The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-09-29
BETTERING FARM LIFE.
Should Not be Called all Work and
Drudgery-Farmers Should
Make Homes Comfortable
and Pleasant.

and dTudge7y. That is where many
Of US make a great mistake. There
should be some time for relaxation
and enjoyment. The farm home
should be the freest, happiest place
on earth. 1t should not be q mere
house to live in. It should be a place
OF culture and refinement-a place
for books and pictures, and music and
even art.
You say it takes money to have all
these things. Yes, it takes some
money, but not necessarily a grea.
deal. Books are cheap in this won
derful age of printing. A bound VOL
ume Of classical literature may be
had for ten cents. Mechanically it
IS not much Of book, and it is not
copyrighted, TO be sure, but the great
thoughts of the author are there lust
the same. And some of the best copy
right books are sold for rs cents in
special editions, or in paper covers.
A good magazine can be bought
for ten cents. I have lately seen 8
good one selling for even five cents,
or at fifty cents year by subscrip-
ton. am not speaking OF that SEN
sational trash, which is flooding the
rural districts, but of genuine liter
ary magazine. Beautiful pictures may
also be had at little cost, if one finds
out how TO get them.
Any industrious farmer may have a
parlor organ, if not piano. At least
he may have good standard phono-
graph-a good one, mind you-which
will reproduce even the finest operas,
in a very pleasing and creditable way.
The phonograph is a much abused
instrument, bit a good one has much
in it after all
No, it is not so much money as it
is good taste that is required to fur
nish a satisfactory farm home. The
home is what its owners make it
either ugly or beautiful. I once read
of a beautiful home made by woman
of true culture. She had little money,
but much good taste and inventive
genius. She t'!rned common goods
boxes into luxurious sofas, and draped
the windows with cheap but beauti-
full stuffs, and she hung pretty pic
tures on the walls, surrounded by
neat ru5t:c frames, obtained in various
inexper SIC ways. I need not tell
all of the numerous mats and rugs
made by her deft hands, and the ar
tistic way in which little paint had
been applied on the floor and win
dows and doors. There was more
genuine taste and enjoyment in that
little home than in many pretentious
mansions, whose owners had grown
opulent in money but not in culture.
Then there is the environment Of
the home that tells so much for those
who occupy ia beautiful lawn, dot
ted with flowers, and some ancient
oaks. How many farmers when they
build the home cut away all the ma
tive forest trees and leave the house
standing in the broiling sun? "Van-
dals and barbarians!' one is tempt
ed TO exclaim. 1t would be right tc
do so, verify believe.
Only day or two ago I was told
how a grand old home, with its an
cestral oaks, was sold, and dropped
into the hands of one of these van
daIs, who cut down the trees for fire
wood-destroyed at one fell swoop
what he could not replace in CEN
tury.
And their is the social life of their
young people which is not enough re-
garded by farmers. Too often they
even place themselves in antagonism
to social meetings instead Of sympa-
thizing with them and directing them
in proper channels. This opposition
fosters rebellion and leads to alli
ance with evil society or else to the
suppressing OF noble impulses which
arrests the development Of character.