548 READINGS IN RURAL ECONOMICS 



to farm himself ; and since his son Charhe had become incapaci- 

 tated for manual labor by a clerkship he had once held in Chicago, 

 it became necessary to hire a man. 



The first week or so of sociological life was a rather bitter ex- 

 perience, for, besides being green to hard work, I was decidedly 

 ill. I do not know whether it was due to the cold and dampness 

 of the well I helped my father clean out, or to the fumes of the 

 green paint I used to renovate a lot of blinds. I am only sure 

 that the cherries in my father's yard, then just arrived at that 

 dangerous limbo which lies between toothsomeness and whole- 

 someness, had nothing to do with my state of health. But, what- 

 ever the cause, I had during those first days neither satisfactory 

 rest nor appetite. I had only thirst and high ideals of the mission 

 of the hired man. My employer was very kind and kept coun- 

 selling me, "take it easy, bub," and Charlie used to bring me 

 decoctions of ginger in the field when I was thirsting for cold 

 water ; but I thought I had hired out to work and had to earn 

 my salary, even if every muscle of my aching back seconded the 

 advice of my employer. I did give in once to the extent of asking 

 the advice of my brother, who lived on an adjoining farm, as to 

 whether I ought not to lay off until I got well. But, after the 

 peculiar fashion of older brothers, he seemed to think I would 

 get well more quickly by sticking to work, and so I got from him 

 no encouragement to quit. 



It was well enough that I did not, for I soon recovered spirits 

 and appetite, and until my ingrowing toe-nail came into the prob- 

 lem I was fairly free from all physical discomforts. 



After the corn was laid by the estate had no further use for 

 a hired man and so I resigned. Shortly afterwards I hired out 

 again to my brother for the haying season. This afforded me 

 another viewpoint of this important economic question. As I 

 shall elaborate later in my chapter on the social status of the 

 hired man, this employee enjoys social equality and, on Kansas 

 farms at least, a considerable degree of respect besides. Now, 

 when you work for a brother fifteen years your senior, you may 

 be treated as a social equal, but respect that is a different 

 matter. So I advise all experimenters in sociology to work for 



