Our Farmers

From this on for the next few months, The Register will give each week a short sketch of from one to tfcree of our more prominent farmers. Washtenaw county has more than the usual number of well to do farmers aad a brief aoconnt of some of these men'8 lives will iurnish some very intereBting, as well as instructiva, reading matter for our patrons. We give this week an account of the Ufe of MR. ANDREW CAMPBELL, cf Pittsfield. Mr. Campbell was bom at Laurieston, Parish of Dalrymple, Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1832, and is, therefore, 58 years old. His birth place is only threeqaarters of a mile from the historie river Doon and within two or three miies of the home of Robert Burns. His ancesotrs for generalions have been farmers and Mr. Campbell's early boyhood was speut on his lather's farm in s quiet, pleasant manner. When he was ten years of age, his parents left their old home and carne to Michigan and settled in Augusta. The next ten years were years ot severe toil in clearing up their farm. These, he savs, were the hardest years of his life. During all these ten years, only four months were spent in the country school. The monotouy of this constant toil wss, however, somewhat broken up by old fashimeJ paring and logging bees and in winter by spelling and singing school and other neighborhood gatherings of a üke pleasant natuie. Töe most favorable of all forthe subject of our sketch was, however, found in the town library, the book from which afforded him mary a delightful hour. Such works as "ïhe Vicar of Wakefield," Wirt's "Life of Patrick Henry," "Plutarch'sLives" and many otfcer standard authora were eagerly devoured. The ''Vicar of Wakefield is especially lemembered by Mr. Campbell whenever in the neighborhood of a certain di'oh on his father's old frn in Augusta; for this book was read and thoroughly discussed by bimself and brother, while working upon the di eb. After beconv'ng of age, Mr. Unmpbell took a course at the gtate ncrual, at Ypsilanti. His next ambition was t enttr the univ.irsity, but his hard work in teaching and studying at the normal had so f fected his heal h that this had to be given up, at least for the time bein?. He then bought a lamí of 240 acres in l'ittí-field so that he might be near the university, he having never givan np the idea ot etijoying the bene6t of a univerpi'y life. This . was in the spring of '61. He had, in the meantime (in the fall of '59) married Miss Catherine F.sher, whom he had met while ' a student at'the normal. At the time of pii'Chasing his farm, he had only money enough to buy a team of horses and a few f.irm toola. He wa=, therefore, obligad to go m debt for the entire amount of his land purchase. In paying this, every d illar was made from the protuo s of the farm. This is some thing rtm irkable, especially when it is considered that more thin the entire amount of the purchase money waa paid in interest before the account was setiled. This beccrms still more interesting, when it is knowo what other thingj Mr. Campbell did ou'side of hii regular farm work during this time. Besides his constant duties on the f.irm, he took a prominent part in the grange movement wnich be came so important a factor in agricultural circles during the '70s. His idea tlways was that the tarmer ehould be jast as intelligent 8S anybody. This was the one great theme in all of his grange work aud ac idaa which he has tried to carry out in his own life. In this he lias been preeminently successful. His living near the Universi'y has bi en made use of to excellent advantege. What he has done while Carrying on a large farm ahould put to shame many even of our townspeople, whose opportuaities lor irnprovement have been far greater than those enjoyed by Mr. Campbell. During the past 25 years he has done an immense amount of work in the University He first began by coming to hear Dr. Tappan's Sunday aUernoon talks. Tnen he took Pres. White's lecturei in history. He attended and made a careful study of Dr. Cocker's lectures on Philosophy, Logic and Evidences of Christianity. After Prof. Morris came to the University, Mr. Campbell became so fond oi him that he took all of his courses, many of them several time over. He alío took all of Prof. C. K. Adams' historicnl lectures as well as Judge Cooley's Profs. Wells', Rogers' Adams' and Hudson's courses. The lectures of Prof. H. C. Adams he has been especially interested in arjd has reviewed them several times. During all these years, he has also attended all the Students' Lecture Association entertainment and was a constant member, and an attendant upon, the meetings of the Philosophical Society which wag organized by Prof. Morris, and of which Mr. Campbell was a charter member. Dr. Angell's courses in international law and treatiesand Prof. Demmon'g literary seminaries have been carefully followed several times. Two winters were epent reading polhical economy and jurisprudeDce in the law library. Much time has also been spent in reading the philosophy ol Hegel and in the study of his aesthetics. He has also taken from the ladies' library in Yp3Üanti and read carefully a large number of standard works. He is now making a specialty of Germán literature and philosophy. This is an unusual record and one in which our subject may take just pride. He has been able to do all this in addition to attending to the duties of a ia -ge farm by doing every thing in a very systematie manner and always making it a rule to spend, on an average, at least t vo hours every day in reading and study. Th8 he has rigidly adherecí to for the last 30 years and expects to keep it up as long he Uves. Besides all this, Mr. Campbell has always been a liberal supporter of newspapers and magazines. He has taken the Country Gentleman for over forty years. Thk Register, Ypsilanti Sentinel aüd Chicago Advance have been regular visitors at his home ever since these papers were started. The Youlh,s Companion he has taken for his children for nearly a quarter of a century. At the same time some of the leading magazines have been constantly subscribed for. In politics, Mr. Campbell has always been a firm behever in the principies of the republican party, though at time he has severely critieised the course of some of its representatives. Though he has never been an office seeker, yet he claims to be a politician. If this term can be apphed to him at all, he must be denominated a politician of the higiest sort. He considers it his duty, as indeed it is the duty of every American citizen, to toke an active interest in political affairs. In this respect he is certainly right, for the sahation of our country depends very largely upon the better class of our people taking a more active interest in politics and saving them from the control of unscrupulous rascáis, who too often have things their own way. The Coogregational church has ever found a faithíul worker in the subject of our sketch, the Sunday school especiallj having received muoh of his time and attention. It is to the infiuence of an early Sunday school teacher that Mr. Campbell attributen much of the success of his lire. While working on his father's farm, between-the ages of 10 and 20, he had as a teacher in his Suniay school Mr. J. W. Ohilds, an unde of our well known townsmao, W. K. Childs. For the caretul training then reoeived, resulting from his teacher's deep interest in him, Mr. bell teels the most profound legard. Six children have been bom to Mr. and Mrs. Campbtll, five of wboa), three sons and two daughters, are still living. Tne eldest, a son, took one year in the lilerary departmett of the University. He is now living on a farm near Jackson, Mich. The next, a son, graduated n the luw department in '87, and is now a successfal attorney in Fort Soott, Kan. The two daughters, Anna and Catherine, have graduated from the classieal course in the hterary department. The youngest son ia still at home on the farm, being too yonng to go away to school. Mr. Campbell and his f imily are well known toa Urge number of The Register readers. Many of the latter will, nevertheless, be iuterested in this sketch, for so quieily has our subject carried on his work that few, even of those who know him best, know anything of the magnitude of his effort8. His Üfe has certamly been a very ideal one. His work in the University has been done fór pure love of study, Dot for the sake of any honors that it nrght bring him nor for any degrees that the University might confer upon him. At the same time Mr. Campbell has reaped many material advantages from bit studies in the botter understanding they have eiven him of men and things. This has enabled hi n to manage mure successfully his business affairs. It is to be regretted that a larger nunber of our farmers do not more fully appreciate the advantages of suoh a life and endeavor to conform their own way of living more nearly to such an ideal.