The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-03-13
Town and Country.

llluNlS tl1S / ia
country" Life in town is artificial
conventional, stilted and restrain
ed. Life in the country is natural
free and un%restrained. The at
triton of town-life gives polish,
readiness, actiAity Of thought, and
huency Of expression. The seclu-
sion of the country is favorable to
contemplation, to originality OF
views, and to mental vigor. Sur
rounded by the grand works OF ma
ture, it's mountains, lakes, rivers,
and forests, the countryman is ele-
waited and purified by these noble
associations. Hence it is that the
truly great men Of the world have
with rare exceptions been country
born and country-bred. All the
Southern Presidents of the United
States have been country born.
Washington and Monroe we've born
in the same county (Westmoreland)
in Virginia. Jackson and Polk
were born in the same county
(Mecklenburg) in North Carolina.
jefferson, Madison, Harrison, lay
lor, Tyler and Lincoln were born
in the country. 1t is a high COM
pliment to the country training re-
ceived by them, hat the only Presi-
dents reelected have been Of South
ern birth. The people Of the Uni
ted States pronounced the admin
istrations of all the Northern Presi-
dents to be failures by refusing to
re-elect them. Harrison and lay
lor, died during their terms Of
office, and MI. Polk declined a
denomination. All the other
Southern Presidents elected by the
people were again re-chosen by
them. Washington, Jefferson,
Madison, Monroe, Jackson and
Lincoln were reelected, and the
policy of their administrations met
the endorsement Of the country.
But not only did the country re-
pudiate the Northern Presidents,
their pOlrcy also, was condemned
by the selection of successors of diff
ferent political faiths. This was
SO with every one of them, except
MIR. Pierce, who was of the South
ern school of politicians. John
Adams, John Quiency Adams, Van
Burren and Buchanan We're sue
ceeded by men of a different party
and SO, we trust, will it be with
Ulysses s. Grant.
We note the same pre-eminence
IN the country-born statesmen of
the South.-The great leaders in
the Revolution, the Rutledges,
Pinckneys, Lees. Pendleton, Pat
rick Henry, Penn, Moultrie, Hey
ward, Wythe, &c. The great
leaders in the Revolution, the Rut-
lodges, Pinckneys. Lees, Pendleton
Patrick Henry, Penn, Moultrie,
Hayward, Wythe, &c. The great
Southern Jurists, Chief Justice
Rutledge, Chief Justice Marshall
and Chief Justice Tanev. The
great Southern statesmen, Macon.
Forsythe, Calhoun, Clay. McDume
Crawford, Crittenden. Davis, Wise
&c. .--.
These facts, which cannot be
controverted, point to the country
as the proper training ground Of
our Southern youth. The tenden-
cy OF the new order of things is to
abandon rural life for the artificial
ties OF the town. Young men are
abandoning the homes of their
fathers, with all the manhood and
independence Of farm occupation
for little clerkships in. town.. If
stop Is not put to this state Of
things the hardy, sturdy. manly
population of the South will disap-
pear, and we will have instead the
ietld civilization, so-cailed of
Northern society. OF all the sad
changes brought about by the war
upon the South, this is the most
d%eplorable. The press Of the
South and its leading men should
enter their earnest protest against
tnis radical change in Southern
lie and manners. When we lose
Tie ola distinctive features of our
rural population, We will lose all
nat made lis geat, noble and dis
fihgnlshed as a people.