The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-06-20
Aaritultural.
Simple Simon.

Mr.. Tinkham of the WATCHMAN has
never apparently imagined or heard
of such thing as a tale composed in
photographed form, and he accord
ingly assumes that such tale, lately
written by DR.. Hoskins for the Rural
Ne,U- Yorker, is an autobiography of
the doctor himself. Mr.. Tinkbam goes
on to comment on the tale on that basis.
1t is possible that the same dishonesty
of purpose which induced Mr.. Tink-
ham to quote from the Ne,U England
Farmer some criticisms on the Western
Rural and apply them to the Rural
VermOnter may lie at the bottom of
this; but we prefer to adopt the more
charitable assumption.
We take the above from that very
courteous and heightened sheet, the
Rural Vermonter. 1t would almost
seem that one might say of that papers
temper as the man said of his wife's:
"The most even-tempered woman in
the world-always mad" We plead
guilty to the indictment of thinking
that tale entitled "The Black Side of
Farming, an Autobiography. BY T. H.
Hoskins, Md" ,caS an autobiography
by T. II. Hoskins, Id, and it seems
that we had pretty good company, for
during several weeks following the con-
clusion of that yarn the Rural Ne,o-
Yorker, in which it was published, had
communications from correspondents
who held the same idea, and the editor
of that paper explained in one article
that the experiences related in the
autobiography were not those of the
" truly" DIR. Hoskins, but of a neigh
Dor, and this we printed in our issue
following, as we always aim to be just
and exact in our statements. But it
seems that we had even better COM
pany than the correspondents of the
Ne,c- Yorker for believing that state
ments were realities, for the Vermonter
says:
Even the editor of the Ne,c- Yorker
seems to have been misled, by the au-
thor's successful realism, into suppos-
ing and stating that " the doctor merely
prepared for the Rural Ne,C- Yorker the
incidents related to him by friend"
This is a totally erroneous supposition,
the story being entirely imaginative
and its peculiar realism being the I'M
conscious product of forty years close
observation of farm life. 1t might
properly be added that this is the
DOCTORS first, and will probably be his
last, attempt in the line of imaginative
writing.
So this relieves our sensibilities and
wipes out the cause for sympathy for
DIR. Hoskins and for the " friend
whose experience the Rural Ne,o-
Yorker supposed the doctor was re-
lating. 1t is not real truly" story
after all, and his sheep did not die, nor
did the storms spoil his tobacco, nor is
he and his wife likely TO come to want
in their old age, and, worse than all,
short, like Betsey Prig's Mrs. Harris,
they exist only in Imagination. But
the Rural Nep- Yorker of June 16 has
still another "Simple Simon " besides
ourself, the Rural Ne,c- Yorker editor
and the writers already spoken of, for
Connecticut Farmer" writes as fol-
lows, on the supposition that can au-
photography by T. H. Hoskins, Md"
was the history of some friend, as ex-
planned by the Ne,c- Workers. editor.
The history of DR.. Hoskins' friend is
a sad one. l am sorry for him; how
many anxious days and sleepless nights
he must have passed. 1t would be dis
couraging to young man starting in
farm life, if he did not know of some
farmer who was more successful.
Oh that we could this hour convey
to this sorrowing soul the glad tidings
that the narrowing tale is "entirely
imaginative and Betsey Prig's friend
Harris son or husband or father, or
possibly some more distant relative,
does not exist, and of course does not,
to any considerable extent, pass days
and nights anxious, or sleepless or
otherwise. Be cheered, brother farmer;
the peculiar nature of the story is only
the product of forty years. close obser-
walton of farm life.