Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-30
The CITY Man in the Country.

[Emerson Hough in Forest and
Streaml
/ remember once seeing in a New
York magazine, purporting to cater 10
the interests of sportsmen, statement
which caused me to blush with shame
for my fellow man. The article IN
question was written by a sportsman
of the unmistakable city type. he
was making a trip out into the country,
perhaps an infrequent thing for him to
do. In the course Of his travels he saw
a farmer in the field. Most Americans
would be content to call farmer a
farmer This young man thought best
to refer to the farmer as a ''yokei.
He had no doubt seen the word thus
descriptively applied to some members
of the lower classes in England. Per-
haps he saw the word in the dictionary.
Perhaps he felt himself bit of an aris-
tocrat in using this particular appel
lation. 1t was many years ago that I
saw this. but to this day l do not for
get it. There was such an air of SUI
periority about the article that felt
myself blush even today when bring
this thing to mind. When an Ameri-
can gets too good for America, and
when q city man gets too good FOR the
American people, l blush for him, and
it is not altogether SO much blush OF
pity as it is of anger.
Just Why man who lives In the city
ought to think himself in any wise SUI
perior to one who lives in the country,
is something could never understand.
Yet l know there are certain persons
who call themselves sportsmen, who
rather feel that they honor 1t with
their presence. I am very sure that.
We're the country jewellers of this land
to go into the city and take the liberties
with the private property of city
dweiler, which certain Objectionable
members of the latter class time and
again take with the farmers. there
would be immediate resentment shown,
and not without cause. AS matter
of fact, when we city shooters or fishers
go out into the country and begin to-
wander across the fields and along the
streams. we are simply taking for
granted the courtesy and tolerance of
the men who own the land over which
we pass The farmer of America is,
for the most, by instinct, gentleman.
He has the American sentiment in his
soul which makes for freedom and
equality. He does not want to be
stingy or selfish. He does not want to
shut any man, city man or country man
out of the enjoyment of such pleasures
as his place can afford. At the same
time all these privileges are his own
by right. 1t is tolerance on his part,
and not necessity which moves him
to permit the crossing of his fields and
the tramping of his meadows. The
city man has no right of his own on
the lands of this "yokel" as the caddish
correspondent above quoted had it in
his story. Just why man who owns
broad. acres and who is independent
and sure of a living should not be just
as good as some little sprig from the
city, who, perhaps, makes $40 or $50
a week, and fails to make both ends
meet at the end of the year. is some
thing which / myself could never un-
derstand.
This unconscious arrogation of SUI
periority on the part of the city man
is something wrong. 1t is not that
feeling of fellowship which ought to
exist between man and man. 1t feebly
attempts to set up those class distinc-
tons which ought not to exist in this
country or any other. Moreover, 1T
makes toward the destruction of sport.
The city man who is a man at heart,
who can carry his own end of the log
anywhere in life, is pretty sure to meet
good reception wherever he goes in
the country. In any case, he is apt tol
get more than his just deserts Not as
a method of getting sport. but simply
for the right of the thing and simply for
the perpetual rebuke of any such per-
sons as may write of "yokels" in Amer
ica bespeak the meeting of city man
and country man upon the simple plane
of manhood, as man to man. with the
dwelling place left out. We all have
to work here in this world, and our time
is short enough at best. 1t was great
saying, that of BERTHE the Lamb, who
described his fellow men at the club
Every fellow at the club said BERTHE,
thinks he is a devil of a fellow. But
he isn't" Indeed, none of us is devil
of fellow. We are all just folks
The Triumph of Hash.