The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1891-09-11
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pus because ms sons wish to 90
Town, end he thinks his wife very M
reasonable because she is not statistic
. with a good home and good proyider
Al an argument is made with him o, IN
SUBJECT his last word usua ly is that sb
ooes not have to work any harder tn
other farm women. Indeed, she doe
not, and there is the pity of il
Allow me to sketch an avcraqe moo
farmers family in the west-I will sa
anywhere within two hundred miles n
.ne missouri river. Tom Miller worked
nara on al Ohio farm from the ace oi
Twelve until he was twenty-five Nc
.hen married and succeeded in reacbino
.he new lands and in getting his auaT'
'er-section 'homesteaded' and his so call.
ed habitable dwelling built On u.
mnen ne swSse il In. a thu. 2aadrsa6nan
That's the way the government is de-
fraudcd;' but hab table or not. Mr.
Miller has lived in it ever since. He is
not given to drink, and his only extrava.
gancc is tobacco. He married a fairly
good-lookiDg farmer girl in Ohio and
| she has work, dit would be nearer the
truth to say has 'Slaved-on that prai
! rie farm ever since: and how little she
has had to show for it, Both have
struggled in almost hopeless toll fifteen
years in mud, and sun, aud wind, and
rain, and snow. His farm is mortgaged,
his hands are hard, all the poetry and
the sentiment of youth have long since
gone out of him, and, worst of all, he
has become used to it.
Thpp hn Shnue tho ,,nnntn.r Is
life, which has sent so many farmers
wives to the insane asylum, while it
made dullards of their husbands. To
cure all this, he proposes that the far
mers of district, five miles square, 10.
cate these dwellings in central village
where several hundred families would be
gronped. with al the economical intAl-.
lectual and social advantages Of the as,
sociation.
To show these advantages, he goes
somewhat into details, pointing out the
advantage and economy of living where
the division OF labor may go on econ
omically. There are some things far
mer must have, though the tools or the
arrangements. for it are more expensive
than one household should be called
upon to buy. They might do the work
Of village, but the isolated farmer must
have them. Among these arrangements
he cites the laundry, the village bakery
and the butcher. AT the lone farm
house it is hard to get laundry work
done; at the village laundry it NAV be
done well and cheaply with little trouble
SO with the baking OF bread 1t is
well known fact that farmers have much
less FIRE IN meat than people in towns or
cities. You cannot kill beef for one
family so with other meats. For this
village farming the butcher wouid al
ways have fresh supply. Much time
and expense would be saved in getting
to the blacksmith, the doctor or fhe
store In the same way as the bakery,
the creamery would be a great conven-
ience and labor saving arrapg ement
Then comes the intellectual advantages
of the village community. Mr.. Book
walter says:
'In an intellectual way the list of pos
sibilities stretches to great length.
The village club and evening school, the
village schoolhouSe, the library, the
music hall, and the reading room-why
should not o.i these come as natural pro-
ducts of associated effort? Are we to
believe that there is something in farm
life and work which necessarily forbids
the development of those conditions
which sweeten and brighten human life
in most other pursuits? Is the farme
doomed to have poorer social life than
men of other vocations? Must his fam
ilS -...tf fAs. auAn more than. himself2 And
must the inevitable questi on be despar-
ingly asked. why don't the boys stay
| on the farm"
"Thc village church being near at
| hand and silly accessible, the habit of
attending it would be greatly stimu-
lated; the music and the atmosphere of
| quiet mental calm even now make it at
! tractive to many not directly influenced
| bv religious motives; and surely it is
we'll that religion should call to its aid all
innocent forces, especially such as effect
the young. In the long catalogue OF ad-
vantaecs secured by the farm village and
its associated energies, many will place
the ouickening of church life as the first
| The habit Of mingling together, and the
discussion of public and other questions.
would soon arise with the good fleets Of
mental attrition. I'on sharpencth iron,
so man sharpeneth the countenance Of
! his friend.
The West Virginia State Alliance
elected the following officers: Presi-
dent, +. A. IIouston vice president, j.
r. Thayer; secretary and treasurer, B. j
Parks: lecturer Joel Johnson: business
agent, y. NJ Sidcnstryker; representative
TO National Alliance, NJ. Fish. The sec
retary's report showed thirty-cight coun
ty organizations. an increase of eigteer
within the yca,. while there are 500 loca
Alliances. with IS 600 memb'rs Rcso
lutons were adopted reaifirming The
Ocala platform lcavi"g th" question ol
third party open: iavorlng tempe anr.
and urging the importance O. farmers
exchange and appointing a committee t.
work 70 that end.
Although cars have been generally dis
trbutcd by the railroads Of Illinois, bu
very little wheat is flowing eastward
from that State. Alliance leaders at
tribut this to the circular sent out from