The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-03-13


and coming up, he says: "Ah, do you
want to see the doctorR If 90, I'll bring
MIN QUIT Certainly you don't want a
seat here In your present garb. This
Is a fashionable church, sir. If you
want to hear a sermon, go e yonder
TO that mission" And l went.
People think tramps have no hearts.
They think we don't feel the sting Of
envy or appreciate the blessings of
love. Getting rather hungry, I went
up toa rich mans house to get a snack.
Everything about was elegant-marble
steps, tapestried halls, lots of servants,
etc. Seeing the owner, 1 pulled eft my
Old head gear and asked: Sir, would
you give me a bite to eatG' 'Be gone,
We lazy scoundr9l. Why come here to
trouble met Toni Toni let Bruno
loose; here's a d-n tramp" And 1 left.
A few days after this I learned that
this man had given a large amount to
the heathens and his name was in all
the papers al being such a good, Chris
tan man. next went to an humble
home where poverty and sorrow were
daily guests, and asked fora bite to eat.
A poor, tOil-ridden lady, her cheeks
turrowed by weeking, came to the old,
worm eaten door. well, sir" says
she, I've only got a little corn bread
and cold peas, but you are welcome to
1t. Come in. I wish 1 had something
better for you" I just sat down there
and wept and wept. 1 couldn't help
it. A few days after I learned that
this poor woman had been sent to tie
~penitentiary for taking a loaf of bread
to keep her babe from starving.
Tramps will think, so I thought if
there is any religion on earth to day,
it is the religion of humanity, and,
methOught, thai there are many things
sanctioned by custom that I can't see
into. But then I'm only a tramp. One
day l was going through the country
and meeting a farmer, he asked me
what was the cause for the great de-
preston in agriculture. Of course
tramps don't know much about such
things, but still l answered thus: Sir,
we need a better labor element on the
farm; the colored laborers are too indo-
lent and unreliable. To tell why this
is true, would be to revert to the first
maxims of human existence. The
South, it is true, was once prosperous,
while the negro was the laborer, but
we to day are under different con
ditions, and different conditions require
different treatment. Then the negroes
ideal of greatness was to be the best
worker in the country; now his am
bition leads him to strive to exist with
out work. No people can become pI o.
porous unless they take a pride in their
work. The negro takes no such pride;
thus he plays his part. To remedy
this condition is to change the nature
not nature, but disposition-of the
negro, or else bring in a foreign labor
element. The farmer can never reach
a very high plane of prosperity until
those who guide the farm-the labor
rs-ar upon a higher plane.
"Well, you say, docs Joe Jackson
mean to advocate the importation of a
better class of LAHORE" No, not until
you have found a place for the negroes.
Give us a field more suited to their
capacities, and then you can discuss
this part of the subject. The negroes
are here, and here to stay, and those
of them in idIeness upon the towns and
cities ia to injure these places. Judged
strictly from a farmers standpoint, I
would say, yes, get a better labor ele-
ment, but from a national point of
view you have got to find first another
field in order to utilize their labor.
Then 1 submit the hypothesis that the
unreliable labor of the farm is a small
factorin causing the present depression.
Again, the farm is losing her young
men, who ought, in order to strengthen
her interests remain there. The young
men used to take a pride in farm work,
they used t make more than they
spent, but things have changed now OF
late years. The young men are going
to the cities from almost every freside.
But they cannot be blamed very much,
for they seem to think that here is a
better place to better their condition,
and it is natural to strive to go onward
and upward. While this is true, still
there is a question as to it's wisdom.
Do they fill their sphere in life happier,
or with more credit and profit to them
selves and their country by coming to
the cities9 I say they do not. There