Dodge City times., 1884-06-26
The Reformed Farmer:


The reform of the farmer is preiimI-
nary to any improvement in the farm.
A man makes his own environments
1t is in the man, and not. the place, al
ways, that success or failure consists:
just as in moral sense "a change
Of heart" is necessary to reform mar s
character, so it is in regard to mans
conduct of his farm-the farmer must
be reformed before the farm can be i'm
proved. 1t is useless to talk of beauty
of form or color to blind man or to
preach of cleanliness to man who is
| instinctively and practically unclean. or
of neatneSs and order to careless man.
OF of regularity and promptness to one
who is constitutionally averse to exer-
tion either of body or mind. There are
men who are utterly incapable of the
sense of gratitude, who are meanly dis
honest. who are so incapable of sense
OF shame as to steal the products of a
mans work, whether it be of his hands
or brain, so long as they are in no fear
of punishment, and what can change
these vicious habits excepting a total
rearrangement of the mans moral ma
ture? 1t is precisely the same in regard
to mans work on the farm. What
, startling contrasts may be found in
near neighbors! Here. for instance, we
see farmer surrounded by every evil
dence of thrift, with the best kind of
stock, the most improved Implements.
neat farm buildings, substantial fences.
all the labOr-saving cOnveniences in
barns, stables and households; flowers
| and shrubs adOrn and make attractive
the homestead; the fields are in good
order; the crops are forward and pro-
life, and, withal, the farmer has plenty
| of leisure and is able to devote it to
making himself and his family comfort
able and happy, and to securing every
enjoyment in life.
Across the lane one may see an in
stance OF the very opposite of all this.
and weary farmer struggling with his
work, which enfolds and grips him in a
| close and crushing embrace like that
of the serpent coiled about LAGOON and
his sons, as told in the old fable. He
is a slave, driven by his work, which
and when man is mastered by his
work he has hard, relentless task
master and cruel tyrant over him.
Such cases are to be seen on every
hand and by every one who uses his
eyes. What are the reasons? They
are not in the farm naturally. Indeed,
at times we may see naturally rich land
with a very poor owner, and a poor
farm naturally with rich own
er. just as we see the stony
mountain farms of some countries oc-
cupied by thrifty, happy farmers. en-
| joying abundance of good things be-
cause they are industrious, and the
richest, sunniest plains, ''where every
prospect pleases and only man is vile, y
occupied by the most wretched of hui
man beings, who seem to enjoy their
misery so long as they can lie in the
sunshine and no one shade it from
them. 1t is in the man and not the
place every time.
Now, the first thing necessary to a
reformation is to know that such pro-
cess is indispensable. Some reader
may feel hurt that we seem to intimate
that his misfortunes are due to his own
fault. But we beg him to believe that
this is precisely the truth of the case.
What such man calls bad luck, that
follows him up so closely and posters
him every day, is simply the result of
his own inetticiency or carelessness or
dilatory and nagIectful habits. We
have to plead guilty OF such mistakes
at times, and we have suffered from
them, but have learned wisdom from
them and hope to have reformed.
A few rules of conduct thoughtfully
made and consistently kept will do
wonders in this reformation. For in
stance, let a careless farmer determine
to think twice before he acts once: to
finish everything he undertakes in a
thorough manner before he leaves it.;
to do one thing only at time; to be-
gin his work in good season; to keep
no improbable things, stock, tools or
land-which would be included-on his
farm; to be willing to learn, and to
know the ins and outs of everything
relating to his work, by reading and
study and observation. and by the ex-
ample of his most successful neighbors,
which he should not be above profiting
by. In addition to these, he might
proftably determine to think of small
things, as always to shut gate or put
up bars or close a door after he goes
through; to keep his wagons creased,
his machines oiled and his tools sharp;
to have a place for everything and keep
everything in it's place; to have time
for doing all daily tasks and to do each
one in its time; to be good-natured and
kind to his stock and feed them liber-
ally, and, as he trains them to be do
cile, to train himself also at the same
tine. There are many more things to
be done. but these should not be left
undone, and a farmer who habitually
does any one of these will "keep the
whole law" because to reform in one
point is equivalent to a complete re-
formation. And, as the man reforms,
the farm will be complete index and
record of every step in the moral re-
penetration Of tho owner Honrn Sfelp-