Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1908-07-16

cAtCn kllfnpseh OF suu-tytu women
standing motionless and pathetic in
front OF sod shacks on the wide and
featurcless desert. themselves the
only living things within sight; and
IL does not require very lively inn
agination to picture the loneliness of
such women. How many women are
there in more favored regions who
are scarcely less lonely at times when
the daily round goes on and on and
on without a ray OF social sunshine
Husbands are seldom unkind, but they
are too often careless and unthinking.
Let all good men see to IL that their
wives have frequent opportunity to
engage in little social diversion.
Perhaps children born OF these
''sad-eyed women" INHERIT a desire
for change which may, in a measure.
account for their leaving the farm.
IN spite of their continually holding
up the mirror OF optimism the real
truth will be occasionally reflected In
the columns OF the Farm Journal.
The problem of hired help worries the
editor considerable and here is one
of his best attempts at solving 1t.
This is taken from the issue of De-
cember. 1906:
In their desperation farmers nova
days are often compelled In the sea-
sons of stress to hire tramps off the
road. and in addition To getting in this
way inefficient help. they often take
into their homes thieves who rob them
and decamp at the first opportunity.
This Is such a common occurrence
that scarcely day passes without
record I'm the daily papers OF farm
robbery, either of clothing and valu-
ables or team. We believe the
most efficient remedy for this unde-
sirable condition OF affairs, is a re-
turn To the old and reliable system of
tenantry. Let every farmer provide
"A cheerful, neat and well-situated
dwelling surrounded by yard and gar
den. in which he may install de-
cent. industrious man with "A family,
the larger the better. IL they are the
right sort. and sufficient help both in
the fields and for the women folks
may he reasonably assured. A mar
rird man is much more stable than a
single one, and III he is further than
single one. and IL he Ia further
anchored In "A cozy. cheerful home,
with the privileges of "A COW and
chickens, and the occasional use OF
horse. and the liberty To take his
children to school i'm bad weather. he
is likely tn remain on year after year
and prove a satisfaction To himself
and To his employer.
This is the problem solved" \
return To the system of tonantry. A
decent. Industrious man with
family, the larger the better, the
privilege" OF a COW and chickens and
the liberty" To take his children IN
school in bad weather. But even this
seems not to have solved the problem
correctly as evidenced by the follow
ing from the last issue of Farm
Journal. July, 1905:
The efforts of the Bureau OF lmmi-
grafton of the United States Depart
ment of Commerce and Labor, to aid
farmers i'm securing help, are bearing
fruit. In many sections we learn OF
the engagement of Poles, Italians
Hungarians and other peoples OF Con-
tinrntal Europe as farm laborers. A
large proportion of these immigrants
is drawn from the agricultural dis
tricts of their own country, where
they worked for very low wages. and
where their opportunities for getting
ahead were very slight. AS a rule,
these immigrants, moved doubtless by
recollections of conditions at home.
shun farm labor and seek employ
ment in industrial and mining dis
tricts, and IL has been practically inn
possible heretofore To turn this immi-
grafton farmward. Now, however,
owing doubtless in part TO the indus
trial depression, and in part to the
efforts of the Bureau of Labor. to
which we have already referred, Il
fairly satisfactory class of farm labor
Is being secured.
This. then, is the bold peasantry'
which Is to he their country's pride.
This is the beautiful country life that
people wonder that the boys and girls
will leave-a life so laborious and dis
agreeable that the lowest class Of
European emigrants can hardly be in
duced to accept IL. And these are the
kind OF husks that are fed to the far
mers by the papers to which they
look for help and advice. We have
read the Farm Journal for a number
OF years and we have never yet known
the editor to propose a remedy for the
troubles of the farmer that was not
reactionary and out OF line with social
progress. And the same might be
said OF all the other farm papers with
which we are acquainted with the ex-
ceptlon of the Equity Farm Journal
of Chicago. There is a vast field OF
usefulness for any farm paper that
will interpret events in the light Of the
Socialist philosophy. The farmer.
especially the western farmer. knows
there is something wrong with our
present method OF production and ex-
change and is ready TO listen to any
one who can explain where the wrong
lies. Nicely worded poetry. (written
In city offices) no longer satisfies the
farmer or his sad-eyed wife. They
are wondering why IL is that life
means 10 them nothing but a con-
tinual struggle year after year with
their anticipated pleasures continually
IC.nslnnaH m. IBaun fol