The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-12-29

l. AS rule, country life is happier God
made the country, men made the towns.
God knew how to make the happieSt
home for his intelligent creatures. The
larger part OF the poverty and wickedneSS
of the world is found in cities Most OF
Gods severe judgments sent upon pco-
pie for their wickedness, have fallen on
the cities OF the word. The country is
freer from temptations to vice. .dleness
and crime. In farm life, you breathe
purer air, drink healthier water: and are
freed from the strain and worry and un-
certainty of a business or professional
life. The contemplative mind can feast
on the beauties of nature and Look
through nature up to natre's Cod l be
ieve the happiest people of the world
are the moral, Industrious, contented
denizens of the country.
2. Farming IS more remunerative than
ever before. By wise farming, cultivatIng
less land, and making it rich farmers
can easily make all their home supplies,
and have a surplus for market. Every
thing they make is ready sale, at a fair
price. Corn, wheat, beef, pork, chickens,
eggs, butter, vegetables, cotton. tobacco,
all command good prices. The reason
for improved prices is plain. Thousands
OF people have quit the farms and have
or work in factories. All these have
stopped being producers, but are still
consumers. They have to be fed from
the farms. They have to buy all they
live on. The towns are growing rapidly,
and IN proportion to their growth, the
demand for farm products viii Increase.
In proportion to the amount of labor
a farmer does he gets better pay than
people in almost any other work. To
succeed in business, a man must stick
to it every work day in the year, from
daylight till ten O'Clock at night. A
farmer works hard four or five months
III the year, during crop time. The re
mainder Of the year he is not pressed
with work. He always has something to
do, but he can take his time for it. He
can find time to rest and take recreation.
farmer said to me recently: II we
were to work as constantly as business
men do, we could soon make little for
tune
8. Better roads. No country Will ever
prosper without good roads. Our country
roads have been dreadfully bad, so much
so, that they have made property un-
desirable, and life unpleasant. But one
OF the favorable signs of the times is, a
great awakening on the subject of better
roads. Far-seelng business men realize
that they are an absolute necessity, and
that they will pay a handsome return
for all the money invested in their con
struction. Good roads can only he had
by taxation. Many people strongly OBJ
ject to being taxed for this purpose. But
when they see the good roads, md travel
over them, they praise instead Of con
dcmn the new road laws.
There are so many miles Of public
roads in each county, that it viii take
considerable time TO get them ali in
good condition. But the good work has
commenced. and Will be pushed forward
This means a great deal for the advant-
age and comfort of country life. With
good roads a farmer can save from one
to three dollars On every load of farm
produce he carries to market
Northern man bought q small tract
OF land near one of our growing towns
and built a beautiful house, and made
an excellent farm. a neighbor said to
him: why don't more OF your people
come and settle among US as you h1ve?''
The answer was Make good roads
and they will Better roads are being
made, and better farms and homes Will
follow.
4. Rural delivery will be another great
blessing to country life. Heretofore
many country people have been at a great
disadvantage as to mail facilities. They
have been locked up in comparative ig
norance OF what was going on in The out
side world. Many only had mail once
d week, and often the post office was
five or six miles from them. Now Ecarly
ali on public roads have daily mail pu1
right at their gates. Many farmo"s are
now taking daily papers. More periodi
Gals of all kinds are being taken, ant
mo- of hoi, ton
means an increase of intelligence and hap
piness to the rural population. An in
crease OF general intelligence, will greatl,
increase financial prosperity and pro
mote mental, and social happiness. |
VIII lift people to a higher ana noble
plan of living.
). Better public schools In the past
public schools have been just littl
better than no schools. They continuet
from two to three months in lhe year
Some children learned to read and write
Many forgot what little they learned
and began each year w-lerc they begal
the year before. They were Sc defective
that parents felt but little interest il
them They Were in the way Of sub
scription schools Now public .chool
have been greatly improved. Ir man
places they have been consolidated an
made equal to the graded schools of IN
towns. All public schools are continues
four months. and many OF them lCnge
by a local tax, or by subscription.
In many districts people are oppose
to the consolidation of schools sirlpl
because it throws the school too far fror
the outer circle of the new districts
Many children. especially small children
cannot go far. 1t deprives them en-
tlrely Of school benefits.
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in North Carolina growing up in ignol