Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-03-22
Farm, House and Garden.
Fun ON tho Farm.
From the Rural New Yorker.

Fun ON the Farm.
From the Rural New Yorker.
How often do we hear the remark,
"What dull life farming must bet"
or. ''Who would live in the country
where there is no opportunity for hav.
ing any fun 2" which is but shorter
name for pleasure. 1t is certainly
true that many do find country life
very dull if not almost unbearable;
but we are free to say that the cause
of this is less in surroundings of such
persons than in themselves. The Bril-
tish Museum or the Geological Gardens.
would no doubt be dull and uninterest.
ing places to great many persons;
still this would not prove that they
were really unattractive to those who
have eyes to see and ears to hear,
with minds trained to enjoy such ex.
hibitions.
The same principle holds good in re-
gard to the pleasures which the resi-.
dents Of city or country respectively
enjoy. Wealth has really but little to
do with happiness, or what we may
term pleasure or the ''fun of living"
and it would be difficult to fix "poy.
erty point below which a human be.
ing may not live and be happy. In.
deed it could be easily demonstrated
that there are proportionately as many
happy families who subsist on ten dol.
lars week or less, as on one hundred
and upwards. We must, therefore,
conclude that after a mans actual ne.
cessities are supplied, the matter of
pleasure depends mainly upon his dis
position, previous training, or capacity
for enjoying the things which come
within his reach. Now if the farm is
such dull place as many would make
lis believe, why is it! and who is to
blame! There is certainly no lack Of
materials Or opportunities for enjoy
ment of the most rational and limo.
Gently hilarious kind. What could be
more enjoyable than trained animals
of all kinds, from mouse up to an OK
or horse and then what a field there
is for study, as instinct improved be.
comes veritable reason! Let each
child have his pet animal to work
upon, thereby creating friendly
strife which will make life all the
more pleasant.
Perhaps their taste may not be for
animals, but for minerals, shells, plants,
or some other of the thousand and one
objects Of natural history to be found
on every farm ,all of which may be gath
cred and studied in leisure moments
without wasting the time required for
labor in the field. The boy if told
he may 60 fishing after his task is
done, usually finds a way to get
through with it in time to spend a hap.
py hour where the "fun comes in, "and
this might often be done in hunting
for plants to put in his herbarium, or
for insects, Shells minerals, or other
objects of natural history to enrich his
cabinet.
OF course the parents should second
all these deviations from the far too
general routine on the farm, which
often amounts to little more than
working eating and sleeping-a fact
that accounts, in a great measure, for
the widespread complaint, that boys
and girls leave the farm whenever an
opportunity presents itself. And who
will blame them, If the farm can offer
no inducements for remaining! There
is world of amusement on every acre
of land occupied by plants and living
creatures, and it is only those who are
blind through ignorance who fail to
find it.