The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-02-17
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
AUBURN, N. Y, Jan. 20, 1891.

Mr.. EDIToR:-Yesterday a copy of
your paper came to me, and with 1t
came the breath of sunshine, flowers,
and all the rich poetry and romance
that yea 8 and imagination have woven
for me as regards the Sou Inland. l
have never seen it-have travelled
only on latitudinal lines, and these
take in the frost region, the banks Of
snow and lakes of ice that mark this
section of New York State. To day
our fields are covered wit the white
mantle of rest, an the fires are blaz
ing in kitchens and "oest rooms" on
the hills and through the v~allies, while
the cattle are housed to protect them
from the piercing cold. 1t seems that
the jewellers in your warmer cline
must be a different race, with differ
emit aims, motives and objects, and that
between our winter natures and your
summer hearts there can be but little
in common.
For years there has been , system
of education going on here to that
effect, and every means have been
tried to install into the hearts of the
people that war was the natural o
dition between us. And yet why in
the wide world are not the tillers Of
the soil brothers? We are linked
and bound by a common interest, are
woven in meshes of common depend
ence that cannot be broken or hurt
without every farmer in the land feel
ing it.
I do not believe in the constant
repetition of the old time sayings,
that the farmers are the backbone
and sinew of the land" that "theirs
is the noblest occupation" and that
"peace and plenty fills their lives"
These are yearly repeated to us by the
politicians who seek our votes and
who know no more of the hard strug,
gle for existence, the constant pulling
against the stream of debts that mark
the average farmer of to day, than the
babe knows OF the philosophy of the
stars. All work is noble work if nobly
done, and all who work along that
line are brothers.
If we measure the nobility and dig
nifty of labor by it's results in a fnan-
cial sense; if we gauge independence
by the ease with which material sus-
tence is acquired, then is the lot of the
farmer the most tgnoble and dependent
under the sun.
This class Of toilers have all been
treated as though the saying that
any fool would do for a farmer" were
true, and the ~indifferences to their lot
has been such as to almost warrant
the constant repetition of the maxim.
In this age of SELLS mess, where
might makes right, and the strong
rule the weak, mea only gain their
Ting for that demand; by constant
and enlightened organization.
While every form of capital recog
nized this trush yea 3 ago, labor has
only recently awakened to the fact.
and the far ners, who have been robbed
Systematically for years, are only get.
ting their eyes open as the bells toll
their swift approaching doom. When
the interest on the mortgage can no
longer be met; when taxes cannot be
paid; when tools and clothing canno.
be purchased, and the tradesman in. |
forms him that his credit is no longer
good, does the average farmer awaken
TO the fact hat some iron hand of re-
-entless fate is grinding him to the
lust.
In the North we have recognized
Zach autumn time that our dreams of
spring were burned as scarlet as the
lead leaves at u feet, shat for all
he summer toll there was no recon
oense, that for burned flesh and aching
bones and muscles there was only the
palm Of increased debt, aad have
our master hard, and been
determined to do something about it
But there is something in the SLEEP of
Northern winter that tones do En
nto forgetfulness the failures and dis
'ppointments of the season gone. And
Is the germs are sleeping beneath his
eet, yet feeling the pulse of the spring
growth singing within, so does
he farmer feel the impulse of a new
ndeavor, the hope of a future gain,
nd skips forth in April as radiant as
ne smiling sky, as though he had net
one that year after year only to find
-imseE dropp d into the customary
utumn of short accounts. But these
hort accounts become very long &C
cunts in time, and winters fail to
ejuvenate hope, and so at last the
Northern farmer is beginning to think
hat there is some cause for all his
ardships outside of his own thrift or
1dolence.
He recognizes that no man working !
uts de of legislative methods can
ause all this disturbance and poverty
{ his lot, and as the needle turns