Daily Kennebec journal., 1877-09-05
concluded from First page. ]

the billiard room, the chnrch the schoohouse, The
refining influence Of q tidy. we-ordered town
Tue evils Of village life to young and old are no
alluded to. of the advantages OF village liie tht
occupants of almost every farm IN New England
can easily avail themselves, without burdensomt
trouble and expense, while removed TO sale DIS
tance from the evils, avoidance oil whlch every
wise father of family Is glad to secure 10 oo'
tain the benefits ii is not necessary to i've IN
village; TO avoid the evils il Is necessary 10 live
out OF It. And count that family fortunate who
occupying an ample estate on which they can
proftably exert their industry are so situated as
to be able to avoid the enervatlng influences OF
dense and enjoyable" communities, while they
safely receive their dement's.
That the evils said to surround isolated farm
life have been exaggerated, there can be no doubt
| have been a close aud intimate observer of our
rural population for many years, and have failed
TO discover the defects which are charged upon II
New England abonnds with cheerful, well-oIdereo
rural homes, supplied with books, means of amuse-
ment and comioII, and instruction homes whose
fathers and sons are not hard and vulgar, and
whose wives and daughters are not homely and
discontented and careworn. The objections made
TO New England farm life do not apply TO New
England. They may apply elsewhere, but not
here. The badly organized homes are the excep-
ton and not the rule IN this secuoB OF the country,
and anyone who will take pains to examine the
iarmhouses of every locality here devoted TO ac-
tive agriculture. Will find good ORDER domestic
as universal as in any community brought iogeth-
er by more active occupation, and presented rs
example for the farmer TO follow. And with
out insIIlutiDg any inyidious comparison, am
confident that IN the domestic organization known
as q farmers home, rs now established IN the ru-
raj district Of New England there may be found
many of the elements winch go TO make hap
py and Intelligent household rs In any spot on
earth.
AT any rate these homes are part of our social
md Rfx na.i ipna nj fhay in fha
days of the fathers. The independent land hold
Ell must stlll lind q CONSPICUOUS place here. Those
qualities which are strengthened by the patri-
aichsl position of the master of household sur
rounded by his acres and surveying his hocks and
herds, must enter largely into his makeup, who
would be a representative American citizen. He
may be ovef-prudent reticent, slow to speak, cal
culating, from the necessities OF his occupation
but he Is strong in his convictions, devoted TO his
duty, guided by the best instincts, hard to mis-
lead, proper as the head OF q family, honest and
reliable IN any public service assigned him, no
tlme-server, no sycophant, no dIsturber OF the
peace. From him come the substantial and funda-
mental elements of the more active spheres Of
lie. As the great lapdbolders of England pre-
serve against all adverse influences the national
character istlcs which no heated and excitable
communities can destroy, SO the small American
landholders nourlsh and cherish and transmit
those Interchangeable points OF our national char
acteT, which rise conspicuous in every crisis, and
MAINTAIN our peculiar position among the nations
OF the earth. thus tar have found no disposition
to abandon this system OF independent, isolated oc
cupied farms, and to resort 10 village life for re-
lief The spirit which peopled our frontiers still
remains. The desire TO occupy and reclaim the
land is as great as ever The love Of the old farm
house has not yet died out, and the American
farmer of to-day, true to the spirit of his aDces-
tors, accepts and enjoys his situation as afdently
rs do they who, born under another and | think
inferior form OF state and society, congregate in
crowded villages by night, and go forth to their
ansllevisted toll by day.
And now word with regard to the proposed
remedy for the supposed evils. Upon the posi-
BILE and, IN many cases, upon the actual beauty OF
American villages 1t is unnecessary for me TO en-
large. Made up as they often OF tasteful
dwellings, sufficiently separated to allow OF ample
GROUNDS and gardens, and to preserve consplcu-
ously the architectural effect, and adorned, they
often are with trees and shrubs, they really de-
serve the name OF "rural" villages; and are often
times as delightful as any clusters Of residences
to be found on earth. Combining, as they do, the
busy air Of town, often subdued and quiet, 1t is
true, with the aspect OF the country, they possess
capacity for beauty rarely seen,-a beauty so
great that the church, the village green, the mod
est public buildings the dwellings, OF the villagers,
the shaded highways, all recall 10 those who hav e
ever been familiar with them scene oil rural love-
Illness rarely surpassed. And they stand in great
contrast with the villages Of continental Europe
gloomy purlieus Of the Strand. And yet of the
temptations and tendencies of these attractions
and beautiful spots do not care to speak. Ihe
Istess side OF country village is often as hard
TO resist as the giItering and dangerous side OF a
great CITY. And am not sure that il would he
well TO subject the young men of our farms to the
constant influence OF those who gather n the re-
sorts vi village idleness. Nor am 1 sure that the
iyceum, and The library, and the church and the
scnoo house, are powerful enough to counteract
tnese ihnuelces, more especially If they are in
the hands OF those who have exhausted themselves
oy long days OF toll on their outy ing farms, and
nave returned to their village homes for night S
rest.
On the Inconvenience Of this mode of life which
makes the village place of rest, and the far off
farm the scene OF toil and business it is unneces-
sary to enlarge. The wise and jud iclous farmer
knows that his most profitable busbandry is car
fied on upon tue lands which lie directly around
his farm buildings. The transportation of the ar
ticles Of farm Is expensive enough at any rate,
and should be reduced to the lowest poss Ole
point
The time and labor spent in transporting manure
long distance may destroy its yaue entnely, and
every experienced man knows that field adjacent
10 the farmyard Is much more valuable Tor all
farming purposes than one which lies a mile away
1t is difficult for me to conceive how the business
OF farm can be prohtably conducted, with the
buildings In one locality and the cultivated fel Ids
IN anOthef lar removed. Ihe buildings on q farm
should be the heart of that farm, as near the CEN
ter as possible, and giving and receiving all the vi
tai force which Is 10 make it desirable as a home
and place OF business. There can be no econo-
my IN this country in system oi agriculture which
separates the farmer from his acres. Nor can
there be any social and civil advantage in calling
on the landholders Of America to abandon then
scattered homesteads and take refuge in populous
streets Of rural villages. The example set IN this
direction by the small landholders Of Continental
Europe Is not worthy of imitation here. Bu
warned by system which has reduced agricul.
ture TO the point OF the drudgery for bott
men and women, and has cooled the individua
energy and brought the necessities and wants O
the people down to the lowest point of mere ami
NAL existence, let the American still hold on TO hi
tarm and believe still in his farm life. His sysleu
may be improved perhaps, but 1t cannot be prof
ta0ly or beDeticlaily destroyed changed.
the charges made against the farmers homes arr
true, let the reform begin in the homes themselves
indeed, let the Improvement already begun b,
continued, Tor you who are familiar with thess
homes know that long ago the tasteful duties O.
lie began 10 "enter IN aud dwell there" and tina
howers and books and music everywhere adort
The prosperous and industrious farmers household
Whne, therefore, would in every way make tn,
farm iiie oil America as attractive as an active auC
intelligent people should be- and render il at once
gratifying 10 the tastes and responsive to the thrift
OF busy and cultivated yeomanry, | would sill
adhere 10 the system OF isolated farms the abode,
Of well organized families. the nurseries of best 40
cial and civil virtues. That the rural village ha
IN MAJ To-