The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-05-03
TWO TYPES OF COUNTRY LIFE
Easy Matter to Distinguish Between
Real Man and the Orone-Both
Had Equal Chances.

To the officers and members OF the
union:
A farmer driving to the city with
a load OF cotton, produce or on some
errand is struck by the general neat
ness OF some cottage, probably the
home OF a workingman. Flowers
bloom In the yard, well-kept grass
grows on the lawn, the fences are neat
and painted, and there is an air Of
distinction about the place. You say,
A sober, honest. industrious man
must live there" Next door is q
dirty, un.:empt place, cans and trash
in the yard. fence falling down, and
d general atmosphere OF unkemptness.
You say, "A shiftless, drinking, no &C
count chap lives there"
But how much more noticeable
these things are out in the broad, open
country, where the air is sweet, the
sunshine free of smoke and the stencil
and filth OF great city.
You drive along a country road,
and come to a farm. Distinction
marks IL in a hundred little ways.
The fences are all UP, and no rotting
or tumbling rails are seen; the fence
corners are free of bushes, briers and
weeds the bitches are clean-cut, with
no wide hedge of rank weeds grow
ing along either side, and the land
cultivated close up; the stumps and
rocks are out Of the fields. Even the
rows and appearance of the fields
themselves show the thrifty care OF
intelligent application.
Presently you come to the house.
Flowers grow in the yards, which are
clean and well-kept, with a neatly
graveled walk leading up to the front
porch. Barns and out-houses are in
good repair, and no rusting farm tools
or machinery clutter yards or barn
lot
And you know without & question
that here a real man lives. man
that will do to trust, business man ;
he pays his obligations, and, moreover,
is real neighbor and helpful one.
You will generally find, too, that he Is
thoughtful OF his wife, daughters and
sons, that the boys want to stick to
the farm because dad is all Tight and
he made a good living out OF It.
So you drive on, and directly get
a shock You come to a place with
the fences down, corners growing W
in weds; land washed for lack OF prop
er drainage; stunted, weedy stun
struggling to survive in the fields. Nc
paling surround the house, no flowers
grow In It, but litter Of every sort
of thing encumbers it. The roof o.
the stable and barn are leaky, the
doors propped up, rusting farm tools
and machinery stand about corrodine
| in the weather. Four or five laxy
| hounds sleep about the door or yard
and everything about Is desolate anc
depressing. You will find without
| query that a shiftless, indolent. pur
poseless, dont-care man lives there
He couldn't get a cent Of credit from
anybody without security. HIS wife
Ia a hopeless drudge, WITH just energ!
enough to crawl abouts his daughters
run away and marry at the first oppor
tunity, and his boys go to toS,1 q
away from home as soon as they arr
big enough % know enough TO leave,
Up and down this nation / have
travelled, and l have seen both types
everywhere, and have never made
inquiries yet that did not confirm
my views between the two-the hust
Ter and the drone. And often, too
both men have equal chance In 30 IA
a. productivity Of the land goes.
see In my travels sonething II
this connection that makes me hope
full The frst-named class is gettins
more numerous, and the last-namet
fewer and fewer OF course. we vii
probably always have the don't-car'
farmer, but his class Is vanishing a
a gratifying rate, to be. replaced b!
alert, hard-working farmers wh'
realize that farming Is profession
calling for high intelligence and com
mon sense.
And as the profession Of farming be
comes higher and better, you will SCI
a powerful and a contented nation.
| nADnE-r