The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-01-16
SARGE PLUNKETT.
Tho smau Things of Life Cause the Most
Anxiety.
atlanta Constitution.

ican people IN time OF peace.
I started out New Years Day to
feel the pulse of the people and to
find, if I could, the prime cause for so
much gloom and despair. | failed to
locate the trouble-there are as many
different troubles as there are people
in the world. 1t would take too long
to tell of all I saw and heard, but after
summing up the days investigation,
I am convinced that the small things
Of life cut the largest figures in max
ing up the anxieties of the human
family. Half of our troubles are
hunted up; we brood the most over
little things that could be remedied-
whatever We do we wish We had done
something else; whatever we are we
wish we were something else.
Twas talking to an old farmer friend
about the wages of the mechanic as
we went in on the electric line.
Farmers believe that man who can
make 81 day ought to get rich. But
they do not get rich, and when you
pass among them you find them trou-
~bled about house rent, about coal and
about provisions. They live in dread
of the coming blizzard, they complain
of the scarcity of work-they are all
anxious, eternally anxious, and cross
the bridge a thousand times before
they get to it.
You may pass from the mechanics
to the bankers and still find an anxious
set. I heard a banker say that he
would give half his wealth to be able
to eat as street laborer was eating
from tin bucket on the curbstone.
The rich men tell me that they have
to lay awake at night to keep what
they have. They are eternally anx-
ious about their money and troubled
over the turn that politics may take.
These troubled rich men deserve no
sympathy, for I am sure they could
get rid Of laying awake at night about
their money. I would take some Of
this trouble upon myself if they will
say SOL think laying awake at night
would do me good just at this writing.
But these anxious troubles are not
confined to the town people alone, nor
to any class or sex. I passed around
among the people at our country church
and bid them happy new year. This
drew them out, and not one did l
find entirely free from anxiety. Even
the preacher had his gloomy forebod-
ings. Saidhe "The weatheris bound
to be bad from now on. A late,
gloomy spring is bound to follow the
pretty weather we had up to Christ
mas
These old circuit riders live in hor-
ror Of high water and cold waves.
The brothers and sisters Of the con-
gregation will shake their heads and
groan as you greet them each with a
"happy new year" This old sister is
troubled because her meat was killed
on the wrong time Of the moon-she
has plenty of meat for year but she
is fearful it won't season as it would
have done had it been killed on the
right time of the moon. Another
sister has not killed her hogs yet and
she is fearful that the weather is 60
ing to be mighty severe when she goes
to make up her sausage and dry up
her lard-she does hate to work with
meat in very bad weather. The old
brothers have their little speeches
sterotyped and are just itching for
you to give them your happy greeting.
One does not look for any wheat to be
made, and he thinks fall oats will be
ruined and that it will rain SO no
spring oats can be sown. Another is
anxious in fear that his spring lambs
will have tough time. All Of them
have given their folks orders to econo-
mise, for "it's going to be hard, hard
times"
This is about a fair sample Of the
way big majority Of countrymen
meet your happy new year greeting.
The forget that they are blessed in
having hogs to kill and lambs to care
for, and wheat green in the field, and
corn in their cribs. The most of US
hunt up trouble before it hunts us.
A heep of it is just habit. Farmers
did seem to have the fates against
them for a long time, but they are not
so bad off now as compared to town
people. 1t is my notion that of all
classes the farmer should be the most
cheerful in these depressed times. l
have always claimed that the grumb-
ling among the old folks was what
give the young people such distastc
for country life, and made them flock
to the towns. They grew up amidst
such grumbling that it was natural
for them to look upon farming as un-
certain, Improbable, almost degrad-
ing, and so they flew to the towns and
to ills they dreamed not of. One
thing that we should all feel cheerful
over is the fact that this rushing to
town of the young men has about
ceased. The turn is the other way
now and will soon regulate matters
and get the times balanced again. l
live in the faith that great provl-
dence watches over the world and so
guides matters and things as to bring