The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1883-06-06
Farmers Stand by Your Farms.

(Mncon Wesleyoa Christian Adoocd4eJ
A mr-reaching evil Is now growing upon rs
In the South: Farmers are Quitting tnen
farms and taking up their residence III WIZ
ages, towns md cities. This drift has oeen
observed for some years, but the current IS
now becoming so strong md wide as 70
threaten whole %s2:tionS OF our SonntrX With rd
dissolution. We have in mind Middle ana
Southern Georgia while we write, hut the la:ts,
we fenr, apply very generally 10 the old cotton
States. 4 casual observer-a Traveller: d!s,
porting over the country on fast railroad
trains and stopping here and there for rest or
pleasure, might very innocenlly set IT down
rs the peoples craze for city life, but the more
thoughtful find deep seated cnrscs for ~, ana
estimate It's results with feurS WHICH LheS
know not how to QIell.
Large bodies OF land which once made thelr
owners rich now scarcely yield SUBSISTENCE W
the tlriftless tenants that occupy tneW.
yOttIclucntS where once SOciHl influences were
chol. churches and school flolrlshcd, anu
children were reared with strong Attachments
to home and rural scenes arc now mere WFecks
with possibly two or three proprletorS VINO
either live In town or seek in town FOR thei'l-
selves and their families all their social. euu-
catIonnl and church privileges. The country
Is being beret Of the more thrifty or tue whlle
population. fine houses. once the home OF re-
fincmcnt and luxury, are going to decay, WIN
out an occupant. save n few colored people
who lie about In the shade of the weed-coFer'
I'd yard during the summer, and BURN ihe
palings'of the elegant yard and garden during
GllC III 40 SpOi tH ttlI -
money enough to set up q title business IN
town, or TO buy a four.room house, be sells or
| leases bis farm and invests his all IN some
| business which heIdoeS not understand. or To-
Gates his family in town In the vain experta.
tion of playing the part Of an absentee lahn.
lord on n small scale: His neighbornood u
run down, the school In 1t Is broken up ana
the church is abandoned, and the poor VINO
are not able to get away are left without the
benefit of n strong leader or the stimulus OF q
thrifty example. This dislntesratlon or the
country settlements is taking place annnnily
ond that. too. in the face Of the fact that d
well conducted farm Is by far the most prOfit'
able Industry In the cotton States. It can DC
drmonstrnted from the figures OF Commits
ture OF Georgia, that the average farming OF
Georgia last year yielded OH thirty.two acres
of cultivated lands s5Si,03 cents. With all the
l~azlneSs. and mismanasement of die negroes
and thrlitIess white people to bring down
That average: while on on well conducted
farms the yield on the same amount OF land
was double TINT sum or about sl,l5o,M. FIX
periments have shown that even this last
the course Of four or five yenrs-an increase
which cannot be eXcelled by any other IN
dustry. Yet this fair domain Is being giver
up to the negroes to be wasted. for the, greater
part, not Improved. Can any thing be dom
to stop this ruin Yes; that Is, if we Will
First of all. we must stop dcGrying agrlcnl
turc rs n proftlcss VOCATION. We must cease
to bring the false accusation against tn!
ground that It will not repay the filters toll
a thousand false allegations ave beer
brought against IT, since the war IL mas nrer
made to bear the sins of idleness. of avarice
of illegitimate speculation and extrayaganc
until the young people who have grown ny
under tho grunt and mutterings Of these
murmurerS have come to look upon farming
as the certain road to hopeless poverty.
Let the farmers themselves turn their Mt
~tention to their farms, improve them, improv'
their surroundings, put all their surplus In
come back into their farms to make then
more attractive and more profitable, anu ap
their children about the future, OF incl
nelghborhOOd as a place to become desirable u
spend q lifetime in. Let the schools and col
legcs foster the agricultural spirit IN gu
youth, not by experimental patches particn
larry. though a properly conducted expert
mental farm Is n good thing. but by Lectures
and speeches and the fullest information OF
the subject of the various industries OF tn
country, Farming could not suffer by con
trast In any proper array of facts and figures
IT we were called upon to delivera commence
ment address at any one Of our colleges; W
would not want n more fruitful theme thai
the Georgia farm and the nome on It,.
But fair rs our landed estate Is, tremln.
with millions Of wealth and waiting only tn
gospel Of the pillow. 1t Will at no distant ia.
weeds md prlckly thorns with q 1nngerou
population numbering II II we do not over
come some prcjndlces and go to work IN
common sense way to meet ana overcome tn
Ql1nCullleS PTOWIlS ouI VI WI SilhuSSu So""'
ton. We can. this week. specify hut on
thing. Sny what we may. men who can mel
themselves will not settle their families scat
tered miles apart In the country. ENigcnclr
OF business sometimes require the ansenr
from home OF the heads of families and the.
will moi leave their wives and daughters eX
poqed to the hazards Of the night. nor VII
TIER families be satisfied with constant isola
ton from society. Fagabond negroes who's
number will probably Increase rapidly In IN
next score OF years and equally dangcron
white tramps, make II unsafe. Can thls 1nSc
curly and an the disadvantages OF isolation
In the country be nbvlatetl ? Yes. easily.
men will try Let whole neighborhoods com
together, and In the spirit of fairness an
cOmmOn-senSe agree TO q re-Surrey or thcl
lands. so MS to give every landowner q bullt
ing lot on the main road leading TO market
and let them build along the road side ny side
and facing each other so "a to give the r"a!'
the appearance Of II long street. Let the land
run back intcrSected with cross-rnads viii
houses on them for their tenants, where ten
ants are employed. This Will give n beautifh
Countrywide rOads will soon be made lik'
well paved streets. school houses and churchr
will be built ut easy distances. society Will b.
NIL that n refined people desire. and protection
will be ample to widOwsard all families who's
male protectors happen to be away. But SOM
men would see the whole country 90 to tn
dogs before they would agree TO change thei
old and lines q single rod. Well bear Will
them-get along without them, give them tn
go by, curry out the plan rs far ~ It. can hav'
the free rnnsentofa all conserved, ard u chang
for the better can be commenced which VII
after q while force Its own way to consunl
nation.
What a beautiful land we might have: le
US not despair of 1t, but let the farmers Stant
BY their farms. enrich and improve them an
leave them a heritage Of be .uty and profit t
their children,