Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1901-09-13
FAILURE ON FARM AND IN CITY
and Persistent Labor Are Great
est On the Farm.

The person who is inclined to take
"a pessimstic view of farming on ac-
count Of the number of failures in
that line should not give city life and
occupations undue credit. The world
in general measures farm life by its
failures and city life by the few iso-
lated cases of success. There is no
single occupation followed by man
where there are so few utter failures
as in farming. The fact that a man
without ability to make a living in
any other way can make it by farm
ing is certainly no discredit to the
farm. In every community we see
such farmers. The great mass of
chronic renters are that sort of men.
They lack in education or natural
ability for business life, and possess
ing the physical strength for follow
ing the pillow they earn living from
the soil by the sweat of their brow,
and il Industrious live in plenty too.
To find the hell of poverty we must
visit the ,city. You will never find it
in the country. The, farm-poor are
aristocrats compared with the poor of
the city slums. 1t is rare, indeed, that
O farm family suffers for want of
food or shelter; so rare that many of
us who have always lived on the farm
never have recollection of single
case in our neighborhood. Even with
my acquaintance in the little country
towns about me can not say as much
of the city. On the farm misfortune
may overtake man and leave him
stranded-we have all seen such cases
but he does not stay down. In n few
seasons we see him on his feet with
plenty to eat and wear. A man once
down in the city, and the misery, the
temptation and the very air about
him add TO his burdens of despond.
ency and stifle all ambition or hope
in him, and he sinks, dragging down
with him his dependent ones.
/ The great mass of the inhabitants
OF the city are merely making liveli-
hoor. Their salaries are made to NEE,
their daily needs-but little, IL any
more. For every man who has money
invested in business of his own there
area score working for or under him
The one is the representative OF the
city man. The successful farmer does
not represent the former class in the
public mind. Speak of the city mar
and we picture fine house with al
modern luXuries and improvements
social privileges, operas, travels
pleasure resorts, etc. Speak of {
farmer and we have quite another
idea. We see a man roughly clad, e.
uncouth dress and manners, toilina
from early morning until night. w,
see him living on coarse fare. seeing
little of life but work, and knowing
little else in life but the continued
grind OF ceaselcss labor-a veritabl,
IMAM with the hoe" How wide of tn,
mark is this of the Representative,
farmer? AS wide as our other pctur,
is of the representative city man..
There seems to be some change O.
public opinion in our favor of late
but we will be forced to stand thi
condition of things for some time t.
come. There are few of us who hav,
not felt the Jingle OF righteous indig
nation at the hands OF those ''just
farmer" people. But il we will paus,
and reflect for moment we will fine
we can laugh and let it pass for wha
it is worth. We can well be PROUD
of being "just farmer" il we ma,
aspire to that homer. NJ $50
Honest and persistent labor will
body and mind insures success on tn,
farm. We can not hope to succee,
without directing labor intelligently
A farmer should enjoy luxuries an,
leisure for himself and family, an,
does. A farmer, however poor, ma,
feel that his is an occupation wherein
there is as many opportunities TO
success as any occupation followe,
by man. And there Is this he Shout,
always bear in mind: The profession
is never oyercrowded, and soluble
stroying competition will not crow,
him down.-Jim L.Irwin, in Farm an,
F'ireside.