The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-02-18

ton plantation, swaddIed in cotton
garments, learned to purchase oats,
hay, mules, horses, plows, and cot
ton; paid cotton for corn, ex
changed it for rice, molasses, and
whiskey; gave cotton for brooms,
axe-handles, hoe handles, and OK
yokes, sent cotton to Illinois for
hams, sides, fowls, apples, and oleo-
margarine, counterfeit butter;
bought of New York condensed
milk, preserved fruits, and dried
peaches-with cotton; gave lint
cotton for cotton plow lines, wood
en- buckets, iron caskets:-I name
caskets, because a cypress coffin,
costing twenty dollars will last
many year longer than the common
500 casket-willow cradles, win
dow sashes, doors, ,splitbottom chairs,
carts, wagons spokes, hubs, plow
handles, pulpits, pews, and cotton
cloth. Cotton is to-day a double
curse to the South. Let us prove
to the North that We are no longer
content to be the miserable han
gers on upon their industry, inge-
nuity, and manufacturing skill, but
are manly enough to utilize our
own material, and develop our own
country.
But the sterotyped people cannot
do it. Will the young people try,
or will they go West to perish?
Our early habits of rulership, mas
terry, the slave labor system, and
now partnerships, forbid our facile
acceptance of new Enterprises, and
fsesh methods of money making.
but you~s may do it.
Now, let us supP~-~ teo vouno
men were to unite their lands, 'al7
get planters around them who have
thousands of idle acres once under
the plow, to place them in pool and
open a plan for a colony, they would
soon fino the immigrants, and, once
settled amongst us, would assist in
re-creating the South, and all sorts
of home manufacturing would
spring up as it has done at New
Braunfels, in Texas.
Our cities and towns would dou
BILE their population and the South
would be regenerated and redeemed.
Besides, it is easy to see how the
enterprise of creating colony
would be highly remunerative to
the company.
The State cannot give lands.
She has none to bestow. But Leg
islature could greatly aid in the
work, and unless they do take
the matter in hand, we shall be a
ruined people. 1t helps us but lit
tie for farmers from Georgia, Ala
bama, or North Carolina, to come
here. THAT is singing the same
dirge of desolation. We need the
crossing of blood and free energy
to be independent of negro labor.
We need skill to manufacture, hab
its of frugality, men of sober ways,
who will not loaf around dead falls,
bar rooms, and card tables.
One of the saddest things we see
is the great number of young men
who are constantly leaving our
State for remote and doubtful terri
tory. This weakens the common
wealth, reduces the churches, de-
stroys the hope of families, puts
merchandise, manufacture, agri-
culture, and the grand moulding of
of society into the hands of transi-
tory adventurers, and leaves the old
folks behind to pine away as stran-
gers in the homes of their birth,
and die in solitude. And what
can new country do better than
our own? Will a new country
plow itself, and hoe its own fur
rows, build fences, shingle houses
and grind the grist? The sons
hear farming decried. But farm
ing is the real, proper pursuit of
a gentleman, the most independent,
dignified, and manly of all the CALI
ings of men consecrated by God S
special benediction and promise;
the occupation of patriarchs, proph-
cts, kings, statesmen. This divine
vocation undervalued in the hear
ing of sons and aspiring youth,
who are thus misled, and taught
that clerkship, tapeseller, man
behind a connter dickefing over
corsets, stockings, garters, hoop
skirts, and spool thread, the appro-
pirate occupation of young women,
is more respectable than tilling the
ground and securing Gods own
bonds and golden nuggets of per-
manent wealth. But we must close
with one word.
One of our prime necessities is
leaders, apostles, teachers, wise,
unsel6sh, honorable citizens, men
for the hour, men to speak to the