Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-09-27
HOW COUNTRY LIFE Can Sc
MADE MORE ATTRACTIVE


how it can be made more agreea-
BILE and attractive. Many farmers |
are going to the cities because they |
don't like work, and do not know
how to manage and make their
homes beautiful and pleasant. On
the other-hand, business men are
leaving the cities and buying farms.
They enjoy the fresh air and APP
preciate the beauties much more
than the average countryman does.
Country life is gainful, full of the best
opportunities. pleasures, and re-
wards for the members of the farm
home. There is always something
of interest going on on the farm. In
the spring, the maple trees are
dripping their sweet water, trees
and shrubbery are putting forth
their leaves. Lambs, calves, colts,
and chickens are coming into the
world to be cared for. Later, grass
and grain are ripening and need to
be harvested. Fruit is to be picked,
buildings are to be erected or re-
paired to shelter the stock in win
ter; and many other duties are to
be performed. Some of these are
disagreeable, to be sure, as butch
ering beef, pork and poultry; but
this work is soon over, and the
pleasure of seeing the work of ones
hands prosper, always remains.
What a person makes is more truly
enjoyed than what one receives
from others.
There are so many points we
might mention regarding home bet
terment. One of the essentials IN
making the home life more agreea-
BILE is love for it's inmates. The
next and equal to this is an estab-
lished family altar, where each
member of the family can read al
ternately a passage OF scripture
and lead in prayer before retiring
in the evening, or after breakfast
each day. The work of their hands
shall then prosper, the field will
bring forth it's increase. Home Is
what one makes it," '1t is espec-
tally important that whatever will
serve to prepare country children
for life on the farm, and whatever
will brighten home life in the coun-
try and make it richer and more
attractive for the mothers, wives,
and daughters of farmers, should
be done promptly, thoroughly, and
gladly. There is no more lmpor-
tant person, measured in influence
upon the life of nation, than the
FARMERS wife; no more Important
home than the country"
Some one has said that every
one who owns a foot of ground
has nature for partner. There
lis a lack of interest in nature as
can be seen by the condition OF
the houses, yards and fences on
MANY farms. The buildings and
ward together stand out as an in
dex to the characteristics of the
people that live on the place. The
farm represents the kind of farmer
a man is. The homestead also
represents in an even more essential
way what the man himself is.
abandoned farms become more
beautiful than many occupied ones;
because nature puts forth her trees
and shrubery and hides the de-
fects, and makes the surroundings
cheerful. To the side of the farm
house should be planted shade
trees or shrubbery or both. To
give the house a homellke and pic
turesque back ground, there should
be an orchard in the rear. Think
how bare building looks when it
stands alone against the sky.
Beautify the home surroundings
with vines to shade the windows,
climbing roses to shade the porches,
bush-roses, dahlias, peonies, asters,
sweetpeas, rasturtiums, chrysan-
themums and hyacinths. All or
some of these latter can be planted
| in the front and back ward.
| The fathers and mothers should
appreciate the greater good to be
reached by a little effort, by a lit
tie self denial, by humbling them
selves in such way as will make
them willing to learn from the
younger, who have been taught
modern methods. The boys who
belong to the corn clubs" know
more about raising corn than their
fathers, because the latter are SO
old they will not learn the new
methods which the different agri-
cultural departments have worked
out:
Getting together on all questions
that affect the welfare of the COM
munity is essential to the most at
tractive and productive farm life;
It sets new ideas in motion and
stimulates enterprise. Cooperation
in a neighborhood is needed in Or
der to successfully carry out i'm
provements. The rural free dellv-
erv and telephone have brought the
forno honoec into a COM