Sharp County record., 1878-01-04
Why Americans Should be Thankful.

1t is a wonderful piece of good for
tune that the domain of America is as
large as her freedom is glorious; that her
house is as large as her invitahon-tor
now, when the other many forms OF in
dustry are failing to offer work to all,
the silent West speaks and offers labor
and support to millions upon millions
of these human souls. The terrible
spectacle of famine need not rise up be-
fore us, for the case demands only a
change of pursuit. If our millions were
grouped upon an island too small for
their support, or ii the rainfall were
ceasing and the sun redoubling each
summer his heat, then might great ter
ror seize us; but nothing of this is true.
The land smiles and kindly invites man
to make his home not in crowded city,
but in the open, blossoming field.
We may thank God that our labor
trouble comes to us in q rich, unoccu-
pied continent, and not to prisoners in
an island or in desert. 1t is necessary
only that a fashion shall change and
that our educated young men, instead of
crowding into few pursuits-law, med
icine, pulpit, clerkships, and Specula-
tion-shall learn to see in agriculture a
quick road to home and independence.
The agricultural life need no longer
be log-cabin life. That age has gone
by Books and papers and better food
and better houses and new machinery
all follow the farmer now; and where
one educated farmer goes forth a few
laborers must 90 with him, and thus by
a mere change of fashion, a change
which will make agriculture as noble as
law or medicine, or even theology, the
labor question will be solved for the
next two or three centuries.
The so-caled higher classes once
despised all forms of industry, The
classic nations drew their money from
slave labor largely, and the more mod
ern monarchies looked upon even shop
keeping and all manufacturing as igno-
BILE callings. But the last two centuries
have been busy leading men across from
high idleness to high toll, have been
equalizing the honorS of a merchant and
duke, manufacturer and an earl, a
smith and legislator. And now So
ciety is well over the gulf, and an ariS-
tocracy of idleness has given place to an
aristocracy of labor and traffic. These
powerful trade-winds of fashion can
watt socety's ship once more, and can
carry the mind and heart from factory
and shop and bank to farm, and make
them happier there than they were upon
the other shore.
According to all the poets, and even
philosophers, the possession and cul-
ture of land has always been an ideal
destiny. Whenever Homer or Virgil or
Ovid or the modern verse-makers have
touched the farm, their harps have wax
ed up, as under q new inspiration.
Now, the poets have never been behind
humanity, but always have been march
ing far in the lead. AS Isaiah and Dan
iel marched far in front of their nations,
singing songs so lofty as to be prophe-
sizes, so the poets who have touched tn
plow and the sheaf and the cottage and
the vine have been prophets harping
out the glory of subsequent centuries.
1t may be that our times are drawing
near the fulfillment of these Sibyline
leaves, and that the time is at hand
when farm on the Mississippi or La
Platte or in the perpetual Spring of
Florida will be as noble as a law-oilice
or clerkship or an interest in a COM
mercial house. Indeed, this coming
farm in its power ~ take young men away
from temptation and to build up happi-
ness and honor will rival the pulpit it.
self as a public means of reform. la
deed the new fashion that shall make
Young men place their small or large
capital in land will come to our sinful
society in all the benefcence of a Gospel.
The railway and telegraph have termt
mated the isolation and solitude of the ag-
ricultural life; have joined the good Of
the city to the country's pure air and
isolation and peace.
That ideal farm is coming along! Our
labor troubles, our over-supplied pro-
fessions, our idle lawyers and doctors
and preachers, our book-keepers with
no books to keep, our teachers with no
school-house, our politicians with no
nomination or election, our banks with
no capital or integrity, all these ills of
society will make it look out and see the
blessed land which made Ant@us q
giant while he kept his feet well upon
this mother earth. 1t may be that while
society is trying to change its fashion,
is halting between two opinions, is
clinging to the dead old and fearing the
living new, ills will come and loud com
plant such as filed the ship of Column
bus when the waste of water lay around,
but let us bless God that our sailing mil
<lions can look out from the present and
See continent whose hills and prairies
slout "lOelcGnle." Thus there are
valid. grounds for a day of thanksgiv-