Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1873-11-20

think too little. We make our
hands too hard, while our brains
are-too soft. The day is long
past when muscle ruled the
world. Brain is the great mo-
tive power of this age; and mus
Gle but feeble instrument. The
locomotive. tearing along, jar
ring the earth below, outstrip-
ping the wind above, and bear
ing in it's train the beauty, honor,
and treasure of state, represents
brains. The dusty, sweaty foot
man, YEARLY plodding along,
carrying a pack on his back,
symbolizes muscle. The self
raking reaper, driven with
gloved and unsoiled hands,
sweeping down like a fable the
golden grain, represents brains,
The bowed husbandman, pain
fully gathering handfulsof straw
and cutting them with a sickle,
represents muscle. The steam
boat, plowing its way with ease
against the strongest current of
our swift and noble rivers, is
brains. The dug-out, slowly
creeping along the willow-mar-
gined shore, propelled by the
Indians paddle, is muscle. The
sewing-machine, which stitches
faster than the eye can follow
and never eats or tires, is brains.
The weary, pale, and worn wife,
painfully toiling over the mid
hight task, is muscle. How f.
tile the attempt, then, for mus
Gle to compete against mind in
the great battle of life! A wise
man once wrote, ''The wisdom
of learned man cometh with
opportunity of leisure;" and in
that sentence is food for refec-
ton and thought sufficient for
an entire sermon. Unless farm
crs devote more time to the
use of the brain and the i'm
Eprovemcnt Of the mind. and less
! to wearying and exhausting
muscular labor, how can they
hope to successfully compete a.
gainst the vigorous minds of the
present age? 1t is not the skill
full hand, the strong arm, or the
watchful eye alone that will in
these days bring success to the
farmer. These are needful, but
a cultivated, intelligent, active
brain to direct them is Of ten
times more Importance.
Again, | say, we work too
little. \ farmer rises at 4
O'Clock, goes out and does the
chores among the stock, chops
wood for the day, mends the
harness, and is very Industrious.
All hands then pitch into severe
labor until noon. Dinner is
called and despatched in haste,
and labor renewed till supper.
This unavoidable but necessary
hindrance to labor is hurriedly
perforr ed, work resumed until
darkness compels cessation Of
labor in the field, and then the
laborers return to the house. A
lantern is procured, by the aid
of which milking and other
chores are "done up" and by
nine or ten o'clock at night the
days work is closed, and then
the family, tired and stupid, re-
tire to bed, only on the follow
ing day to repeat the same rou-
tine of slavery. And yet such
men are called good, thrifty, in
dustrious farmers. tits liei Il
base SANDER to call such stupid
slavery of body, such starvation
of mind, good or thrifty, or in
any wise commendable.
Go into the country, and you
will find numberless cases Of
men with poor health, crushed
energies, ruined constitutions,
and stunted souls, and women
the slaves of habits Of excessive
labor, more fatal than the perni-
cious and much condemned GUS
toms Of fashionable society.
You will find the children pre-
maturely old, with the bright
light of happy childhood extin-
guished, and everywhere lack
of that life and cheerfulness
which gives to life its greatest
charms. Most Of these evils
can be traced directly to over
work. Is such work necessary
or even profitable for farmer?
Most certainly not. Such work
is a losing business, and farmers
who adopt that course Of labor
will find at the end of the sea-
son that themselves, their wives,
and children are worn and dis
couraged, and have not accomp-
. lished as much as had been at
tempted or expected. Why?