752 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 12 



presumptuous in any sinjrle individual to ofler 

 even one word of adnioiii'ilon in re<rard to any 

 moral disease vvliatever, wliicli is so widely spread 

 as nearly lo destroy all hope, rilher of miiiiration 

 or cure. But the less I he hope, provided there be 

 any left at all, the greater seems the necessity, and 

 the more iaiperativ-e the duty ofexertins ourselves 

 for its removal. I must be>i; leave, therelbre, lo 

 ofier viy pittance oC advice and prescription in a 

 case ol' such vital importance to us all. 



Having ascribed the numerous desertions ofoiir 

 lands by Their former proprietors, chiefly to our in- 

 creased, and still increasing exiravasrance, permit 

 me now, concisely to ofl'er the proofs. None, I 

 think, can truly deny, that the whole cultivated 

 lands of Virginia produce inore income than they 

 formerly did 7 either because more surface is under 

 tillage, or its culture better, or the effort? have been 

 greater and more successful to improve it. Why 

 then the supposed necessity for emigration 1 Sim- 

 ply because our expenditures in household and 

 personal expenses, in dress, furniture, equipage, 

 but above all, in our vagaries over the face of the 

 earth and the waters in steamboats and rail-roads, 

 without any apparent object, (unless to he idle, 

 and to escape from our domestic dulies,) have in- 

 creased geometrically, while our landed income has 

 augmented only in an arithmetical ratio. In other 

 woTds, we agriculturists in general, now spend dol- 

 lars where we formerly spent cents. Add to all 

 this, our boys, poor fellows ! arc not urilrc(]uently 

 left, nay often encouraged, to spend th.;ir lime and 

 large portions of the kiinily income, in assiduous 

 efforts to spoil God's own image by preposterous 

 and deforming fashions, and in playing the man, 

 while yet mere children ; instead of being trained 

 to aid their fathers in all their farming operations. 

 Our girls, God help them ! are no better managed, 

 incases innumerable; lor multitudes of them are 

 taught, long belore they are out of their teens, to 

 ape all the airs of fashionable women, to elec- 

 tioneer for husbands, in any way that promises 

 success, at all places of (ashionable resort, olten on 

 borrowed funds, for which their fathers' lands have 

 ultimately to pay; whilst they should be assidu- 

 ously seeking physical and intellectual improve- 

 ment at home, and taking lessons from their moth- 

 ers in that most essential and comprehensive art 

 called "hoiise-keepins,^'' without a competent know- 

 ledge of v/hich no wotnan is fit lo become the mis- 

 tress of a family. All this utter waste of time, of 

 landed revenue, of the intellectual and botlily la- 

 bor that miizht be applied lo augment it ; all this 

 abuse of God's best gifts goes on amongst hosts of 

 our brethren, in a vast multitude of cases, appa- 

 rently without any lookinsj either forward or back- 

 ward. The firming profits having lonji vanished, 

 give place to dealings upon "credit," until the 

 sheriff' calls for taxes ; or ihe convenient, accom- 

 modating retailer of iroods, comes down upon 

 them for some small matter, a fcio dollars only, if 

 not convenient to pay the whole account; the an- 

 nual, but very unnecessary tribute paid lo northern 

 importers, lor aoods wiiich our V^irginia merchants 

 could just as well import for us, if the want of 

 Ibresight in themselves, and misiiovernmenl in our 

 rulers, had nor prevented it. Then it is, that the 

 paroxysms of the emigrating fever seize us; then, 

 it is, that, you hear the cry : Oh ! we can't live 

 iu-re any longer, we must move to a new country ; 

 our lands arc worn out past recovery, they will not 



furnish salt to our bread ! and away they scamper, 

 in thousands of instances, without having evef 

 seen, or possessing the slightest knowledge either 

 of the country lo which they are goinu, or the 

 character of its population, abandoning forever, 

 their native homes — although in reality, they re- 

 quire nothing under heaven, but a lew years of in- 

 dustry and economy, to yield them every conve- 

 nience, comfI)rt, and enjoyment, that rational menp 

 oueht to desire. 



Having exposed lo you, as forcibly as I can, 

 the errors and the evils which vitally concern our 

 prosperity as a class, perhaps you will expect me 

 to suggest a remedy, il' any can be found. I assert 

 that it must originate with, and be applied by the 

 masters of families, lor they ixenerally may be con- 

 sidered the heads of the same, although the ex- 

 cept ions are numerous, wherein, according to Ihe 

 vulcrar saying, " the grey mare is the better horse.^^ 

 This is irenerally spoken in bad sense, indicative 

 of a devilish temper and untameable tongue in 

 the mistress, and a chicken's heart, and dastardly 

 spirit in the master ; yet to the shame of our .sex 

 be it said, the expression is too often true in a good 

 sense, lor every one has seen many instances 

 where the whole burden of family affairs lyis de- 

 volved on the poor wife, from the utter vvorthless- 

 ness of her husband, and where she alone has 

 proved the main stay that preserved all from irre- 

 trievable ruin. Many, very many of these cases 

 are as pitiable as they are real, and cry most loud- 

 ly, liir that relbrm, which, as I belore said, should 

 commence with the masters of faniilies. Let them 

 then, only begin, for if they are idle and wasteful, 

 they have no right whatever to expect or require 

 any thing better of the mistresses. Let the mas- 

 ters then, only take their proper station, and act in 

 it constantly as they should do, and most sincerely 

 do 1 believe, not only that ail these worthy and 

 excellent women of whom I have last spoken, 

 would gladly confine their labors within their own 

 proper sphere of action, but that they would be 

 able to incite multitudes of their own sex to 'bllovv 

 their highly laudable example. For, thank hea- 

 ven ! we still have left enough of the descendants 

 of the genuine old stock of Virginia wives, in 

 every class ol' our society, thus to honor the me- 

 mory of their mothers and grandmothers; and to 

 haml down iinimpared, untarnished, all those do- 

 mestic virtues which adorned their characters and 

 rendered them inestimable blessings to their fami- 

 lies. Those viitues all still live as |)erfectly fresh 

 in my memory, as if the admirable possessors of 

 them whom I can first remember, yet lived among 

 us, and God grant that they may never, never be 

 Ibrgotten by any of their posterity. 



Could the reform I have spoken of once begin 

 with the masters of Ihe household, not even a 

 shadow of doubt, I think, could exist but that a 

 vast majoritj' of them, instead of having their 

 wives to aid them in wasting their common funds, 

 would find ihem always ready and most willing 

 to co-operate, with heart and hand, in every act of 

 useful retrenchment, of domestic economy and 

 good management, which promised to promote 

 the comlbrls, the enjoyments, and the happiness 

 of their homes. Then, my good friends, but a 

 lew years would pass away, belore we should wit- 

 ness peace, plenty and joy in numerous families 

 where wc now behold little else than painful 

 struggles against poverty, and vain, cowardly ef- 



