Norwich bulletin., 1922-09-08
THE ROAD OF THE FARMER

Written Specially For The Bulletin.)
 S6t infrequently the reader finds i some casual item from the joke column. of his paper a text for, serious thihk;ng For example. The T6ledo, o. Biade's veteran paragrapher remarked. the other day:
 If there was nothirg mora tb farm ing than viewing the scenery most poets would go back to the soil"
 guess that may be 70. And not only most poets. but a good many other peo- pie from about nlnety-eleven other oc- supations.
 Whats the sense in forever lying to ourselves about oursefves3 We know and everybody else knows that the chief reason vslS most hoys and girls leave 'he farms is bscagss they exfert to and easier work at higher wages else where. This taikee-talkee about ''ioneli- nsss" and Hack of human companion ship" and s-iuiiness-es vi aIIS mostly rifsls and silly pift1e at that. Undonbt- zely the youngsters would aiizsst to live somewhere where there's & circus every say-and where thereaare no ,oEioQs to weed on circus-day. But the ,yaaln hnov- Ing reason for their sexodus sror5 the Isrn is that It works them harder than they like and pays them less than they want. "
 OHgy n small percentage ota those ,ysyho feel and act this way are poets. 1t iEti't fair to lay the onus on that n1inority's shoulders. There are, a great Tanysrnofe ef them chsuffeuring eutornebiles sidrfv- ing locomotives. or selling so2p or match ing pink ribbons, or stenograpbing or te-secretary-ing, or eter1iaNx> sh1nt- irs for some other employment which shsli promise stiii less work and still rac-a pay than the one they're In.
 It's. almost. impossible. any longerc to End two men really al aWiorfc ron SfJy job without there being at least three idlers rtzrding around to watch them. That's rue In toHp its, true in con.ess-. .Et's true almost e1etywiere except at the North Pole and on the peak of Alt.tEy- erszt And the only reason it- fEn't true If thsss places is Tast its too hard work e get to them: }..A5s sA'
 Report has it that soms, ee the striking railroad shopmen out fn Kansas, hear shy of the shortage of harvest hands on Esnsss farms. applied for and got jobE as harvesters. The same report aisc statss that they 'played olt'' about the middle of the day and had to lie down end rest under the trees while tho farm e- famed them and sent hurry cans for the doctor. don't know that thiI report is true in fact. But 1t ta true tc life. Every farmer, almost, has had experiences with ''city help at one time ar another. never yet happened to talk eith one who wanted to repeat the ex- psrieace.
 There may Bs StHSr oecGb atEons which satan as much hard work as farming There may be others wAich demand al long hours. There may be others whicf return as small wages, in money, bui there isn't another which involves al much hard. woSi, as long hours, and al sznall pay-all three at the same time.
 Those three things, rolled together szzas the reason why the farm is ltbe snr deserted for the shop. the office. th Esetory. the store.7 by the boysxand girl whom the farm brings to life and nour tshes to adolsscenea.
 : Y8 isn't fair Co sfAszs cut t,as,s fev ccetS to cast a Bneer at. Their as teuznsd fondnees for scenery" is 7es nor lolameWorthy than the hankerink of oth Ter people for the soft snap .''s rae no say that either are actually, blame worthy, for the Anportionment of re Tards ana demerits iA .the universe va never assigned to me. That too is quite other hands-Aands which, by th way. never mako . missake. Ii6ver sho, either favor or 9retudice. usver tire c 1he1r task, and never undo their worl
 My point is that we might just 6 wen recognize facts when they stare . sn the face. There is no advantage gain
 t