Norwich bulletin., 1914-11-14

Do you know, dear reader, that it's more than six years--Stx years. ana eight months. to be accurate-stnce you and I began these talks together about farming matters2
 Or, rather, since began them. For, in truth, they have been a l-e-e-t-i @ one-sided. You've heard from me of tener and more diffusely than l have from you.
 Once, when Roosevelt was president some callers who were on sufficiently intimate terms with him to warrant the criticism gently inttmated that perhaps he "preached" little too much. This was in reference to ms we'll known habit Of dinging moral precepts, sometimes rather trite one 5, too, into the ears of the country at every available opportunity. Perhaos do," said President Roosevelt, per haps 1 do. But," swinging round in his office chair to face them and with that whimsical, half-boyish smiIe which sometimes Eliminates his face, 'but think what 8 bully pulpit I've gotI"
 That's one trouble with all preachers. They're set up in some sort of 8 pull pit and ding dong away at hearers who are prevented, either by the rules or the sanctuary or the etiquette of the situation, from answering back.
 
 long-distance exhortations as these of mine. I can't even see you. face to face. I have to imagine you, and very likely I've imagined you quite different beings from what you really are.
 I've often wondered how many of my fellow farmers read these talks How many read them regularly? How many just glance at them, now and then? How many skip them with an ,14 nf 7foc7 71t 70 folly of The Bulletin people in wasting space on such stuff" How many ever find anything worth while in them?
 'The Man Who Talks" some years ago. Writing about the variant corn-l ment upon his column which reached' his ears, he intimated that what he. wrote was not for all but for those who found it interesting or helpful There were plenty of these latter. That there might be few of tn other sort was to be expected, and was in no degree diShearteuing
 This is true of all takers and writ. CTS. No man ever lived yet who had universal message to the universal ear. I don't suppose there are many who ever read all there is in any news paper. Very likely, If 8 census could be taken, 1t would be found that foTT ever read more than half They pick
 
 in, read them and skip the rest. But the editor can't afford to leave out the part which I skip, because that very part may be the one in which you are most deeply interested. And his busi- ness is to hit both of us, 50 far as his conditions permit.
 When write always visualize, in a way. the fellow I'm writing at. That is, have before my minds eye sort n T1iHflFa n 2 I ha 0P might be.
 I think the chap at the extreme left of the little cut which heads these talks Is a pretty fair sample of the one l most often have in mind. You can see by his position behind tle talkative. fnger-pointing farmer that he's a modest sort of man, not given to hunting front seats. You can also see, that he's paying strict attention. You can also see that he's thinking, sts well as listening. He is taking it all in," but he isn't swallowing 1t all without chewing it over. He's pei fectly ready to absorb new ideas if they are true ones. But he has his canny feeling, after writing away for fifteen or twenty minutes, that he's got a terse little question ha1f-formed on his lips which it might be exceed 3ngly difficult for me to anwer, off, hand.
 The third man from the left, the one who has his eyes turned sideways tow ards the talker-that fellow I'm sure, is just waiting the first chance to poke a stick into my wheels for the sake of seeing 'em stop. He's got an obJec- ton at hand for every suggestion, and he always votes :fNo' on any proposal Of change. I'm glad he's there, be- cause every wagon needs a brake. Otherwise it is liable to get going too fast down hil with load. But I con- fHaf fHn nfI1 1e5& like to talk to best. Here, however, comes in the one sldedness of 1t. Perhaps you think it's. always the easiest for me. I can say what comes into my head, while you haven't any chance to talk back. There's something to that. But I'm not wholly easy under the situation, either. id like to have some Of you talk back. When I'm gunning like to know what I'm shooting at. This banging away af the forest makes plenty of noise, but It seldom gets much game. I can't well aim a talk at all the farmers of eastern Connecticut at one and the same time, any more than you could shoot a partridge in Lebanon by aira- toG at Poquetanuck cove.
 And sometimes wonder if that tSr't just exactly what I'm doing - sLoottng away at the general c0un- erysfde. where my btrd-si1ot mostly spr4nkies empty fields as 1t falls.
 I've heard from quite a few of you !N these six and two-thirds years. Eve had some pertinent queries put to me, some real objections pointed out against my ideas; some pleasant sT1elltng bouquets offered. I'm grate- eul for all; for the words of doubt or rebuke as much as for those of praise.
 I'd like to hear more. Especially would I like to hear of the Individual farmers obstacles and difficulties. Pd. bke to get hold on some Of the farm
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