Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-10-13
Social Life Among Farmers.

The social life Of a people is the best in
dex of their advancement in civilization and
| refinement. Those classes most closely
allied, socially, are the most influential in
any country. Farmers have been the prey
Of most other classes, because these other
classes were organized socially aud poten-
tally, while the farmers had no intimate
social or business relations. The mechanics
who are much more social as class, were
led many years ago to form cooperative as.
sociations, and the consequence is, more
rapid advancement in the knowledge of their
art, with adequate protection for all their
interests. This social life has also led to
political influence, which has given them all
the legal protection and advantages their in.
terests required. From the mechanical aud
mercantile classes, inferior in numbers to the
agricultural have risen the largest proper
ton Of professional men who have wi.lded
the political power of the country. The
great bulk Of all the property in the country
belongs to the agricultural class, aud yet
this class Yields less power in cvying taxes
than even the handful of lawyers, numbering
not more than one in thousand. The farm
ing class is granted the great privilege of
paying the taxes.
The farmers son, when he fortunately
finds his way to the academy or college, and
gets taste Of higher social life, is led to
charge the farm as the cause of REFRESHING
all the aspirations of his social nature, and he
abandons it without further consideration.
The daughter also finds in the associations of
schools, or even visit to the city, perhaps
in the family Of u laboring mechanic or
merchant, so different a social atmosphere,
that she forms resolution not to spend her
life where all her social faculties are re.
pressed and the loneliness of isolation freezes
her heart. She has seen how little the sunshine
and quickenng influence Of society have
cheered the life Of her mother, aud she char
ges it all to the situation. She does not see
that the country, with all its natural beauty,
is well calculated 10 draw out and develope
the social feelings-that farming life as it
should be, and in the good time coming will
be, is admirably adapted to the highest so.
cial and intellectual refinement. True farm
life has always been pictured by the poet as
the paradise Of social refinement Virgil, the
most polished of Romans, dwells lovingly up
on it, What then, is the cause of this
shriveing OF the social nature upon the
farm2 1t is simply the lack of education TO
appreciate the higher life which the situation
naturally invites. Give the farmer the same
education, the same enterprise, the same
social stimulus, and he will not be behind
the most favored class.
This necessary change cannot be made
till large fraction of the farmers who pat :
roniEe these schools call for it. They have
not yet made ihis demand, and are not
likely to do so until aroused by some social
stimuant which shall show its necessity.
The grange has arisen at a fortunate time
for this purpose. 1t is an institution which
takes the whole family-brlngs together all
the social elements. The frequent meetings
Of these social circles, where all the ques-
tions pertaining to the farm aud household
are discussed in familiar way, will reveal
to farmers the deficiencies Of their own edu-
cation, and suggest to them the means of re-
pairing these in the next generation. They
will naturally turn to the school in which
the common mind receives its early impulse
and inspiration. This common school is the
only present hope of nine.tenths of the peo-
pie for the education Of their children. 1t
has always been, aud will be made adequate
to their wants. They cannot be said to have
a want Of which they do not know. They
must be made aware of the great necessity
for this enlightenment, and then the means
of euarging the scope of these nurseries of
knowledge-the common schools-will be
found easy The grange now appears to be
the instrumentality for moving upon the
farming mind, and it should be encouraged
in every legitimate way. 1t is the great
hope Of improvement for the present genera
ton it is the primary school for the far
mer himself giving to him and his family
the needed stimulus. 1t will, if properly
developed, lead him out of tho night and