The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-12-03
ONE THANKFUL FARMER.
From the New York SIM

| VINO is JnankIu lOr SOOu many DRESSINGS
that are his. Two years ago he was a
resident of New York city, working at his
trade, when suddenly he lost his position
and for three months prosecuted the weary
round of hunting Job where jobs were
scare and men were plenty. His savings
were dwindling and he was almost in de-
spair. Finally he concluded to take a
tramp through the country and see if he
could not find something to do. Being a
city man he knew nothing of farming, but
upon arriving near Reading, Pa, he found
fifteen-acr farm for sale at a price that he
thought he could pay. 1t was offered for
$500 and he bought it, paying 800 down
and giving mortgage for the remainder
at per cent. interest. This left him
money enough with which to get his fam
lily to him and buy few necessaries
The farm had a fairly good log house on
it, barn out of repair, and an apology for
| fences.
Being an educated man he was made
assessor almost at once and this brought
him a few dollars, but he went at farming
with desire to learn, and soon found it
much better than his old hand to mouth
existence He was determined to succeed
and made success of growing crops al
most at once His wife and children were
delighted with the change and went to
work in their new found freedom away from
the streets and noise of the city. Nearly
every acre of the little farm was put in
crops, potatoes, tobacco, corn, beans and
garden vegetables were planted and apple
tress and grape vines set out.
Now after two years he has bought
another COW and the farm is stocked with
horse, two COWS, a calf which he intends
to raise, four hogs, a flock of turkeys, a
lot of hens and pigeons and a flock Of ducks.
After harvest he had two stacks of grain,
and his barn packed full of hay, oats and
rye. In his cellar he has built two bins
to hold the thirty bushels Of potatoes he
will keep for his family and he will have
seventy bushels to sell He will sell 80
bushels of corn and have enough left for
his own use His oats he will feed to the
horse and the rye he will use for his stock
and for rye bread. In his corn field he
grew an acre of tunips and he has fine
lot of cabbage for kraut, which finds Il
ready market, and a supply of cabbage for
his own use He will butcher hog at
Thanksgiving, another at Christmas and
another after New Years. This will give
tha .h tf I,a
derloins and other scrappy pieces in max
ing sausage and scrapple and leave him
hams, shoulders and bacon for the year.
This may seem very erof-fact to
some persons, but this man thinks it better
than skurrying about the city, going to and
fro about the streets, leading precarious
life full Of want and bitterness and the
gloom Of dependence. There is work, to
be sure, but he does no more than is good
for him. This is the way he looks at it {:
II don work hard, am my own boss and
work i'll the barn or shed when it rains
| get up and go to bed when | please, my
family has plenty to eat and my children
are happy and well clothed They can
90 to school and to church and have good
company. They 90 to Sunday school pic
MICS and have other amusements, but their
greatest delight is in fixing up the place
and planting things. Their butter and
eggs sold to the country store brought
enough money to pay for all the sugar
salt, coffee, tea and other necessaries the
family needed. The girls raised young
chickens enough to pay for their shoes and
clothes. This winter they will sell twice
as much stuff and shall have enough to
pay 800 more on my debt, which will
leave me with 500 owing.
The dwelling house is well whitewashed.
Sunfowers and dahlias are blooming all
about the side yard The fences are de-
corated with late picked tomatoes ripenins
in the sun. Cucumbers are being dried
for the seed. \ dozen trays are in the
sun filled with sliced sweet apples dry
Ing for snitz, He has a litter of five
young yellow hounds which he will sell for
81 each, as they are of blooded stock.
He is raising stock SOW from which he
expects good litter in the early spring.
His doctor bill will not be So for the
entire year He has few debts at the
blacksmith 5 and at the saddler' $, but that
doesn worry him. In fact, has no worry
at all. He is in no danger of losing his
job. He is sober and steady, and is much
thought Of He treated friend who
visited him the other day to SQUAD on toast
for dinner, with baked tomatoes, Lima
beans, etc, all of his own raising. Good
rich cream was served with the coffee, and
he had small box of fairly good cigars
to hand down from the mantelpiece in the
kitchen.
Happiness in an honest, wholesome life.
What could be more delightful? There
are not many city people of whom it can
be said They have no worry at all. = If
they knew what they are missing they would
fly from the city and seek better, Il hap
pier and a more natural life If every
farmer and farmer son and daughter in
the land could know what they are losing
when they give up the farm for the city,
could know they are going from light and
liberty to darkness and bondage that is
often more dreadful than anything the like
of which they ever dreamed; could remem-
Der that for every notable success there is
in the city there are ninety nine failures,
they would hesitate long before making
the change.
Here is a quotation from this farmer
that reads like, an idyl of the golden age
1t speaks Of content that comes from
satisfied soul, of happiness that reached
deep down into the heart and fills and
rounds out life until it becomes ideal, leav
ing nothing to be wished for He says
Farming such as | do is not difficult to
learn. My family likes it. No, I would
not move out of here l am sunburned
and my hands are tougher and rougher,
but that is all right. We are happy and
getting along. [ would not think of liv-
ing in the city again. [ don't need to-
| Oat a dailv panar from tho ctora o,a-.-