THE FARMER. 85 



sinking into the i<j:norant and cloddish condition which always 

 and everywhere pertains to their employment, gravitate to the 

 bottom of tlie social scale. The laws of nature, as manifested 

 in all past experience, must go into effect at length, and farm 

 laborers here, as elsewhere, become boors — a peasantry — and 

 that must be the end of the Republic. 



We will not give in to this reasoning, nor anticipate any such 

 result. Nevertheless it is wise to learn something of an enemy, 

 and set up all possible barriers against the fulfilment of evil 

 prophecies. 



Whatever may be the philosophy of it, I am inclined to think 

 there is some ground in facts — not much perhaps, but some — 

 for the opinion that farming labors are somewhat unfavorable 

 to mental development, as compared with some other pursuits ; 

 and dropping all comparisons, which are disagreeable and incon- 

 clusive, all farmers know, or should know, that they need to 

 take great pains to overcome the dulling tendencies of their 

 long, continuous field labors. 



Let us consider the means of overcoming these unfavorable 

 tendencies, in whatever degree, large or small, they may be 

 admitted to exist. 



And of course, among the means of mental culture and 

 advancement, we think first of our system of free schools, the 

 pride and hope of the land. We cannot prize them too much, 

 nor compute the benefits of them. It would be a mistake, how- 

 ever, to suppose, that the mere going to school, summer and 

 winter, or even the whole year through childhood and early 

 youth, however good the schools, or however well-improved the 

 opportunities they afford, will make the pupils intellectual, 

 progressive, live-minded people, after they have become men 

 and women. The schools taught us, when we were young, to 

 read, write and cipher, and the best schools cannot do much 

 more. That is all very well, very important. But it is by no 

 means enough to know hoiv to read, write and cipher. The 

 question is do we read, write and cipher, and keep on doing it 

 after we have grown up ? 



Do we read ? for instance — that is, establish and maintain 

 open and large communication with the world of mind, and 

 keep taking in knowledge, light, strength and inspiration, from 

 all those, the multitude of the living and the dead, who stand 



