THE ILLINOIS F_A.R]MEIl. 



163 



severance of his wife. lio-w hallowed 

 the influence she is wont to diffuse 

 throughout the family circle; and 

 through her instrumentality how the 

 husband's heart is cheered as he retires 

 from the toil and heat of the day to 

 taste the bounties of his own table, 

 made thrice welcome from the fact that 

 they have been prepared by the oi^e in 

 whose society he so much delights to 

 dwell. Dui'lno; the lono- winter even- 

 ings, as he is permitted to sit by his 

 own fireside and peruse the contents of 

 useful books and read the news of the 

 day from his family paper ; or as he 

 playfully indulges the little ones in 

 child-like glee, lie looks around him, 

 and as ho beholds the perfect neatness 

 and order that prevails throughout the 

 entire dwelling, he is again filled with 

 gratitude, and is once more constrained 

 to revert with pleasurable emotions to 

 her in whom all his affections centre. 

 Then it is he is ready with willing hands 

 to render any assistance or comfort that 

 she needs, for the true-hearted farmer 

 knows hoAv to esteem her excellence and 

 appreciate her worth. Then why so 

 many discontented and unhappy wives? 

 It cannot be owing to their aversion to 

 the toil and patience incumbent on them 

 as wives? It is no less a j^^^f^sure to 

 the true wife than a duty to direct all 

 the affairs of the house, as well as it is 

 his to preside on the farm and toil on 

 from day to day, not only for his own 

 interest, but also for hers. True, the 

 happiness of the wife depends much on 

 the encouragement and kind indulgence 

 of the husband. He, too, must show 

 due respect to her, and bo kind and 

 obliging in giving assistance in every 

 possible way. But when each labors 

 with an eye single to mutual happiness, 

 nothing is wanting to render a lasting 

 fraternity complete. 



Among the many attributes character- 

 istic of the true wife, we will only stop 

 to mention the following. Above all, 

 she loves home and cares for her chil- 

 dren. Unlike many who are inclined to 

 regard home merely as a drudge, and 

 the theatre of disquietude and irksome 

 toil, she loves her own fireside, and de- 

 lights in educating herself for the pio- 

 per training of the offspring which God 

 has given her, and by her mild and tem- 

 perate example strives to influence them 

 in paths of rectitude and honor. Thus 

 her heart is ever enlisted in endeavorino- 

 to make the associations of home "ways 

 of pleasantness and paths of peace," and 

 as husband and children cluster around, 

 forming one grand fraternity of love, 

 they have not the least inclination of 

 leaving their own roof-tree to seek re- 

 creation in the tavern or stores of the 

 village when leisure moments or long 

 winter evenings come. Of such material 

 is composed the affectionate mother the 



successful housekeeper, and the true wife 

 of the farmer. J. P. T. 



Akron, N. Y., 1858. 



—*- 



Physical Education. 



Vre find in an exchange the followintj 

 common-sense views, which we wish were 

 more generally heeded by those upon 

 whom devolves the solemn duty of edu- 

 cating the rising generation : 



At the present time, when intellectual 

 activity marks our entire population, 

 and when our children have more active 

 brains than muscle, proper pliysical edu- 

 cation should be regarded as of the very 

 first importance. 



Let your boy befog his whole being, 

 physical, mental and moral, with tobac- 

 co, and however well directed the care 

 bestowed upon him by his teachers, the 

 result of this unfortunate physical habit 

 will pain your heart some time, though 

 you may not know the cause. Let your 

 child go from a highly seasoned dinner 

 of gross meats, mince pie, and coffee, of 

 oysters, sardines, and wine, to the school- 

 room, and while this unnatural food is 

 in process of digestion, attempt to study 

 and it is like loading a race-horse with 

 heavy weights before putting him on the 

 course. But to require a child of five, 

 seven or ten years to think vigorously 

 and closely, is like commanding him to 

 cut his own throat. Let children think 

 naturally and freely. Make knowledge 

 attractive to them, but never cultivate 

 the mind at the expense of the body. 

