The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-04-18

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mind h he great battle Of life A wise MAJ
cage wrote, ''I'hs wisdom Of learned man
eSSneth With opportunity Of leisure + and ~
Tint s6nlSnce Il food ior PREDICTION and thought 4
saiii1leol fos an entire sermon, Unless farm
en- devote more time to The use Of the brain
and Inc improvement Of the mind and lesato
Wsalyins and exhansiine maseularlabor, how
can hey hope 10 successfully compete against
he vigorous minds of the present age2 tits
not The skilfhl hand, the strong arm, or the
watchfhl eye alone that win in these days
bring success tothe farmer. These are need.
FIJI, but acutiyaied, intelligent, active brain TO
direct them Is Of ten times moro importance.
Again | say, we work too much and think
too little. A farmer rises at four o'clock,
goes out aud does the chores among the stock,
chops wood iorthe day, mends the harness,
and Is very industrious. By breakfast time,
be has got all ready for the days work. All
hands then pitch into severe labor I'LL noon.
Dinner is called and despatched in haste, and
labor renewed ill supper. This unavoidable
but necessary hindrance TO labor is hurriedly
performed, work resumed ill darkness com
pels cessation Of labor in the iela and then
the lsborers return to the house. A lantern
Is procured, by the aid Of which the milking
and other chores are ssdone up,N and by nine
or ten o clock alright the day 'swork IS closed,
and the family, tired and stupid, retire to bed,
only on the following day 70 repeat the same
routine Of slavery. And yet such men are
called good, thrifty, industrious farmers. 1t
| is lie I base SANDER to call such stupid
slavery Of body, such starvation Of mind, good
or thrifty, or in any wis commendable.
Go into the country, and you will find num-
berless cases Of men with poor health, crush
ed energies, ruined constitutions, and stunted
souls, and women tho slaves Of habits Of ex-
cessive labor, more fatal than the pernicious
and much condemned customs Of fashionable
society. You VIII End children prematurely
old, with the bright light of happy childhood
extinguished, ard everywhere lack Of that
life and eheerfnlness which gives to life its
greatest charms Most of these evils can be
traced directly to overwork. Is such work
necessary or even profitable for a farmer :
Most certainly not. Such work is losing
business, and farmers who adopt that course
Of labor will find at the end Of the season that
themselves, their wives, andehildren are worn
and discouraged, and have not accomplished
as much as had been attempted IT expected.
Why? Because they have worked like oxen
and not like men, and have depended nmus-
Gle alone instead Of M king it an auxiliary Of
the mind, and they treat themselves to the lux
ury of a good, long, hearty growl at members
Of all other industries for combining to OPP
press the poor farmer. They growl at the
shoemaker; they growl at the merchant !;
they growl at the railroad they growl at the
commission men; they growl at everybody
and everything that lives by using its wits in
sponging, cheating, and depressing the hard
working farmer. This horde Of cormorants
are growled at, whined at, and snarled at, be-
cause they flch from the farmer his hard
earned dollars and live in luxury and ease
thereon. Speakers at agricultural and politi-
cal meetings, and writer's in agricultural pa
pers repeat these complaints, and ring the
same charges over and over again, in season
and out Of season, until themselves and most
farmers really believe that the ,illers Of the
soil are the most industrious, moral, intelli-
gent, Woodworking, abused, prosecuted lambs
in the world, and everybody else are wolves,
seeking whom they may devour.
Now, as one who was born on farm, rear
ed on farm, has spent the flower Of his days
on farm, and still earns his bread by tilhug
the soil, know my brother farmers illforgive
me If do not follow in and repeat this strain,
but tell plainly the naked, disagreeable truth.
Many Of these complaints are true, and we
ought to be ashamed Of ourselves that such is
the disgracsfal fact. Here lisa class of people
1 exceeding any other IN numbers and wealth,
and claiming superior industry, intelligence,
and morality, complaining Of being Cypress.
ed. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.
and either cease our Boosting or our whining.
Let us take candid look at the situation,
and see ifwe cannot discover what's the mat
ter. Let Us try and see If there is any good
reason why the great majority should be gov
erned and oppressed by small minority.
In human affairs effects follow causes; re-
suits are accompanied by action, even when
the actors are unseen, Look at our State and
national Governments, and who are tie men
to whom we trust this great responsibility?
Look at our boards Of trade, Industrial expo
sitions, and in fact any great project for the
advancement Of science, art, liberty, orindus
| try, and you will End at lbs head and the NOV
ing spirit thereof lawyer, doctor, preacher,
student, merchant, or, in fact, almost any
thing bat farmer. These men rule the ma
ton. They shape the laws; they make the
channels Of trade, and place trade in its chan.
nols. They build ships, harness steam to
their wagons, make lightning carry their mes
sages they compel rivers to turn their saws,
twirl their spindles, and throw their shuttles
They use their brains, and mind governs the
world.
just think Of competing against such men
BY stupidity hoeing corn fifteen hours day
land selling it at 20 cents bushel, and then
laying awake nights, growing at rai,oad men
and merchants. The dog who banks ct the
moon comes nearer accomplishing his purpose
than such a GROWER. Why have not farmers
taken position Of influence and power in the
councils Of the nation and otherwise, in pro-
portion to their numbers and wealth. Simply
fbecause we have not used our braink
-.
Il The world pays homage to intelligence, to
intellect, and puts It in places Of honor, Of
trust ofrespopsibility. The world is not par
tial 70 lawyers, ministers, and doctors, but
| the world wants to use brains, and accepts
them wherever found and uses them to pro-
mote lis wishes, and if we farmers want to be
placed IN the foremost rank in the nation and
in the world Il We wish to be put in positions
where We can have power to aid our fellows /;
il we wish TO have influence aud make our
mark on the institutions Of he land Il We
wish to stand where we can do something to.
wards governing the price Of our commodities;
4 Il we wish 70 weigh according 70 our size in
the scale Of public opiuiou II we want Ia