The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-05
The Comfort Of Country Homes.
1Carolipa Spartan.7


county was in Spartanburg and be rode
out in two or three directions through
the county. BE said in talking about
crops and crop prospects: ~ am sur
prlsed to see such shabby barns and
stables in the county and then very
few of the houses are painted and they
are generally unattractive every way"
Rather to silence him we said: "Well,
think we are doing about as well as
the common run of farmers in your
county, anyway" His reply was: "Yes,
l know you are, but your people ought
to be doing much better. You have
good lands and there are signs of pros
perlty here that we do not have" we
ask the thousand farmers of this coun-
ty who read the Spartan to stop right
here and read the above paragraph over
before they 60 on with what is to fol-
low.
Do our country homes have a dilapi-
dated appearance? Are the barns and
stables tumble-down affairs? Is there
want of comfort inside our houses?
Are the front yards destitute offowers
and ornamental plants? Is there a
general lack of paint on our buildings?
This is the accusation made against US
and by one who expects better things
of the farmers of this county: There
are several reasons why this condition
of things does exist. In the first place
farmers do not like to build fine barns,
when they make nothing to put in
them. Any sort Of shelter will do as an
apology for stable for a horse fed on
Western corn and prairie. hay. A house
that is mortgaged does not need paint.
Land that is washing into gullies does
not require good buildings. Are these
excuses enough? If not, you can get
up q dozen other good ones for your
self. ...
Its very evident that other counties
are looking to Spartanburg farmers to
set an example in home improvement.
That should stimulate US to move for
ward. There are hundreds of farms
that are not mortgaged. AL that is
wanted is will on the part of the
land owners. Many of the children are
ashamed of their parents homes. The
bare walls, dingy with time and dust,
the scanty furniture, the want of books
and papers, the primitive style of cook
ing and serving food have driven many
boys from the parental roof and made
the girls sour and disconnected and
turned them into nobodies. Some times
a boy comes from a comfortless, dreary
home and becomes useful, if not great.
1t is the rarest thing that a girl from
such home ever amounts to more
than cook and mender of old clothes.
When boy gets large enough to wear
a starched shirt and goes out to visit a
neig Dor boy and finds that each one
has 6 spoon in his coffee cup and a
good knife and fork and the table neat
ly arranged and a better style of cooking
than he is used to, he is going to get
dissatisfied. He will not stay at home
long, when there is nothing to attract
him.
No one in this day and time should
plead poverty when it comes to making
homes: attractive. 1t does not cost
much to paint house. A few flowers
demand little care. The inside orna-
mentation may be very cheap. Women
are always handy in fixing up things,
ifthe men will give them halfa chance.
The money from two bales of cot
ton will transform many of the old
dingy houses in our county and make
them quite attractive. Then when it
comes to building barn, it will cost
no more to build good and pretty one
than an old fat-roofed, sway-backed
affair, without boxing or other effort at
ornamentation. We ask the Spartan
burg farmers in this very abundant
year to consider this matter we'll and
| begin improvements at once.