St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-29
THE POLITICAL VIEW.
The Poet Whittier Talks of the
Life on the Farm as He
Views If

The Poet Whittier Talks Of the
Life on the Farm as He
Views 1t.
Boston Advertiser.
The Bulletin No. 2. containing the
Massachusetts, crop report for June,
gives a letter from John G. Whittier,
heretofore unpublished, in response to
the congratulations of the Essex County
Agricultural society rendered the poet
on the occasion of their December
meeting, when the subject for consider
alton was: whittier, the Poet of Our
New England HomeS,'' and his influence
upon the homes of our farmers. The
receipt of the same was acknowledged
by the poet by the following letter:
OAK KNOLL, DANVERs, IL mo-. 30,
1SSS.-David W. Low, Secretary Essex
County Agricultural Society, Dear Sir:
tons and kind wishes of the Essex
County Agricultural society at its meet
ing the 2Sth inst. have received with
no common satisfaction. No birthday
has ever given me more pleasure. My
ancestors, since 1910, have been farmers
in Essex county. l was early Initiated
into the mysteries of farming as it was
practiced seventy years ago, and worked
Faithfully on the old Haverhill home
stead until, at the age of thirty years
was impelled to leave it, greatly to my
regret. Ever since, if l have envled
anybody, it has been the hale, strong
farmer, who could till his own acres.
and if he needed help could afford to
hire it. because he was able to lead the
work himself. l have lived to see a
great and favorable change IN the farm
ing population of Essex county. The
curse of intemperance is almost I'M
known among them; the rum-seller has
no mortgage on their lands.
As rule they are intelligent, we'll in
formed and healthily interested in pub
lie affairs; self-respectful and self-re-
spected; Independent landholders, fully
entitled, if any class is, to the name Of
milliOnaireS, and their annual income is
small. But, on the other hand, the
farmer rests secure, while other occupa-
tions and professions are in constant
fear of disaster; his dealing directly and
honestly with the Almighty is safer than
speculation: his life is no game of
chance, and his investments in the
earth are better than lin stock compa-
MES and syndicates. As to profits, if our
farmers could care less for the comforts
of themselves and their families, if they
could consent to live as their ancestors
once lived, and as the pioneers Of new
countries now live, they could with
their present facilities no doubt double
their incomes. But what pitiful gain
this would be at the expense of the de-
cencieS and retinements which make
life worth living.
No better proof of real gain can be
found than the creation of pleasant
homes for the comfort of age and happi-
ness of youth. When the great English
critic, Matthew Arnold, was in this
country. on returning from a visit in
Essex county he remarked that while
the land looked to him rough and I'M
productives the landlords houses
seemed neat and often elegant, with an
air of prosperity about them. 'But
where" he asked, lido the tenants, the
working people, live?" He seemed sur
prised when / told him that the tenants
were the landlords and the workers the
owners.
Let me return my sincere thanks to
the Essex Agricultural society for the
kind messages conveyed in thy letter,
and with the best wishes for its cOntin-
ued prosperity and usefulness l am
truly thy friend,
JouN q WHITTIER