Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-01-09

look the world through and you find the
human race has not the name of living an
easy life, and though the work of prepar-
ing the ground, sowing. reaping. watch
ing and waiting is hard, is it harder. any
more combining, and more like n tread
mill than the life of merchants, mechanics,
clerks and factory operatives?
Some of these classes have comparative
ly easy lines; some farmers do, and those
of us who have the hardest lot, and are
obliged to work beyond our strength. with
slight returns for our labor. find counter
part in other occupations. If we could
change our business it is not probable we
could step into the easy places. "Ox-like"
life of the farm. Yes, patient, enduring,
long-suffering. bearing the yoke, it was so
perhaps, but see there has been within
the past few years, n rebellion, against
this state of affairs. They had endured,
suffered enough, the yoke became too
heavy; they asserted their right to be free
and an organization was formed which has
resulted in placing the farmer in the front
ranks, he is no longer merely the sutlcr,
the small trader who does the dirty work
in the furnishing of provisions, but he has
become the commissary general at the
head of the department for supplying food
to the nations, and he does not forget to
load his own table generously. This i'm
proved condition of the farmer enables him
to live in comfort and often with Il degree
of elegance and luxury.
His home is pleasant to look upon, his
tools are of improved pattern, his horses
and other stock are worthy the attention
and commentator of the Lest Judges.
And yet there is room for criticism, some
of it unjust and coming from the farmers
themselves. If wife and children desire
to dress in accordance with these improved
surroundings and to spend money for
books and music, they ares called extrava
giant. Now do not think that two thirds
of our pros porous farmers are of this opin-
ion, but | have heard it stated in public
assembly within year that farmers
wives think they must have an eight or ten
dollar bonnet and other articles Of dress
accordingly. and that the children must
have everything that's going, pianos, or
gans, music, books and papers, dress fine
ly, go to high school or college, and its
enough TO ruin any man." and more,
" when they are ready to commence life
for themselvs, they are not content to be-
gin rs their father and mother did, but
think that they must begin where their
parents left Off"
Now about that bonnet. | had not the
courage then to disturb the complacency
of the gentleman, as he gazed around ~
on the pretty hats and bonnets of the ladies
present, evidently thinking them substan-
tial proof of his assertion. | wanted to
tell him that there were well-dressed
ladies present whose personal expenses for
the gear were less than ten dollars. Per-
haps his experience had been hard one
but even if his wife had invested ten dol
lars in bonnet it may have been good
economy. | have in mind Il silk velvet
bonnet purchased twenty years ago, cost
ing, perhaps, six or eight dollars; it has
been in use, think, every winter since,
in different forms, and the remains of it.,
still in use look much nicer than cheap
cotton velvet worn one season. Many II
woman takes her last years hat, brushes
the velvet, sponges the ribbons, recurls
the feather, perhaps spends twenty-five
cents for buckle or flower, and The
next year does the same again upon II new
foundation, and there is her three dollar
hat every year. 1t is so with cloaks and
dresses. Our careful farmers wives often
get the worth of the money in the first
wearing out of garment, and we all I'M
derstand how dress of good material
when worn out is made by skillful fingers
to become a new dress and worn out again,
going through this process perhaps the
thirl and fp1rtb tip,n and tbpp If ie
not used to stuff into broken windows. We
know it is not economy TO have broken
windows; and besides, we want the dress
to make 0Ucr for one of the children.
Many of our farmers are neither eXtrava-
CANT nor particularly economical; their
wants and needs are comfortably supplied
within their income. If they Wish to Sare,
their pride does not stand in the way, us
one OF this class said o, yes, I'd us soon
ride in the old wagon us not, ererVJodg
knows we have got Il new one.
As for our children wanting everything
that is going-they are apt to want just
about what they are brought up to have,
and if they are educated to the use of books,
papers and music, it is to be supposed they
will want some new ones occasionally; of
course the example of their associates will
have some influence, but | know that Il
girl can be educated to higher aims than
frizzes and Il pull-back, and can be content
in neat and appropriate dress, and II boy
will very quickly respond to calls upon his
self-denial if he sees that his fathers hab-
its are governed by the same motives.
There are young people among us who
will make no demand on fathers purse for
books and papers they care nothing about
reading them; and will hardly be fitted to
fill the places of responsibility, honor and
trust that most parents hope to see their
children occupy. And these are the ones
who will be the most willing to commence
life for themselves where their fathers
commenced, for the obvious reason that
the father has been at stand still while
the world moved on and bis children arc
educated to stand in his tracks. If this
policy had been followed in the years past,
where would the industries of our proud
state stand? Would not we be grubbing
among the roots and stumps of virgin soil 7
Instead of beautiful residences and improv-
ed farms should not we see the log houses
and rough, partially cleared fields Of the
olden timer
Could our loved Vermont have taken an
honorable position among her sister states
at the Centennial of our country the past
year? Why does the United States to-
day hold the exalted position among ma
tions which is universally accorded her?
1t is partly owing to the fact that our
ancestors began as they did. There was
room for improvement, and necessity being
the mother of inventions we became ii
nation of inventors. Our forefathers toll
ed early and late to clear away the forests,
sowed grain and planted potatoes among
the stumps, built their houses of logs, but
with the rough unwfeldy tools they had to
work with they did the best they could.
1t was a hard life, so hard, indeed, that il
is said all the tender ones died off and
only those who were tough lived TO tell
us what they did when they were young
They did Il good work by improving on
their beginnings. Shall we do less? Each
generation educated its children TO the i'm
provements it made, and as their habits
were inbred, it was to he expected they
,you1I .n1 ShoulI Un m in,nrnvipn 1lNn,