The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1882-11-23

faring; then we went to see his tobac
co field, about which we had talket
during the meal. Outside the house
everything was as untidy and neglect
ed as within. Under shed lay rus
ty plough, traces, chains, harness, ant
other gear. A broken wagon wa.
slowly disintegrating in one corner, ;
mud-splashed rickety buggy in anoth
er. An ancient loom was in an empty
stall. Corn-cobs, maize-litter, anc
rubbish from cow-house and stable
were lying in the yard in every stage
of decay. A dismantled snake-fenct
had once separated this yard from the
peach-orchard; but storms and rot hac
made many gaps, through which
gaunt hogs prowled at will. Neglect.
ed as the trees were, they were thick
with fruit, promising a crop that
would have made little fortune in
Covent Garden. But the largest pro.
portion of the peaches was destined
for the Squire's hogs. About fifty
magnificent apple-trees were in anoth-
er orchard, literally bearing as much
fruit as leaves. Such trees are impos-
sible in England. The Squire was not
enthusiastic in his admiration of
peaches and apples, listening to my
remarks upon. the coming harvest
with genial Indifference.
Beyond the orchards was a field of
maize, so roughly cultivated, that the
hogs might have made the burrows,
except that there was some attempt at
straight and continuous lines. A few
days work had sufficed for ploughing
and sowing; a few days labor would
gather the corn; hen the Squire's du-
ties as husbandman would be fully
discharged.
Near the maize-feld was the tobac-
co-patch, covered with vigorous
plants, upon which the owner glanced
with complacent eye. Beside them
was long strip of cotton-plants rev.
elling in the sun, but sorely hampered
with weeds. Cotton was grown to
supply the family wants, the women
picking, spinning, weaving, dyeing,
and making the garments. About
half an acre of potatoes completed my
hosts cultivated land.
It is not considered impertinent to
ask landowner in America the ex-
tent of his possessions; and in reply
to my inquiry, the Squire told me he
owned about eight hundred acres.
Not one hundredth part Of this was
titled: but that did not strike Mr..
Harker as uneconomical.
What surprised me most was the
absence of a kitchen garden. No sal
ads, no cabbages, no beans or peas,
none of the herbs cultivated by the
peasants of Europe. And not one
cultivated flower, save the rose-bush
by the front-door, and that appeared
to be an accident. A ragged, ignored
vine scrambled over a corner of the
house, the only natural embellish-
ment.
Such was the home Of Squire Hark-
er, a justice Of the peace, an intelli-
gent man, a sober. industrious Ameri-
can citizen, in whose veins ran the
domineering Anglo-Saxon
blood. Sequestration from society,
the infatuations Of a hunters life,
want Of culture, had made him indif-
ferent to the hopes and ambitions of
his age. He had his compensations
in such health and vigor as no city
dweller can know; he had, too, peace
of mind that passes the understanding
Of this restless age. He bore his sixty
years with greater ease than many an
half the number. He
enjoyed the present hour calmly, and
looked with absolute undismay at on
coming age, confident in himself and
trusting in Providence.
But it was different with bis wife
and daughter; theirs was the fate of
the squaw, mitigated by the tendency
Of the race. Life for them and others
situated, was narrow and
unembellished drudgery, though not
Of killing hardship. Rude and monot-
onous diet, which suited hunters, de-
stroyed all the graces and sapped the
vitality Of the women. Rarely did
they quit the precincts of the house;
there was no change of scene for them,
save the leafng and unleafng of the
forest. They had work enough to
Keep tue Iuluu IIOIH SGdS ud6lISs Ultt
not varied sufficiently to excite inven-
ion, not severe enough to rouse slum-
oering energies. Fancy had no exer-
Else, and thus speech was ungraced by
The common elegancies of language.
By the way, it is remarkable how taci-
urn and slow of utterance the back
woods people are.
Vacancy of mind, deficient exercise |
# the Imagination, and loneliness,
;empt many of these women to seek
;he soothing delights of tobacco. The
oerfidious anodyne becomes a tyrant !
and damages the health,
.uins the beauty, and increases the
,orpor of soul. America is said to be
he land Of faded matrons. But from
ny own observation, | believe i'm
proper diet, especially the invariable |
hot biscuit" does more damage to |
ace and figure than the rigors of eli
nate. Bad water, malaria and various
,ebrile diseases do great mischief to
,orm and color; but rough and un-
graceful homes are greater foes to
,emale lovliness. [ have seen ladies |
# middle age, who have lived in su-
1erheated rooms amid the excitements |
If New York's perfervid existence,
confirmed topers of ice-water and de- !
of candy" who were never
,heless quite as well preserved as En-
glish ladies Of the same age.
The fact is, women need the society
# their own sex more than men.
Body and mind degenerate for want Of
sympathy, criticism, and emulation.
Six months residence in Cincinnati
would have development Miss Harker
into brilliant young lady, as incapa-
BILE of chewing a 'quid" as of canni-
balism; and the same environment
would have cured her mother OF the