Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1884-03-25
CITY LlrE AND COUNTRY LIFE.

rur orurE sipI
City lifc seem. to b. generally rrgari-
ed BY people IN tie country A. having
many attractions. o. indeed Il has. bat
the mistake made. especially by young
people living Ia the oountry. IN drawing
comparisons betwsen oouniry and city
lie. i. 10 forgetting that while they arr
quite fAmilis Wi,h both side. q ooantry
life. and generally Gar more mote im-
pressed with i. di.sgreeAble side. Of city
hie they generally know bat the one side.
ana iha, the attractive one |, has BE-.
come. we are glad 10 say, quite a Gus
iomary thing a. farmers ins,iiuie.. grange
meeting. and other kindred associations.
o discuss the farmers home, And the
making ], more attractive. especially 10
the younger members Of the family Few
Of these discussions fail 10 bring on, some
hin, or suggestion IN the righ, direction.
b., the speakers on these occasions rare
!, e, Ear from the beaten track. and by
their language We are generally led 70
infer iha, they regard city life A. such, IS
fsr more attractive than life IN the eoan-
Try, and. a. our little contribution 10 the
next discussion on the same subject, We
unhesi,a,ingly pro,es, against such an
admission. and declare the attractions,
pro and con. 10 be fairly balanced. with
the odds Ia favor Of the county.
The trouble Is that the comparison Is
generally made between an average ooun-
try home OF one below the average. and
a more ,han average city home. Pam
ere families. Il they wei, the city, DO no,
usually visit their poor relatives, ba, US.
uAlly those who sre better of than them.
selves. II Hospitality received and enter
,ained. the lie a. led during the week or
two Of their stay is made exceptionally
pleasant, and does not serve a. a fair
criterion Of the usual city life. even Of
their well.i).do relative. A. rule. the
visits Of country people 10 the city are
holiday occasions. and only the pleasures
and attractions Of the city arc soggh, for
or me, with. So with almost all reading
matter. referring 20 city matters, which
falls into the hands Of our young people.
!, is devoted 10 depicting the brigh, slde.
In \ general way, therefore, TO the youth
Of the county. the city life seems a syno-
nym for ease, gaieiy and luxury.
Bl, lei them jas, turn over the leaf
le, them visit various portions Of the city
where the struggling masses dwell; fol-
low TO his home in the outskirts Of the
city. with all the Disadvantages and none
Of the advantages Of city life, the weary
mechanic, the man who AZ all times.
whether in sickness or in health, must be
promp, q, work OF suffer reduction In
wages. while In times Of depression he i.
often ihrown out Of work; look a, his
overburdened wife aud siekly children
cfosded into two or three poor rooms,
suffering from impure air and the never
ending struggle to make both ends meet;
consider that most miserable Of all types
Of our commercial life, the clerk, crowd
ing and Glowing bis fellows, for they are
legion, for a petty place at patty pay,
ambitious and hopeful, perhaps, for few
shor, years. and then sinking into dog
ged apathy, or, ~orse still. drifting into
the mass Of unfortunstes too numerous in
every city, and generally described as
wreck" Look over few pages in the
life Of tina, young girl, struggling to live
respectfully on few dollars = week, amid
home surroundings altogether unlovely,
but whose life, passed in sigh, Of gaisty
and Amusemenis. which alas. are none Of
them for her or such as her, unless she
stoops to forbidden pleasures. son be-
comes one listless, simless round Of mo-
notonous work. destructive OF the noble
womanhood which Was her natural herr
tage. Even take the comparatively sue.
eessful men who, after years Of hard
struggling in their respective occupations
or profe ssions. attain at length to . mod.
crate competence. and, apart from few
phenom enslly exceptional cases, these are
the fortunate ones, what advantages do
their homes Afford for which the average
country home cannot provide and equiv
alent with, generally, the inestimable boon
of health supsraddsd '-Farmers Rerie'e.