The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-02-13
DESERTED FARMS VS.. WESTERN
unAEG

As The deserted farms in Vermont and
New Hampshire are the main subjects
for discussion in nearly all the papers
he writer thinks a comparison not out
of place. The words OF Horace Greeley
in his advice to young men, go West,
young man and grow up with the coun
try" will long be remembered, and by
many has been boom for them. A.
has been said by the legal profession. a
young man in Vermont who was passa-
lily smart, when settled in a Western
home was considered almighty smart
and soon gained the title of Hon." But
as thousands of men can testify who lef'
comfortable homes in the East and
sought home ON the waste prairies of
the far West, where the advise of Bill
Nye is applicable, Go West, young man,
and bloU up with the country" in these
Western homes they have had to endure
nearly every hardship. have suffered
and in some cases have died mot because
their pride kept them from calling on
an official who in the East provides for
the poor, but because the official, IL they
were lucky enough to have one, wa,
destitute of the means to provide for
them. In the winter, when the fierce
winds blow their blasts, what would a
| Vermont farmer think to have to use
straw, dried COW chips, and the like, for
fuel, and that to be used in sod house
with one room and one window. and +
few poles covered with straw as the
shelter for the COW or horse, as the cast.
may he, with thirty and in some cases
fifty miles bet ween them and a famIl,
physician Such is worse than when
our forefathers came to the then dense
forests Of Vermont and felled the Trees,
rolled up log house and log barn,
burned the brush, cleared the ground as
we'll as possible, and planted patch of
corn and potatoes. Mother earth, from
her native fertility, yielded beautiful
crop. Then the prudent and industrious
housewife, from the small amount OF
wool and flax raised. would card, spin
and weave the cloth from which the
garments of the entire family were
made. They had plenty of wood for
fuel, and the roads through the woods
were more easily followed than the trail
ON Western prairie. They never had
to provide dug outs to shelter them
when a Western bl zzard came, as thu
Green and White Mountains with numer
pus hills broke the windy blaste. We
not only read in the newspapers, but our
friends write US and we 90 West and SET
how, not alone The Dakota farmer suf- |
fers, but those in other Western placer,
drinking poor water, AMI riding to the |
place of worship is a lumber wagon |
But these are nothing compared With |
other deprivaIions Which many Western |
families suffer.
trsn lnnlr ..k II |
farms If we may call them 80. There |
are many farms which have been con-
solidated. The same men own two.
three and some more farms on which |
are comfortable buildings. Some Of
these men have seen their days of sun
shine, and having no one to look afterthe
interests, now desire to sell out even at
a low figure. Others desire to keep their
farms with all the stock they can carry.
renting some Of their houses to poni
families or using them as places fUi
hired help. II some Of those occuDyinl
Western homes could be set bIck E,s
IN some of the abandoned FARMS" an
live as close as they have to IN them
present condition, wearing print dressrs
20 church and the men Old-fa-hiontd
b ue f. ocks n business occasions, using
he same wagon TO gU 10 church tn
they do to g to mill and cunfiding the
living to the same plain but wholesOm
way, laying pride and fashion aside, r.
serving sufficient pride to keep farming
-ools housed and in order, and the
to keep everything tidy and
clean, this farmer on one Of the ''abau
ioned faLms" would soon be able to
have money to loan. and, as many of
The Eastern capitalists have done, take
security in Western farm loans with
promise Of large usury, when he will
loon have to take the security tn pay the
Dan. Then he can send, n hard hearted
enough, his son, or somebody el-e's son
o occupy the Western abandoned
arm. "-Correspondent ". H Mirror.