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THK FARMER'S LIFE AND THE PARMER'S WIFE. 



THE FARMERS LIFE AND THE FARMER'S WIFE 

 Mr. EniTOR : The followin"; very pretty piece 

 of poetry has been going the rounds of the agricul- 

 tnr.ll papers. The author must have had some 

 young romantic farmer in her eye, and quite a dif- 

 ferent specimen of the class than generally como 

 under my ob ervation. 



A FARMER'S, WIFE I'LL BE. 

 I am awiM and laughing girl, just turned of Bwcet sixteen, 

 As full of fun and niiacliief as any you have seen ; 



If t 



r I marry in my life, a fan 



I grown, no city beaux for 



i wife I'll be. 



I love a country life, I love the joyous breeze, 



I love to hear the Ringing bi ds among the lofty trees; 



Tlie lowing herdd, the bleating flock.<), make music sweet for me. 



If e'er I marry in my life, a farmer's wife TU bo. 



I lovo to feed the chickens, and I love to feed the cow, 

 I love to hear the farmer's boy, whistling at his plow ; 

 And fields of corn and waving grain are pleasing sights to me, 

 If e'er I marry La my life, a fartner's wife I'll be. 



I love to see the orchards, where the golden apples grow, 

 I love to walk in meadows where the bright streamlets flow; 

 And flowery bank.i and shady nooks have many charms for me. 

 If e'er I marry in my life, a farmer's wife I'll be. 



Let other girls who love it best, enjoy the gloomy town, 

 'Mid dusky walks and dirty streets to ramble up and down ; 

 But Qowery fields, and shady woods, and sunny sides for me, 

 If e'er I marry in my life, a farmer's wife I'll be. 



Now, strange to say I have arrived at a very dif- 

 ferent conclusion. What I have seen of the farmer's 

 life causes me to regard it as a life of toil and pri- 

 vation — voluntary, unnecessary toil — and his wife 

 aa a passive drudge. There is farmer A. His 

 neighbors say he is rich. He owns a farm of two 

 hundred acres, worth $100 an acre. He has but two 

 sons, and both left the parental roof on becoming of 

 age, and I have no doubt left without regret, and 

 purchased cheap land in one of the Western States. 

 A. bought a part of his present farm when land was 

 cheap, worked hard, practiced eci'nomy, paid for it, 

 bought I he lot adjoining, and thus became the owner 

 of his present valuable farm. He is not yet fifty 

 years old, but looks much older. His hands are 

 hardened and his body bent by toil ; his face red- 

 dened and seered by exposure. He works early and 

 late ; toils through heat and rains and cold. No 

 poor " hire 1 man'' in the town works as hard or fares 

 worsie. If he goes to the city with a load, he takes 

 an early breakfast of frizzled pork, puts a crust of 

 bread and a jjiece of skim-milk cheese in his pocket, 

 and this suffices till night. He goes two or three 

 miles out of his way to save a few cents plank-road 



toll. He has no library, and if he had, could fine 

 no time to read. He is certainly laying up treasure: 

 on earth. 



His wife milks, and churns, and cooks, and sweeps 

 No smile ever lights up her countenance. The oh 

 folks in the neighborhood say they remember he 

 when she was a light-hearted handsome woman. He 

 hard lot his destroyed all that was noble and beauti 

 ful. She submits to her fate with the calmness am 

 resignation of a martyr. She has had little joy 

 this world ; may her future be more joyous. 



Then there is farmer B. He is a rich, hard-work 

 ing farmer. He thinks hard labor and economy 

 the road to wealth and happiness, and that a hill c 

 potatoes is far preferable to the most beautiful flowe 

 He has an interesting wife and daughters. H: 

 family being a source of expense, is a constant ai 

 noyance. They spend too much for dress, whic 

 only gratifies an expensive pride. He has endeavore 

 without success to teach them proper economy. Tl 

 mother contrives all manner of ingenious plans 1 

 obtain money to dress her children respectably wit' 

 out calling upon her hard-fisted husband. But wit 

 all her ingenuity her calls on his purse are too fr 

 quent for the comfort of the family. He is co 

 stantly complaining. 'I'hcse children do not — thi 

 cannot — love a father who has so little regard f 

 their feelings and their wants. They know he lov 

 gold more than wife and children. 



These cases are not rare. I see them everywhe 

 among farmers. Are they not common enough : 

 make the general rule ? I have observed more ha ,| 

 piness in the families of comparatively poor ai 

 intelligent mechanics than in the families of t 

 wealthiest farmers ; and therefore, I for one, have ; 

 particular desire at present to become a farmer's wi 

 So don't ask me. Fanny Flowers. 



Fanny is certainly very good at taking daguerre 

 types, and has given the other side of the subject 

 a strong light. The characters given, however, 8 

 only the exceptions. The philosophy of the mat( 

 is this — a young man and his wife, commences life 

 a new farm without capital. Hard work and rig 

 economy is absolutely necessary to pay for the fai 

 and support the family. But this hard toil and rif 

 economy, by force of habit, becomes second natu 

 and is continued long after the necessity for it ea 

 What was at first a virtue, and an honorable t6 

 porary sacrifice for future good| becomes meanne 

 without end or aim. There are large-souled, nol 

 men in every calling — and the opposite. — Ed. 



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