Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-07-09

be remarked that the cream does
not come fresh from the COW. it
takes work to get that even after
the milking is done.
His strawberries don't come fresh
picked, nicely washed and delicious
ly cool out of the patch Maudie or
someone else has to look after that
His eggs from the COOP" sounds
nice too, but there is nothing said
about the measly hens that scratch
up the garden, that have to be fed,
and for whom It is necessary to
whitewash their bedroom make the
coop, provided the nests, and who in
return always provide the most eggs
when that fruit is the cheapest, and
bring forth a brood of young fluT
balls pretty to look upon, but which
have to be dried out at the kitchen
stove everytime It rains, and be doc
tored for the pips, protected from
varmints and locked Up for nights
when a son of Ham is in the vicin-
ity; for Ham and eggs naturally go
together and SO do the descendents
of Ham, and chickens.
But the vegetables from the gar
den is where sentiment gets in it's
work. Fresh, crisp lettuce, tender
radishes, fragrant onions, succulent
corn, golden pumpkins, gregarious
peas, esthetic beans, dainty aspara-
gus, rogulsh-eyed potatoes. Sounds
nice don't It. How about hoeing and
digging and pulling weeds, and
picking bugs and MASKING worms
and doubling your back up like a
pocket rule, while you pick tn
fruit of your toll, or wear your
fingers to the quick grabbing" for
new potatoes. The farmer is
prince, OF course he is. And he does
princely work. When he turns his
back up to the sun and wins from
the stubborn soil his sustenance, and
ours, he does for humanity more
than all the kings and princes, and
captains" of industries that ever
lived or ever will.
He tolls harder than ever did
helot beneath the lash
Of Spartan master. His hands get
hardened but his heart don't. His
back gets bent and his shoulders
stopped, but his conscience is cl ar
and he sleeps the sleep of the just,
because he has paid the price for the
privilege In honest toll, and generous
sweat. And his wife, God bless herl
shares his toll and his labors, ana
keeps her thoughts clean and her
heart pure. They live close to ma
ture and are fresh and pure and
sweet and wholesome. And we of
he cities enjoy the fruit of their
.oil and give no thanks. We eat of
heir bounty and ridicule their man>
lers and their clothes and offer
prizes for those who can most sue
hold them up to ridicule
upon the nations holiday, And poke
'un at them because they are natural
md honest, and are not ashamed OF
{. And we jeer at their greenness
md unsophisticated ways. And
sall them "Rubes" and "Hayseeds."
And the .callow and unthinking |
youth in the cities will make re-
marks about the farmers wives and |
daughters clothes. And the news
paper jokesmiths rack their think |
anks for ribald jests and alleged |
Wit to amuse the thoughtless crowd.
And all the time they are unworthy |
% touch the hem of the garments |
If those whom they ridicule; their |
generous masters whose bounty |
eeds them. The farmer is not a
prince. not now, but he should be,
Ind the time is coming when he will
,e. He is awak sning to his power,
md things will be different when he
Isserts 1t. The rejected stone shall
'et become the head of the corner.