Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-07-29

Inc 1OllOWlnR artlcle, from inc NEW
England Farmer, was written for that
journal by Thomas Pearl Briggs, Esq, a
Boston gentleman oflarge experience, who
has observed how precarious are the pro
fessions and trades usually followed in
cities compared with the calling OF farm
er He says:
With the Bible and Horace Greeley, we
exhort you to keep out Of debt. But there
is at least one way of getting into debt,
that we certainly recommend to some
young men, viz: to buy farm. The
Bible injunction to "owe no man any
thing" evidently means to not owe an
other in such way as to iniure or defraud
your friend; but in running in debt for a
farm the creditor runs no risk where he
holds mortgage and receives lawful in
terest; in fact, he is safer than the debtor.
But few young men will save their
money unless compelled to do so. What
little real estate the writer Of this owns, he
owes to the fact that he was in debt for
farm before he was of age, and was COM
PEELED to meet the notes, with interest, as
they fell due; therefore | know whereof |
speak. Let young man earn 300 or
800, and then buy one of the many farms
which can be bought for less than the
buildings and fences cost, paying in ad-
vance as much as he can, giving his notes
for the rest, extending over ten or fifteen
years, If necessary, each note to be paid
annually, with interest. Suppose you buy
good grazing farm, worth $4,000, paying
5000 down, the remaining 1900 to be
paid in nine annual installments. The
first year the interest will be, at six per
cent, little over 800, constantly de.
creasing after that. You can find farms
of the above description where there is
enough wood and timber on them to more
than half pay the cost of the farm By
little energy you can sell enough wood in
the winter to meet your notes, and raise
enough from the farm in the summer to
give you a good living. If there is a saw
mill on the farm all the better; or keep
half a dozen yoke of steers, and few colts
growing, and you will meet these notes IN
a way that will astonish you, especially if
you are careful to get the best breed and
blood, and see that the steers are well
matched. A good colt or a good yoke Of
steers will always sell, and to good advan-
tage on the cost of raising them. Like
interest, they grow while you sleep.
1t is the young man that has some pay
ing employment during the winter that
will more surely and easily pay for his
farm. If you haven't wood or timber or
bark to sell, teach school, sell books, trees,
rat traps. or something that will give you
cash enough to meet your notes, and you
are all right. If near village or city,
you can very likely find some mechanical
or other kind of work that will pay them,
When spring comes pitch into your farm
with determination to subdue the soil,
with the blessing OF heaven, in such a
way that she will yield her increase, and
own you as her worthy lord and master,
To try TO get living off a farm, and pay
for it at the same time, is hard unless you
have paying work during the long winter
months; find that, and the open door to
a home of your own is before you, and
easily attained. AT the end Of one decade
you will be more independent and pros
porous than most OF our merchants, clerks
or professional men. If it Is true, as 1t is
said to be, that more than ninety per
cent of our business men fail, it bebooves
you to look well to your choice Of occupa'
tions. Be sure, if possible, to buy farm
on which you can use moving machine
and other machinery, and you will be the
peer of any man OF any profession, as to
the number of hours you work, as to the
time of reading, social blessings, and,
above all, independence to do as you
please.
The city clerk, while he may dress well
is comparatively slave. He owns no
home; he must go to his work and stick
to it as regularly and constantly as a per
son at hard labor in state prison, and in
some cases is treated as hard, generally,
as they are there A physician or law
yer is but little better off, unless they
are among the few who attain to fame and
wealth. BY the introduction Of labor saw
ing machinery, the whole aspect of farm.
ing has changed within few years, and
it is time that people gave up their old.
time preiudices, which were we'll founded
once, but are now libel on what farm.
er's life may be. A slender man and boy
can now do with machinery what formerly
it took half a dozen stout men to accom-
plish. In such case the farmer is a
manufacturer of grain, beef and pork, in
stead OF "raiser" of these things, and he
ought to be one of the happiest, healthi,
est and holiest of men on the face of the
earth.