The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-26
IF A FARM BoY ONLY THOEGHTr
A Rural Philosopher Tells OF the lndepen-
dent Farnler'a llNNd Luck.


dent Farmers Good Luck.
CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS Pa. July ga
stub-and-twist chunk Of lad was plough
ing In field across the creek. The sun was
clustering hot,
The rural philosopher. lean. with his
trousers in his boots and his chip hat turned
up behind, sat on the fence in the shade Of
a maple tree, his clay pipe in his mouth,
watching the boy. A soiourner In the
French Creek country leaned against the
fence near by, also looking at the plough
boy Presently he said. referring TO the
ploughing:
That must be hot and tiresome work
Yes" said the rural philosopher "but
that boy doesn't know it, They're all
alike, for that matter"
Who are all alike?" asked the visitor
Farm hands," was the reply. And
it's n good thing for the farmer, too, that
they are all alike"
The philosopher watched the plou9hboy
as he jerked the heavy plough around at the
end of the furrow, and as he started hack
across the field to make another one.
ats good thing, I tell YOU, he resumed
when the boy was again well on his way.
ITS a good thing for the independent
farmer that his hired help has never got
into the habit Of stopping 10 think
All" calculated the visitor. How is
that"
How il that?" replied the rural phi
losopher, knocking the ashes out his pipe.
"It's something like this.
Take that boy, for instance. He'll
answer for EN- all. He left farmer that
he was working for last week because the
farmer required him to walk five miles TO
do an GRAND for him. The hoy said he
wouldn't work for any man that expected
him to do work that tire a horse out.
$50 he came over here to work for the
man that owns this farm Now, then.
Look at this
He went TO work ploughing in that field
if the harness holds out and the plough
doesn't break, he'll have close to an acre
and a half Of ground turned over. Yes;
Just about for he is cutting a nine-inch
furrow slice.
well, now he is working along like a
machine. and just as like as not 10 wondering
how any man could ever be 80 hard on a
boy as to expect him to walk five miles
TO do an errand on a hot summer day,
Now, suppose he should by some sudden
inspiration look back over the area of
ground he has ploughed and should stop
he got to counting these burrows and then
70 pacing out the length Of EN-. What
would he learn.
why, sir, he'd learn that each one of
those burrows was 21O feet long, and that
before he got his days work done he would
have to go back and forth across that field
4eO times. When that fact had worked
rs in nsa
be moved to pick up a. fiat stone and do
little ciphering on it-admitting, for the
sake Of the argument that he knows how
to cipher. Then, what would he find'
ale would see set before him, in figures
that wouldn't lie, the rather astounding
fact that in slouching along after that
| plough across the field those 42o times he
would walk about as near to sixteen and
one-haf miles as multiplication and divi-
sion can figure II out, with the sun cutting
into him for all it was worth Just like II
s now, TO say nothing of the wear and tear
on his lungs bowling at the horses, as you
/ hear him now, and the not altogether mod
crate exercise he gets incidentally by yank-
ing that plough around $40 separate and
dis inct times.
Now, then. II he should by any miracle.
| be led to unravN the mystery Of a real
honest days ploughing such as that, do
| YOU suppose that when he quit work at
as n cricket, put up and care for his horses,
milk half dozen COWS, and do a lot of other
chores about the barn and house all for
S. month and board, and 20 to bed feeling
thankful that he had such a nice. easy
! place, and wasn't working for a man who
| expected him 10 walk five miles in the
blazing sun? Do YOU suppose he would?
Not much he wouldn't! Not much!
Consequently, ! say that it is good
! thing for the independent farmer that
his hired help haven't fallen into the habit
Of stopping to think. If they had. their
number would have to be doubled, and
wages would 60 to ms much a. 81 month,
as sure AZ cggs a-hachin!
"ts funny that some on" doesn't give
the hired help a hint or two, amt it? I'm
sure that boy yonder would be thankful,
now, for little figuring on his case
The rural philosopher took off his hat
and famed himself with il, and ooked az
if he was sorry for the ploughboy Ky and
by the soourncr said TO him
why don't YOU quietly Civ" him thr tip
on il YOURSELF"
The rural philosopher put his hat on and
went to filling his pipe ont Of blue paper
of obacco.
We'll, said he, "to be consistent, Ican't.
I'm the independent farmer that bog is
working for "