The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-04-19

success = this pufSult uepen0S largely
ppoa De lppseuhs and mental activity Of
she representative Of Ciis sobIa Glass Of
the worlds workers. The time was when
The rich, fresh soil Of the older states,
backed by the grand old forests them
selves. yielded an abundant harvest BY
force Of muscular effort on the part Of the
husbandman, in connection with favorable
isothernnal and hygrometrical conditions
To-day, over vast area, in the aggregate
is large as the largest Of the Eastern
States, the surface soil, which has been
harassed beyond enduranse-yields scarce
enough to entitle the product to the name
Of a crop. Treading in the footsteps Of
Esbeir fathers, and farming 10 the time
honored way Of their grandfathers before
them, the surface soil has become almost
exhausted Of many essential elements Of
plant food. As may be inferred, this will
be found to be the case the most frequent
ly in those communities where the least
number Of agricultural books and papers
are read. As rule, the successful farmer
is the reading oae-for it is only this way
that he can keep himself sufficiently posted
to keep up with the times, or to keep
abreast Of the spirit Of the age in which
We live.
An agricultural community without
papers and books adapted to their varied
interests, is like ship at sea without
compass or rudder. We find that our
reading community make more money,
have better homes, richer lands, have at
tanned better social condition and are
better of in every conceivable way, than
those who do not read. Books and pa
pers beget spirit of progress. They are
the leaven which infnses life, into every
farming community. They SO before and
lead the way to. farmers clubs and fair
associations. The farmers of to-day, as
well as the coming one, should be educated
in agricultural science, and then reduce
his knowledge to practice. 1t has 50 long
been customary to associate mental activity
with physical inactivity, that we are apt to
think that this must necessarily always be
so.
Our young men still look with longing
eyes towards our cities first because their
country homes are, in by far too many
instances, as unattractive as it Is possible
to make them; secondly, because Of a
Misunderstanding of the real difficulties
which are incident to a successful career
in our principal cities. This may continue
to be SO for a long time, yet ii is to be
hoped that farmers and their families viii
set about thorough reform in making
their homes more pleasant and attractive;
by encouraging reading, the cultivation of
fruits and flowers, music and sociability,
tree planting for ornament and utllity-in
fact, work complete reform in what BY
| far too many farmers consider unimpOrtant
and trivial matters, which nevertheless,
have powerful influence in shaping the
future career of their children.
In order to make farming a success, not
only muscle, but brain and heart, must
each take part. Education in the line of
some chosen pursuit is now in order.
Happily farm work now requires greater
range Of mechanical ability than formerly,
and we have reason to believe that many
other faculties which have heretofore
seemed out of place on the farm, will soon
be called into requisitiou in order to enable
the farmer to achieve a full measure Of
success. Successful farming, as we un-
derstand it, implies not only constant
peeuniary gain, but constant increase in
the acquisition and introduction into our
system of farming. ofnewer and better ideas
than we formerly possessed, coupled with an
increased desire for special knowledgeof
our pursuit and higher perception ofour
social relations to each other, and Of our
true standing as representatives Of the
leading occupation Of mankind arai
World.