The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-06-04
Social Lite Among Farmers.

The social life of a people is the
/ best index to their advancement in
civilization and refinement. Those
classes most closely allied, socially,
are the most influential in any coun-
try. Farmers have been the prey
of most other classes, because those
other classes were organized socially
and potentially, while farmers had
no intimate social or business rela-
tons. The mechanics, who are
much more social as a class, were
led many years ago to form co-ope-
rative associations, and the conse-
quence is a more rapid advance
'nent in the knowledge of their art,
with adequate protection for all
their interests. This social life has
also led to political influence, which
has given them all the legal protec-
ton and advantages their interests
required. From the mechanical and
mercantile classes, inferior in num-
bers to the agricultural, have risen
the largest proportion Of profes
sioual men, who are welding the
political power of tie country. The
great bulk of all the property in the
country belongs to the agricultural
class, and vet this class wields less
power in levying faxes than even
the handful Of lawyers, numbering
not more than one in a thousand.
The farming class is granted the
great privilege of 'baying the taxes.
The farmers son, when he fortu-
or college and gets taste of a
higher social life, is led to charge
the farm as repressing all the aspi-
rations of his social nature, and he
sbandons it without further consid-
Grafton. The daughter also finds in
the associations of school, or even
Of a visit to the city, perhaps in the
family of laboring mechanic or a
merchant, so different a social at
mosphere that she forms the resolu-
ton not to spend her life where all
her social faculties are repressed and
! the loneliness of isolation freezes
her heart. She has seen how little
the sunshine and quickening influ-
ence of society have cheered the life
of her mother and she charges it all
to the situation. She does not see
that the country, with all its natural
beauty, is well calculated to draw
out and develop the social feelings
that farm life as it should be and
in the good time will be, is admir-
ably adapted to the highest social
and intellectual refir ement.
True farm life has always been
pictured by the poet as the paradise
OF social refinement. Virgil, the
most polished of the Romans, dweils
lovingly upon it. What, then, is
The cause Of this shrivelling of the
social nature upon the farm? 1t is
simply the lack of education to APP
oreciate the higher life which the
situation naturally invites. Give
the farmer the same education, the
same enterprise, the same soCia
stimulus, and he will not be behinc
the most favored class. Farmer:
have always been the great conserv
ative class. Upon them, more thar
any other, depends the stability o.
our republican system.
The Grange is an institution
which takes the wholes family
brings together all the social ele
ments. The frequent meetings o
these social farm circles, where al
the questions pertaining to the farm
and the household are discussed il
familiar way, will soon reveal t,
farmers the deficiencies of their ed
ucation, and suggest them the mean
of repairing these in the next gene
ration This common school is tn
only present hope of nine tenths 0
the people for the education OF thei
children. 1t will be adequate t
their wants. They can not be sal,
to have a want of which they d
not know. They must be mad
aware of the great necessity fo
this enlightenment, and then th
means Of enlarging the scope Q
these nurseries of knowledge wi
be found easy. The Grange no,
appears to be the instrun1entaIit
for moving upon the farnnng mine
and it should be encouraged in ever
legitimate way. II is The gres
hope of improven ent for the pres
ent generation; t is The primar
school for the fa1mer himself, giyin
to him and E IS family the needle
social stimu .Gs. 1t Will, if propetl
developed lead him out Of the nigf
and wef 4gness of isolation into tt
light, loy and strength of cooper
ito 1t is the nursery out of whse