350 THE YOUTH’S CABINET.

cE TT

Farming in the Western Country.

x. Eprror,— The

frequent appear-
ance of Theodore
Thinker in the
columns of the
CABINET, has
been exceedingly gratifying
to the little folk in the great
western valley, and we have
been very desirous of seeing
him in person, and of intro-
ducing him to the rich, fer-
tile landscapes, the magnificent rivers and
prairies, the beautiful villas and farm-
houses, and the golden harvest fields, of
which, we believe, he and his Eastern
readers have no proper conception. We
have been anxious to see him, so that,
among his future life-like sketches, might
occasionally be found a painting, the ori-
ginal of which we might recognize. We
think, too, that a visit to the West would
a little improve the coloring of some of
his very interesting pictures.

But ours is a farming district, and a
large majority of Mr. Thinker’s young
friends here are the sons and daughters
of farmers—boys and girls who love farm-
ing, and who are almost sure that, not-
withstanding in his late communication
on the “Lights and Shadows of Farm-
ing,”* he owns that he has a little
«chronic laziness,” and that he is very
fond of angling, if he were to come
here, he would fall in love with farming,
too. Indeed, there are very few who visit
this prairie land, whatever may have been
their former history—to whatever class or
profession they may have belonged—in
whose breast there is not awakened an

ardent, and generally an irresistible desire
to become cultivators of the soil. Me-
chanics and artisans of every class—mer-
chants and speculators—doctors and law-
yers—clergymen and literary scribblers—
philosophers, poets and artists—all yield
to the fascinating influence of the farm;
and, with high hopes and glowing antici-
pations, engage, with all the ardor of a
first love, in the farmer’s task.

Nor, to us who have been raised on
the farm, does this seem strange. On
the contrary, we have been much at a
loss, and have been drawing largely on
our imaginations for the reason of Mr.
Thinker’s dislike. One boy guesses he
went on to a very poor farm, covered with
rocks, stumps, and perhaps swamps, where
his heart was never once gladdened in
prospect of the happiness that the surplus
crops would impart to the poor and des-
titute. Another thinks that. Uncle Miah
was a cross, crabbed, selfish old fellow,
delighting more in dimes and dollars
than in the happiness of those about
him—who never took time to smile, to
visit friends, or to receive visits—whose
very nature was ice, and his will iron.
Another confidently believes, that the
farm had neither garden, fruit-yard, oF
orchard upon it, or Theodore would cer-
tainly have fallen in love with the hoe,
and wielded it manfully against the incur-
sion of weeds and grass, in which labor
he could not have failed of a rich reward
‘n flowers and fruit. And another ex
presses the opinion, that the cows he dis-
liked to milk, must have been shabby,
uncouth-looking quadrupeds, with habits
as vile as their appearance, instead of the
delicate, finely moulded, and richly de

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

  
 

* See page 236.