The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-07-30
THE HIRED HELP QUESTION.
OF The True Northerner.

HE dlhED HE'LL QOEoAiON.
Correspondence OF The True Northerner.
A great many times within few month:
past have heard the question asked by farm
ers: Why is 1t there is such scarcity OF help
| to be had, and why is ii so many of our young
men and boys are seeking the cities instead oil
staying upon the farm? While may not be
able to answer this question satisfactorily to all
| persons, still 1 think that with my own expert
study, observation and general inquiry, can at
least hit upon some of the more common rea-
sons why such is the case.
First, the fault lies principally with the farm
ers themselves, and one OF the first great rea-
sons is this: AS general practice upon the
farm, the hired man is expected to rise as soon
as five O'Clock in the morning, If not earlier,
and perform at least an hours work IN doing
chores, hoeing in garden etc., before breakfast,
which he will get at Six o'clock, then he must
be ready to 60 to the field, where he Will be
kept until noon. At one or Whereabouts he
goes again 10 the field until five O'Clock, when
he stops for supper, and again he goes back
until shutdown, when he comes up, does his
chores and goes to bed. And so it Is, day after
day, and this for S12 to $1S per month.
On the other hand, be goes into the Cities
where he gets up at Elk, or earlier if he chooses
gets breakfast, and goes to work at seven. He
works no harder than he would upon the farm.
AT noon he eats dinner, and rests until one !;
then be goes to work until Six o'clock, and IS
through. The balance OF the day Is bis own
He can go to the reading room or he can 60 to
the saloon, (where many OF them do go,) and
for this he receives as much or more pay than
the farm hands who work from IL to IA hours
against his 10 hours.
This, l say, is one OF the first great reasons
why so many young men are focking to the
cities. IF farmers could see the fault, and rem
edy it by so arranging their work that their men
could have more time of their own, | am salts
fed that they would get more work done by the
same help, and, at the same time, remove their
own as we'll as other mems sons from the temp
tatlon OF the cites
Then, there Is another great reason for this
state OF things: As we are so afraid, farm
ing community, that we will pay out a cent too
much OF our hard-earned wealth. that we will
insist upon hiring cheap teachers for our dis
trict schools. so that when our children have
grown up, and the desire for an education fills
their minds, they must necessarily go to the
city, or some OF the larger towns to procure
that which should be placed within their reach
in our district schools.
And still there is a third great reason for this
state OF things, and that is that we farmers are
the minds OF our children and hired
help. IL we would fl our houses with the cur
rent Liter ature of the day we would not only Sc
cure better but more intelligent help for our
farm work. In the city the laborers can have
the privilege OF going, at any time after his
days work Is done, to the public reading rooms
or library in the first OF which can be found all
the leading publications of the day, consisting
OF religious scientific and political publications
in the latter can be found all kinds Of books
treating all kinds Of subjects. OF course farm
ers cannot be expected TO have all these things.
but il we would make an effort to render our
farms and homes attr active and pleasant by
doing something in this line, am satisfied we
could have more and better help than we now
have: and il we would then have the principle |
to discard entirely our cider, we would, together
with the good secured to ourselves, remove
many of our fellow men from the temptations
and vices of the cities.
Right here want to express my views upon
his cider question. First OF all, do not be-
eve it possible for any man to have the love
Of God in his heart and at the same time use,
u give to others to use, hard cider. Some, |
inow. will say that this is all nonsense: hut all
ask is that those persons will square their
ives by the word OF God, and not by my own.
3ut call that man who viii stoop to sell hard
ider to retail dealers to sell on by the drink
10 better than the man who deals it ont over
lis bar; and still lower even than 1.-THE brute is
hat professed christian who will sell it by the
ug full to his neghbors, and especially to the
ative Indian, who cannot get it from any So
allied low-lved saloon-k eeper. 1t is probable
ONE will "kick" at this, but it is Gods truth.
CoNFUCIUs.