250 The Dangers of Cutting Loose 



That there are certain deprivations in living 

 in the country, especially in isolation, goes 

 without saying. First and chief my critics 

 are pretty certain to note the absence of all 

 society, certainly a loss if one's position in 

 city life is such as to give him the society of 

 cultured people and the time to enjoy such 

 society. Nor is the raising of cabbages or 

 strawberries for market by any means a life 

 of luxurious idleness. Even where, as in my 

 case, the object is not to earn money, but to 

 save it, there are early hours, soiled hands, and 

 a tired back; some of my friends to whom I 

 have expounded the gospel of idleness as they 

 call it, although I see nothing of idleness in the 

 raising of cabbages and strawberries say that 

 just in proportion to my success as a straw- 

 berry grower will be my loss in other direc- 

 tions. They say that a day of hard physical 

 labor in the fields will not end with the reading 

 of a good book or magazine article, but in doz- 

 ing off at eight o'clock. Farmers must keep 

 farmers' hours. I have made some experiments 

 in this field. I have found that whether or not 

 we go to bed at nine o'clock depends wholly 



