The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-07-05
Two Characters.

lows State Register: A man who
has lived as long as the agricultural
editor, and has had his eyes open,
has seen many good lessons fully
demonstrated Let us take two
actual characters, young men who
married and started in life about
forty-five years ago. One was the
son of rich farmer who had been
able to raise his children to indus
trious habits, and finally finish their
education by sending them to col
lege. About the time of the end of
schooling the father died and left
his son with a four-hundred acre
farm close to town Unfortunately
with good buildings and the farm
well stocked. Soon after, he mar
ried a worthy woman whom he be-
came acquainted with at school.
He took charge of the house and
farm, hired large number of hands
and was apparently prospecting. He
had enough to do to superintend his
farm and visit town. The product
of the farm probably paid the hands,
though doubtful. His credit was
good and he used it. He had no
bad habits, and was recognized as
an acceptable member of an ortho-
dox church. Debts, as the sequel
showed, were constantly accumula-
ting, but his neighbors had no init
nation of it, as his credit was so
good he could carry a large debt
without their aid. At the end of
twenty years he was sold out by the
sheriff, and he had to resort to the
occupation of g hired hand to sup
port his dependent family.
During the lifetime of his father,
| there was on one corner of his farm
a faithful old tenant. He had some
worthy, Woodworking boys, who
went to the common school in winter
and worked on the farm in summer.
John, one of the tenants sons, a
year after he was Of age, married a
wife, his equal-industrious, eco
nomical, yet a model housekeeper.
She was the daughter of tenant ION
a neighboring farm. He rented a
farm of eighty acres in the neigh
borhood. Between the time of
coming of age and marrying John
had saved his earning and purchased
a span of horses. With the aid of
his wife John cultivated the entire
farm and had good crops. No hired
hands to pay. When his crops were
sold he had considerable sum Of
money. He invested it carefully,
with the ardent hope that in a few
years he and his true wife would
own an eighty-acre farm of their
own, the height of their ambition
At the end of three years of hard
toll, but happy life, he had enough
to pay two-thirds of the price Of the
desired farm. At the, end of five
years it was all paid for and good
comfortable house erected on it.
They were then rich, they were
happy. But John and his wife did
not relax their industry, and though
more liberal in their family supplies,
yet at the end of each year there
was a large balance in their favor.
Soon they added another eighty
acres. Now he had to hire help,
but he stayed home and worked
with them. After this he added
yearly at least eighty acres more to
his farm. At the end of twenty
years, the period at which his neigh
Dor, who started with his hands full,
was sold out, John owned a farm
of fifteen hundred acres, and had
considerable railroad and bank
stock, and was a kind-hearted man,
aiding literally in subscriptions to
build churches and ready with ope1f
hand to help the poor. And he and
his wife are now living a comfort
able and happy old age, well known
to the writer. Are these two cases
the result of luck, or of honest in
dustry and wise management? Any
young man starting now can travel
in the track of either of these char
l. - T. L.