Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1902-06-12
FARMERAND PLANTER
ECONOMY ON THE FARM.


/ want to say in the first place that
the Bible says: Thou shalt work
six days and rest on the seventh
How many farmers are there that are
keeping this command? We have
plenty of men who call themselves
farmers that lose from one-third to
one-half of their time during the
year. About all they do in the win
ter is getting up wood and keeping
fires, and they don't seem to think
there is anything to be done on the
farm until spring opens up, and then
they will begin to butcher and
scratch the ground with their plows
and half prepare and plant and the
result is sorry crops. Then they be-
gin to cry out hard times and say
there is no money in farming. They
don't seem to realize the fact that
they did but little work to make the
crop and that a big part of their
time was lost. And then they pull
out to some cotton mill and when
they get there they r under a boss
that sees that they put in full time.
Then they say they car make a liv-
ing at the factory and couldn't make
one on the farm; still they don't
think about the time they lost on
the farm.
/ want to say for the benefit of my
brother farmers that there is money
OF the farm; if not, who is feeding
all the people in the great cities and
all the people who are not farming?
When the farmer prospers all other
business prospers. / say farming is
the foundation of most all business
When we make big crops the rail-
roads have heavy freights, merchants
have big sales, and all business -four
ishes.
We farmers are always looking for
prosperity; that is all right, but too
many of US look in the wrong direc-
ton. Too many look to legislation
to bring it about. The man who loses
his time and depends upon certain
laws will die in poverty.
I have been farming rs years and
I have never seen the time that l had
nothing to do; never can do all J
want to do. / a almost always find
jobs for wet days, sharpening plows.
mending harness, putting handles in
hoes and plenty of other jobs that
can be done on wet days. The man
who puts in six days a week is bound
to have plenty and something to
spare. 1t is eat, eat all the time,
and it must be work, work all the
time. The idle mans head is the
devils workshop. Idleness leads to
crime, robbery and murder and other
crimes. We can go to the p%eniten-
tiary and take the murder cases and
trace their characters and see If the
majority of the cases were hard
working men. Trace the thief and
other crimes and see if they were
Woodworking men. "Thou shalt earn
thy bread by the sweat of thy brow"
Whom did our Saviour choose to be
His followers when He vas on earth?
Did He choose a tramp or an idle
head? No, He choose Woodworking
men who had some occupation.
Some people seem to think that If
they make a scanty living they are
doing well. That is a low standard.
We should make something to givs to
good causes. If we do our duty we
will work as If we expected to live
always and live as II we expected ~
die tomorrow.
A few words On economy. Take
care of what you make; don't waste
in feeding. Have a place to take care
of everything you make; look after
your plows and tools and don't let
them lie in the fields and rust and
get lost.
What did Christ teach in His great
parable when He fed the multitude
on a few loaves and fishes? He taught
economy. He said take up the frag-
ments. 1 could say a great deal more
on this line, but / fear | will take up
too m1,ch cnace g p