The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-03-30
SARGE PLUNKETT.
Atlanta Constitution.

to prevent. Nothing on earth can
prevent some Of these people from
leaving the farms to try other pur-
suits, but we may prevent some il We
Will all go TO work striving on that
line. After family once lcavce the
farm and goes to these manufactures
1t l. too late to save them. Not one
| family in "A thousand that once breaks
up and leaves the farr are ever able
again to return. They grow poorer
III the worlds goods, while their ideas
OF HE grow larger. The children Of
such families grow to demand more
than Their capacities are able to sup
ply, and 50 grows discomfort among
them, but the last thing they would
ever think Of doing would be to re-
turn to The farm. 50 it is, and SO
the thing to do is to prevent if pos
siblo any Of these good people from
falling irto the trap TO accom-
plish th!s ne should all talk and feel
favorable to country life. The gilt
ter Of town life has fooled many q
good country family ard this idea of
doing better at the factories than on
the farm will fool many another. Not
one country family in hundred
| understands the blesscdncss Of coun
try life. Brown, behind his OK team,
| grits his teeth and is mad as the gen
tlcman in fine carriage dashcs past
him on the road, and he forgets every
good thing in connection with his lot
in life. He groans, his wife groans,
his children groan. Like ripple on
the water these groans widen and
spread till it seems that the whole
world is groaning. These groans prin-
cipally cmanate from dclusion, and
to cure that delusion should be the
aim aud desire Of all. After good
people quit the farms and try life at
these factories or in towns, then they
will know that they were deludcd in
leaving the country, but it is then too
late. The thing to do is to discover
the foolishncss of such course be
fore you break up and enter into it.
| wish | could gather the country
Families who are dissatisfied with
their lot and have them 90 into the
city with me and let me compare
things there with what | know to be
the conditions in the country. If
could do such thing my first act
would be to select i've hundred of the
best and highest priced mechanics of
the city and form them in line.
Then | woult elect FIVE hundred
countrymen, iJa the rich nor land
owners, but the best class of what are
known as tenants" / would form
thcsen five hundred countrymen in a
line alongside Of the five hundred me-
chanics and then l would take an in
ventory Of what each line has. You
would find that tho mechanics have
nothing on earth but their clothes and
household and kitchen furniture.
They live right up to their wages
month after month You will find in
1 the farmers line that every man of
them had some little stock, COW or
two, few hogs, meat in the smoke
house, corn in their cribs, and free
dom from anxiety that the town me-
chanic would give all his big wages to
possess. This is all true, but making
the average country "tenant" see and
believe it is another thing. The great
majoritysof them will have to try the
thing before they believe it, and that
is the sad thing in the matter. Once
go, and cit is hard to ever return.
Pride is lone reason for it being so
hard to ever get back and poverty is
the other.E The thought of what some
other opcople will think about your
failure will have its weight, and your
poverty will do the rest. So that it
may be said that once leave the farm
and you and yours are lost to agricul-
ture forever.
| The question of labor on the farms
is o. burning question of today, and
every family that leaves the country
but adds fuel to the flame.
Sarge plMnke.t.