Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-12-26
The Poor Farmer.

| Inc fOOr FARMER.
There are many kinds of farmers
from the prosperous king of the soil, re
joicing in constantly increasing com
potency, to the poor apology of mar
who solemnly and with dubious shak'
of the head declares that farming don''
pay"
am not alluding to the occasiona
cumstances have obliged to struggle will
fate in losing game at life. There are
some such, l admit, and they have al
the sympathy and respect that is theil
just due. But for the incompetent who
are disgrace to their more enterprising
neighbors, there is only this advice
Don't put on a long face and say you
are discouraged. II you are not toe
lazy, you will always try again.; and
"This is the new worlds gospel, BE ye
men.
Advice is of little worth, for although
the constant dropping of water may
wear away stones, it has also been foun
that it is very wearing upon the water as
we'll; and although the idlers in life's
fields carry home small sheaves, 1t never
seems to be a concern Of moment to
them.
Very few of us in these civilized and
withsl charitable days are like the old
lady who could see no advantage in
being saved unless someone else was lost,
and il is extremely annoying to the
painstaking gardener to be obliged to
see his neighbours crops 60 to ruin be-
cause he is too shiftless to attend to
them properly.
have in mind small plot of ground,
BY courtesy called garden. Its owner
is farmer of middle age, with large
family of children who are known for
several miles around as a unit OF COM
parison for rudeness and idleness. The
wife is coarse and slstternly. They are
living proofs that the farm does not pay.
But of the garden-it was late-planted,
on poorly-prepared but naturally good
soil, and an abundant crop of weeds
promptly put in their appearance.
These were allowed TO grow until the
plants could scarcely be seen, then this
model husbandman, instead of having
the idle children pull them out (which |
will admit would be hard task for all
concerned), took a discouragingly dull
hoe and chilled up" the poor little po-
tatoes, corn, beans and cucumbers, and
in fact everything; covering the weeds
and nearly burying the frail plants, but
allowing generous stand of weeds and
witchgrass between each hill, and a
name of the same between the rows.
You can talk level and clean culture
to him until he is is too old to lift a hoe
and be will still think, '1t don't pay for
the time you have to put in" He
doesn't believe in newspaper farming"
and never reads anything except small
part of the news and cheap story
paper. II anyone could discover a way
to impart thrift and ambition 10 such
families, that person would find himself
the greatest hero and inventor Of this or
any other age.
l.. How can such people be reached? Not
through the press, for they never read
to improve. Not by precept or example,
for they "never have no luck" Not by
assistance, for that simply makes them
lazier. They have little pride, and that
not of the right sort, so there is no ap-
peal that appears TO affect them.
mere arc lOO Luduy SuSu SoScos hos
only among sgricu,turists, but iu the
towns aud cities as well. They are a
heavy burden to the taxpayer, as 1t is
from such families that our criminals
nearly all come; for although there may
be no intention of wrong-doing for a
long time, yet the old proverbs about
idle heads and hands often prove true.
| wish the wise heads among US would
make thorough search for the remedy
of these evils. II it should prove that a
parasite causes the trouble, we could all
afford to donate literally toward the
expense of any course of treatment that
would alleviate the sufferers; but if lazi-
ness is not disease, then the law should
enforce the traditional orders OF Captain
John Smith, that those who will not
work shall not eat. These may seem
very severe measures, but would not
even these be better than the lsck-heart-
ed methods that fill our jails and poor
houses at the expense of the thrifty and
hardworking?
1t was not my intention to preach
have no license-but / think that my
readers have seen and been annoyed by
the same evil; and would it not ee a
worthy (or unworthy subject for study
at Grange meeting-"Resolved, That the
ever. present poor may be benefited and
uplifted"?-L. Z. Plant in Maine Farm
or.