The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-01-15
MANkATo FREE PRESS.
FRIDAY. JANUARY Is. 1886.
A DEFENSE OF FARM-LIFE.
An Essay Read Before the Glass by
Girl of the Glencoe High School.

An Essay Read Before the Glass by o
Girl of the Glencoe High School.
One side, Il somewhat dark one, OF
farm-life having been presented to you,
and fearing you may form a lasting OPP
inion therefrom, | esteem it a pleasure
and almost u duty to show you u bright
er one. To be sure, there is work on
Il farm i'm all seasons of the year; but
what of 1t? There is work in town. too,
at least, for most of us, and l don't be-
lieve that we are created for the N
purpose of getting through life without
work. If we had nothing to do we
might die for the wan of exercise. So,
you see, work is quite providential If
we only look ut 1t right.
Life on Il farm is like any other posi-
ton. Whether you enjoy 1t or not de-
ponds on Whether you are contented
and interested. Each day might be
spoiled very easily by i~retting because
it was just like the rest of the days.
Isn't it that way nearly everywhere?
The life on Il farm Is quiet and you have
u chance to think; and if you have moth
ing TO think of but planning the work,
il is as profitable rs planning how to
dress in style, and wondering if there is
not some place to go each evening. |
found it a good place for reading,
for my mind was not full Of
trihing affairs which here take up so
much thought. There it is not hard to
be calm and thoughtful SO That the read
ing may be to advantage, and surely you
can take papers and magazines and be
just us Intelligent i'll everything except
style and the latest slang, as though you
lived in town. Then, too, those who
love animals, and are interested in the
peculiarlties Of each class, nave a good
opportunity to study them. When
quite young | learned to ride and drive
horses, harness and hitch them, etc. |
used To feel proud to have NV father or
brother ask me to help if in haste, and
took care that my side of the team vas
ready as soon as theirs / think il Ices
every girl good 10 understand the care
of horses and IL be able To manage them.
! had my pony for my special use and
generally a horse n carriage. Ii Yer
| felt independent il was when, bare
headed and very likely wearing an I'M
stylish dress, | TOOL 4 long ride over the
p~rairies on my pony. There was no
one out there TO make remarks, you
know.
Father used to let me raise the chick
ems and turkeys for myself, and one
summer | received $3.50 Tor spending
money. | had other ways, too, OF earn
ing myself, just because 1 liked to do it.
Now about getting up at 4:3O in the
morning. Let me assure you hat there
Is nothing like it when you get used to
It. Indeed, 1t Is necessary when there
is so much to do before breakfast as
there is on Il farm. Besides insuring Il
good days work IN the field, it is pleas
ant IN the house, for you have time to
get all the work done and gather vege-
tables for dinner before it gets 50 warm.
If 1 thought | had been working hard /
always felt ashamed when / saw the
men come from the field so warm and
tired. Surely, If any n on q farm is to
be pitied il is the men. There IS no
resting time for them from seeding till
blowing is done in the fall, if they are
good farmers. My brother managed
our farm and his own, and l am sure
there vas not an acre on either of them
but what he knew just what would grow
best on ii, or what It needed to make it
Weld more. Many people have the
idea that there is no money to be made
on the farm. | do not agree, and will
give a few facts TO prove my side of the
question. In eight years, from the in.
come of $40 acres, my father has paid
VI " va NAiNihf " " obo vi VI II
town, and built two barns and a large
granary. They have improved machin-
cry, such rs self binders, sulky plows,
sulky corn c~ultivators, etc, a windmill
for pumping water and a large herd OF
cattle and Il dozen horses to drink the
water after It'll pumped. Now | am
sure that any prudent farmer can more
than make Il living on Il farm.
But il takes care and thought, just as
any other business. There is no time
that truly enjoy on a farm more thai
threshing time. 1t is then that n be-
gins to see the result of that long sum-
mar's work. and ! was aIwoys %
ious as any one to learn how many
bushels to the acre there were etc.
Then when eighteen or twenty men
came to fill the long table, / rather en-
joyed waiting on them, for most of them
would De neighbors and when they had
been working so hard of course they
were hungry. AS a natural consequence
the dishes have to be washed, but /
never could hate to wash dishes any,
way, and in threshing there are such
immense piles of them that one can
make Il regular business of it. Then il
was such fun to help bake the great
stacks of bread, pie and cake that
dwindled away like the stacks of wheat
out of doors had $ lortly before. You
have the best of everything to eat, too,
on a farm, for you can raise everything
yourselfand have it to suit YOU. / was
never so proud as when, after mother
had been gone two weeks | came down
to meet her, ! brought along over sc
pounds of butter that had made, and
it was no discredit to her reputation,
either. | think any one ought TO be
pround of being a good housekeeper
and the farm is the place to learn to do
homework. Then we used to have such
fun going for berries, grapes and nuts,
for father would generally send the
hired boy and team with us. One eff
the pleasantest memories j nave is of
the evenings spent in chatting and tell
ing stories, after the hard days work.
1t was then that the whole family was
together and we all enjoyed it. Sure
~ ones childhood spent on a farm is
purer, happier and freer from bad in
iIuence than if 1t were spen. in town.
And now girls let me tell you this one
thing: If you want to learn to be har-
py, contented, sensible women, don't be
afraid TO live on a farm.-NorthWsstern
StOclUJuD