1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



477 



For the New England Farmer. 

 BEAUTY, UTILITY AND BEFINEMSNT, 

 BY SUSIE SUMMERFIELD. 



treasure, a goodly appendage to his farm ! But 

 let him pause, and take up one little leaf which 

 the winds toss at his feet. Let him scan well its 

 organization; see its thread-like fibres, its deli- 

 The day has arrived when it can be truthfully I cately notched edges, its velvet-like softness. 



asserted that American agriculture has become 

 elevated in the estimation of American people, 

 and it is justly encouraged and promoted by sci- 

 entific men, by earnest thinkers and w( rkers who 

 are pursuing the art. Now and then we find one 

 of the "gentler sex" who presumes to express an 

 interest in the occupation of farming. 



It is an occupation in which a woman has a 

 part to perform ; then let her express her esti 



its firm, glossy stem, and its green hue; then let 

 him realize that each tiny leaf is ever assisting 

 to purify the air which it inhales, while it clothes 

 the tree which beautifies the landscape about 

 him, and will he not recognize the combination 

 of beauty with utility? Yes, reader, every shade 

 tree that you plant, feeds upon carbonic acid 

 gas, which feeds upon carbon and oxygen, and 

 the trees absorb the carbon, which is obnoxious 



mation, her interest in it, and she will help to |to man, and exhale ox gen, which is healthful ; 

 lendanenthusiasm, a charm to agriculture, such^^iiug, when you beautify your grounds by plant- 



as will interest and animate our young men ; and 

 she will prove her influence to be more potent 

 than all the wise counsellors found nmong our 

 grandfather and father farmers of old New Eng- 

 land. 



If woman but gives her hearty approval of 



ing trees at a proper distance from your dwel- 

 ling, you are promoting your own good, although 

 they may cast too broad a shade upon the mow- 

 ing-lot cr meadow near the old homestead. 



Beauty is an emanation from God. One wri- 

 ter asserts that, "the fact of a beautiful object's 



this occupation, she will make sunshine to glowj^ging beautiful, is equivalent to the fact that its 

 within our farm-houses, which shall vie with the " - - 



glowing sunlight without, that mellows the lus- 

 cious fruit, and matures the golden grain upon 

 the productive fields. But, alas, some blush to 

 do this, for fear of being unrefined, and I pity 

 them in their mistaken opinion ; while I take my 

 pen to assert that a beautiful combination of 

 beauty, utility and refinement, may and ought to 

 have an intimate relation with the farm. 



beauty is from God. 



Bayne forcibly asserts, "that every thrill 

 awakened in us by true beauty is a noble emo- 

 tion, and when our nature is restored to what it 

 was, or raised higher than before, beauty will 

 beam upon us from every part of God's uni- 

 verse, till then scarcely dreamed of." 



Now, since beauty is of such origin, is every- 

 where about us, and while no occupation of life 



The word beauty is expressive of adornment j^ go capable of admitting it as the farmer's, is 

 or embellishment. Beauty is discernible in all \^ unworthy of their notice, or of their efforts in 

 of God's works, and why should not man aim to creating it? The architect and the mechanic 



have it discernible in his work, too ? It is gov- 

 erned by laws which are the writing of the Eter- 



each study to combine adornment with utility, in 

 all their designs and labors. Accordingly as 



nal mind, and are more stable than the created ,hey effect this harmonious combination, so are 

 universe ; then how worthy of man's attention is^t^ey estimated. It may, and should be so, with 

 the art of adornment ! Some men are so practi- ; farmers. Regularity, symmetry and order are 

 cal in all of their views of life, that they cannot elements of beauty. Are not order and regular- 

 deem beauty as having a laudable claim upon i,y desirable in farming? Are not nicelv ar- 

 their attention, and seek for utility in all that. ranged fences, deeply and well-furrowed fields, 

 they create or improve. Though the works of .yell selected and well kept stock, and thiifty 

 nature are created for our use ; yet, all is sym- (orchards, something which adorn a farm? Is it 

 metrically formed, and is teeming with loveli- ^ot for a farmer's interest to make such adorn- 

 ness ; from the towering mountain upon which merits ? 



the clouds recline, to the crystal dew-drop that! it is also for his interest to have and use 

 trembles upon the spire of grass as it glistens in 'pleasant and comfortable dwellings. He should 

 the sunshine. 'seek to adorn his homestead with graceful shade 



The rays of the sun which help to crimplej trees, flowering shrubs and cultivated vines. He 

 golden borders for the clouds; to crimson the should become inspired with glowing enthusiasm 

 hill-top with amaranthine hue; which makes i„ all that is beautiful, useful and refined, Ev- 

 each shrub and tree to give out their soft shad- ery farmer, his wife and children, should strive 

 ows; also warm the brown soil, so that Mother' to make a harmonious combination of beauty, 

 Eartfi yields the green herbage and plentiful uti^ty and refinement, until fruitfulness exists 

 grain that sustains life in man and beast. The kyhere once barrenness and leanness abided, 

 farmerwho toils in the open fields may fail to thereby verifying the words of Keats, who said, 

 recognize beauty in Creation's fair handiwork, 



while he deems that plants, trees and fruits are "^ '^ing of beauty is a joy forever." 



good, because man can use them. But let him Although our yeomanry are under the necessi- 

 lift his eyes above, and watch the silvery clouds ty of laboring diligently and earnestly, yet they 

 in rich contrast wivh the azure sky, as they float I are not justified in disobeying Nature's laws, or 

 along like winged ships; and at night, when the i in forgetting that God has endowed them and 

 stars, one by one, come out, till the firmament j their offspring with immortal minds that require 

 gleams and glitters with stars, will he then for- cultivation as much as do their broad acres, 

 get that beauty is a twin sister with utility ? Per- j Some farmers, who plead that they have no 

 haps he looks upon the shade tree beneath which 'time to read, to improve and beautify their 

 the red cattle recline upon a July day, or be- j homes, who go on over-tasking nature, fail in 

 neath which he seeks protection from a scorch- 1 their schemes of acquiring an abundance, while 

 ing sun, and lo ! he beholds it as a very good they make themselves decrepid, oZd young men. 



