The Grange advance., 1874-05-06
Talk with q Farmer.

Talk with a Farmer.
To-day happening in lawyers Office
there was an old acquaintance Mr..
w. who for many years Lad been
a neighboring farmer. Our CONVERSE
tion commenced and ran much after
this manner:
Mr.. WI see from the St. Paul pa
pers that you have commenced to write
again to the farmers.
Ed.-Yes, / think the cause good
one, and those who have known me the
longest and most intimately. can testify
that my sympathies at all times, have
been more with farmers than any other
class, and the further advance in age,
the more firmly am I convinced of being
right. I am therefore willing to aid a
little in pushing it forward. I have
lived long enough among, and watched
you farmers close enough, to compre-
hend that you attend to only one side
Of your business, and trust the other
half to, not unfrequently, worthless
agents.
Mr. W.-Don't understand you. I
manage my farm myself-look after all
my farm products; have just been deliver
ing fresh butter in town; ian excellent
article by the way.-Ed.) and you see
me here paying of little note; money
I borrowed last fall to pay for threshing.
You see have no agents.
Ed am well aware that you are a
good and prosperous farmer as the
world goes. You work hard, live plain
ly aud economically; make a little
money, pay your debts as you can, and
within that limited circle you are a
most exemplary man ; but you never ex-
tend your influence out Of that circle.
You take no active interest in shaping
the course Of public affairs. If they
move around satisfactorily you are graf
flied if they 60 wrong you growl. If
the taxes you pay into the public treas
ury are discreetly used, you are conten-
ted; if they are stolen OF squandered
to ring contractors you reply: it can't
be helped"
Mr.. w." Oh can't bother with
such things. What good could I do?'
Ed.-(A little excited)" That's che
same response have heard from you
and your neighbors for years past. AL
ways the same helpless enquiry, what
can I do?' Now Mr.. W--are YOU
not an American citizen ? Are you not
an integral part Of the government =?
Have you not guaranteed rights, and
would you not fight it out to the death,
if any one attempted to deprive you of
the very privileges you neglect to exer-
else ?"
Mr.. W.--"Oh! but I never look at it
in that light, you see. I am not edu-
Gated, and I trust all those things to
others who understand them BETTER"
Ed.-"That depends upon the de6ni-
ton given to the word education. Ifyou
mean that professional men have lar
ger amount Of booh;i$h information than
the farmer, you may be right, but if
you insinuate that they have a larger
stock Of good sound practical knowledge
than the farmer you are grievously
wrong, and it is an error full of mis-
chief and evil to the country. Wash.
ington was a farmer and country sur
veyer and not book, and yet he be-
came the father Of great nation.
Franklin was mechanic, yet he rose
to sit at the table with Kings, and ne
gotiated business with the greatest of
statesmen"
| Mr.. w." Well, see here, I tell you
how it is: we haven't got much time to
spare, and we think somehow thehewspa.
per men generally fix up these things
tn anit fhovnoo1voaO -