The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-09
COUNTRY LIVING AND THINKING.
A Practical Farmer Points Out Some of the
Advantages In Rural Life.


A Practical Farmer Points Out Some of the
Advantages In Rural Life.
TO the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
A few years ago / had occasion to say in the
columns of the Journal that though farm work
may be hard and the discouragements numerous,
if Providence Enthusiastically shows the farmer that
the farm is the best place for him, he may rise
superior to hardships and discouragements, and
be contented and happy. have to add the
further word, that child life is truer, happier,
more contented and healthy than that lived in
the country. 1t is great relief to persons
of any age who have been pent up for
months in the noisy city. to es-
cape from its close atmosphere, and
enjoy the blessings of freedom and fresh air on
some well-kept and well-stoeked farm. And if
Of bright and observant disposition, when so
situated, they may find much to amuse and In
struct in way side plants and flowers, and wild
birds, and also find opportunity to acquaint
themselves with farm animals and poultry.
There is learning that does not concern itself
with Latin or Greek constructions, or verse,
nor make much of lines, angles, sines, co-sines.
| tangents, and CO tangents. But no kind of
science is to be despised. Professor Young. one
of our able astronomers says; Almost all
scientific truth has real commercial value. be-
cause knowledge Is power, and because ii quote
it not irrevently) the truth shall make you
free'-any truth and to some extent, that is to
say, the intelligent and intellectually cultivated
will generally obtain more comfortable liveli-
hood and do it more easily than the stupid and
the ignorant. Intelligence and brains are the
most powerful allies of strength and hands
in the struggle for existence, and
SO, on purely economical grounds.
cultivation" The boy on a farm for even a
short time learns whether he has the inherent
right to be farmer, for no one has who has not
the natural apttudes and inclinatous Natural
history, as applied to the animal kingdom. is
distinct branch of learning prescribed by the col
lege curriculums. No other season of the year
is so favorable for the study of lnsectology as
the present one and colleges furnish scarcely
better facilities for a practical study of 1T than
the farm. In the warm season insect
pests increase with great rapdity. null
tiplying thousand fold. Some of
the worst of these reproduce themselves In few
DAYS. Here is a practical introduction to the
study, and chance to be placed in the list of
the worlds benefactors by a discovery of the
best method of repression and determination.
1t is nature itself that may be here studied, and,
taken together with a description of nature
given in books of science is the best way to
study. The garden, the cultivation of flowers,
fruit, vegetables, the woods rocks trees. bids in
short, geology, botany. natural history, each
affords opportunity to acquire exact practical
knowledge If only there are cultivated habits of
observation. Ii is only saying what has been
often said that Franklin and Greeley became
learned and scientific without the advant-
ages of the college, that Mrs. Somerville, without
other early advantages than fall to the lot of
every one in the country, was, before her death,
a member of numerous scientific societies in
Europe the friend of Faraday 'Herschel and
Humboldt. 1t goes without saying that they
were curious students, and studied the mystic
rious phenomena of nature and life
And so with aptitudes may anyone above
ignorance and commonplace. How shall he get
wisdom whose talk is of bullocks," horses, pigs
and the crops. In the discussion Of these there
may be wisdom, valuable. practical, profound
Nor is he thereby cut off from the discussion of
the newest book, speech, lecture, poem; nor the
latest speculation IN science, art, literature,
any subject under the that engages the
mind ard heart of a man. Reading to him
may be universal in its range as
to any one-The Descent of Man. Natural Law
in thu Spiritual World. The indianapolis Jour
nal, Is Life Worth Living, What l Know of
Farming, The Gates Ajar. Daniel Deronda. The
Country Parson. etc. It is pertinent to re-
mark here that bad thing called envy has not
yet come in to an extent seriously to disturb the
relation between the farmer and the farm
laborer. Here at least is reasonably fair divi-
sion of the gains of industry. The laborer, if
industrious aud economical, is in few months
money lender and the employer in whose service
he has earned the money may be the
borrower. Many time has this writer at the
end of term of service, paid off the laborer in
money, thereupon borrowing back the money
giving note with interest. Perhaps as often
the settlement showed balance againt the la
borer, whose chance to save mis- wages was equal.
" good. My daily paper has brought me reports
of various labor strikes in the cities An agi-
tator in IL Chicago meeting of Socialists made the
the astounding statement that of the So 00O 900
of people in this country, 1000, 900
owned all the property, and the
81 100000 owned nothing. Such reckless
statements do mischief, and this meeting ended
in riot The last census shows that nearly
$500 900 own and cultivate farms, besides very
large proportion of the So, 600 must be chill
dren, and SO excluded from any count
l. would be interesting if data were at hand to
push the inquiry how wide of the mark this
statement IS, to know how many there are in this
free country who have nothing, and why 1t is
they have nothing. No wrong should be de-
Tended. Political rings, jobbery of every sort
the proper subjects of the swiftest
condemnation. Doubtless write at
too great distance from the
cities where the wrongs are complained of, AID
in too much ignorance of the extent of the suf-
ferings of the wropged workmen for the fullest
measure of sympathetic feeling; but l cannot
help believing that there is room enough in this
broad land for the poor workman to thrive and
be happy if he will give himself wholly to the
work; and the farms Of the country offer good
chances for man to get along and win in the
battle of life. Smartness, energy and industry
go great way in making up the indispensable
part of the qualifications of the farm laborer
But these not all, nor enough.
With strength and hands he may perform &C.
ceptably and passably well much of the routine
work Of the farm; but it is skill ard conscience
in conjunction with the other qualifications that
win in the struggle for bread, and they not only
win bread, but honor and position in life besides
Withcst claiming extensive knowledge of the
principles of economic science / lay down with
| almost the certainty of demonstrated mathemat.
les that the question What shall the
workman have for his labor!" cannot be
answered except by the application of the old
law of demand and supply. The principles of
! anarchic socialism will receive wholesome