Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-11-11
COUNTRY LIFE.

Letter from an Indiana Farmland to
President Roosevelt.
An Indiana farmland has written 3 let
ter to President Roosevelt about the work
which the country life commission 10 car
rying on. The President has turned the
letter over to the country life commission,
and the commission has asked the farm
hand to write some more.
II have been farmland just long
enough" says the Presidents correspon-
dent, ito learn the cause OF 80 many sons
and daughters and we'll meaning, reliable
farmhands leaving the beautiful farm and
country and going to the city. A lack Of
order and system on the farm and too long
hours for day is what is driving the best
minds from the farm to the city and shop.
"What can we expect Of hand, or the
farmers wife and her posterity, in the
way Of intellectual development, whom
they get out Of their beds at $50 in the
morning and work from that time until 8
or p. M, and no attention paid to the
sanitary conditions OF the home, and nec-
essary conveniences ON the farm for doing
the farm work with the least labor and
timef"
This man has given the country life
commission some very interesting FIRST
hand information about rural conditions,
and recommendation based ON Z long ex-
perience in farm work and farm life. &c
has worked for all kinds Of farmers, good
and bad, he Gays, and no has always had
his eyes open to detect the causes Of their
success or failure. He has drawn his own
conclusions and ssts them forth in DOWN.
right, straightforward fashion.
Education pays in farming" hs says.
"Ths farmer who plans out his work and
crrries 1t through in systematic, business
like manner, just ~ the city man does,
will be able to shorten the hours Of labor.
So many farmers measure everything on
the farm from the standpoint Of muscle,
and are extreme in some things and slack
in others. decided several years ago that
life is to short to work for Peter Tumble
down farmers.
"Compel the farmer to be Q business
man. Go into the homes of the farmers
and the so-called farmers and ascertain
how they live, and their methods Of doing
the business in which they are engaged,
and you will be surprised what variety
you will find. Ascertain what they read,
and what stress they put on the literature
that comes into their homes III any
comes) bearing on the business they are
engaged in. See what per cent. study
their business.
"Give me the educated farmer as Q boss
and the educated farmland as q hand.
When come in contact with hand or
farmer that studies his business find
him advancing, and it is pleasure to
work for such men.
1.-THE majority of the farmers are eight
hour men, that is, eight hours in the fore
noon and eight in the afternoon. Eight or
ten hours on the farm cannot well be
adapted in all cases, but it need not be
from fourteen to sixteen hours. II the
! family arise every morning at 5 o'clock
and the wife and daughters attend to the
household duties, and the farm hands and
sons attend to the chores and go to the
field at o'clock and work until II or II 80,
and go to the field again at and keep at
it until o'clock, and 60 to the house and
eat the supper and then do the even
ing chores, they have done farm days
work. Regular hours for work, and regu-
lar hours for meals, and regular hours for
rest and recreation, with plenty Of stan
| dard papers and books, including the best
agricultural papers and books, and full
faith in God, and good grub is wanted.
1.-THE family should rise at O'Clock on
Sunday morning as we'll as on week days
and do the necessary Sunday chores, and
then go to church and show the business
man in the city that Sunday on the farm
does not consist in changing the stock
from one field to another, or sailing it, or
unloading load of hay that was brought
in on Saturday evening.
''Coming to the meals at the meal hour
| makes it easy on the wife so she can ar
range her household duties in order, as
can also the husband his farm work. Men
of worth and standing in the shop and
city tell me that if order and system were
| used on the farm they would go back to
the farm. If the farmer wants to keep his
sons and daughters on the farm he must
not lengthen the hours for days work at
! both ends. Limit the hours of work on
| the farm to twelve or thirteen, with pay
for overtime and freedom to the hired
man on Sunday"
The country life commission welcomes
letters like this, because, as Professor L.
H. Bailey, chairman of the commission,
recently pointed out, one Of the objects of
the investigations of the commission will
be to obtain, as fully as possible, the
opinions of both farmers and of their
hands concerning the question of farm
labor and the condition of hired help. 1t
is likely that when the country life COM
mission reaches Indiana in the tour of the