The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-08-17
AGRICULTURAL.
The Make Up of the New England
Farmer.

from line of ancestry noted for the
most part for their energy, thrift, in.
telligence, patience, and perseverance.
Other nationalities like the Scotch
have more or less Of these Characters
tics, and wherever you find people
thus characterized, you will find pros
perity, and high degree of civiliza-
ton. Thus New England is one of
the most civilized communities on the
earth. Live in Vermont thirty or
forty years and then go outside of
New England west or south and you
will find wide differences; usually
there will be less of culture and thrift.
Of course there are many spots one
can find where the people are of New
England stock and are the equals of
the jewellers in the old home, but TAX
ing the whole country through, man
finds characteristics in that little cor
ner Of the land that he does not find
elsewhere.
The farmers have many of them had
a hard time, what success they have
attained has been wrested from soil
which western farmer would despise
and turn his back upon. Hence he
had to have the power for hard work,
and the ability to turn off great deal
of work and yet do it well. But man
should not go too far in hard work.
Many a man and very many women
have died long before their time, just
because of overwork. And it is very
doubtful if their work was worth their
lives. They had thousand times bet
ter have worked less and lived longer.
1t is the greatest folly for people to kill
themselves by overwork when there is
no call for it, when they are only work
ing to get little more of this worlds
property. Then on the other hand,
there are many people who for the
lack.of little energy and push and
hard work are poor, some very poor,
lacking even the comforts of life.
But the New England farmer is gen.
erallyiof working kind. He has got
a home by sticking to his work, he
sticks to job till it is done. And then
he knows the value of a dollar His
money comes hard, and he is not care
less with it. But here as in work there
ere two extremes. A person may be
too saving for his own good, or he may
too liberal. 1t is the right path we
want, to walk in. Lots of people are
ready enough to spend money on them
selves, for. tobacco or some similar folly,
when.they are very saving if others of
their own families need anything. Far
mers need to watch themselves as to
this. Some men have got into such a
habit of saving that they are not will
ing their wives and children should
have things which they very much
need and ought to have. Many man
has thus saved and boarded up money
and property to leave to his chill
dren, hurting them both by refusing
them, Education and other needed things
when. they were young, and by leaving
them a. fortune which they had no
training to care for and soon lost. Bet
ter far to give children advantages
when they are young, teach them to
use. money, give them as good an edu-
cation as they can be afforded, and
leave them less when you die.
One characteristic of these farmers
is their quick adaptation to new condi-
tions. Take the silo. Go south and
you will not find in many parts of the
south single silo, will not find man
wholhas.even seen one. The northern
farmer has changed and kept up with
the times and is fairly prosperous. The
southern farmer has fallen back behind
and has no prosperity. The western
farmer has run ahead of the times and
he has been a sorry being for years,
but now prosperity has struck him hard
in many parts, and he is getting on to
his feet once more. 1t is not we'll to
be too fast or too slow in going on with
the times. Better not to get ahead of
them nor fall behind, but keep right
along 80 as to be there on time. 1t
takes good judgment to know how to
do this, but the northern farmer has
that as part of his inheritance. His
fathers knew when to leave Old Eng
land and when to cut free from her,
and the modern Yankee farmer has
been blessed with wisdom to do great
many things at the right time.
Strength OF body, soundness of mind,
ability to work, careful management,
and wise adaptation to existing condi-
tons, these are some of the parts of the
makeup of the New England farmer.
Mrs. Brown-"I see in the paper
L.