Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-09-27

head at OsceOia NILS INSTITUTE Wis., NoN'
26, 1889.
LOOKING UPWARD AND ONWARD.
In speaking on a subject of which
you know but little, it is much easier
to criticise than it is to advise, hence
I will attempt to criticise the average
farmer for not earning and wearing
the title of this essay, and perchance
throw in a little advice on the side.
There seems to be enough advice
afoat from good and reliable sources,
but there also seems to be a backs
wardness toward accepting anything
but those old tried methods, that
have proved good in their day, but
are entirely inadequate to the needs OF
the modern business man, and right
here seems a slight mistake, the
farmer is not generally known as a
business man, the term does not
seem to apply to him; and no doubt
you noticed that it sounded some1
what far-fetched in the former sen.
tence. We say that person is a
good business man when he not only
accepts and tries new approved plans
and methods, but throws his individ-
uality into his business, and conducts
it in a little different manner than
his competitor, he buys as cheap as he
can and sells as cheap as he can af~
ford, in fact he tries to undersell his
neighbor? His word is as good as a
bank note and his advice and influ-
ence is respected in the whole COM
aunity. Such man, we call good
business man, and when a farmer
land there are many such) conducts
his farm in a similar manner, he, too,
becomes a good business man and
usually a successful one. The farme
is to blame for this distinction be-
tween men engaged in mercantile
pursuits and those engaged in tilling
the soil. The difference is only i'm
aginary, and the only way to remedy
the imagination is not only "looking
backward" but by looking upward
and onward, in earning the title and
wearing it with professional pride.
"wHo's TO BLAME?"
/ have known farmers to spend
more money for books, papers anC
periodicals each year thar they did
for tobacco, cigars and whiskey
How many do you know that do TIT
same thing? Not many. Then
"who's to blame?" if the farmer 10
not generally known as a good bust
ness man.
A judicious investment in this lin,
will bring you in far greater returns
than you may at first suspect. NJ
man can make a success at anything
nowadays unless heinvests in print
er's ink, and the amount of work &C
complished in his toll will be ia
greater for the moments spent. in pa
pers devoted to farm work. TIL
household will be far lighter if tn
magazine makes its weekly visits il
the library, and the chores max
light work for glad young heart
when the round table is replenishe
with fresh and wholesome readin
matter every few days.
/ have also known of farmer VIII
sends his boy, good, strong lad {
sixteen summers, into the field t
work along side of the hired ma
and expected that the boy would pc
form as much work for his board an
clothes as the hired man for one do
lar day; and then when the da
was done, the boy must do conside
able more than his share of the chort
and run on errands about the plaC
until long after bedtime. Oh, wh'
a blessed privilege it is to be such
boy on such farm.
Mothers and daughters, also, do II
work incident to the household, tai
ing care Of the yard and garden, fl
their clothes, while at threshing tin
father hires a neighbours girl an
pays her seventy>five cents for doin
about half the work the daught
does every day in the year. No wol
der the life of the farmers daughtt
has been praised in song and vers
and that the beautiful girl clings
tenaciously to the old homestea
Don't make such a mistake; pay tn
boys and girls for their work; pa
them according to their worth; pa
them promptly as you agree, and l
them do as they choose wit
their earnings. More farmers Sol
would succeed the father in busine
and In Il 49,, ,wo,,Il IL l. -