Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-07-12
The Poetry OF the Farm.

l do not mean that kind of a jingle
which is put together by people who go
from towns into the country, and, after
a short sojourn of few days, enjoying
the pure air and specially prepared pa
latial delicacies, 60 into rhapsodies over
country life; who frame their nice COM
pliments for the farmer in words like
these: 'How delightful is country
life!' The farmers must be the hap
piest people on the earth!' II should
be in elysium had | the ownership of a
farm like this!" All this is stuff, and
is easily conjured up for the occasion,
But there is real poetry connected
with farm life that is Endorsed with both
rhyme and rhythm, and the production
Of it is not due to any chance sojourner
who partakes of the bounties without
the toll. This poetry is made by the
farmer and his own household. There
is less Of it written than there might be,
for there is world of latent ability and
the lines are not written upon chance
slips of paper in stolen moments, but
impressed upon human hearts, to be
read there in all the years of lifetime.
Beautiful trees, ornamental fower-bor-
ders, tasteful surroundings, all those
beautiful things that give charm to a
country home, are the inspiration to
the poetry of the farm; and if l could
impress upon my brethren of the coun-
try the fact that they have great deal
of talent lying dormant for making this
poetry, l should be doing better
work than in writing columns of the
best kind of dissertation upon the cul-
ture of roots, wheat, corn or oats.
1T is all very we'll for newspaper talk,
and sounds very nicely on paper" says
my farmer friend, ''but when you come
to scratch for a large family, and get
wherewith to feed their hungry mouths
and cover their bodies with passable
clothing, there is little time to write
your kind of poetry by fussing with
flower beds, cutting off the dooryard
grass every week, and all that sort of
thing
= But do not hesitate one moment in
making reply to this, that there is
enough time, labor and ingenuity vast
ed upon the farm to render it model
of grace and beauty. There is princi-
pie implanted in our natures that Graves
food as Justify as our stOmachs, and as
many people die from the want of it as
from the need of food to build up the
bodies. | refer to that love of beauty
and beautiful things, which, if gratifed,
stimulates to right action, commendable
exertion and loving thoughtfulness,
without which we might as well be so
many sticks and stones.
Men can live upon potatoes and salt,
with but very little in addition, for a
time; they can be satisfied, under neces-
sity, to move about in uncomely fabrics;
but contentment under such circum-
stances is out of the question for any
length of time. AS means are gathered
it is considered no matter of extrava-
gance to have the best of food in varie-
ty, and to be clothed tastefully in fine
apparel. Time and thought of the
most earnest type are given to these.
Much less, then, ought it to be counted
idle expenditure to attempt to satisfy a
higher desire of the human heart, to
embellish home with tasty surround
ings that will hold its occupants under
the most tender subsection to the true,
the beautiful and the good. There is a
mOlding power in each flower and shrub
which exhibits it's effects in the govern
ment Of the family, and in the mellowed
nature which results from the position
in which is placed in the heart the mem
cries of these attributes of 1.-The child
hoods home
Who can cite happy home, overflow
ing with general good nature and family
affection, without the accompaniment
of beautiful things in it's outward adorn-
ment. The two go hand-in-hand. The
outer circle is an index to the inner one.
I'VE guess the pulp before we cut the
peel" There is warmth Of soul en-
gendered by the effort put forth on the
establishment of home, which affects
the conduct of each member of the fam
lily. In it's power it is akin to religion.
There is one thought in connection
with this adornment of the exterior
home that to me is grand one. We
are not working for ourselves alone.
The crops of grain, the vegetables and
fruits of the orchard which we develop,
may be entirely to our benefit; but the
beauties we add to our premises are the
property of the neighborhood, and even
the stranger without the gates has an
interest there safely invested. They
not only bring comfort and happiness
to others, but material possessions.
Every dollar or days work expended on
trees, flowers, lawn or hedges, is invest
ed for the benefit of the whole country
about. More than this, the value Is not
lost when we leave the treasures, but
with all the added increments of the
years, they are handed down a posses
sion to futurity,
Whittier appropriately put the
thought into rhyme:
For he who blesses most is blessed,
And God and man shall own his worth,
Who tolls to leave, as his bequest,
An 0ddad hQn11tv n he earth ~