Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1900-12-14
ARE FARMERS DISCONNECTED :?

We have been told so MANY times
that some of Us have come to think
1t is fact that farmers are the most
discontented and uneasy people in
the world, all the time finding fault
with their condition, and ready at a
moments notice to abandon the
farm and throw everything 10 the
wind. Is this fact? Are the farm
ers or this country, as class, more
sui jet to the disease of discomfort
tha1 are men engaged i'll other lines
OF business2 A study of human ma
ture, running over a period of a
good many years. has convinced me
that there are always some men in
any given profession who think
'helr lot not so filled with happiness
as 1t might be if they were otherwise
employed. There are physicians
who would be happier, so they
think, if they could practise law,
aud lawyers who would rather deal
out pills and listen TO the complaints
OF humanity. Some carpenters
have tender feeling for the farm,
and some merchants are ever dream
ing CT time when they may retire
to the quiet of the country. Inow
have IN mind dentist who has been
more than ordinarily successful in
his profession, but who seems never
so happy as when talking about the
day when he means to say goodby
to the forceps and find a peaceful
old age among the rocks and birds
and flowers of the country. In fact.
the pasture over the fence seems to
some men the. sweetest of any in
the world. 1t may be the good Lord
has put this longing for different
surroundings into our hearts for the
purpose of showing us how really
unsatisfactory this old world Of ours
is i'll and of itself, and how absolute
ly incompetent it is to make us
happy. But am going to make
what believe 10 be an incontro-
vertible statement, and that is that
if we could have All accurate can
vass of all classes of men in all the
world, it would be found that there
are more really happy and content
ed people upon the farms of Amer
lea, according to tie population,
than would appear in any other
calling. The most of the farmers
| know of are reasonably satisfied
with their lot. True, not all of
them are getting rich very fast;
many of them are far from wealthy,
and always will be so. Some of
them live in quite humble homes
and dress plainly. But they feel
sure that, all things considered, they
are as comfortable and just as happy
as they would be anywhere else.
Once in a while farmer boy feels
something within his heart push
ing him, not away from the farm.
but toward some other calling.
From the,ranks of these youth have
come, our :Lincolns, our Grants, our
Blains and our Whittiers. 1t does
not follow that all boys born upon
the farm should become farmers.
The stick which will make a good
OK bow would make very poor axe
helve. The boys, destiny depends
upon the bent. God gave him in the
beginning But to say that as a
rule the farmers Of our country are
universally possessed with a desire
to do something else is very wide
of the truth. Form of government,
nature Of the laws enacted, meth
ods of taxation and general princi-
pies of men who do public business
have much to do with The happiness
of the people. A stern and un-
compromising government, shown
arbitrary laws, unjust taxes and a