Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-11-07
BOB INGERSOLL'S ILLINOIS
SPEECH.

| bOD IN " ulllttDOlSl< - fisiffA'O va
SPEECH.
WHAT HE KNEW ABOUT FARMING IN THE
oLDEN TINE.
When | was n farmer, in the olden
time, in Illinois, they used to fence one
I hundred and sixty acres Of land with
two dogs When was n. farmer they
used to haul wheat two hundred miles
in wagon and sell it for tbirty-fve
cents a bushel and bring back about
three hundred feet Of lumber, two
lunches of shingles, barrel of salt
and cook stove that never would
draw. When | was farmer they
ieasted on corn and bacon, and didn't
know very well how TO cook even that.
We had poor houses and no barns.
Tho horses were put in straw sheds,
and long before spring most OF the
straw would be eaten away; and it
took all the oats and all the corn we
could stuff into those horses TO keep
them from actual starvation. In those
days most farmers thought the best
place for u pig pen was Immediately
in front Of the house, and the wood
pile, as general thing, consisted of
one log upon which an ak or two had
been worn out in the fruitless effort to
make kindling.
No farmer can afford to sell his
wheat and corn and oats. He should
sell horses, not oats sheep, cattle and
pork, not corn. He should make every
profit possible out OF what he produ-
oou. so long you. ship ynnr corn
and oats and wheat, so long will you
be poor; just so long your farms will
be mortgaged to'the insurance compa-
nies and capitalists of the East; just
so long all the profit of this industrious
State will be given TO pay tho capital
lists Of other States. When our farm
ers ship their products in the shape Of
stock, then wave Of prosperity will
sweep overom' State, and Illinois will
become the most populous country in
the world.
I In the old times, when ! was farm
or, not u tree was set out once in ten
years !; not grapevine was planted (;
and about the house, not flower
could be seen. When you went to
their houses you were not met by flow
crs, and trees loaded with fruit, but
by. yellow dogs that came bounding
over the worm fence like wild beasts.
There is no sense and no profit In such
life. 1t is not living II is hardly ex-
isting. ask the farmers Of Illinois to
beautify their homes, surround Their
houses, with flowers, to make every,
: thing beautiful and attractive. You
don't live up to your privileges. In
every farmers house there should BE-
a bathroom. You have no idea Of
the civilizing influences ol the bath.
When you come from the field, tired,
covered with dust, nothing can be so
refreshing as bath. Keep clean. |
am not one of those who think that in
order to raise hogs you must be one,
Put on clean clothes, take u seat in
the yard under the trees and amidst
the perfume Of flowers, surrounded BY
your family, and You will know what
3 II is TO feel like gentleman.
1t is not necessary in this age OF the
world for tho farmer to rise IN the
. middle ofthc night and begin his work
This getting up so early in the morn
ing is relic OF barbarism. 1t has made
; hundreds OF young men curse the bu-
sincss. There is no need OF getting up
. at three or four o'clock IN tho winter
morning. The farmer who persists in
doing il and persists in dragging his
wifo and children from their beds
ought to be visited by a missionary
Its time enough to rise after the sun
has set an example. For what pur
b pose do you get up2 TO feed the cat
!, tie? Why not feed them more the night
before Iii waste of lIles In the
old times they used 10 get up about
three o'clock inthe morning and 90 &c
! work long before the sun had riser
!. "wiih healing upon its wings anC
as Just punishment they all had thu
!. ague and they ought to have It now
: The man who cannot get n living up
ON Illinois soil without rising beior'
daylight ought to starve. Eight hour
a day is enough for any farmer t
work, except IN harvest time,
I The laboring people should unit
, and protect themselves against ~
;. idIc,~ You can divide mankind mt
1.-Two classcs-the laborers and th'
n idlers, the supporters and the support
ed. the honest'and the dishonest Ever,
man is dishonest who lives upon th
,. uupaid labor Of others, no matte
V whether he occupies a throne or live
in a poor house. All laborcrs shout
, be brothers. The laborers should hav
coual rights before the world and DC
fore the law And want every fai
= mer 10 consider every man who lab0r'
either with hand or brain, as his brott
i or. Until genius and labor formed
pa rinership, there was no such ihln
ms prosperity among men. Ever.
4. reaper and mower, every agriculture
implement, has elevated thcwork .
tho good farmer and his vocat'o
grows grandcr with every invention
IN the olden time the agriculturalis
/, was ignorant IIc knew nothing
machinery. He was tho slave Of 81
pcrstition. Through machinery, thrS
:, The science Of agriculture, the farme
:, has been elevated. lie should not fol
e oet The debt hc owes, 10 the mechanic
> He should remember that all laborei
a belong 10 tho same great family.
?. There Is not scarcity of none,
10 but there is scarcity of busines
4 And this scarcity springs from %
IacL If confidence In one another, ,