The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1900-02-22
"Social side of Life"

feclared tnat tney Woulu JusO ulViue
The house between them, and when
Biddy asked which side he would take
Thin" emphatically replied, he
would take 'the inside" Now, 1T
1t seems to me that farm life has got
ten divided a little after the Irish
fashion. Flowing, sowing, reaping,
seeding feeding, buying sell
ing-in short, the greedy, inhuman
work has taken the inside, while so.
ciety and Biddy are together. For
in fact 1t strikes me the social side OF
farm life is the outside; and this not
withstanding the fact that we should
hunt in vain anywhere, everywhere
for more sociably.inclined people
than are farmer folk. You might
guess this by the way they shake
hands.
The farmer knows better how to
shake hands thar any other man 10
the world-unless it be once in while
a politician and that's a temporary
shake-but the farmer shakes hands
oftener, he shakes longer, and he
shakes more warmly than any other ;
and no one can give more royal
whole-souled welcome to an expected
or unexpected guest, than can just
the typical American farmer people
whether you find them among the
hills of Hooking, or on the western
prairie. l think the immortal Rob
bic Burnes, had he been visiting
some of Hocking's hillside homes
would have left behind, the same to-
ken of appreciation, with which he
rewarded his Scottish.host, when he
wrote, I'm Heaven itself, I'll ask nc
more, Than just a highland wei
Gomez" but where, how and how Of
ten is this social nature exercised OF
gratifed? Well, / think. in a very
spasmodic, unsatisfactory, feast anc
famine-like wav.
Perchance, farmer wants to buy
some cattle, sheep, hogs or something
and is going to interview another
farmer on the subject. Now if his
wife have the bump of sociability
sufficnitly developed to be always on
the lookout for chance to 60 som,
place (some Of US have) she may
see in this her chance, and may
go long for visit, but If sht
be known among her neighbors and
friends as a good fermer's wife, th'
chance are sixteen to one, she will
consider herself too busy to go, ever
If invited by her good husband.
Then, once in while he, by some
thing like a sublime effort, farme
family will board the express-no
the "lightning"-and actually 60 OF
visit pure and simple-go to spent
day with more distant neighbor
and If SO. this is to be "red letter
day for, perhaps months to come, ii
the home of both visitor and visited
and, indeed, such visits are rar(
enough, that when they do occur, il
usually happens that the visited, ar
the sisters, or the cousins, or the
auuts, Of the visitors-and it's all il
the family after all. Then there!
the occasional, inevitable surpris,
party which seldom surprises, ant
which tells the world around, how
nearly some one has reached the toI
of life's hill or, IL he be going dowr
the western slope when, for time
the surroundings Of some farm hous'
take on the aspect of camp meeting
when big baskets emerge from bug
gies, and cakes from the baskets; ten
twenty or thirty Of them-to supply
a capacity, for which three or fou
would be gospel measure; and pies
chickens, ETC., ditto. No wonder tht
next weeks county paper record
how "the table groaned." Now, the
spirit of the surprise party is admi
rable, and the hospitality full ant
free, and would not be understood
as finding fault with it-but there
are barriers in the way which prevent
it's affort':ng the real social enjoy
ment desirable. First, it is made uT
of all sizes and ages, the young folk,
do not enjoy them selves quite 81
we'll as they might, because, under
the gaze Of so many older folks-the
older ones, like wise-then too, the
numbers TO be served, and the serv
ing OF them at three or four success
sive tables, consumes so much time,
that there is comparatively little op
portunity tor real social intercourse
By the time the last table has dined
tho guests are preparing for the
home.going. Then comes the gather.
ing up time, which again interferes
with the social element altogether we
go home with somewhat uusatisfied
feeling--a feeling Of having seen
very.body, and nobody. We have