Norwich bulletin., 1915-08-07

. S1RCNA0A1J 0SA AAO s~>~>~S~~~-.S
1t is / suppose, a commonshabtt CT
men. no matter what theirtyocations
to Jump at conclusions"
Probably it is no moro usual among
farmers than other folks. But some
times it seems as II the habit hurt
farmers moro than anybody else.
= We have to reckon our chances and
make our plans for August and Sep
TENDER way back In March and April.
If we act then on wrong conCrSS1onSs
hastily drawn or inSufhciently verified.
there is very little opportunity given
us, later, to correct our mistakes We
have to take the results Of our error
and suGfer the losses it may cause.
g IL would seem, thinking Of the mat
ter in this general way, as if it should
be our sedulous care to be very sure
z we're right before going ahead. And
1 have small doubt that most farmers
actually do intend to start the years
out right, in accordance with the wis.,
est conclusions they can draw from
observation and their past experience.
But Nature Is no respecter OF good
intentions. She doesn't seem to care
a snap whether We mean we'll or not.
It's what we do, not what we intend,
which she takes cognizance of. Ii you
with perfect honesty and in accord
with your best judgment, start your
seasons farming in the wrong direc-
ton, she'll take just as much pains to
see that you come cut g. loser as your
neighbor who may have simply blan-
dered into the same mistake. blind
fold,
What, then, arc we to do? We sim
ply have to act according to our best
judgment and the apparent prepon-
! tlerance OF probabilities in scores Of
cases where We can't. from the very
nature of the case, be certain. We
may think it hard, when we do the
best we know how, that we should be
q tumbled into the ditch of failure just
as unceremoniously and heartlessly as
the blokes who don't try to use their
Judgment,
Perhaps ie may not be so hard after
all in the long run. Perhaps 1t may
: be the truesf kindness that we should
: always find ourselves condemned to
bear the consequences OF our mistakes
no matter how 1nnocently we may
have fallen Into them If the baby,
in it's utter ignorance Of fire, puts its
little hand on the hot kitchen stove,
the tiny fingers will he burned Just as
badly as IL it. knew. That's the very
way in which 1t is taught to avoid
more serious dangersan less durable
harm in the future.
II Nature should vary her laws to suit
the varying eXigencies Of human 3g-
norance, we could never depend upon
any OF them. It Is this very immut-
: ability of her laws. this very rigor
of their impartial enforcement this
s-absolute certainty that effect Will al
ways follow cause which enables us,
- as soon as we learn the laws, to take
advantage OF them and turn them to
: our profit
Anyway, "hard" or not, st Is the fact
that Nature doesn't seem to care a
snap whether we mean to do right or
not: she'll not change the direction
of her swinging club one'hair's breadth
to miss the man who has Numbered
into its reach any more than the man
who has deliberately defled it's sweep.
q. One man may happen to get in
cher way by the merest accident: an
other may bring out his compass and
his theodolite and his surveyors tape
and sit UP nights to figure how to keep
put of the track IF he makes a. mis-
Sfake in his figuring and gets into the
ewrong road after all, she'll run heT
steam roller over him just as non
chalantly and regardlessly as if he
hadn't done his poor Ebest to keep out
Of the way. ..
r Considering this stern fact, andscon-
sidering at the same time the equally
undeniable fact that we're all OF us
weak critters and pttiful1y liable to
mistakes even at the best, It would
seem to be mere common prudence for
US all to try to reduce the number OF
those mistakes to the Lowest possible
minimum.
We're going to make some, any how
we try to fix It. We're going to gel
zour fingers burned, more or less, But
the more careful we are the less nu-
merous and serious the burns win b.
apt to be. We are going to tumble into