Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-12-27
For the ESSEX County Herald.

If some minister were going to
preach some week day, to the farmers
Of Essex County, or in fact, to the
farmers Of almost any county, he
might very properly use the following
hymn written for the "Christiau Un-
ion," by Mrs. Goodwin:
Poor Farmer John.
Old farmer John is sore perplexed,
Nay, farmer John is really veNcd:
lie labors early, labors late,
Yet ever talks of adverse fate;
For all his toilings scarce suffice,
OF lonScd.for lands to pay the price.
The summers come, the summers go,
The spring showers waste the winters snow
The while, from dawn till close of day,
Receiving nought but frowns for pay;
His good wife tolls; and anxious care
Has faded lip and cheek and hair.
Acres on acres stretch away
Of woodland, corn, of wheat and hay:
His cattle roam DER many q HILL
His Drooklet turns the groaning mill;
Yet still he signs, and longs for more,
And grumbles e'er that he is poor.
Four sturdy sons, four daughters fair
Claimed at his hands u fathers care
He gave them labor without end,
And strove their souls, like his, to bend
Into the narrowing groove of Thoughts
Gold to be earned, land to be bought.
Yes, farmer John is growing poorl
You feel il as you pass his door.
His old brown house is small and mean,
The roof is warped by crack and seam
The leaning bars. the half hinged door
Proclaim old John is very poor.
No books no pictures on the wall;
Carpetless rooms and dreary hall.
why think 1t strange such farmers boys
Should seek the city's pomp and noise?
Should learn to loathe the sight of hone,
Where nouSht ofjoy or grace may come?
Why think it strange his poor old wife,
Who coined TOR him her very life.
Should pause, at last despite his frown,
And lay her weary burden down
In JOY, to walk the streets of Heaven,
Where nought Is sold, but all is given2
Go where you will, search earth around,
The poorest man that can be found
Is he who tolls, through life, to gain
Widest extent of hill and plain
Forgetting all his SOUPS best needs,
In counting DER his title.deeds.
He might then take for his text,
Isaiah 5, 8
"Woe unto them that join house to house,
Ihthu ih9 hSlu w ILL bllCIS oC uO pltCC,
that they may be pla ced alone in the midst
OF the EARTH"
AS 1t would not be Sunday, he
might be pardoned for p aging but lit
tie attention at least to the moral as
pect of the case, to the whitening,
dwarhng and be-dwarling effect upon
the character, dispo sition, mind and
soul Of the man himself, and at once
take up that part which is, and in fact
which must (to great extent at least
be, uppermost in any successful far
mer's mind, viz" What Pays"
The Prophets "Woe to him that
layeth field to tield," applies directly
to that man striving to make money
by farming on a large scale. Tbs
one great drawback to remunerative
farming is the attempt to till too many
acres. The State Board of Agricul-
ture at one of lis sessions last winter
carried the idea that, grass, mus
be the main dependence of the Yer
mont farmer. A very large propor
ton offarmers getting the idea thatthey
must have more hay in order to gel
rich,. at once set about enlarging thci
fields, instead of trying to, get twice
asmuch, from the same field. Al
object which might be gained on rs
per cent. and three times us much pr
so per cent. of all NOW lands in thi,
county. 1t is true that acres arc
moved merely for the looks, Will
acres upon acres barely pay the ex
DenSe of CUTTING.