123 



4. The small opportunity nrt'onled t'oi- iicfjiiiilnu' (listinctioi. 

 in any public capacity. 



The first objection is tiie hard laboi- rcc^uired. AVe think this 

 is obviated in a great degree by it being nearly all perform- 

 ed in the open air, as it is generally admitted that one can per- 

 form a greater amount of work a\ ithout injury, Avhethcr it be 

 mental or manual, if he lives mostly out-doors. 



The facts sustain this idea, for while Ave continually hear of 

 men in all other pursuits having to give up business on ac- 

 count of failing health, it is almost never that Ave hear of a 

 farmer suffering from such a cause. Then what other business 

 is there Avhere, taking six days in the Aveek and fifty-tAvo Aveeks 

 in the year, the labor is not more arduous and less satisfactory 

 than in farming. 



I knoAV that young farmers, as they Avork in the field, some- 

 times look Avith euAv on the shoemakers, Avho finish their day's 

 Avork in the middle of the afternoon, and spend the remainder 

 of the day in base-ball or other sport. But if they Avatch these 

 same shoemakers through the year, they Avill see that there is 

 commonly a period of enforced idleness in the Avinter, that 

 must do much to absorb the abiuidant and easily-earned Avages 

 of the summer ; then if it Avere not for the name of sport the 

 the ball-playing Avould be harder than haying. 



The second point is the small amount of money obtained for 

 tiie labor. To this the reply is, that money is Aaluable only 

 for what it will procure, and as I Iuia-c stated that it is gen- 

 erally admitted that enough can be procured to secure a good 

 li\ ing, I shall now show some thin2*s for Aviiich the residents of 

 cities pay large sums of money, which the farmer has Avithout 

 money and Avithout jiricc. 



.Vlmost CACry one enjo\s hjoking at a Hue picture, and in the 

 homes of the Avealthy pictures are regarded as absolutely essen- 

 tial to the fin-nishing of the house, and for them large sums 

 are often paid, the masterpieces of our best artists frequently 

 bringing more than Avouhl be needful to stock a farm. 



So, in view of the pleasure to be gnincd from these and other 



