Farming is an act of faith

A journalism professor in college introduced me to a small book of writing tips called “The Elements of Style.’’ Back in 1963, the little book cost 95 cents.

One of the editors of the book was E.B. White, who also wrote “Charlotte’s Web.’’ That’s the farm tale, often referred to as heart-warming, about a pig and a spider who become friends. It’s a children’s story with the power to sometimes make adults cry. Perhaps you have read it, or watched a movie about it.

“The Elements of Style,’’ originally written by William Strunk Jr. and revised later by White, was a highly respected publication among journalism professors and students. It was a small thing, something like four inches by seven inches. I just checked, and my copy has 71 pages. Strunk himself famously called it “the little book.’’ The 71 pages are a treasure chest of tips on words, sentences, writing and comprehension. Even today, I sometimes reach for it in my bookshelf to look up a word or style tip when I am writing.

I admired White for a long time before I learned that he was the same guy who wrote “Charlotte’s Web.’’ And I admired his talent and creativeness in writing that story for a long time before I learned that White understood quite a lot about farming, about living on the land, about working with plants and animals. He and his wife had a farm in Maine. They lived there, actively involved in the farm, for half a century. It is said that the farm was the model for the farm in “Charlotte’s Web.’’

The other day, I happened on this passage as I looked for details of White’s life: He and his wife raised chickens, pigs, sheep and geese. “He was involved in the daily duties of running the farm, and his experiences there heavily influenced his writing.’’ He is credited with saying, “A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus.’’

I have been thinking about E.B. White recently because, in a random search of quotes about writing, I found this gem: “Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.’’ The source where I found that quote says it is “a testament to his believe in writing as a profound act of conviction and hope.’’ The source also said White’s work demonstrates a faith in the written word’s ability to transcend mere structure and touch the human spirit.

The thing is, I decided as I read those passages, we’re pretty much talking about farmers just as much as writers, not to be too high-falutin about it all. I mean, a person could easily paraphrase White and say that farming is an act of faith, not a trick of gardening. I know, that’s convoluted. The part about farming being an act of faith, though? I’ll stand by that statement any day of the week.

Seriously, what takes more faith than farming? I remember as a kid when I would think my dad and uncle, the brothers in Woster Brothers farm partnership, were plumb loco when they would say things like, “All the corn needs now is a good drink of water in the next few days and a couple of shots later in the month.’’ In my limited, immature experience, the needed “drink of water’’ and the “couple of shots later’’ never seemed to arrive. Early on, I took to heart the old saying about “spit in one hand and wish in the other and see which one fills up.’’ My dad and my uncle had more faith than that. And it takes a box-car load of faith to be a farmer, even in the good times.

My dad said something like that once. I said it didn’t seem to me there were a lot of good times coming around. He said something like, “Well, that’s why you make sure to appreciate every one of them that does come around.’’

And, if writing is a profound act of conviction and hope, so is farming. Those without conviction and hope don’t rise with the sun and work through the day to its end. That is just too much. Conviction means all that hard work has value. Hope means something good is coming because of all that hard work.

Finally, having listened to farmers tell stories at the elevator or the co-op, I’m convinced a lot of them would make darned good writers, if they set their minds to it.