The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1896-11-28
THE FOLLY OF THE FARMER

THE FOLLY OF THE FARMER
Next to Journalism snd steam
boating, agriculture is the most
delusive of pursuits, if not judi
ciously and economically follow
ed. The fact that "hope springs
eternal in the human breast" is
especially exemplified in the case
of the farmer. That the drouth,
food or the caterpillar Injuries or
totally destroys his crop one year
serves not at all to dampen his
anticipation of a remunerative
one the following year. Not con-
tent to run his farm on scale
commensurate with the means in
hand, he is ambitious to control
large plantation, and to do this he
must perforce put himself in the
power of the merchant, who, like
all other of us selfish AMI sinful
mortals, is on keen scent Of his
own interests, ignoring those Of
his customers, except so far as
they may advantage him in the
time to come.
IF the farmer cce'SD but see and
decipher it, ther' over the en-
trance door of H17"Aery merchant
who advances p. hl3y or supplies
to make q crop whose seeds are
not yet in the ground and which
must run the gauntlet of all the
vicissitudes of the seasons, a sign
which reads: "Let HIM who en-
ters here leave hope behind"
The planter who annually clears
five per cent on his Investment
may be considered fortunate ,sand
yet he pays for his advances twen-
ty-hve per cent at conservative
estimate. Are not the conse-
quences of so stupid policy in
evitable? The end of the year
shows that the planter has the ex-
perience (Which he will not profit
by) while the merchant has reap
ed the unrest. Thus, while the
one tolls and lives mayhap in a
log cabin, on bacon and corn
bread, his wife and children
clothed in cheap calico and coareS
shoes; the other--at least o. I
thet extricale' n,.Mnkruptcyo, y.
HAYNES and seth a palatial residh
upon foll9'choicest viands, drinle>.
] li9gKrug or Vim Lafitte, while his
family are clothed in purple and
fine linen.
But let not the farmer complain
of this; he has no right to do so,
as it is the deserved fruit of his
own folly. Moreover, reverse the
positions and he would do it unto
the merchant even as the mer-
chant does it unto him; the warp
and woor of human nature are
precisely the same in the one as
in the other.
And this condition of things is
the more deplorable when it is
considered that the pursuit of ag-
riculture should be and could be
made the most independent of all
others. The mercantile class, the
lawyer, the doctor, the mechanic,
rven the banker and railroad mag
nate must needs pander to the
public for patronage in their res
pective calling; while the farmer,
by the exercise of a policy clearly
within the scope of his capacity,
can make himself Independent of
all men--dependent only on Him
who controls the seasons, who
giveth the seed time and the har-
vest.
BY diversifying his crops, by
living within his legitimgte means
and at home, by confning his OPP
erations to the limit of his capaci.
ty to pry without calling in out
side help, the farmer could make
himself the real autocrat of this
country, to whom all other classes
would look for patronage and
support. He could thus, too, be
power in legislation and, if need
be, bring the boycott into effec-
tual operation. AS it is, he is com
PEELED to play the role Of mendi-
cant and alms-seeker to those who
favor legislation that may injur-
iously affect his interests, if not
absolutely wreck them. In short,
the farmer has his destiny in his
own hands and deserves no sym
pathy if he fail of success in it,
shaping. New Orleans States.
AN UNFoRTUANTE ACCIDENT.