The Russellville Democrat., 1876-12-07
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RAINING CLOUDY FIG
 TUBES.


 HRAWENG CLUUDI PIG
 TU1sltS.
 The Arkansas State Grange is
 good paper and valued ex-
 haDee, and it's editor is respect
 and highly esteemed friend.
 . nould not have the fool hardy
 resumption to measure goose uills with a man of tue ability, |xpcrienco and ripe years of the |iitor of the Grange, but we must, notwithstanding, file few eXcep- tons to the cloudy picture which ! draws of the farmers life, in |oticing a little article which Itely appeared in the DEMOCRAT |ndcr the head of Silly Prcju- ] (ices." Like Bro. Tohey, We |eprecate these prejudices, but h trying to assign the reasons Eby they exist we think he has rs gn very dismal picture of he farmers life. And by con Tasting the "poor devil," as he erms tue farmer, pcnnyless- without even enough to sub |cribe for the Grange or DEMO EKAT' (both of which every far I.cf shoa.d do)-'i.eeling in his |eiv soul that he IS not getting |he "comforts and luxurlcs of |Ife' -toiling and enduring priya- Iions only to finG himself ut the md of the year without any ac- :umulations-buving goods on .redis through the year, and sell ng his crop at a low price at the snd of the year-the prey of envy mixed with disappointment and lisgust-hy comparing the far mer, thus depicted, with the mer- rhaat diving ill afliuence, in fine houses, wearing better clothes than he can afford, his children good education, ,-the esteemed editor of the Grange is certainly not doing much to allay these "silly prejudics." He is not doing much to cheer up the farmer and make him contented with his lot to which God has assioned him. And when he tells the farmer that "thc man who starts out with two thousand dol .ars worth of goods, will, at the end of five years, have acculnulat- ed more than he who starts out with five thousand worth of land will have accumulated i'll ten ears, provided both are indus tr.ous, economical and make thL best use of their brains," he adds she finishing touch to a picture which is only calculated to make ,he farmer gloomy, disheartened, sad, enyious, and still more in .ensely prejudiced against the merchant.
 Well, our friend has been a 'armer, ahd we haven't; but we think we know enough about far ming and merchandising both to know that he is sadly and most Agregiously mistaken in his as- sertion about the relative profits ,f merchandising and farming.
 Our idea of farming is that it Is the most noble, free, independ- spt, happy and wholesome life of all others. And combined with this is it's comparative exemption Iromthe anxietyand risks incurred in almost any other f special Iy in the speculative and mercan tile life. Old mother earth is not m ingrate, and she seldom fails 10 fill the gamers of the earnest, industrious tiiler of the soil. True, the farmer must work and must manage judicioasly to sue ,eed. But what occupation could we seek where this is not the case? And what occupation could we seek where the care and and mental strain is so slight as it is with the well regu- lated farmer? No, Brother To bey, in place of holding up the gloomy side of the picture, and disheartening the farmer, let us help him look on the bright side; for truly we think the farmer need envy no living man. Sure ly none can live more happily, independently and comfortably than he, and it is but doing him an injury to disgust him with his noble calling by painting