Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1905-07-12
ODE Farmer
Has Troubles

gained in experience that will make
him better rebel against the inhu-
man conditions under which he
works.
But the farmer, debt and NOR e
ridden, dare not lose a minute. He
lives in the sunshine, and among the
flowers and under the blue sky, but
he never sees them he don't have
time. When man is engaged in a
pitched battle he cannot enjoy the
surrounding scenery however grand
and inspiring it may be. IL he drops
his work and goes away for couple
of months he finds when he returns
that he has lost something beside
his time. 1t is like a good many
other sure thing games where you
have to keep putting up or lose what
you have already put in. So he
keeps plodding along. Once in a
while, perhaps, he does straighten
his back and lean on his hoe or plow
and take a longing look up at the
mountains. The canyons look so
cool and inviting, and he VOWS that
Jme day he will have an outing up
there. If he lives near the Yellow
stote park, once in a life time he
does go through wonderland. But
he don't take time to see it. He
rushes through in a frenzied way all
the time worrying lest something
goes wrong on the ranch while he
is away. The water is liable to be
shut off and his hay will burn, or
the COW will get in the alfalfa and
bloat, or the snow or frost will come
before he gets his grain cut, or he
is going to have hen confined and
no one there to look after the
little chickens, so he keeps the team
on the run and is glad when the trip
is over. Would never have gone
anyway only he had been promising
the women folks ever since we To-
Gated here away back in 'S7 Once
in awhile he and his wife go to a
dance or social. They get there
about ten o'clock at night all tagged
out with the days work, enjoy
themselves" until about three in the
morning drive home in time for the
wife to get breakfast and he to do
the milking and vow to each other
dozen times that day they will
never go to another. So the most
of the time the farmer just stays at
home.
And what is his homer Mind you
| am talking of the average farmer,
yes, the big majority. / have worked
on farms in most of the western
and mountain states and | say that
the average farmer does not get so
much enjoyment of the mere crea-
ture comforts of life as the horse
that pulls his plow.
The farmer is at work from one to
three hours before his horse, and at
night he is working long after the
horse has finished his oats and is
munching his hay. The farmer
works from early morning till late
at night and often on Sunday while
he is letting his horses rest. His
wife is doomed to life of lonsome-
ness and finally brings on case of
chronic discomfort which is inherited
by the children. AS soon. or before
the children are old enough they are
put at work that is so hard and
steady as to become distasteful to
them, and that with the inherited
discomfort and longing for other
scenes drives them away from the
farm and to the cities. The average
farmer does not have good and suf-
ficient underclothing to protect him
from the winters cold. Not one
farm house in twenty has bath tub
and the average farmer does not
take three good baths from October
until May. Go to work for one of
them and when night comes and you
want to wash your feet, ask If he has
a foot tub and the chances are two TO