Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1911-01-12
On the Farmer

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shaving Of notes, and having taken
his place at the crest of society in
consequence Of the few thousands of
dollars held tight within his grasp,
halted at the house Of Limuel Jucklin
and inquired of the old man II he de-
sired to sell a red steer that was
walking about a small Enclosure as II
he owned the place.
Get down." called out Jucklin,
come in and we'll talk 1t over"
The colonel dismounted from his
old nag, came forward and seated him.
self ON hide-bottomed chair in the
hallway that ran between the two Sec
tons Of the old log house. Limuel re-
Bumed his seat in an Andrew Jackson
rocker made Of hickory saplings.
well, how are things out your way?"
he asked of his visitor.
The colonel, loosening red wooden
scarf from about his Adam 's.appled
throat, remarked that everything was
at standstill, as the farmers must
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they could do anything. II was just
thinking as l came along" said he,
that the farmers Is the hardest life
Of all. I've heard good deal of talk
ever since ! can remember about the
freedom Of the country, but l haven't
found it. They tell me that my life
has been success, but don't know"
Il think do know" the chicken
fighter replied.
The colonel, expecting a compli-
ment, smiled upon him and said,
''Yes?"
"Yes, l think l do know. It has
been about as near failure as any
mans life could be-"
why, Jucklin, what do you mean ?"
Il mean that when a man at your
time Of life regrets havin' lived his
life, he is failure. That's what /
mean. You are lamentin' on behalf
of the farmer, but you don't represent
him. He lives close to nature, but
your struggle has been to get away
from 1t. You are fence-corner spec
ulator."
Everybody grants you the privilege
Of saying what you please, so go
ahead"
Much obliged. Now, let us look at
him for moment. The farmer ranges
nearly over all the landscape of life.
In him all of the emotions of human
nature are embodied. His world is
his neighborhood, and every communi-
ty contains every shade of the human
mind, undeveloped but there in the
rough, you might say. Children and
old people love the country"
Yes, but about that red steer"
"All right. Wen get to him pretty
soon. The man who has worked on a
farm all his life has Just as many
pleasures to look back upon as the
city merchant. The farmer may in
his time have bought the gold brick,
but maybe the merchant has been
taken in by bigger swindle. And
along toward the end they both have
somethin' to think about. And that
Is about all there is to life-somethin'
to think about At very early age
we begin to live in the past. The
farmer has his past closer about him
than other men have. They have
seen the same seasons pass over the
same endeared fields" -
THAT is very true" the colonel ad.
mitted. 'Now, what will you take for
that steer? I'm in something of a
hurry"
"All right. / don't know Of a finer
steer anywhere than that one. But
just wait moment. Let's go at the
farmer little closer. In a small way
the successful farmer Is a statesman.
Experience is his guide, and we are
told that all wisdom dates back to ex-
.perlence. It is true that he does not
handle as much money as the banker,
nor does he handle as much bread as
the baker, but the baker can eat only
certain amount; and the money that
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relieve a real want of nature-ain't
dom his soul any particular good.
The doctrine Of contentment is an old
one, but a better one was never
preached. And the farmer ought to
be the very model Of contentment. He
would be II he stopped to think. Men
that set the world afire die in the
flames. Greatness at least acl1nowl-
edges its weakness. In this there is a
valuable lesson. It should teach us to
be contented. We all ought to ask our
selves this vital question: What is
success? It amt noise. for silence
must follow, and silence can last
longer than sound. There never was
a storm as long as the calm. They
that find happiness in buster win find
misery in quietude."
"Your lecture IL very good, said the
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