The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-07-07
The Farmers Hired Man.

Tn kinder lookin' around the market
for hired man." he exclaimed, as he
stopped at one of the stands and nibbled
at an onion. 'tI kinder need one, but
yet I kinder hope I shan't be able to
find him."
"How's that?"
sWall, there amt no profit in hired
man no more. No, sir, he's no good any
longer"
"Whats the reason?"
"Oh, a dozen reasons. First and fore
most, times have changed, and the hired
man has. changed with 'em. All! sir, it
makes me sad when I 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 holler 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 'em to
go to bed at 10 o'clock at night I'm
afraid that we shan't never see no more
hired men wuth keepin' around for their
board"
''That's sad
"it's sad, and more, too. Now, as I
said, I want hired man. I'm willing
to pay $1l or $12 month for a smart
one Some farmers want O man to work
all day and oil night, but that amt me.
I have never asked one to git out of bed
| before o'clock-never. allus give my
man ee-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 s o'clock, but I'm no
such slave driver. At half past I tell
my man to knock off All he has to do
after that is to feed the stock, cut little
wood, NOW some grass for the horses,
milk four COWS, fill up the water trough,
start smudge in the smoke-house, and
pull few weeds in the garden. never
had hired man who didn't grow fat on
my work, and they allus left me feeling
that they hadn't half earned their
wages"
He stopped long enough to wipe a
tear from his eye, and then went on:
"And now look at the hired man of
today He wears white shirts and col
lars. He won't eat with a knife. He
wants napkins when he eats, and if we
don't hang up clean towel once week
he wipes on hls handkerchief. Call him
at 8 and he gets up at g. He wants a
| WuOl6 uOlI dJ uOOu, duoA d1UCA clPPCA hC
trots off to singing school OF sits down
to a newspaper. Fifteen years ago if
my hired man was sick for half day
could dock him. If he died could take
out months wages for the trouble. He
was glad to get store orders for his pay,
and he would wash in the rain barrel
and wipe on the clothes-1ine. There's
bin change, sir-an awful change, and
if reaction don't set in pretty soon, you
will witness the downfall of agriculture
in this country"
s'Then you won't hire another?"
''Wall I can't just say. Work is pow
erfully pressing, but I'm going slow.
Before I hire him want to know
whether he's man who'll pass his platt
for more meat and taters, and whether
we've got to use starch in doing up hi
shirts. The last man had took me t.
task for not holding family prayers twic,
, day, and after had done so for thret
months found it was only game of hi
! to beat me out of half an hour a day
He thought he had pretty soft thing
and he looked mighty lonesome when
cut old Hundred down to two line
and got through with the Lord
Prayer in forty seconds. Detroit Ere
P,.eSS