The Republican journal., 1897-05-20
Country Life and Work.

about, he filings off screed about country
life and manners that is usually remark
able for it's lack of truth and the ignorance
of the author. Much that is said by this
class of writer's is for the sake of sound
and its effect upon their readers.
Probably, no writer of fact or fiction
really believes that such conditions of ig-
norance and vice really exist in our coun-
try life as have been portrayed by re-
cent writer. Wishing to make his writ
ings as entertaining as possible, he has,
like many others, drawn upon his i'm
agination to such an extent that the re-
sultant picture has all the crudities of
falsehood.
These things might we'll be overlooked,
or regarded simply as entertaining tic-
ton, if it were not for the fact that they
nave a bad influence upon the public in
general and especially on the boys and
girls of the country.
Whatever the future conditions or policy
of our country may be in matters of a
political or educational nature, the stabili
ty of the government and the purity of
our national life must depend largely
upon the intelligence and social purity of
our country homes. Whatever tends to
detract from the influence of our home
life, tends, also, to detract from the
strength, purity and patriotism of our
| nOIJtin c a
should be careful and not allow our boys
and girls to mbibe false ideas of life
either in city or country. 1t is an old
and very true saying that the mind Of
youth takes any impression brought to
bear upon it. If, then, some penny a
liner presents false ideas of life in an en-
tertaining manner, it is almost inevitable
that some young minds will be wrongly
affected by the writer's work.
The mature mind of intelligent man
hood can weigh these things in the scale
of sound judgment and not be misled by
them, but the mind of youth not yet fully
matured can not bring to bear upon the
question the knowledge gained by years of
experience and study in the school of life
Were the bad features of city life-its
poverty, ignorance, degradation and
crime-as constantly held before the
young as are these same things in the
country, there would then be little danger
OF wrong impressions and false ideas of
life. But when the worst features of
country life, made doubly bad by mag
ination, are put before the world as the
normal condition, and the reader left to
infer by contrast that the better life of
good city people is the natural result of
city living, much harm may be done
Such of us as have learned a little of
the ways of the world, know that human
nature is much the same whether found
in city or country town. The intelligence
and virtue of the world is not confined 10
either city or country, but is very evenly
distributed among the whole people,
There is some sensitiveness among
all people, and most men dislike to have
their failings held up to ridicue before
AIIo NtiIp. CNCu liiONSu llt result De 1t
benefit to themselves. Sensitiveness is ali
well enough, but it should not be carried
too much to extremes. When msrepre-
sented before the world, men and COM
munities can generally afford to wait I'M
til the truth is learned-which it is apt to
be sooner or later. 1t is not the fact that
the average country resident is more sen
sitive over his sins than his city brother
that calls out such strong protests when
falsely written up, but the fact that the
influence arising from such writings is
harmful to the country and the home
There has always been a feeling in the
world that manual labor was something
to be got away from when possible. The
desire to get living without work has
the past and will ruin thousands more in
the years to come.
The education of youth should be so
shaped that they will realize the truth of
the fact that the object of study is not to
enable them to live without labor, but to
fit them to intelligently perform some
honest work in the world as true men and
women.
Everything that holds the workers of
the world up to ridicule-even though it
be done without malice-is force draw
ing the young away from labor. When
Divine Wisdom cursed the earth, He did
it for mans good-that man by the hon
est work of brain aud hand might go up
higher in civilization and power.
The stability of nation is in her ag-
) riculture. We can not afford to allow our
future citizens to get wrong ideas of
country life and labor. That it is possible
to improve our farm life no one will deny
that there is as much need of improvement
in city life, is also we'll known to be a
fact. Hence, let each help the other and
let the illusions of ignorance pass for
what they are worth ENoCH G. Dow.
Monroe, Me.
| The Ideal SchooIhOuse.