Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-03-04

III Va AAkC - IN AHAA SAS "
Of all the Lockmead estates, SO that
he was a sort of master-farmer. More
| over, by reason Of the absence of
Squire Hillyard, Of the age of n plural
list vicar In residence ut Oxford. and OF
the paucity of near neighbors. it had
been found advisable to make Amos
Morwen, who was virtually Squire of
LockInead. n magistrate for the coun-
ty; and he took the lead at the petty
sessions of the district, having been
articleti to the law at Mansfield, and
having practiced there az an attorney
during a few of his earlier years. Be
sides. however, being something more
than a mere justice or a mere farmer.
he was a man OF ideas and advanced
enterprise.
LOckmead, though lying sOmew ha
outside the recognized circle Of the in
dustry. was n township of cloth-finish-
ers rs well as of weavers. But its
prestige in this matter belonged to the
past; the place had been decaying for
years, and its rude and primitive me-
chanics had fallen behind the times.
The machine still In use at Lockmead,
and. indeed, at many districts in the
West Riding itself. was a barbaric in
strument, worked entirely by man
power, slow. inefficient. and requiring
n vast amount Of unskilled labor. poor
ly paid. These things. indeed. kept
half the inhabitants OF Lockmead of
the parish until they fell i'll or grew
old; but they also kept hands out Of
the fields, and the whole place at a
point barely above starvation. Added
TO this, clothes. food. and all the neces-
sarics Of life were at war-prices; and
there was not even a Lady Bountiful
10 try 4 scare the wolf away with her
fan.
And yet Amos Morwcn, who was re
sp0nsible ( o the Hillyard family for
the condition Of things. saw no earthly
reason why Lockmead should not be
made the germ of IA second Leeds. He
set gu OF. q journey to the North, and
when he returned it was in company
with a gentleman from Yorkshire,
who. in the course of n few months.
had built for Mr.. Morwen a cloth mill.
with frames and finishing machines
that appeared to do all the work or
themselves. Nor did Mr.. Morwcn
stick at cloth; he set up newly-invcnt-
ed and wonderful looms that made
the hereditary weaver stare. He also
called a meeting and made q speech.
ITO improve a trade is to extend u
trade said he. The cheaper you turn
out goods the more you increase the
demand: and the more goods are de-
manded the more must be supplied
and made. These new machines will
require greater skill, and skilled labor
means higher wages; and the stubborn
fools that won't learn and change with
the times are sadly wanted in the
fields. This is a great day for Lock
mead, say I. and for every man, wo-
man and child it belongs to. Better
wages-more workL-a share for me
and you in the welfare of us all"
To-day truths so obvious would be
greeted with a ringing cheer. But
Amos Morwen was not only introduc-
ing new machines, but was speaking
newly-discovered truths; and truth is a
tree that takes long TO grow. There
was no opposition. because a new idea
cannot be taken in all ut once. even by
the ~cleverest Of us all. What so re-
spectacle a gentleman as Justice Nor
wen said was likely to be right
enough; bat his words. nevertheless,
fell upon stony soil. They meant
change; and even the wisest mistrlst
sudden change.
Said Amos Morwen, after full three
minutes thought:
Then. | tell you, Hiiiyard. you've
got hold of a mars nest. The people
may be fools. but they're not con-
founded fools" The agents IAN
guage must be refined n little, for the
best Christians swore a good deal in
those days without feeling any the
worse, and perhaps without being any
the worse, for their habit blew of a
good deal of Miniature, and they
thought it no harm.
$50 you think. Morwen," said young
Hillyard, gravely. But if there's sue
a thing as a mares nest, there's also
such a thing as a stone wall. If I've
found one, take care you don't run
your head against the other"
''Oh, my heads pretty hard. ought
to knew Lockmead by this time-after
twenty years. Nobody knows the
place better than l."
.'Nobody-except One."
"He must be a sharp customer, that.
What's his name?"
Basil Hillyard."
"You, my lad? Why. | was agent
here when you weren't ten years old.
Come; you know your business best,
but / know mine. The bottle with
you"
The younger man obeyed. but added:
upon my soul. Morwen, it goes
against the grain to be drinking wine
like this. when every drop I waste on
myself would be life aud health to
some poor soul
'Oh, that's al right. I'll send you a
dozen for your patients-not this wine,
though; they like something thick. and
sweet and black, and strong. There's
only three men in the parish fit TO drink
this-you, / and the vicar; and he's
never here"
And all the better. We don't want
Greek, we want beef. Morwen, upon
my soul, / believe you ana L, and the
farmers and the miller. and maybe
two or three more, are the only people
in the parish who can remember what
beef, aye, or mutton, means And here
we sit and-gorge'
Hey, lad! IN you turned dema-
gogue? Tfat won't dor
81 don't know. But, it seems to me,
Morwen, that everybody's deaf and
blind-but me. It's all very well TO
say YOU know the people. You EN-