Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-03-18


" different standard for the social
and spiritual life in farming commun-
tires in order that farm life may be-
come attractive, as well as remuner-
alive, and that the young men and
women who are hereafter fed into the
NAV of the great commercial world
shall be equipped, mentally and so
cially, to compete with the young
people who have been reared under
the influences of the city.
The day of the old-fashioned farm
er type is past, and the book
farmer is recognized as a business
mercial and political factor, and it is
as true that the day of the old-fash-
toned ''drudge of wife, at the farm
er's home should be ended. The av-
erage convention of, farmers now con-
tains large percentage OF college
bred men, former school teachers, re-
tired merchants, few retired law
erage farming community contains
many women whose attachments
would admit of their mingling with
the best of society in the city-wom-
en- who are competent to take hold of
social and religious work intelligently
and successfully In any community,
and yet-the spirit of commercialism
has been so dominant upon the farm,
as elsewhere, that the average farm
ment of the finer things of life
sentiment, the music, the art, the
love for literature the little social
amenities that would fill the lives of
these very same people were these
very same people were they within
easy access to the circles where
custom demand certain observances
and establishes certain habits of
thought and conduct.
And yet, where could one more
nearly attain to spiritual and physical
perfection than in Gods great beau
tiful country, where the air is pure,
sweetened with the perfume of the
fresh turned soil or the flower of the
crop, where the study of the science
of life is from leaves forever opening
at some new picture the midst of
production.
To the drudge of the farm home,
even to the old type of farmer, all
this meant nothing. Farm life stay
ing where one had been planted to
work out the problems of every day
existance- mostly because one was
untitled for anything elsa mere
getting through one day and the
preparation for another just as long,
just as wearing, and just as mono
tonous.
A favorable season meant good
crops and a few titles of added COM
fort and pleasure. An unfavorable
year meant a little more scrimping
on the part Of the wife and mother,
a little more hard work and worry
for the farmer, and less educational
opportunity for the boy and girl-the
cutting out of frilIs. Altogether the
old rule of the three Rs was quite
sufficient provided the ''readin' ritin'
and rithmetic" were accompanied by
sufficient clothing and food to make
life possible.
But, today, the farmer is a thinker,
as well as worker; a scientist and ex-
perimenter more than the follower
after customs now obsolete; the man
ager rather than the drudge. Not
that the farm is free from drudgery,
but that drudgery is lessened by the
application or methods that have
established farming upon speciality
basis-as a business proposition as
accurately to be measured as any
other line of human endeaver. The
farmer no longer goes at his work
''haphazard." He knows why he gets
results or failures, and he knows-or
should know-how he made or lost
upon his crops or stock. He knows
what he is worth in dollars and cents,
and is able to plan with a reasonable
degree of certainty the future of his
farm and his family.
Continued next~week.
DEEDS. NOT WORDS