The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1882-11-02
AQrilnltnral.


An exchange speaks Of The departure Of
an old settler for Dakota. where be all
take up quarter section Of land. and start
10 life 81 the age Of seventy. The fnan bad
a nice farm near splendid town, where
he bad lived and brought mp . family. He
got tired Of farming. sold the farm for
So. coo moved 10 town and went into the
livery business. and 10 three years went
through everything except team and
lumber wagon. aud be has packed mp
and gone 10 Dakota with a heart heavier
than his pocket book, aud he will die on,
there The number Of farmers ,.a' decide
10 so to town every year and go into bust
ness is appalling Every town has them.
aad nine out Of ten become poor. They
&c, an idea that town business men are the
happiest people on earth and they &c, to
brooding over their hard life. aud they
think any body can run store. grocery,
OF livery stable, and they sell out their
farms and 60 into business in town. The
most OF them 60 into the grocery business,
because il seems so easy to weigh out sug-
ar and tea They can always find gro
ceryman who who will sell out the remains
OF sick stock OF groceries for ready cash
and when farmer first sees his name over
the door Of grocery be feels as though he
was made and puts his thumbs in the arm
holes OF his vests The farmers boys aud
girls soon begin TO realize that they are
merchants sons and daughters and they
have to keep up with the procession.
There has to be lots Of things bought rs
merchants that would never be thought OF
as farmers. The farmhouse furniture is
not good enough, the democratic wagon
gives place to carriage, the old mare
gives place to high.steppers, the girls
dress better and do not work
| The family lives ont Of the grocery, the
boys play base ball and the girls go to big
parties. The farmer is good fellow and
be trusts many other good fellows who
don't pay, and in some cases he gets to
drinking. Bills begin to come and he can
not collect enough to pay rent. Friends
who would help him out with money when
he had farm will now tell him money is
mighty scarce and he will have to give a
chattel mortgage on the stock. The stock
runs down till there is nothing but red
tin can OF mustardswith bulls head on
It, some canned peaches and cove oysters
on the shelves, few boxes Of wooden
clothes pins, six wagon loads Of barrels
with little sugar in the bottom, couple
OF dozen washboards, a box OF Goldfish Of
the vintage Of 1860 which smells like a
glue factory, show case full OF three-ceni
wooden pocket.combs, and blneiDg, hair
pins and shaving soap, some cigar boxes
that the boys have smoked the cigars on,
of, and few such things that do not bring
enough at an auction to pay for printing
the auction bills. Then the farmer
breaks up and goes West, leaving a lot o
bills in the hands of lawyer for collec
ton, who manages to collect enough t.
pay his com mission, and the family thai
was so happy on the farm, and so indie
pendent, becomes demoralized. the girl
become chambermaids rather than g
West, the boys go to driving hacks o.
working on threshing machines, or tend
ing bar and refuse to go West. and TIN
old folks go to Dakota alone, and wisl
they were dead, and they will be quicl
enough.
This is the history of thousands Ct farm
ers who get tired of the old farm. If the.
would but realize that they are better fixet
than nine-tenths of the merchants in towi
they would be learning something tina
would be valuable to them.