No. 6. 



Cause of, and Cure for hard times. 



179 



out, that keeps their nose to the grindstone 

 all their lives, and they need not blame, but 

 rather thank any one, who will tell them so. 

 They begin wrong — at the wrong end of 

 the chapter: they begin, not where their 

 fiithers did, but where their fathers left otf, 

 and where they themselves would be satis- 

 fied to leave off. Now, does not common 

 prudence whisper, this is not right — that it 

 will not ensure comfort, but lead to diffi- 

 culty"! Is it reasonable to expect to have 

 reached the goal, without having run the 

 racel If a young farmer — and it is for 

 farmers I write — you townfolks can take 

 care of yourselves — if a young farmer who 

 is a tenant — or whose farm is mortgaged for 

 a part of the purchase money, and who is in 

 debt for his stock, &c., w-ill ride in a fine 

 carriage, when he ought to be content to 

 ride in his cart — if lie will wear a four or 

 five dollar broadcloth, and his wife an ex- 

 pensive silk, when they ought both to have 

 their linsey woolseys — if he will have his 

 silver spoons, when he ought barely to have 

 pewter, pray, who will respect him the 

 more! do borrowed plumes give grace to 

 tlie wearer ! is it any other than a dead cer- 

 tainty, that he will not be able to stand it! 

 tliat his perplexities will increase — tliat one 

 wrong expenditure will follow another, till 

 by and by, at a time of life, when if ho had 

 begun and kept on prudently, he miglit have 

 bad something snug laid by for a rainy day, 

 he will find himself walking out at the 

 wrong end of the horn. 



"Vessels large may venture more; 

 Little boats should keep near shore." 



There has unquestionably been too great 

 a tendency in young people to live in a 

 style, which their means would not warrant: 

 this has been a source of abundance of per- 

 plexity; and in both young and old, a large 

 proportion of the hard times has come from 

 too strong a desire to seem rich, and from 

 too great haste to get rich. I have long 

 eaten my bread in the sweat of my face, 

 and been what may be termed a plodding 

 farmer: I am neither as rich as Girard, nor 

 as poor as "Job's turkey." I take agricul- 

 tural papers, and I read them, and encourage 

 my boys and girls to do the same. The other 

 day I came across a cure for hard times, 

 which had been copied from the Boston Cul- 

 tivator, and it seemed so much to the point 

 of what I had been threatening to write 

 about, that I now send it to the Cabinet, 

 and feel pretty sure if it does no good, it 

 will do no harm. There's many a one may 

 liil a hint from it. I wish the Cabinet all 

 the success it so well deserves. The article 

 below, which I enclose, is worth more to 



every young beginner, than the price of a 

 year's subscription. H. X. 



Monmouth co., N. J. 



I profess myself to be an honest farmer, 

 for I can say that no man could ever charge 

 me with a dishonest action. I see with great 

 grief, that all the country is afl^icted as well 

 as myself. Every one is complaining and 

 telling his grievances, but I find they do not 

 tell how their troubles came on them. I 

 know it is common for people to throw the 

 blame of their own misdeeds on others, or 

 at least to excuse themselves of the charge. 

 I am in great tribulation; but to keep up the 

 above character of an honest man, I cannot 

 in conscience say that any one has brought 

 my troubles on me but myself. "Hard 

 times — no money," says every one. A short 

 story of myself will show how it came to be 

 hard times with me, and no money at the 

 age of sixty-five, who have lived well these 

 forty years. 



My parents were poor, and they put me 

 at twelve years of age to a farmer, with 

 wiiom I lived till I was twenty-one. My 

 master fitted me out with two stout suits of 

 homespun, and four pairs of shoes. At twen- 

 ty-two, I married me a wife — a very good 

 young woman she was. We took a farm of 

 forty acres on rent. By industry we gained 

 fast. I paid my rent punctually, and laid 

 by money. In ten years I was able to buy 

 myself a farm of sixty acres, on which I be- 

 came my own tenant. I then in a manner 

 grew rich, and soon added another sixty 

 acres, with which I was content. My es- 

 tate increased beyond all account. I bought 

 several acres of outland for my children, 

 who amounted to seven, when I was forty- 

 five years of age. About this time I mar- 

 ried my eldest daughter to a clever lad, to 

 whom r gave one hundred acres of land. 

 This daughter had been a working dutiful 

 girl, and therefore I fitted her out well and 

 to her mind ; for I told her to take of the 

 best of my wool and flax, and to spin herself 

 gowns, coats, stockings, &c. ; nay, I suffered 

 her to buy some cotton to make into sheets, 

 as I was determined to do well by her. At 

 this time my farm gave me and my whole 

 family support on the produce of it, and left 

 me one year with another, one hundred and 

 fifty dollars, for I never spent more than ten 

 dollars a year, which was for salt, nails, &c. 

 Nothing to wear, eat or drink was purchased, 

 as my farm provided all. With this saving, 

 I put my money to interest, bouglit cattle, 

 fatted them, and made great profit. 



In two years after, my second daughter 

 was courted. My wife says, "come, you are 

 now rich; you know Molly had nothing but 



