The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-27

heard OF his exploit T,cidentally they.
wouid De pleased to learn from him why
he had decided upon life of starvation
and drudgery; how he. intended to edu-
cate his children; what he intended to
DO with his his wife who had always lived
rational life and was used to association
with refined and intelligent people, and
whether he would ever dare to make his
appearance among his cold friends after
he had had the ear marks of bucolic hab-
| its and surroundings imposed upon him.
What the newspapers t4nan's reply to
those Inquiries was is not recorded; but
he lived himself to stellfiin a published
book some years after how he rescued
MS wife and little ones from life of
comparative perjury insai big city. and
had become man Of Independent life
and habit. He had proceeded diligently
to till his few acres of ground, not max
ing much of hand of it at the BEGUN ,ng
He had become the possessor of fat
bottomed boat, and some fishing tackle
with the aid of which he was able to sup
70
ply certain retail fish stores in the big
cities with absolutely fresh fish, and he
had given uncommon attentions to the
capture of Holsters and crabs and the
minor crustacea He had learned some
| thing of the habits of that industrious
biped, the American ken He had become
something, but not much, Of a market
gardener. He had lived in the open air,
and, most valued of all his possessions, he
| professed to regard the disposition which
he had thereby, acquired, of taking sym.
pathetic and hopeful view of every i'm
aginable problem which presented itself
to him in household economy He died
later on fairly WELT o-do man, which
he would probably never have been had
ne remained in the editorial departm ent
of a newspaper or devoted himself strict
ly to literary pursuits, although there is
something of a suspicion among the pe--
simists. of his old calling that the rev.
enues derived from his book. telling what
was really fairy tale about how he
succeeded accounted for all of the
worlds goods which he possessed at the,
time of his death. 5e
Back to the soil is 5again the cry. 1t
Is heard, at least in athe magazines and
Sunday editions of the. great dailiese In
Worlds Work recently il has been
demonstrated beyond an thought of diff
ference of opinion that~a farm anywhere
within a reasonable raditis of city ard
in touch with railroad communication,
and in extent anywhere from twenty to
fifty acres, will provideshny reasonably
Industrious man with a Saeed living and
social independence. More important
even than all this the writer has shown
that the owners of such farms in the
Eastern states are m0stlyamen who came
upon them to escapc0 the grind of city
life, had but small fnoney capital and
still smaller capital iii the way of work.
ing experience, and who regard them
selves as being in every case more
or less valuable property saved from the
wreck and ruin of city life.
AS most of our joys in this life are in
anticipation, there certainly can be no
harm in those of us whp have no earthly
chance of ever going to live on a farm
of our own, fondly imagining that we
Will do so in the. not Tar distant future.
1t would be best for most of us, as well
as for those around us if we could cease
to toll and nloil in the big city and go
cut to work for ourselves in the open, as
He who made us designed that most Of
us should do in. pursuit of our need of
true happiness.