Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-01-09
Criticisms on Farmers Families and
Homes.
Read Il, Farmers Meeting at West Berlin BY
MRS. q. f. DEWEY.

am well aware that this is not II new
subject, but it is one in which we are all
interested; and though may not present
any new ideas, they may be of interest for
the moment. was led to take up this
subject for the reason that | cannot agree
with many of the criticisms and statements
found in some of our papers on this class
ofpeople.
If we accept these as true, we find that
farmers are a species of the human race
who " live in homes utterly neglected and
completely repulsive."
" If any trees were ever planted in front
of the dwelling they are untrimmed, twist
ed, half dead and Unlocking objects. A
low raifence surrounds the yard, pair of
rickety bars offer you ingress and egrees !;
often there is no alternative but to scale
the fence to gain admission
Pigs have wallow under the kitchen
windows where the slops are thrown
chickens run on the old front porch and 90
down between its boards half broken out,
to lay, and at night roost upon its rail
ings.
Calves and sheep are browsing on the
poor stunted trees and bushes in the front
yard.
The windows have pillows, pants and
dresses us substitutes for glass, few
bricks are off the chimney top and IL few
shingles are loose upon the roof
The hogs and dogs occupy the space
under the dwelling to hide from the heat
of the MONDAY summer sun or the cold of
winter.
The old well has never been cleaned out,
is uncurbed, and the water is drawn by a
rope or chain, attached to the old brass
kettle, owned by their grandfather hun
dred years before. The wagon and sled
are Immediately in front of the house, the
wood pile is scattered thirty rods along
the fence and is in immediate association
with Old plows, harrows, rakes and every
thing else used on the farm here laid up
for future use.
1t seemed a pity to disturb the harmo-
NOUS outlines of the above picture of a
farmers home, so | have quoted it nearly
entire from one of our Vermont papers
With kindly charity, which am sure my
sisters will appreciate, the writer adds
" The inside of the house, for the sake of
womanhood, we will not describe, but only
say that the idea Of rearing family in
such place, and having them intelligent,
reasoning, responsible beings, cannot for a
moment be entertained" This is claimed
TO be the case with two-thrds of our farm
ers. That Vermont paper with crcu-
laton and correspondence extending from
Maine to California should give place to
such representation of our homes, seems
incredible.
1t is no wonder that people from other
states think we are rough and uncultured,
barbarians, in fact, and are surprised if
they chance to visit Vermont, to find the
farming population possessed Of average
intelligence.
We must derive our ideas of people and
countries largely from three sources. OBJ
servation, experience, and reading; but
upon this question | am n little doubtful
about admitting what we read to its third
Of influence in forming our opinions
Farmers and their wives write so little for
thu press that we must conclude that such
statements as the above come from those
who write for the press as profession and
are glad to seize on any chance report,
and make the most of ii; if these state
ments were corroborated by observation
and experience, we would the more read
lily receive them, but they are not. | be-
lieve if you were to look through every
town in the state you could not find the
counterpart of the above picture.
We admit that there are many places
that in some points present an appearance
very like what this writer terms prison
houses to be left as early rs age or con-
venience will allow but that two-thirds OF
our homes are in this conditon-let the
inmates of each home prove to the con-
trary. But another fact p as set forth in
our papers-these farmers d" live on salt
pork and other fried things. Sell all the
best of the produce and live on what they
can't SELL" Their tables are supplied
with indigestible food, by housekeepers
who are ignorant and careless as regards
the plainest laws of health, many of them
not even kn0Wing what good bread is. :"
Now some of us scarcely taste of salt pork
from one years end to another, though
when it is good, rightly cooked and dant-
lily served it is occasionally desirable, and
while we claim it to be probable that no
class of people live better than our farm
ers, we must exercise charity toward these
writers, for it is self-evdent fact that
they are simply behind the times. They
have received their impressions from read
ing of the past, and not from observations
and experience among tho farmers of to-
day.
In our grandlather's time tho barrels
OF salt pork, at least, were needed for the
years supply, and the changes rangsfrom
fried salt pork to pork and beans, pork
and corned beef with vegetables, constitut-
ing the boiled dish still welcomed by
many. But our critics do not rest here.
The key note 10 their opinions is the
ignorance Of farmers :" the stupid, hard,
treadmill, ox-like life ofthe farm" Stupid!
no! never, to the intelligent farmer, such
such as claim the majority of farmers to
be, the work of bringing forth treasures
from Natures store-house never becomes
stupid or dull. When you hear them
up these treasures in bushels,
pounds and dollars, we hear nothing abou.
its being stupid work. A hard, tread
mill " life is itp We acknowledge it; but