PHASES OF FARM LIFE 



ties of the town and the pride of dress and equi- 

 page. 



Indeed, the picturesque in human affairs and 

 occupations is always born of love and humility, as 

 it is in art or literature; and it quickly takes to 

 itself wings and flies away at the advent of pride, 

 or any selfish or unworthy motive. The more di- 

 rectly the farm savors of the farmer, the more the 

 fields and buildings are redolent of human care and 

 toil, without any thought of the passer-by, the more 

 we delight in the contemplation of it. 



It is unquestionably true that farm life and farm 

 scenes in this country are less picturesque than they 

 were fifty or one hundred years ago. This is owing 

 partly to the advent of machinery, which enables 

 the farmer to do so much of his work by proxy, 

 and hence removes him farther from the soil, and 

 partly to the growing distaste for the occupation 

 among our people. The old settlers our fathers 

 and grandfathers loved the farm, and had no 

 thoughts above it ; but the later generations are 

 looking to the town and its fashions, and only wait- 

 ing for a chance to flee thither. Then pioneer life 

 is always more or less picturesque ; there is no 

 room for vain and foolish thoughts; it is a hard 

 battle, and the people have no time to think about 

 appearances. When my grandfather and grand- 

 mother came into the country where they reared 

 their family and passed their days, they cut a road 

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