The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1881-07-28
The Farmers Hired Man.

I'm kinder lookin' around the
market for hired man." ho exclaim
cd as he stopped at one of the
stands and nibbled at an onion. ~
kinder. need one, but yet I kioder
hope l shan't be able to find him. "
"How's that 7"
"Wall, there amt no profit in a
hired man no more. No, sir, he's
no good any longer
whats the reason I"
"Oh a dozen reasons. First and
foremost. times have changed, aud
the hired man has changed with
EN-. Ali sir, il makes mo sal when
think Of the hired men we had be-
fore the war-great big fellers, with
the strength of an OK and the vim
OF locomotive Ididn't have to
holler my lungs out to get one of
om out of bed at 3 o'clock in the
morning, and it was all could do
to coax em TO go to bedat 10 o'cl ock
at night. I'm afraid that we shan't
never see no more hired men wuth
keepiu around for their board"
That's sad"
"hs sad, and more, too. Now.
as / said, want hired man. I'm
willing to pay 81 or Sl2 month
for smart one. Some IA rmers want
n man to work all day aud all bight.
but that amt me. l never asked
one toget out ofbed before O'Clock
never. ! allus give my man
three>qnarters of an hour at noon +,
unless the hogs get out, or cattle
break 10, or shower is coming up.
After man has worked ri ybt 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 8 o'clock, but Tm no such slave
driver. At half-past seven tell
man to knock Of. All he has to do
after that is to feel the stock, eit
little wood, NOW some grass for the
horses, milk four COWS, fill up the
watering trough, start smudge in
the smoke house, aud pull few
weeds in the garden. Inever had Il
hired man who didn't grow fat on
my work anI they all "a left mo fool.
ing that they hadn't half their
wages"
He stopped long enough to wip,
tear from his eye. aud then wen.
on
And now look at the hired man
Of to-day. He wears whito shirts
and collars He won't eat with a
knife. He wants napkins whom he
eats, and if we don't hang up a clean
towel once week he wipes on his
handkerchief. Call him at he gets
up at 6. Xe wants a whole hour at
noon, aud after supper he trots off
to singing school or sits down to
newspaper. Fifteen years ago if a
man was sick for half a day could
dock him. If he died l could take
out q months wages for the trouble.
He was glad to got store orders fer
his pay, aud he would wash in the
rain barrel aud wipe on the clothes
line. There's been change, sir
an awful change, and If q reaction
don't set in pretty soon you will
witness the downfall OF agriculture
in this country.
Then you won't hire auoth-
or p
"Wall, l can't just say. Work is
powerfully pressing but Tan going
slow. Before I hire him I want q
know whether he's man who II
pass his plate for more meat aud
taters, and whether we've got to
use starch in doing up his shirts.
The last man I had took me to task
for not holding family prayers twice
a day, and after had done 80 for
three months found it was only
game of his to beat me out Of half
an hour day. He thought he had
a pretty soft thing, aud he looked
mighty lonesome when 1 cut Old
Hundred down to two lines and got
through with the Lords Prayer in
forty seconds"