Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-07-25
miscellaneous.



I'm kinder lookin' around the market
Tor hired man." he exclaimed as he
stopped at one of the stands and nibbled
at an onion. Il kinder need one, but yet
l kinder hope l shan't be able to find
him.
Flows that 90
well, there amt no profit 10 hired
man no more. No. sir, he's no good any
longer"
Whats the reason?''
t'Oh. dozen reasons. First and fore
most. times have changed. and the hired
man has changed with 'em. All, sir, it
makes me sad when / think of the hired
men we had before the war-great big
fellers with the strength of an OK and the
vim Of locomotive. didn't have to
boiler my lungs out to git one Of 'em out
OF bed at 3 O'Clock in the morning, and it
was all / could do to coax EN- to go to
bed at 10 o'clock at night. I'm afraid
that we shan't never see no more hired
men with keepin' around for their
board"
That's sad
''It's sad, and more. too. Now. as
said. want hired man. I'm willin' TO
pay gil or sl2 n month for a smart one.
Some farmers want man TO work all day
and all night, but that amt me. have
never asked one to git out Of bed before 3
o'clock-never. / allus give my man
three-quarters Of an hour at noon, unless
the hogs git out or cattle break in or
shower is coming up. After man has
worked right along for nine hours his
system wants at least half an hour to
brace up in. They don't quit work on
some farms till O'Clock, but I'm no such
slaye-driver At half-past | tell my
man to knock of. All he has to do after
that is to feed the stock, cut a little
wood, NOV some grass for the
horses. milk four cows, fill up the
watering-trough, start a smudge in the
smoke-house and pull few weeds in the
garden. never had u hired man who
didn't grow fat on my work, and ii ~ al
lus left me feeling that they hadn't half
earned their wages"
lie stopped long enough to wipe n tear
from his eye. and then went on -
.And now look at the hired man of to-
day, He wears white shirts and collars.
lie won't eat with a knife. He wants nap
kins when he eats, and if we don't hang
mp a clean towel once a week he wipes on
his handkerchief. Call him at three and
and he gets up ut six. lie wants whole
hour ut noon. and after supper he trots off
to a singing school or sits down to news
paper. Fifteen years ago if my hired man
was sick for half day could dock him.
If he died could take out Il months
wages for the trouble. He was glad to
git store orders for his pay. and he would
wash in the rain-barrel and wipe on the
clothcs-line. There's bin a change, sir
an awful change. and if reaction don't
set in pretty soon you will witness the
downfall of agriculture in this country"
Then you won't hire another?n
Wall. | can't just say. Work is pow
erfully pressing but I'm going slow. Be
fore hire him | want to know whether
he's a man who'll pass his plate for more
mea. and taters. and whether we've got to
use starch in doing up his shirts. The
last man had took me to task for not
holding family prayers twice day, and
after had done SO tor three months |
found it was only a game of his to beat me
out of half an hour n day. He thought he
had pretty soft thing. and he looked
mighty lonesome when cut Old Hundred
down to two lines and got through with
the Lords prayer in 20 seconds. DE
troH Free Press.