Book II. ECONOMY OF AGRICULTURISTS. 1187 



by it : happiness is the object of every action of human life, and consists in the gratification of certain 

 wants and desires; some of these desiderata are peculiar to youth, and others to old age, but many, as 

 clothing, food, rest, relaxation, entertainment, &c., begin with the earliest, and continue to the latest 

 period of life : all these gratifications are procuretl by labor; in savage life, by hunting, fishing, and 

 gathering fruits, till the man, no longer able for these labors, is obliged to lie down and die of want : 

 in civilized society, they are also obtained by labor ; but here, what is called property, exists, and man, 

 in the vigor of his days, when the supplies of his labor are greater than the demands of his wants and 

 desires, or when he chooses not to gratify the latter to the full extent admitted by the former, can, as it 

 were, embody a part of his labor, to be m.ade use of when he is no longer able to perform it with ease : a 

 man in this case is said to arrive at independence, instead of want, as in the case of the savage; or of 

 beggary, as in the case of the improvident. 



7164. Independence is the graiid object which every man destined to live by the exer- 

 . cise of his labor or talents ought to have in view. At certain periods of life, when the 



imagination is vivid, and health and spirits in their utmost vigor, some may prefer 

 present enjoyment, mere animal gratifications, or imaginary distinctions, amatory con- 

 quests, titles, rank, military glory, high literary or professional reputation : it is a noble 

 attribute of our nature to prefer these to mere accumulation of money ; but a great 

 warrior, poet, or painter, arrived at old age and want, if the latter be brought on by 

 common improvidence, will not find himself surrounded by many marks of distinction ; 

 and though it may possibly be some consolation to him that the three or four letters 

 composing his name, will be sometimes pronounced together after he is dead, yet it will 

 not be much. 



7165. The exercise of his j)rofession is the most rational mode in which an agricul- 

 turist, of whatever grade, can pursue independence; only extraordinary circumstances 

 can justify a change of profession ; in common cases it indicates a want of steadiness of 

 character, or a want of success, and the latter is commonly attributed to want of skill ; it 

 is better, therefore, to pursue unremittingly the profession to M'hich we have been edu- 

 cated, even though we should not be very successful in it, than to risk an infringement 

 on character by adopting another. The practice of agriculture, as we have already seen 



(6925.) is carried on by three different classes, serving, commercial, and artist agricultu- 

 rists : on each of these classes we submit a few hints to aid them in forming a plan of 

 life, and regulating their expectations. 



7166. The greater number of agriculturists must ever belong to the lower grades of the serving class ,* 

 and act as ploughmen, herdsmen, shepherds, hedgers, woodmen, and laborers of all work. These 

 form the greater proportion of mankind in every civilized country, and must ever remain the 

 bulkiest material in the social fabric. Comparing one age and country with another, however, 

 there may be the greatest difFerence in their intellectual and physical condition. The ploughman 

 of Russia is but a remove from his horse. The ploughmen in different parts of Britain are as in- 

 telligent as their employers : in Scotland they have the Bible by heart, are familiar with the history 

 of their country, and not ignorant of its literature : they lead a laborious life, but they enjoy the 

 inestimable blessings of health, sound sleep, and peace of mind, till the latest period ; they are almost 

 always independent, either from their labor, their savings, or in old age or sickness, from the 

 assistance they receive of their children in return for what was laid out on their education. These men 

 arc as happy relatively to their capacity for happiness as any other class whatever ; if their measure is 

 smaller, it is as full as the largest ; for the essential materials of comfort and happiness are the same in all 

 classes, and in all classes a man's wants and wishes accommodate themselves to the means of gratifying 

 them. The rich have no wants, and their desires, for the most part, are no sooner expressed than grati- 

 fied ; the pains and pleasures of life are neutralized into a kind of insipidity, till ennui brings on disease, 

 which to this class becomes a blessing, by procuring for them the occupation of taking medicine, the duty 

 of attending to the doctor's regulations, and the pleasures of convalescence. ; 



7167. The plan of life suitable for the operative agriculturist may very well be founded 

 on the condition of this class of men in the northern counties of Northumberland, Ber- 

 wickshire, East Lothian, and others. We have already (7048. and 7049.) described the 

 manner in which farm servants are hired, lodged, and paid in these counties : the es- 

 sence of the mode consists in the employer providing the employed with comfortable 

 cottages and gardens, and paying them chiefly in the necessaries of life, in so much meal 

 or flour, so much ground to grow potatoes, and flax or hemp, a cow's keep, the run of a 

 pig if a shepherd, so much wool, or so many sheep, the loan of a team to bring home 

 coal or other fuel, and a certain proportion of money. By this mode of payment the 

 operative countryman is always sure of a comfortable home and food, sure of milk, 

 butter, meal, bread, and potatoes, the produce of a pig, poultry, and bees, and of the 

 produce of his garden ; and this, however high may be the prices of these articles in the 

 public market. All country servants hired by the year might be accommodated and 

 paid more or less in this manner ; and to this mode of life and payment they ought to look 

 forward as the ultimatum of their grade in the scale of operative agriculturists. By 

 prudent conduct, in regard to the increase of their family, and by frugality, they may 

 live in decency and comfort, educate one or two children, and save something for old 

 age, or unforeseen occurrences. 



7168. The day laborer who has no particular employer^ and probably no fixed residence, is much 

 less comfortable than the yearly servant ; in England more especially, under the present system of poor 

 laws and parish management, which is calculated to degrade him, and effectually to prevent any attempt 

 at improving his condition. If, as Slaney observes, " by unremitted industry, he has been enabled to do 

 without parochial relief, and bring up his children decently, it is as much as could be expected ; for an 

 attack of illness, or the temporary loss of employment, he is in general totally unprepared ; he thinks not 

 much of the morrow, and, as it stands, it is perhaps well for him that he does not anticipate evils which 

 he cannot prevent : every one knows how beneficial to the community, how advantageous to the indi. 



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