The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1884-12-27
FARMING AND GETTING
RICH.
Farmers Have tTse HkequEsafe
Resources of wealth. in Their
Own Hands.

Massachusetts Ploughman.
1t my be wholly idle TO attempt to
stem the tide that is rising with such
a force in this country in favor Of
mere riches, bnt in the case of farmers
it is as well to lay the simple truth
before them as to withhold. Without
in the least presuming to dictate mo
tiyes or aims to any class of men, we
may nevertheless say with perfect
truth and respect for their status and
privileges, chat farmers Of all nien are
the very last ones who need trouble
themselves about riches as other peo-
pie do. Possessing and living upon
their own productive acres, they have
all the requisite resources Of wealth
constantly in their own hands. They
are sure of shelter, Of food and Of
needful clothing; to toll and MOL,
pinch and screw, starve and deny,
merely to be accounted worth q GER
tain amount Of money, is only wasting
the precious term Of life which might
be used 10 far better purpose.
We will indulge in no moralizing
on the subject further than to say that
to 90 without ii order to scrape to-
gether certain sum Of money, and
then TO leave it behind without ever
having the productive and enjoyable
use Of it, is the folly of childishness
itself. To provide, with prudence and
industry against the accidents of life
and the nfrmities Of possible old age,
is of conrse every mans duty, ard
should supply the faithful stimulus to
exertion; but to become q slave, to
starye the higher and better nature,
and to deny rational enjoyment to
ones self and family merely to be
reckoned worth SO. many dollars, Is
folly indefensible.
A man on his own farm, well culti-
vated and kept, we'll stocked, with
good modern dwellings and barns and
outbuildings, master 1of both time aud
acres, tied to no hours by the call of
bells or whistles, free TO come and 90
according to the necessities of none
but himself, mostly in his own fields
aud performing his healthfnl lahors
within sight of the smoke of his own
ehimneys, is surely as rich in the gem
uine sense of that word as any man
can be. lIo has nothing to fear and
nobody to envy, OF one thing he. is
sure all bis days, and that is sufli-
cisnt living; and that Is what other men
are never sure of without single
pang Of doubt or apprehension. There
is his land; there as bis home; there is
all the animate and inanimate ma
Dhinery of his establishment; and for
The rest he looks in profound trust to
The bounty Of heaven,
Instead of this unworthy aud de-
anxiety to get rich, If the
average farmer, once being solidly
would resolve to enlarge
md exat his life as it is, to make more
out of that, to enjoy as much as pos
'ibIc Of what there is to be enjoyed,
10 adorn and bcautify his home--that
,nly paradise on earth-withiu and
he would find all his daily
asks far easier even to the extent of
being delightful, he would feel rich
where now with more money he feels
VI the time poor, and he would rid
himself of a false tyrant In the form
# increasing parsimony that holds
lis nose to the grindstane till he is
lung into his grave, If farmers only
new it, they could easily be the rich
St men on earth,