Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-04-11
AGRICULTURAL.
Haxd riu,ns.

The campaign of hard work on tht
farm is about to commence. TO ma.
my the prospect is gloomy. From va
rious causes there are large clasl
who are financially crippled, and ret
not how the spring and summer ar<
to be bridged over. Entering the
season Of work without any spare
money and nothing on hand which
they can turn off to procure the nee.
essary groceries, clothing for the fam.
lily and the repairs of the farm, the
prospect is gloomy. And those alone
who are In this position, and having
the loving and innocent eyes OF 3
family looking to them for q support
and for such things a. other wivei
and children receive, can alone up.
preciate the situation. Yet they
should recollect that the real necessa.
ries are few, simple and cheap. This
remark is applicable to food and
clothing. Health does not depend on
the luxuries Of the table, but on the
contrary we are nation Of dyspep
tics, for the reason that we eat too
much, and especially of that which is
too rich. For health, comfort and
strength, we need but few things, and
those few are in the possession of
nearly every farmer, no matter how
reduced the stock of provisions. The
important thing is to be content with
what we have. 1t is not so much the
scarcity or plainness of the food, but
the consciousness that necessity con.
fines us to it. Nor is fine clothes nec-
essary for the comfort and respccta-
bility Of the family. We rejoice that
we live In an age and country, that
the texture of the clothes do not es-
tablish the standard Of morals, INTEL
ligence, or refinement. Live upright
". and as far as possible meet your
obligations, but IL you cannot pay
meet your creditor frankly, and keep
the conscience clear. In this wav,
looking to Providence to bless your
labor with q bountiful crop, and to
the government for q sufficient cur.
rency to transact the BUSINESS of the
country prosperously, and the cramp
OF the next six months will be passed
over without the serious conseuueu.
ces anticipated by many.
DuU We WOulO U6OGcCu Our 18TIu6E
friends to contract as few debts a.
possible. Live plain, economizing in
food and clothing. Make the prod
ucts of the cows, the chickens and the
garden, not only supply your own ia
Bile, but its surplus supply other de-
without allowing your name
to 60 on merchants or grocers' books.
The practice is injurious to you and
fatal to the merchants. just for this
reason improve on the fact that "a
German will live on what an Ameri-
can will throw away, and q Jew ON
what . German throws away, and
Chinaman will live on what a Jew
throws away" And yet all these
classes enjoy really better health and
enter as fully into the pleasures and
zest of life as the first class,
Then while tho nation is approach
ing specie payment, let us by strict
economy, and by fidelity to business,
be able to make resumption personal
to all our cases. Debt is bondage.
Debt is q hard task-master, and as a
master it is degrading and CALLING.
By industry and strict economy the
thousands Of mortgages on the farms
of Iowa can and should be paid. BY
extravaganza and neglect Of business
lhe present debtors will never re-
deem their farms, nor leave any mark
for their posterity.-Fdrmer CLARK
son, in State Register.