15 



the one to furnish so large a proportion of the insane — 10 per 

 cent.?" 



It is not, as ah-eady shown, because of the unhealthful- 

 ness of the occupation. It is not because you are worked harder 

 than other occupations. Factory hands and mechanics work as hard 

 and as many hours as do you, are confined to worse air, poorer 

 hght, and have no better food. It is not because the proportion 

 of farmers to the whole population is greater. The farmers are 

 72,810 to the mechanics 292,695. It is not because of the pover- 

 ty of fanners, either. Our paupers do not chiefly come from the 

 farming community. 



But this great amount of insanity among farmers may 

 be directly traced to incessant care, anxiety and worry, 

 and too little reci'eatiou. Somebody has said most of the 

 human race are carried off by worry and poor food. The far- 

 mer carries his loads all the time. He gets up with them on his 

 back in the morning. He puts them in his pockets at meal times. 

 He puts them in his cart when he goes to his work in the fields, 

 he goes to church and town meeting with them, and places them 

 deep in his heart when he goes to his bed at night. The factory 

 operative, when he goes out of the miJl gate at night, carries no 

 burden to worry him, not a bit of that. No thought of his work 

 troubles his digestion at meal times, after the first stroke of the 

 dinner bell. The mechanic and artisan, much more than the far- 

 mer, seeks some amusement, diversion or recreation outside of 

 working hours, and he generally finds something of the sort. A 

 few find it in books and papers, a few in idle gossip, the rigorous 

 in some game of physical strength, the reckless and indolent in 

 urinking and smoking, and the steady ones in the peace and quiet 

 of their homes, be they ever so homely. Bat if two farmers get 

 together how sombre and melancholy is sure to be their talk. The 

 danger of a short ci'op is a very handy theme to pitch their tune 

 by. The terribly bad weather will strain uj) at least one chord 

 in their harp of a thousand strings so that it is ready to break. 

 The "catching" rains of harvest time, the "horn and hoof ail", will 

 always fetch a lugubrious wail from any farmer. And then the 

 taxes — but I won't dwell on this, for we all grunt heavily and in 

 perfect accord when that topic looms up before us. And finally, 



