Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1872-08-06
agricultural.
Loneness of Farming Life.


ering of agricultural populations into
villages. He has been accustomed IN
his own country, TO SEQ them distributed
upon The farms they cultivate. The iso-
lated farn1-life. so universal here, either
does hot exist at all in the greater part of
continental Europe, or ii exists as COM
paratvely modern institution. The old
populations, of all callings and profess
sions, clustered together for selI-defense,
and built walls around themselves. Out
from these walls, for miles around, went
the tillers of the soil in the morning. and
back into the gates they thronged at
night. Cottages were clustered around
ieudal castles, and grew into towns; and
SO Europe for many centuries was cult
waited mainly by people who lived in viii
lagos and cities, many of which were
walled, and all OF which possessed APP
pointments OF defense. The early set
tiers in our own country took the same
means TO defend themselves from the
treacherous Indian. The towns of Had
ley, Hatfield, Mortified and Deerfield,
on the Connecticut River. are notable
examples Of this kind of building; and
to this day they remain villages Of agri'
culturslistS. That this is the way in
which farmers ought to live, we have no
question, and We wish to say few
words about it.
There is some reason for the general
disposition OF American men and NO.
men TO shun agricultural pursuits, which
the observers aud philosophers have been
slow to find. We see young men push
ing everywhere into trade, into mechani
cal pursuits, into the learned professions,
into Insignificant clerkships, into salaried
positions of every sort that viii take
them into towns and support and hold
them there. We find it impossible 10
drive poor people from the cities with
the threat OF starvation. or to coax them
with the promise of better pay and cheap
er fare. There they stay. and stsrve.
and Sicken, and sink. Young women
resort to the shops and the factories.
rather than take service in farmers
houses, where they are received as mem
Der. of the family; and when they mar
~, they seek an alliance, when practical
BILE, with mechanics and trsdeSmen, who
live in villages and large towns. The
daughters of the farmers fy the farm at
the first opportunity. The towns grow
larger all the time, and in New England
at least, the farms are becoming wider
and longer, and the farming population
are diminished in numbers, and in some
localities, degraded in quality and char
acter.
1t al comes 10 this, that isolated life
has very little significance to q social
being. Especially is this the case with
the young. The youth of both sexes
who have seen nothing of the world,
have an overwhelming desire to meet
life and be among the multitude. They
feel their life 10 be narrow in its Oppor.
tunities and its rewards. and the pulsa-
tioss of the great social heart that comes
tothem in rushing trains and passing
steamer and daily newspapers, damp
with the dews of hundred brows, thrill
them with longings for the places where
the rythmie throb is felt and heard.
They are not 10 be blamed for this II is
the most natural thing in the world. II
all life were labor-if the great object of
life were the scraping together Of few
dollars, more or lesS-why, isolation
without diversion would be economy and
profit; but so long rs the object OF life
is life, and the best and purest and hap
piest that can come of it. all needless
isolation is a crime against the soul, in
that it is = surrender and sacrifice of no.
bic opportunities.
We are, therefore, not sorry to see
farms growing larger, provided those
who work them will get nearer together;
and that is VIVA. they ought to do. Any
farmer who plants himself and family
alone-isr from any neighbors-takes up
on himself terrible responsibility. 1t
is impossible that he and his should be
well developed and thoroughly happy
there. He viii be forsaken in his old
age by the very children TOR whom he
has made his great sacrifice. They will
fly 10 the towns for the social food for
which they have been starving. We
never hear of colony settling down on
Western prairie without thrill OF
pleasure. II is in colonies that all ought
to settle, and in villages rather than on
separated farms. The meeting, the lee.
ture, the public amusement, the social
assembly, should be things easily reach.
ed. There is no such damper upon free
social life as distance. II the social lie
of the farmer were richer. his life would
by that measure be the more attractive.
After all. there are farmers who will
read this article with . sense of affront
or injury, as if by doubling or disputing
the sufficiency Of their social Opportuni-
ties we insult them with sort of con-
tempt. We assure them that they can
not afford to treatthoroughly sympathetic
counsel in this way. We know that their
wives aud daughters and sons are on
our side, quarrel with us rs they may;
and the women and children are right.
1.-The old man. who rides to market and