Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-02-14
The Farmers Rich Reward.
WHAT HE MAY WIN WITH HONESTY AND
INDUSTRY.

the farmers children, for instance, IL
my township have all these educationa
advantages, with no cost whatever fol
tuition, books or anything. The school
tax rate on land and farm animals
horses, mules and cows only-is five
mills. In our high school we have a
four years. course of eight months a
year. Here are stores, shops, tele-
phones, trolleys, and, as said, numer-
Gus railroads, giving us good markets
for things we sell and keen competitive
sellers of things we buy. We have good
roads as the common run" of roads,
and the best neighbors in the world.
This would seem, as 1t is, good place
to live, farm and raise fine families OF
sturdy country boys and girls.
have said that here you can buy good
improved farms at from $50 an acre, for
larger tracts, and 500 an acre for small.
er places, of thirty-five to sixty acres.
Not to isolate specific farms for the
illumination of my point, may say a
100.acre farm is bought here for $1,000.
Three thousand or four thousand dollars
can be borrowed on such farm at D per
cent annual interest. One thousand to
two thousand dollars will be needed for
animal aud implement equipment. This
will make an investment of, say, $1,000,
only half of which the farmer need
possess in actual money, making it very
easy for man who has small capital
to embark in farming.
There are, of course, expenses OF
property maintenance; fire insurance
not at all heavy expense in our local
mutual companies. Then there are coun-
ty and township school and road taxes.
1t is unnecessary almost to say that
the man on this farm is getting his and
his family's living and his home. He
has his horses, wagons, and carriages,
for business and pleas ure, and II he Is
Industrious, economical and manager,
and has helping wife, he usually lives
well, dresses well, enjoys reasonable
leisure, lives life of social advantages
and makes little money. Now, this
same man often complains that he does
not make enough money, and am sure
heartily wish he could make more, and
by all rights of national equity he prob
ably should make more.
But let this man compare his estate
and his progress toward prosperity with
his city brother, who has similar in
vestment. This farmer is in business
for himself, with a chance to develop
MS business according to his own notions
aud within his personal and financial
limitations. His family is we'll provided
for, and his house is we'll ordered. He
comes and goes of his own volition. II
he exerts himself to succeed he advances,
and il he is ambitious he becomes a man
of affairs in his modest environment,
commensurate with his worth and intelli-
gence. Now, it must be remembered he
has done this on an initial money invest
ment of $4,000 or $4,000. Essentially he
must be honest, industrious, faithful
and decent. Suppose this man-this
identical man, generally crude and but
modestly educated, casts his lot or has
had his lot cast in the city, and has
81, 900 or $1,000 what business invest
meut can he make that is safe, and in
which be is master, faithful and decent
and work out living and small yearly
saving? Can he take recreative holidays,
ride with his own team and be an essen
tial part in his community as man Of
affairs?
am making no special plea for these
local descendants Of Atlas, who think
the world rests on their particular
shoulders, but do know the civic value
of responsible citizen, who feels that
he is bound by the public and social
duties that devovs upon him, and who
grows to stronger, patriotic manhood by
the public burdens he carries, even when
the burdens are very light.
Should this countryman complain that
his race for riches is very slow one, he
who is doing so much more for himself
and community than simply getting rich?
He may complain that he may work aud
manage all his life aud die with only a
modest accumulation of money. We
must remember, even II he forgets, that
his investment, If he has paid his land
debt, is 5000 or $4,000. Aud he has
lived. Many man of his class has not
lived 80 well, has worked as hard or
harder, has not raised his family so
safely and capably, and has only lived,
and dying has left only small hole in
his community and no money. This
farmers living has been the wage for
his work, his accumulstions have been
the surplus interest on his investment -
the surplus beyond the cost OF his hav-
ing lived and grown better than his
equally financed brother of the town.
This farmer, instead of having bought
the farm, could not have invested bis
IS, 900 at 8 per cent and worked as an
ordinary wage Garner with some other
man or corporation as bis master and
lived as we'll, on the average, and in the
end had az much for his family in money
and non-appraisable collateral life.value
as he had on the farm.
Credit me with not having said or
meant that this farmer map, who has
put much in should not take more out.
| would, If it would do US any good, be-
speak much more for him. know such
farmers who started with less and wound
up with much more. l know many who
started with more and have ended with
less. There is always q personal equa-
ton to consider in the final estimate OF
individual cases.
MY thought in this article is to defend
tha integrity of farming as business or
occupation and the farmer as citizen
whom the country is coming more aud
more to need, and whose environment
shall educate and develop up to the
needs that are growing for him. Granti
ing that his financial rewards, he being
the basic citizen, and the most impor-
tant, should be greater, would ask that
he be not unmindful of the harvest be
gets from rather modest sowing.-W.
F. McSparran, FuIniss, Penn., In Trib'
une Farmer.