The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-09
NOT SO BAD AS PAINTED.

The southern FARMER ordinarily fares
badly at the hands OF a lecturer or a
peripatetic journalist We have be- !:
fore us an extract from a paper read
at a late congress" held in a Texas
city. It contrasts the home OF the
northern farmer with that of the south !
ern. There are no log cabins now in
the north. but all IS comfort and neat
ness-perhaps. But here is the lugu-
brious and solemn picture Of the south
ern farmer, and his life is sorrowful
indeed among his barren and repulsive
surroundings:
Take the average home. a house
which offers shelter neither from the
heat of the sun nor the fury of h
storm, barren IN its equipment, want
ing in most Of those things which make
I'D ordinary comfort; the life OF its in
mates a daily grind of drudgery, firing
ed with no gaiety and unrelleved by
hours of thoughtful repose; u~nceasing
labor varies only in its form, and care
and misfortune press upon the heels of
each other with such rapid tread that
the symbols of deep anxiety are rarely
missing from the conscious brow on its
pathway from the cradle to the grave"
If a southern man wrote that he
ought to travel, to apologize n then
quit the use of his pencil. II he was
describing the average home" in Tex
as, then that great state is to be pitied.
and the farmers should pull up and
make for green fields and pastures
new" but we have not quoted 1t cor
rectly. For fields put the right word.
That there are in the south thousands of
poor average homes is true. That the
conditions by this time should be bet
ter than they are is equally true. But
the above account is exaggerating and
misleading. In the and
elsewhere there are many homes that
are not pleasant to look at. and where
suualor and poverty abide. But then
there are tens of thousands of farmers
homes that are cheerful and comfort
able and hospitable.
The Baltimore Herald, in which we
find the extract above given, says of
the unreasonable description that never
improves:
Climatic conditions may reduce the
energies of the southern farmer, in a
measure, but wonderful natural pro-
d~uctiVenesS more than makes up for
the deficiency. The average country
home in the south is comfortable, nor
is the daily life of it's inmate one of
grinding toll. Almost every southern
farmhouse section has it's churches and
schools, and it's pleasant social gather
ings in summer and in winter. Nature
supplies an abundance of fruits and
vegetables and flowers.
I'm all the country there are to be
found no happier people than the south
ern farmers and their families.
While we recognize the utter wanto Of
attractiveness, of comfort or taste, of
human interest in many homes, and we
nave seen many such, there are Sec
tons, some covering entire counties,
in which no such homes as we mention
or as are mentioned by the speaker in
the Texas meeting. "a be seen. Let
us illustrate. You may take a buggy
and starting from Windsor in BERTHE
county. in this state, you may travel
through that county n next through
Northampton and through upper Hall
fax and through Warren, and thence
through Vance, Granville, Person, Cas-
we'll, Rockingham and even farther,
ana IN all InaC rlQe you Will HOI meet
with any such home as is mentioned as
characteristic by the Texas speaker.
You will find comfortable and often
fine and elegant homes all that distance
indicated. We select that trip through
the nine counties named because we
were forty years ago familiar with the
conditions. and know whereof we af-
firm. We may Mention another inter-
esting fact-you may travel h whole
distance and be entertained in the mic
est, most refined homes without the
cost of a cent to you. Upon leaving
each morning you YOU be urged to
be sure and stay with hosts whenever
you travelled that way again. Hospi-
tally literally abounded between 1914
and 1865. 1t may be so now, and we
hope it is so. We might have chosen
another trip with as satisfactory re-
suits probably. Edgecombe, Wilson,
Franklin, Wake, Orange, Alamance,
Guilford and Forsyth might have met
all demands to complete the picture of
comfort, happiness, good living, nice
homes and Astounding North Carolina
hospitality. We know some of them
would have lone so. In some of the
counties the best farmers have gener-
ally much success.