32 Missouri State Horticultural Society. 



which would probably be yet standing in the back grounds, partly 

 concealed under the swinging boughs of an ancient oak or elm. 

 There were our happiest days spent ; when we owned perhaps 20, 

 40 or 80 acres of land and had our family around us. . 



A thousand times perhaps in our life, we have asked ourself 

 the question : is our happiness increased or diminished through 

 and by the accumulation of property. • The facts that present them- 

 selves to the mind of the invesstigator seem to justify the latter con- 

 clusion. Visit the homes of those willing slaves to a cruel task- 

 master; ask them to visit you, attend our Horticultural meetings, 

 or other places of pleasure and profit to their overworked system; 

 and the answer in all probability will be: "Oh, Ihaven^t time; have 

 more work to do and things to look after than ten men could do; 

 my boys are off to school and that leaves everything for me to look 

 after; and the kind of help we get nowadays can't be depended upon, 

 so you see that I can't leave; but look here friend, before you go," 

 pointing ovel* his vast domain with a pride that brings back the 

 rosy hue to his paled cheek, — "the old woman and I have worked 

 and struggled mighty hard to get throiigh this world; but we have 

 something to show for it after all; but now you see we don't intend 

 for our boys and girls to ever go through what we have; we are go- 

 ing to give them a good education and with this amount of prop- 

 erty to start with, we think they will be able to make their mark in 

 this world:" "perhaps so," passes through our mind. "Well before 

 leaving we would like to look through your garden and orchard; 

 perhaps you have something new and interesting." "Oh, now, 

 don't say garden or orchard to me, I have so many other things to 

 look after that we so neglect our orchard and garden that we are 

 ashamed for anyone to see them:" — We leave our friend in the 

 hands of his chosen idol, fully impressed that in all probability he 

 would live long enough to see his cherished hopes blasted, and his 

 hard earned property in a fair way to pass into the doors of the ac- 

 cursed saloon and its kindred associations. 



Another class of homes we will review: They are those presided 

 over by a class of men who think themselves too sharp and shrewd 

 to work for a living. These generally form themselves into organ- 

 izations or rinffs for the purpose of controlling labor or the pro- 

 ducts of labor; giving back to the laborer a part of their earnings 

 and appropriating the balance of the proceeds to their own use, 

 which results in a few very rich men who endeavor through tlie in- 

 fluence of their money to shape the destiny of the nation to suit 

 themselves on one side, and an army of homeless paupers and de-^ 



