Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-12-22

The one thing needful to civilized man
the world over is n standard of content
ment; and this will apply to the large
army of yeomen who till the soil. The
fierce struggles of life have been wrought
in vain, whatsoever their fruits, if We
are TO be constantly in the ''want col
umn" with an ''aG'; and like Solomon
of old, with the wisdom of the world in
his head and its wealth at his feet,
must, after all, exclaim, vanity. vani-
ty, All is vanity"
No question but wealth, wisdom and
honor is trinity of deceit for which we
have all gone mad, and like the boy
chase for the rainbow we never get to
the place We seek. The great blessings
of life are health, freedom and justice,
and with these secure we have right to
look the world square in the face with
the serenity of lord and the calm of a
chief.
Honor TO the man who seeks to tighten
his toll; who earnestly and diligently
strives for home; who creates circle
of friends and kinsmen and makes them
part of his solicitude; who strives to
add to the total of human knowledge
who builds for fortune and for fame.
These are the indices of the higher life,
but are not a concomitant of bliss, nor
an index of might. Labor affords the
world its sweetest joys, while the "idler'S
bench has been voted the most crucial
punishment Home is that for which
man will strive years to acquire and
then abandon, perhaps in single day
Our kinsmen are only ordinary mortals,
equally as liable for heaven or the peni-
tentiary. knowledge is power, intel
lectuality an accomplishment, but no
one need be envious of the man who
discovered the properties of strychnia,
nor of the bOOkwOrm, whose self i'm
posed task is only equalled by the grovels
of the tishwOrm. | take off my hat to
both these worms. The one enlarges
the utility of the brain, the other the
fertility of the soil. But l do not envy
them their jobs. Wealth is golden.
HOnOrs are sweet But he who seeks
the applause of the multitudeS usually
gets two kicks for every kiss, while the
fabulous'y rich live lives of anxiety
hardly equalled by the torments of the
drunkard on his last spree.
But what The Tribune Farmer design
ed when it proposed contest of essay
lists was the opinion of the farmers them
selves as to their most pressing need,
There is but one answer-they need to
keep pace with their fellows in the march
of progress, sure to take gigantic strides
in the immediate future, and this they
will do as they have done in the past.
1t remains to be proved that they have
fallen behind in the race. 1t is not prov
ed by the strong tide now on of farmers
and farmers sons to the towns and cities.
That only shows the capacity of the
farm not only TO supply the basic princi-
pies of commerce and mechanism, but
TO supply also all other vocations with
the larges' proportion of their devotees.
1t is not proved by the reverses that oc-
casiOnally come; for recovery soon fol
lows the adjustment of economic con
ditionS and the helping hand of kind
Providence. The status of the farmer is
at all times secure. He holds the key to
the dOO~ of progress. Upon him all
corners and goerS depend. The destinies
of the world are at his beckOning and in
his presence the statesman, the poll
tician, the banker. the merchant, the
broker, the trust promoter, the railroad
king, the mighty and learned, bend the
knee. The occasional hue and cry about
the downtrodden farmer is largely the
foghOrn of distress of those i'll compe-
tition for his favors. He needs no act
of Congress, no relief from supposed
burdens; he needs no champion OF his
rights; he needs no special instructions;
he needs nothing but what he will get in
the natural order of things. For there
is nothing more certain than that what
is the farmers need is the other fellows
need, and, while he may occasionally
suffer temporary injustice, in the long
run his wants will come in first for con-
sideration.
But what are the steps of this coming
march? Here we embark on sea OF
speculation; yet enough is known to en-
able one to speak with degree of GER
tainty. First, the vast populations OF
the globe are going to take on higher
measure of civilization. Second, the
city aud town will continue TO enlarge.
Third, the demand for food and feed and
the raw materials for raiment will assume
still greater and greater proportions
Fourth, the farm will be equal to these
demands, as the individual farmer will
have more ingenuity and better facilities
as civilization progresses. The tenden-
cy of civilization is to tighten toll, cheap
en- the necessities of life and enhance the
price CT the luxury through the ingenui-
ties of the brain. 4 single illustrations:
A pound of butter must necessarily COM
mand such a price as will pay for the
labor requisite to its production. But
each pound must bear its relation to all
other pounds produced, so that the
ingenuity of the producers will aim to
produce it with less labor and thus
cheaper it's price; but the pound repre-
senting the most ingenuity will be a
luxury, as it must constantly go higher
in value.
Ii is perhaps idle to speculate as to
what these improved facilities will be,
what the trend of this increased ingenui-
ty. But the most important is the
breaking of the barriers of civilizations
progress, the more complete annihila-
tion of time and distance. The next
great stride will be in the direction OF
cheaper and more rapid transportation,
The farmer will yet have undreamed OF
machinery to tighten his toll and cheap
en- the cost of his productions, yet cheap
and rapid transportation is his coming
boon. The isthmian cd u, now assured,
and the interurban railways already un-
der construction are the forerunners OF
the coming dawn. Our inland rivers
and lakes must yer accommodate the
mighty monsters of the deep sea, and
the iron horse will yet do more valian,
service. The obstructive forces OF
nature-heat, cold, humidity and flood
will vet become mans obedient servants,
while the electric spark will be bridled
to do his bidding in inconceivable ways.
All this will inure to the benefit of the
miner, the manufacturer, the man OF
commerce as we'll as the agriculturalist,
but in no wise can it be possible that
other than the farmer will stand as the
chief beneficiary. For it is automatic
that we must all stand or fall together.
But why attempt to fathom the mys-
teries of the coming day? For let hap
pen what may, whether W.T. plough with
a crooked stick or five furrowed gang,
whether we reap with a sickle or the
coming electrical harvester, the laws OF
life will remain the same and those OF