20 SKETCHES OF RURAL AFFAIRS. 



employ loud and angry threats, or profane swearing, 

 when he reproves his servants for their faults, the same 

 sort of language will probably find its way into every 

 cottage. The father will swear at his children, and 

 the children will learn to imitate him, and thus the 

 master may lead a whole parish into sin. Again, if 

 the farmer be a sabbath-breaker, making the day of 

 holy rest his time for visiting and feasting with his 

 neighbours, or of performing journeys to distant places, 

 too many of the villagers will shield themselves under 

 his example when they spend the sacred hours in indo- 

 lence at home, or in carousals at the village beer-shop. 



The farmer is anxious to have good workmen and 

 labourers : but he has himself a large share in making 

 them sober, active, and diligent, or negligent, unthrifty, 

 and lazy. There are some cases whei'e the best example 

 and the best advice seem equally useless to reclaim from 

 vicious habits ; but in general the farmer and his family 

 may so act as to become blessings to the whole neigh- 

 bourhood in which they dwell. 



If the farmer has many important duties to perform 

 with respect to his labourers, they on the other hand have 

 many duties to fill with respect to him. 



Tlie ploughman, for instance, has much need of active, 

 diligent habits. There is danger that in keeping on 

 with the same task all day long, and day after day, he 

 should get into a dull, heavy step and lazy gait, which 

 will make him longer about his work than he need be. 

 Many farmers complain of this in their labourers, and 

 say that these slow-going ploughmen teach their horses 

 the same lazy pace ; whereas the animals would do 

 their work with quite as much ease to themselves if 

 they were accustomed to a quicker step. This is a bad 

 habit which a ploughman should take particular care 

 to overcome. He should remember that his master is 

 a great sufferer by his indolence ; and that his services 

 will never give satisfaction while he indulges in this 

 habit. A ploughman has a long day's work to go 



