The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-09-08
ART AND AGRICULTUKE.
By John Bascom, LII. D., President
Wisconsin University, Madison,
Wisconsin.
American Agriculturist.

ton. Valuable a art Is everywhere,
Is particularly 80 when it moves down
ward, touching and improving the more
ordinary enjovmentS Of the mass Of men.
/; then acquires much Of the benehcence
and elevating force Of a moral sentiment.
II indicates also that the bitterness Of
the struggle Of existence in passing by,
or that the intensity Of the strife Tor
wealth Is rela ed, and that men are
ready both to enjoy the exchange life in
its progress.
Agricultural classes, taken as a whole,
are reached more slowly by the refine
mcnts and refined sentiments Of society
than any other portion Of our citizens.
There are strong reasons for his, which
have almost uniformly prevailed in the
worlds history. The negligence which
Is possible in agriculture without entire
w forfeiting the results OF labor, the Sc
cIusiDu Of the agriculurlst, and the
coarse character of the work, especially
when it is c0arsely done, tend to depress
this calling, and have often carried II,
not only below the limits of art, but be
low those Of comfort and the condition
ola humane and progressive life. There
are, on the other hand, compensa DRY
influences of the utmost moment, that,
once recognized and freely operating, tend
to elevate this form Of labor most of all
others, and give it peculiar attraction
for the moderate, yet Independent and
selfcontained mind. If we are to judge
a nation like our own collectively as to
the frmness and sufiiciency of its social
life, the comforts, habits ard intelligence
Of farmers form one of the safest tests.
If the amelioratiHg forces in society are
fully at work here in The body of the
nation, we may be reasonably sure of
their general prevalence and power.
There Is one art, landscape gardening,
which especially affiliates with farming
1t j. the elements and rudiments Of art
rather than fine art, that touch our
domestic life, but this mild, dlttnsed APP
pearancc of refinement Is not less val
liable than its more costly products.
The handling Of nature in reference to
beauty comes late in social progress.
Fine architecture slowly impresses some
order and ARA cement on near neutral
objects, but men learn only hesitatipgiy,
to love natural beauty in all Its second
airy form, and 10 draw it about with
themselves everywhere.
One Of the first things that strikes
one IN a region Of poor agriculture Is
the constant abuse that nature suffers a
the hand of man There is no good
reason for this but every good reason
against i \ little taste, and very
liule labor, and this labor well reward
ed smay easily make y purely agricul-
tural region one Of delightful beauty.
There may be a human presence in it
we would not miss most enjoyable
sense of man and nature working to-
gether for their common enlargement.
The manifest link between village
and village, farm and farm, dwelling
and dwelling in the country, Is the
highway. rhis is the common interest
and expresses the common life. Now
the highway, instead Of being the
kings highway, the peoples royal way,
has, with Us, suffered every form Of
neglect and violence. \ possible line Of
travel is all that has ordinarily been
arrived NJ. The highway. even in its
own improvement has been dog into
roughness and ugiiness has been made
the receptacle of cast away rubbish,
brush, stones, weeds; has been the
catch-all of neglected tools and vehicles
as it approached the dwelling, an!
found its only kindly treatment at the
hand of nature in the wild underground
gathered in its unoccupied portions.
Some villages are arting Il very n0ta-
BILE improvement in removing fences,
making the street truly common and
directing TO it their first attic ton.
Social life and public taste receive an
immense impulse from this method.
II art and taste, and q humane spirit,
are to penetrate jhe country, they must
do so along these same highways, win
ming public in crest for them, protecting
them from neglect and making them in
every way serviceable and enjoyable.
Nor is this Il costly taste, but quite the
reverse The badly ordered road is
more expensive than the we'll kept one,
while the roadside, which is usually lost
to agriculture, can easily be saved to
tree culture and grass with veYy little
additional labor If the inhabitants of
Il township could be brought to concur
in the common Improvement Of well
ordered roads. a touch of art would find
its way along them 10 every household
Fine roads are the framework of the
country and give every well cultivated
farm, every neat dwelling, its proper
setting.
A farm that is skillfully managed, re-
uuires but little additional attention to
fences. borders, farm roads and farm
buildings, 10 make it distinct and
beautiful member In a beautiful land
scape. Arr and ilitv here thoroughly
concur That cultivation which reaches
cleanness, neatneSs. and good order
and nature will do the rest surprisingly
well in the countrv-is the most econom-
zeal tiliage The neglected out-build-
ings and the abused and scattered tools
are as costly as they are unsl2htly. The
ragged edge of cultivation which stops
where the pillow and harrow end, is no
more in keeping with clean fields, and
the full service of every foot of land,
that it is with our human sense of work
we'll and completely done. However
it may be in ise ci Y, 1t is not beauty
than costs. but ngliness; not cleaning
up what makes life dTudgery, but The
evaporation of things in the way, things
out of the way. and things not worth
having when found.
Art, when it costs most, often brings
a sufficient reward; bur in its first prin-
ciples IN the country it hardly costs any
thing, and is still liberal in its gif 3 |
Let the farmer simply aim, as the basis
of operation, at clean grass, fine trees,
snug buildings, and tools in their places, |
and while he has saved many dollars
from waste, and can hardly be said to
have expended one dollar for oFnamen-
tatiou, he has the staple of beauty in |
large possession He may afterYard /
confne himself to these first terms, or
he may overpass them at his leisure and |
according to his ability.
AS contribution to the pleasure and /
refinements of life. to self-respect, to |
sympathy with the wOrldas full of things
to be enjoyed, to local attachments and
TO patriotism, few things will be found I
II