 The prevalent sentimentality that makes 

 it vulgar to regard the well-being of the 

 body, is fraught with ruinous consequen- 

 ces. We want Professors of Physiology, 

 of Romping and Pun, in our public 

 schools, as much as we want Professors 

 of Mathematics, or of the Natural Sci- 

 ences. Children in their sports, want 

 the vigorous influence of joyful and un- 

 trammeled maturity, and they would 

 have it, were there less false dignity in 

 the world. A good scholar, who is 

 7iothing else but a good scholar, may 

 exist without" health, but a truly noble 

 man, instinct with expanded moral and 

 intellectual life, even in his temper and 

 holy in his emotions, to whom knowledge 

 is a servant and research a pastime, to 

 whom one is not a task-master and the 

 other a task — such an one cannot exist 

 without sound health. 



The Steam Plow. 



3Ir. Editor : I was at Centralia and 

 saw the steam plow. I admired the con- 

 struction of the machine. I believed it 

 would work. I made up my mind, that 

 although this was not the machine that 

 would break up our prairies, yet it was 

 the forerunner of one that would be used 

 for that purpose. 



A icreat deal has been said of steam 



plows, and what they would do for the 

 country, if an entirely successful one 

 should be invented. I have always felt 

 a doubt about the general use of such a 

 machine. A steam plow can be made to 

 work ; but can our farmers — I mean the 

 middle and lower flasses (not in moral 

 worth but in the aihount of their acres) 

 avail themselves of its advantages ? Can 

 a fiirmer who has 60 acres of arable 

 lanxl, or even 80, find it for his interest 

 to own a steam plow ? I wish some one 

 of your correspondents would enlighten 

 me on this subject. If a steam plow is 

 invented, and a successful one, I want to 

 know who it will benefit ? If it is to 

 benefit solely large farmers, enabling 

 them to raise crops cheaper than can be 

 raised by the small, farmers, thus to maker 

 "the rich, richer, and the poor, poorer,"^ 

 what great benefit is it to confer on the, 

 country? ■ ■ .' . :.y'^-\.:-''^''- '.-^ ^^ /■■■ r^-;^/ 



I may be mistaken in my views, but 

 I have been in the habit of thinking 

 that a country settled with small and 

 industrious farmers, was a more desira- 

 ble country than another where the 

 farms extended over thousands of acres, 

 where there were few indabitants, few 

 schools, few churches, and poor roads 

 and bridcjes. I believe that a brave, in- 

 dustrious, intelligent yeomanry is what 

 our country wants — not a few lordlings 

 (for such they are who count their acres 

 by thousands,) who lord it over large 

 districts of our beautiful prairies. - . . 



I hope much good will come from the 

 invention of steam plows. I would not 

 stop the invention ; but I cannot see, as 

 many profess to, its great advantages 

 in a country where the welfare of our 

 government and the people are connect- 

 ed by making the masses of the people 

 prosperous and happy. :.^< .' 



I would be glad, as I have before 

 stated, to read what your correspondents 

 may say on this subject. C. F. 



: > Hnngarian Grass. ^T 

 Mr. Editor : A good deal of Hungar- 

 ian grass seed was sown in Sangamon 

 county last spring. I am aware that 

 the season was unfavorable and many 

 fields were lost from wet weather and 

 badly cultivated grounds ; but I suppose 

 that there was some seed sown under 

 favorable circumstances — the ground 

 high and dry, well broke and well cared 

 for. I want to know how the grass 

 yielded in such cases ; for on such ground 

 and with such care only could there be a 

 fair test. ..-/•■■■'■■'■; ;;.■.';- 



At the Centralia Fair, Gen. Wilson, 

 of Iowa, stated that the seed was better 

 for stock than oats, and that the straw 

 was equal, if not better, than 'timothy, 

 and that the present season the crop 

 proved to be better than that of oats. 



Now is the time to talk over thesg 

 things. If the Hungarian grass is 



