
,icty' that any cultivated or Intelligent
family would wish to associate with!
why doyOu live here, squire - asked
softly.
"for the very good reason cannot sell
out, so as to get away. offer my land at
the same price ] paid. for il fifteen years
ago. three dollars, and cannot find 4 buyer,
while all the lands Oh the line OF the rail-
road. though far less rich. readily sell at
twenty-ti i've dollars. and nearer the stations
at INV and scvcnty-ilye dollars. tell YOU
its no use to attempt to start any IMPROVE
ment in society. in farming, IN stock, etc,
SO long as the Busters can Influence public
opinion The Squire sorrowfully shak
ing my hand, with q cordial invitation to
call and see him, turned to go.home.
feat that impressions had been made
upon me never luIl 3 realized before. re-
solved to make it in my way to visit Mr..
Buster and examine his stock Of hogs, as
was looking after pork, and see things fol-
lowing the cOllrS, OF nature | did so
the next day, and was received IN a sort OF
suspicious. half inquiring way. After be-
ing assured that was not an agent of
free edication,' schoolmastcr around
getting "up sisners,' nor news paper or
book canvasscr, but n buyer Of pork, he
seemed easier, and remarked that he would
not have any meat to sell. Somehow his
hogs did not take to fat well, though they
ate like IL set Of preachers at u camp meet |
ing. IT anybody had meat or corn to buy |
in the settlement they always went to
Squire Collins, and they got IL, too some
how, he could not understand it. Il don't
mean, you understand that the squire
steals, but he gets twice as much corn or
cotton, or wheat. or oats, of the very same
ground, no better than ours. He makes
three or four times rs much meat out of
the same number of hogs, and is the only
man that sells corn or meat In the settlc-
ment; and yet he was the biggest fool in
the diggings, laughed at by every one. lie
will pay ten prices TOR every new notion
that comes along. lie will send to Menu
phis for his plows, and then kill up four
mule team dragging them In the ground
up to the beam, and then, after this, an
other team, with sort Of thing OF a plOw
that runs u foot deep into the solid clay
tearing up the very harlpan. why, can
IL suppose you plant five acres to his
oncI"
'.lcs. six or seven Of them"
And make no more, than he does! ~
"NOt so much; that's the mystery Of 1t. !
My corn was parched to the ear. and did
not make me- one fourth OF crop. and his |
corn in tn field next to mine was of Il dark |
green, and never suffered. lie must have |
watcred II Of nights. don't understand
it," h w .. .
"Wlat about the 'Sqnire's stock; Is 1t
the natural brecdT'
II don't know what 1t Is. lie sent three
years ago up to Memphis, 10 NJ. W. Fill
CeS--"
"Philips you mean"
IS. sOIne sich naine--a man, think he
says, makes paper for farmers, and paid
him ten prices for hogs. You never saw a
swindlc as that paper man played on him.
Why lie made him pay thirty.iivc dollars
and all tic hauling, ten or fifteen dollars
more, for pair Of little pigs lcould carry
under my arms almost. 1t makes NE mad
TO think what tools some men are, and they
are everlasting trying to get everybody
else to cut their tails of, rs somebody said.
and run after book farming, and their pic
tur papers and the like" 49,
glanced instinctively around the room.
Not sign Of book nor paper met my
eye.
They have not succeeded in fooling
yOu." a.I .l
"Well. you bet they haint tho they have
tried II on several times; II wouldn't tit.
lVc-haye something else to do than to be ,
fboling away our money and time with |
trash. My father was opposed to all book
farming and book farming, and he did well