1883.] HINTS TOWARD SMALL FARMING. 287 



may lose his strength without his audience gaining anything, from 

 a crowded or close room but a bad spell of the snufiBes. Who 

 hath ears to hear let hitn hear, and inwardly digest the words of a 

 thousand men, if he can. 



We must have meetings. I admit that, although we can't 

 afford to spend all our time in meetings. When Mr. Moody was 

 in Hartford one of our witty clergymen characterized a certain 

 class in constant attendance upon him as "pious soakers." Now 

 don't let any of us continue to be agricultural "soakers "if we 

 can help it. We can't live by letters or books and newspapers 

 alone. These are made to sell, and too often arranged to weaken 

 rather than nourish the farming mind. 1 have a vast respect for 

 those who never read or come to hear what I have to say. 



Small farms can do better than they do with a better selection 

 of books and newspapers. W hich ? Dip your noses, whenever 

 there is time, in all of them — long enough to get a smell. Cherish 

 a chosen few. Consume books as you do food and pass the trans- 

 lated matter into the energies of your time. 



Just think what comfort and strength our grandsires got out of 

 the old and new testaments and the apocrypha alone. This was 

 when all were bound by the same law, and farmers had most 

 time and strength to study it. New laws that they know nothing 

 about nullify the labor of heedless small farmers. 



Books are not handy tools, or friendly reminders, amusements, 

 and aids to reflection, as they should be, unless the farmer con- 

 tinually learns to use them by seeing somebody else use them. 

 For this reason I would urge my small farmer to be worthy of 

 having a smart school-ma'am in charge of his family library. 



Farmers need occasional fresh company less than most men, 

 but still they must have it. We must call strange speakers from 

 away over the hills to us; speakers that we may doubt — speakers 

 that we may at first disbelieve in; speakers who can attune our 

 souls to harmony, or plow and harrow our minds for a fresh 

 catch of seed. We must do this again and again, as often as we 

 need to learn how by drinking from the ever-moving current of 

 life we help ourselves to live. 



Shall the small farmer be a politician ? Just as much as he can 

 be and keep, his wife in good humor, his crops always coming, and 

 his fences up. He ought to be able to represent his Uttle junk of 

 territory in the town, state, or nation, in time of need. If he is 



