Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-11-06

he says:
awe found that while we labor harder and
more hours thaa the artisan and workman
IN other pursuits, we were forced TO content
ourselves with poorer food and clothing, with
fewer social privileges and less opport unite:
for mental cultivation than they. We could
not help seeing that if they were as steady
and Industrious as we, they were able TO live
a. better houses, end had more money 10 spend
~ their adornment than we had that If they
had the taste for such things, as most Of then
had, they had more pictures, books and news.
papers, and more leisure 10 enjoy them than
We and thai they often INDUCED IN such
| IuSufies as lectures, concerts, excursions and
festival Will, il was rare, indeed, that we
could afford TO give wife and children These
tTeats.o
Believing. Messrs. Editors, that
tue above extract conveys an idea
entirely erroneous, and largely per-
yerts the facts of the case, will you
allow me few words on the b.
iect? La point of comfort, taste and
attractiveness, the mass of farmers
homes are far inferior to what they
shonid be, and fully share with Mr.
Smith the desire to see them i'm
proved. But this Improvement will
not be wrought by awaking in the
minds of fai mers jealousy of 'arti-
sans and workmen in other pursuits, =
who with more limited means attain
more desirable results. 1t must be
wrought by a better use of the means
the farmers already possess.
"The fault is not ours. not in our stars,
That We undtrlings."
The condition Of which Mr.. Smith
complains arises partly from the ne.
cessary conditions of country life,
but more largely from the avarice,
ignorance and want of appreciation
of anything better on the part of the
farmers themselves. This is strong
statement, but facts Justify it.
1t is not true that farmers "labor
harder and more hours" that they
have poorer food and clothing, than
pursuits. By artisan and workman,
We suppose Mr.. Smith includes th G
great mass of small tradesmen, me,
chanics, clerks and laborers-men
whose income is wholly derived from
their labor alone. These occupy the
same relation TO the macs of farmers
which the successful professional man
and the great manufacturer and mer-
cLant do to the wealthy farmer and
land owner whose rent>rolls afford an
ample income.
Now, the average farmer does not
work as hard or az long as the me-
chanic or artisan. Ten hours, or in
the case of clerks, much longer, is
the time which the mechanic works
for his employers. In the scanty
fringes of the day which are left, be
must attend to the innumerable de-
mands and "chores" OF his own fam
lily. Then the quality OF his work
is more exhaustive than that of the
farmer. The latter is comparatively
free and neutrality-suspicious. en-
ergies alone are taxed-he lives in
no open air, and his work is of q
constantly varying nature, while
lhe labor Of Tue former is m0nOtO-
nous he is confined to q narrow
space, and often his employment not
only axe, bls physical powers, but
require. constant, wesrying mentai
application L. there any dnub,
which Ir the most exhaustiy In
the mater Of food, the farm is u bet
Ter source ofsappiy than the green
grocer and as To clothing, pretty
much svery body wears cl0thngsuit-
Table to the business IN which they
are engaged. The superintendent OF
= machine shop, with u salary OF 50,
900, does not Cress as well as the
dry goods clerk, with a salary OF
81 900 and the farmer whose ample
acres afford a generous income does
not wear as much broadcloth nor so
many starched shirts as the teacher
or the preacher whose slender sala>
ries scarce enable them to meet the
imperative demands of their positions
and who regretfully see the years
| go by, aud no adequate provision be-
ing made for the increasing wants OF
family or the exigencies of "rainy
day"
"Such Injuries as lectures, concerts,
excursions, festivals" &C., are neces-
sarily confined, in great degree, to
centers OF population, and depriva-
tion of them is simply one of the in.
cidents of country life. against which
,, may be placed advantages and pleas
, ures which more than balance the
, account.
But there is no doubt that in the
matter of pictures, / ,oks and news.
papers, which phrase may be taken
! 20 include all the adorDments, COM
, forts and little elegancies with which
3 moderate means aBd moderate taste
and culture surround home, mos
farmers homes are miserably def
Gent. Their homes are unattrao'
tive, their social and Intellectual lif,
is pinched and barren. This is tbt
, fault of the farmers themselves--no
of their condition. 1t is the result
j partly of want of appreciation of any
thing better, and partly of the greco
of gain--the insane desire TO pur'
chase another "eighty."
Let me illustrate. A short time
, ago | was in one of the counties o
I northern Iowa. Spending a few
q days at it's principal town, l hearC
much of very successful farmer
one of the early settlers--who haC
accumulated large wealth. On,
day my route took me past his home
The road having wooded bottom
through which ran beautiful stream
rose gently to the table land, anC
there on beautiful natural lawn
studded with great oaks, stood hi
house. The situation was one O
great natural beauty; but the hous,
looked dingy snd bare great heap
of rotting straw and manure press
ed c oso upon it, hogs were grCntin.
about the door, and within all wa