The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1920-05-07
our RURAL GLORY
dN THREE PARTS
Heroes and Farmers.
tPART u

In this modern age of ours wher
men are running to and fro in the
never ending search for wealth, pow
er and influence, and when voca-
tions are viewed from purely ma
teriai standpoint, the beauty, the
glory and the excellence of the oc-
cupation itself is often obscured If
not entirely hidden. That of agri-
culture does not escape the evil, and
this writing is offered to remind us
first, that some of the worlds great
est men were tillers of the soil; Sec
ond, that agriculture holds high
place in literature; and third, that
rural life is an ideal one, surrounded
by associations and influences condu-
Give to the development of mans
highest and best nature. Our rural
glory will be discussed in three parts,
and this is to be the first.
Back in the days when the earth
was young, when men, tribes and ma
tions were going and coming across
it's face, settling and re-settling it's
different parts, there lived in the
land of Ur, man known as Abra-
ham. The Ruler of the Universe
looking down the ages that were to
follow felt the need of such a man
as we find Abraham to be and sent
him the message of: "Get thee
out of thy fathers house unto
a land that / will shew thee, and
will make of thee great nation"
He obeyed the divine command, and
the promise that from him should
come a great nation was verified in
that he became the progenitor of the
Hebrew race. The selection of such
man was not insignificant when
we consider the fact that through
his offspring the Creator was to
manifest himself to the entire world.
Strange as it may seem, the message
was not sent to a dweller of city
but to herdsman, for we read from
the record that Abraham was rich
in cattle, in silver and in gold'
Among the records of the ancient
Greeks, of the heroic age especially,
perhaps no figure stands out more
clearly than does that of Ulysses.
Probably more songs have been
sung, more stories told and more
words written about the life and ad-
ventures of this wonderful hero than
of all other heroes of ancient, me-
diRval or modern times. The Greeks |
delighted in the recounting of the
deeds of such an eminent man and
boasted of his prowess in adventure
and in fighting. But being true
lovers of nature they did not fail |
to mention along with his deeds of
war the fact that he was also an
enthusiastic farmer Ulysses him
self boasted of his skill in plowing
and moving.
We can't nelp but mention the
very familiar story of Cincinnatus of
Rome just here. We read of how
when Rome was threatened by the
Equians on one occasion the senate
sent messengers to him announcing
that he had been chosen dictator
and that he must come to the city
to take command of the army. The
story goes that the messengers found
him plowing on his little farm of
four acres across the Tiber, and that
upon being Informed of the wishes
)f his government he Immediately
put aside Ills plowing and returned /,
with the men to Rome to fulfill his
iuty as a citizen. When he had
won a complete victory over the en-
envy and all national danger had
passed, he very modestly refused the
,ffered honors and powers, and on
he sixteenth day after he had first /,
'eceived the commission as dictator !
lie returned to his farm and resumed !
lis plowing.
AS the noble life of Cincinnatus c
hines for republican Rome, SO do
he lives of Virvil and Horace for ]
Rome, but perhaps in far 7
ifferent way. Both lived during S
he golden age of Augustus and were {
ecognized as Rome's greatest writ T
rs. 1t is fact that Horace was c
n ardent lover of country life with +
IL of it's surroundings, and often I
Expresses his preference to life on 2
is little farm near Rome to that of J
bustling one in the city. Perhaps ?
, is worth noticing that Virgil was Z
farmer as well as poet, and that y
e thought enough of the science of
gricu1ture to spend seven years a
rriting about it in his remarkable Q
-eatise, the "Georgics.'' =
We are thrilled with patriotic de-
otion when we read of the deeds of
ur forefathers of Revolutionary
avs. How we admire their high W
Iotives and marvellous courage! We o.
Ike especially to read of one hero q
! that time, who, when the news u
| war came to him left his plow in n
le furrow and rode one Of his plow a.
orses to join the American army ),
len before Boston. We cannot fail
see the similarity of his act and st
lat of Cincinnatus, in that both g
ere found at their plows when the n
Ill to national duty came and that IA
icy both so readily responded to OF
Iat call. This man became general al
Washington's army and because tn
his extraordinary bravery won for a.
mself this epitaph, HE dared to VI
ad where any dared to follow" CT
is name is well known, for what m
has not heard the story OF
q heroic Israel Putnam?
Speaking Of American heroes, we y
ust not pass over the lives Of two Je
Il