The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-07-22
Grumblers and the Times.

Grumblers and the Times.
The genial and fructfying season that has
followed the gathering up OF the wheat crop
has made glad the heart Of the hllsbandman.
and dispelled the nightmare of dependency
that threatened to settle upon the people gen.
orally. There is nothing more contagious than
grumbling. A lusty old croaker can infect a
whole community with his lugubrious lamenta-
tions, aud make them believe that in land al
most flowing with milk and honey, the gaunt
spectre of starvation is lowering over all things
terrestrial and animate. Aknowing nod of the
head, and measured utterance of doleful SEN
tence, picturing the terrible calamity that
must certainly follow the predicted failure of
the crops spreads its 1nalarious influence more
rapidly than the small poS, and sets to tuEe
hundreds of men who do not trouble them
selves to think, but take as actual fact the
hytochondriacal speculations of the chronic
grtlmber. His work commenced in the early
winter, when the fields, barren of snow and the
soil penetrated with frost, furnished text for
the glooniest forebodings, and the plain and
unavoidable result, the utter failure in the
wheat crop. The unpropitious spring gave en-
couragement to his lamentations, and stimuli
ted by his sombre feelings, he cast the horo-
scope Of all the year, with its brood of disasters
to the tillers of the soils The grass, the oat
and the corn crops were to correspond with
tire saddening condition of the wheat product,
and with this train Of misfortunes was to
come the natural sequel-ruin to the country.
Fortunately man does not make the seasons,
nor does his want of faith alter the benefcence
OF Him who cares for the sparrow, and fashions
the lilies of the field. In the face of the
grumBler' traditions, and In defiance of his
prophecies, the earth has yielded abundantly
to the husbandman-th toilers have reaped
their rich harvest Of grain, and are gladdened
with the luxuriant fields that smile in plenty
under the genial shower and dew, and open
their cornucopia in response to the gentle WOO
ings of the sun. In contemplating these rich
bountes of nature, how few OF us recognize
the sourceswhence they come, and the munti-
cence OF the provisions which are made for the
sustenance and comfort OF the children of
men!
As things are not SO bad in respect to the
crops as the chronic grumblers would have
them, SO may we draw a lesson of encourage
nent as to the condition of the times gener-
ally. Hard times" is a stereotyped phrase
that has been rung in the peoples ears so in
cessantly, that everybody has been more or
less affected by it and taken it for granted that
the times are really 'hard.' But let us rea-
son or this point little. Have we, as peo-
pie, used the 6 tines'' to make them anything
else than 'shard?" Have we not lived be-
You'd our incomes and INDUCED in useless ex-
travagances that have consumed the means
which more 1udiciously appropriated would
have blunted the sharp edge of the times and
made them easy to endure? 1t may be safely
assumed that nine out OF ten have allowed
themselves to draw too heavily upon the rosy
promise of the future, and, like Wilkins Mi
cawber. looked forward FOR . something to turn
app to meet the bills that they had contracted
without the certainty Of knowing how they
could be paid. Ii close calculation had been
made as to what was absolutely necessary to
purchase, and how little with which we could
get along, instead Of indulging expanded no.
lions Of fashion, and sanguiue hopes of good
luck in the days to come, many would realize
the comfortable assurance that the 6 times -
were not SO crooked, nor the me;ns Of making
the paths of business smooth SO difficult to
command. The failure of the thoughtless
purchaser has entailed a like failure upon the
too confident seller, SO that the inability of the
one has affected the capacity of the other. and
in this way every community has been damaged,
the s'times - have been abused, and suffering
entailed. Systematic economy-a resolution
to purchase only what we can pay for and
whas is really wanted for comfort-a divorces
may say sinfulness, OF what is called fashion,
and the reasonable application of energy to the
business OF life, whatever it may be, would be
al all sufficient antitote for the .hard times"
All that is wanting to show that the times
are not SO cruelty hard as they are represented
is honest courage to grapple with them-a
self-dcnying spirit that will be contented with
what it can pay for, let it be however scanty,
and resolute purpose to do OH duty in doing
an honest days work in Whatever we may be
engaged. Prudent Industry will march rough
shod over Hard Times a.ad place its possessor
beyond the reach Of the agents Of the law, who
live upon the r1isfortunes and tollies of their
fellow men.
We think, indeed, things are leveaing down
to pretty safe basis. Experience has taught
the people that they can't live Oil ~great ex-
pectations'' and carry twelve per cent. inter
est debts-that business must have @represen-
tative in values, and that these values must be
appreciated and understood, and properly util-
lied FOR success to follow. 1t is being compre-
hended that men and women must earn their
money before they spend it, as the only safe
method to adopt to keep the clutches of
the sheriff away from them. The fright
about the hard tiales'' has probably ef-
iected a good ia this respect, and the result
will be that all business transactions hereafter
will De regulated and measured by substantial
considerations, rather than by flash and gilt
ter.
We are sure that fair exhibit of the past
twelve months via show that the faithful work
ers, who foilald themselves in debt at the be-
ginning of that thae, from whatever causes,
and who appreciated and felt the obligations
of honest dtbts, have accomplished more to-
wards dsclarging their Indebtedness, than was
effected in the twelve aaonths previous. The
* times y are always "llaaslf' for such men,
for they do not allow idle money to lie by
I,,t East Hos 20