24: 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEK. 



Ja^ 



Editor's Table. 



Wo eut the folloiving from that sterling 

 agricultural paper, the Ilomcsteid, published at 

 Hartford, Connecticut, and commend it to all 

 those Christian farmers who allow their cows the 

 privilege of the lee side o-' a ftnce, tleir horses 

 in an open stable, the hogs in the hay stack, and 

 their hens in the cherry trees. We think if this 

 has no effect on them, that practical Christian 

 sermonizing will be useless in this case. — Eb. 



'Barn- Yard Charity.'.' 



BY JAMES 0. MILLKR, 



•'A r'ghteous man regardelh the life of his 

 beast ; but the tender mercies of the wicked are 

 rruel." 1\\\s passage can be found in tlie very 

 excellent book of Proverbs. 



I am not going to preach a sermon, for regular 

 preaching is not in ray line, altjough exhortation 

 (that is of an agricultural chiractc), usually is 

 I3ut still there is on the face of this passage a 

 statement certainly suggestive, if not alarming. 

 It. says, "a righteous man regardeth the life of 

 his beast," consequently, he that does not regard 

 it must be an unrighteous man, or a sinner. If 

 thi.s be the meaning, and I think it is, it also 

 strikes me that the place that is to contain all 

 the unm3rciful men must be of quite a large size, 

 or else it «TiIl be too crowded for comfort. There 

 is also a remark somewhere, to the tffect t.iat 

 true charity begins at home. I never could see 

 the consistency of a man making hinjsilf wretch-- 

 ed over the woes that afflict tiie world at large, 

 when he pays no attention to the woes thntofflict 

 his family in the shape of green wood, or his 

 stock in the shape of hard knocks, musty fodder 

 and no stables. And the truth is, that when a 

 man takes no kind care of his farm slock, the 

 probability is that all his efforts to relieve human 

 wretchedness, either at home or abroad, will be 

 of *he most economical character. 



Genuine charity, if it exist at all in man, must 

 exist as a sun casting its warmth and radiance 

 in every direction — not like a mirror, that is 

 bright on one side and dark as midnight on the 

 other. Oh, no! — look at charity from any point 

 and under any circumstances you please, and it 

 » still is a genial principle, going forth continually 

 in the shape of kind words, gentle reproof, and 

 benevolen t deeds — not only to human souls, 

 not only to kith and kin — but to everything in 

 the wide world that breathes the breath of life. 



The age in which we now live is famous for its 

 grand efforts for human benefit. That is, a great 

 day for good societies — missionary eocieties, 

 anti-getting-drunk societies, etc. But there is 

 one more I wi^'h to see in full operation, and that 

 is a Natinnal Howard Association for the Comfort 

 of Farm Str ck. I 



The Homestead is organizing such a society in 



Connecticut, and I suggest that from this time 

 henceforth every farmer and his wife in the great 

 Connecticut valley consider themselves as an ex- 

 ecutive committee to attend to the animals on 

 their own farms. Put up stables for all the cat- 

 tle — they need them and have earned them. How 

 can a man fay his prayers at night, when the 

 cattle whose industry secures him the comforts of 

 life are shivering in a storm ? Surround the 

 barn-yard "vith a high fence or shed, so as to 

 keep out the biting winds of winter. The south 

 side nepds it as much ss any, for of all winter 

 winds the southwest, 'oaded with chilly damp- 

 ness, is as bad if not the worst. Make a few of 

 the stables doub'e size ; they will be useful in 

 the spring. Have a feeding place under some 

 shed where a team of horses can be securely tied 

 without being unhitched from the wagon or ex- 

 posed to the wea'her. See that the winter wind 

 does not blow your horses' ma-ies in the stall — 

 see that your hog pens are supplied with dry 

 litter, and that your hens don't roost on a snow 

 bank, before you write your nane — 



John Smith — the Philanthropist. 



To a person who has not looked into it, it is 

 surprii-ing what a quantity of folly there is in 

 this world. Everybody sets down as a rumb.-kull 

 the peri>on who lit his cigar with a ten dollar bill. 

 At d so, not as flagrantly in the begining, but 

 not ic s really in the end, is he a fool who lets 

 one ton o- hay blow away, lets his cattle trample 

 another under their feet, whi'e thoy get rid of 

 amther ton by standing and shivering it off. 



"I write as to wise men — ^judge ye what I 

 say." 



Cattle Killed on PlAilkoads. — The following 

 decision of Chief Justice Gilpin, of Delaware, is 

 in accordance with recently establisi ed views. 

 The decision sets forth as follows : 1st. That a 

 railroad company legally chartered has the un- 

 obstructed right of way ovtr its own road. 2d. 

 That it cannot be held in damage for any loss 

 which owners of cattle may sustain if their cat- 

 tle are killed or injured, while upon the track, 

 and when due dilligence and caution are observ- 

 ed on the part of those in charge of the train, to 

 prevent said destruction and injury. 3d. That 

 the company are not bound to fence in tiie land 

 or farms along the line of road merely for the 

 sake of keeping cattle off the track ; but that it 

 is the duty of owners of cattle to see that such 

 cattle do not interfere with and obstruct the pas- 

 sage of the trains, alid thus become trespassers. 

 4th. That persons who suffer their animals to 

 roam at large upon the track, to the detriment of 

 the travel by obstructing the road, are liable to 

 a suit for damages therefor. 



The above we cut from one of our exchanges. 

 There may be some doubt as to the powers of ^ 

 our own Legislature in regard to the law com- 

 pelling railroads to fence their tracks ; as every 

 day the opinion in favor of the common law is 

 gaining ground, which is, that cattle straying 

 from the grounds of the owner are trespassers. 

 We call the attention of our farmers to the above. 



