The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1921-08-05
TALK TO FARMERS
BY Capt. T. F. Peck
GETTING THE BEST OUT OF
LIFE ON THE FARM.

In travelling through the country,
did you ever notice how much more
attractive the landscape at distance
4 looked than that in your immediate
vicinity. The coloring was more har-
moniously blended. That near you
exposed the erosions of the soil, the
unsightly, unsymmetrical trees, rough
boulders, the thorns, the rubbish. The
unsightly things that mar the view at
close range. are obscured by distance
In daily life we view our immediate
surroundings in the same way. We
see all the obstacles, all the handi-
caps, our imaginations picture some
other section of the country as free
from what We encounter, but when we
reach the pictured FL Dorado, we find
il, too, has its sears, and its handi-
caps. Young men on the farm mag
inc from their glimpses Of the cities,
the gay windows, the moving picture
shows, the different forms Of enter
talnment and amusement that their
cup of happiness would be full if they
could live in the city. 1t is only after
they go there and undertake to get
foot hold, that they get a glimpse Of
the picture. Positions are not always
easy to secure and living expensive;
| they find more demands for money,
and to secure it means long hours of
just and laborous toll as on the farm.
They find that the people with leis-
ure and money to enjoy the things
| that l1rad than IN tho o;ty oro az bo.
the rich, or the transient visitor,
such as they had seen on their occa-
sional visit to the city that most of
the people Of the city were hard at
work to meet the demands for living
there, While the farmers work is
hard, he has time when he can get
away to hunt or fish, to go for "a visit
to the city; he can enjoy the sights,
take in the picture shows, enjoy his
visit to the city and return to his
farm and see that his crops have
been growing right along, When the
man who labors for wages, stops
work, his wages stop, but his expen-
SEES go right along.
know that much has not been done
that could and should be done to make
home life more attractive to the boys
and girls on the farm, and know that
neglecting to do it has robbed the
farm of thousands that would be
there today if it had been done.
know, too, that in view of the increas-
ing demand for food products of the
| farm, it is imperative that the farm
must be made attractive to the boys
and girls. This is necessary for the
city dwellers as well as the country.
We are interdependent and should CO.
operate in the solution of the prob
lens that are the foundation of our
national life and prosperity. am
glad that caricatures of the Country
Rube" and "Hayseed Farmer" are
less frequent in our papers. We m 4
dignity farming to the place it rigl l.
fully belongs, the foundation for ssll
prosperity. No farmer has cause to
be ashamed of his vocation. He should
be proud of it. We cannot expect
to respect US or our vocation if we are
ashamed Of it. Instead of being
ashamed Of it, let US learn all we can
of its possibilities and intelligently
make the most of those possibilities.
When intelligently and industriously
practiced, we viii have no cause to re-
greet or be ashamed of being farmer
Primarily agriculture was the only
vocation. Farmers needed more con-
veniences as civilization advanced, and
to provide them other vocations were
developed. No matter how far we adj
vance in the arts and sciences, agri-
culture will retain its place as the
fundamental of all industrial activ-
ity. While it is the oldest vocation
known to man, it is classed with the
newer sciences and we have progress
ed far enough in the science to realize
that its possibilities for research and
development are practically unlimit-
ed. While agriculture will reward the
ilhterate worker a living for his la
Dor, no vocation offers a broader field
to the person with a well rounded ed
ucation for the full use of his quail
fications.
We are rapidly increasing in popu-
lation. The resources of the country
are being developed by an increasing
proportion of our population and they
must be fed by our agricultural class
cS, insuring a certain market fol
their product. As to the profit to the
farmer for his product, that depends
on the cooperative effort on the part
# the farmers in marketing their
product. One lesson the farmers have
been slow in learning is that they
must apply practical business meth
DDS in marketing their products a.
we'll as industry in producing. When
that lesson is learned and practiced
the farmer will come INTO his own.