Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-09-20
The Craze to Live In Town.

The Craze to Live in Town.
THE RESULT, IN THE MAIN, OF REST
LEssNEss AND INDoLENCE-A FEW
PICTURES DRAWN FROM LIFE.
On one of the back streets of coun
try town is vacant lot. This lot il
unimproved, covered with brush anC
stumps. Hard at work upon this lot
chopping and grubbing, is man about
forty years old. j ask him if he has
bought the lot, and he informs ME that
he has not bought it, but has rented il
for garden. He pays dollar and gets
all he can raise there this season. He
says he cannot afford to buy potatoes
and other vegetables, they come so high
can conceive no harder task than grub.
bing and clearing this lot, and the sad.
dest part of the task must lie in the fact
that he is not clearing 1t for himself, but
for another. This man owns small,
cheaply constructed house on a small lot
in the worst part of the village. Four
years ago this same person owned sixty
acres of good land, mostly improved,
with good buildings and a fair orchard.
lie had his own fuel, water handy and
fine land for gardening. To-day he buys
his fuel. carries water forty rods and
pays tribute for the privilege OF clear
ing another mans lot. One year in a
grocery store, one year in a restaurant,
one year working out and this year
picking around getting living any old
way he can. But he and his wife want
ed to come to town. They wanted to be
where they could see something, and
they wanted less work. Well, they are
in town now, they can see something
the back end of livery stable and two
saloons, pile of old boxes and barrels
and the front of an old blacksmith shop.
Their children play in the streets and
their neighbors' pigs and chickens play
in the back yard. This man was worth
$4,000 and out of debt four years ago;
to-day | would not give $500 for all he
has.
Last night drove by his former resi-
dence, a handsome, comfortable farm
home, with schoolhouse and neighbors
near by. In my mind compared this
mans surroundings as they were with
the same as they are now, and l wished
| could show them upon canvas to some
of my friends who read The Tribune
Farmer Surely some of them would be
made to appreciate the advantages of
country home.
Every night about five o'clock l meet
or see passing and going toward the
og hair
hired men. In wagons, in buggies, up
on wheels, and on foot, all in a mad
haste to get to town. Who does their
chores, who cares for their stock l do
not know; but there they go, and l
wonder what they find to compensate
them for leaving the farm at this hour
of the day. But from ) to there is a
general rush for the village. Twilight
is the pleasantest part of the day in the
country. The early evening, the cool,
delightful atmosphere, the beautiful
sunset, the content, the peace, the rest.
And vet hundreds of farmers, their wives
and children miss it all, and for what?
For an hour in the throng, for a few
minutes idle gossip, for glass of beer
or an evenings carousal.
And consider the loss. Calves, pigs,
cows and horses half cared for or even
neglected; money lost, odds and ends OF
work put off and many an important job
left uncompleted. Money foolishly and
hastily spent, bad companions an
nexed and bad habits formed. Could
a merchant do a successful business that
way? Does the business man desert his
place of business during the most i'm
portant hour of the day? | know man
who makes it a rule never to go to town
in the evening except upon important
business or 10 some promising and speci-
fed entertainment. A good sermon, a
good lecture, concert or theatrical
entertainment will occasionally call this
man and his family TO town in the even
ing; but the occasions are rare when he
is not at home as dark comes on. This
man reads and studies; his place is in
good repair and his livestock shows
good care. He and his family are well
dressed, the table is supplied with good
food, the library contains good books,
and all have time to read, and really do
read the best farm journals. Now, who
is likely to be green" this man and his
children or some of these people we see
night after night standing around the
streets of our villages?
The farmer needs an office. Let that
office be at home. Let him make the
evening his office hours. Let the chill
dren learn business habits. Let these
habits be learned at home. Such boys
and girls will not be half so green when
they 90 out into the world as those who
stand yelling around a pool table or
trapesing up and down the streets OF
country town.
The evening hours are the pleasantest
hours of country life. The evening
hours are the most profitable part OF the
day to the real farmer. The gadding
habit once started makes us dissatisfied
with the farm, and it is easy for me to
recall instance after instance OF those
who have become dissatisfied, made
great sacrifices and moved TO town, who
are now total failures, living from hand
to mouth upon the back streets of little
one-horse villages. These people want,
ed to be sin it," where they could ''see
somebody" and where they would not
shave to work so hard" One such
man Is WOTkiuS uPou tuo Se.00sS W 49,,
shovelling dirt, and as | look at him
wonder why it was so much harder to
work for himself than it is to work un'
der boss.
Fashions change. Even now people OF
the better class are looking for country
homes. Let the change go on. AS these
dissatisfied, restless and lazy people
leave the country class of better
brighter, and more intelligent people
from the city will come to take theil
places, and then, oh! how the country
will boom and how some of our poor
disappointed old neighbors will long tc
get back to the beautiful homes they
are now abandoning!-Cor. in Tribune
Farmer.
NT