Adventures in Contentment

by David Grayson, Ray Stannard Baker

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Genres: Philosophy, Memoir, Biography, Books About Books, Essays, Classics

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Pen-name of Ray Stannard Baker


Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name

Reviews

[Lonnie West · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read books twice. David Grayson is an exception. His books can be read for sheer enjoyment, but if you've eyes to see, you'll discover wonderful wisdom wrapped in simplicity and wisdom. A man tired of the meaningless busyness and city competition moves to the country. He discovers a new world and, in himself, a new man.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read David Grayson's short story, "A Day of Pleasant Bread," in an anthology of short stories, "Christmas in my Heart," that a friend had given me. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd like to read some of David Grayson's other works. This title of his, "Adventures in Contentment" caught my attention for two reasons. First, in today's hectic lives, there isn't often a search for contentment or any contemplation on it, and the novelty of it makes the topic interesting.

Secondly, the two words "adventures" and "contentment" seem to be opposites in that most people don't consider the risk-taking of adventuring as belonging with the deep sigh of contentment. Contentment does not search for the adrenaline rush, but takes pleasure in the peace and quiet already around them.

So, how does one adventure in contentment?

Certainly, there are situations in which it can be the better route, even necessary, to change things, to improve them, or to end an evil. In such cases, "contentment" is not a virtue at all, but apathy in disguise. And yet, there's also the opposite problem in society, of people pushing onward, workaholism, without any real appreciation of soul-deep contentment in what they already have, or contentment in some of the facets of the world around them.

A fictional David Grayson worked in the rat race, doing what, exactly, he did not say, instead saying he chose to remember as little as possible of that time in his life. But, he sought a change from the busyness of city life and went to work on a farm, to enjoy the simplicity of life. He was telling his biography, but I couldn't help thinking of the old comedy TV series, "Green Acres." "Adventures in Contentment" had its funny moments, too, but wasn't nearly as corny, and it was not really fair to compare the two. "Adventures in Contentment" had its much more serious moments and philosophical wonderings; I don't think "Green Acres" ever did.

For all the ponderings, I still laughed when Mr. Grayson saw the wind shatter one of his windows. Instead of scurrying to clean up the glass or worrying about replacing it, or at least covering the hole, he took a shard of glass and said, "Just what I needed!" to finish whittling his ax handle.

Or the time he caught a stranger stealing one of his plants. They ended up discussing the plant together so much that they were in awe of its beauty, and Mr. Grayson allowed the trespasser to just take the plant away.

Or when the book salesman visited, and Mr. Grayson "sold" him his own books.

Most cozy literature describes the comfort of friendships or family relationships, or the comfort of food, or even the comfort of doing some sort of craft (knitting, perhaps, or in one series, candle making.) This book combines all those things, but adds another element in the comfort of nature. Mr. Grayson relished being outside in nature, and described its beauty in a way that few books resonate with me - probably not since Lucy Maud Montgomery's writings, although, yes, her stories were primarily stories of friendships and relationships, too. I suppose I would also mention Jesse Stuart's descriptions of nature in "My World," but that book hit me at a time when I was not quite ready for it, and so I probably don't have a full appreciation of it. Mr. Grayson's descriptions of nature involved all our senses, and so seemed alive.

Mr. Grayson was somewhat of a philosopher, but one that disbelieved anything he didn't like. He talked about reading authors until they are "apparently much discouraged about this universe. This is the veritable moment when I am in love with my occupation as a despot [in choosing books to read]! At this moment I will exercise the prerogative of tyranny: 'Off with his head!'"

I know that's a whimsical way to phrase the decision we all make, as to whatever books we read, but Mr. Grayson seemed to apply that to other aspects of life, as well. If he didn't like something, he didn't believe it. It's not a philosophy that works very well with the realities of life. What of war? Or famine? Or anything unjust and ugly?

It was a somewhat funny chapter in which Mr. Grayson accidentally met up with the town's "infidel" in searching for a calving cow. Over the course of the day, Mr. Grayson discovered that he was an "infidel," too. I had to smile gently. Even if he was a self-defined "infidel," that did not make Mr. Grayson less likable or less personable. I'd known he was an "infidel" for awhile, myself. In fact, I'd wondered when the neighbors were talking about the "infidel" whether they'd been talking about him!

So, I would say to enjoy the humor and the descriptions of nature in this book, and the comforting way that Mr. Grayson tried to restore his peace of mind from the hectic, meaningless pace of life he'd had before. He did stumble across a great deal of truth. But ... be careful, because many of his thoughts were not well thought out, and don't correlate well to reality. They don't extrapolate well to the topics beyond which they were written, and don't always relate well to the topics at hand either.

Contentment can be an important facet of our lives, and we can apply thought and appreciation to it, but it seemed sad to me that his contentment went merely to the beauty and the depths of nature, and the beauty and the depths of friendship, while keeping God at arm's length. He appreciated God on some level and at some points, but he believed whatever he wanted to believe about God as well. But God can be the deepest source of contentment, not just in the appreciation of the things and people in our lives already, but even as we grow in the uncertainties and troubles of our lives. True contentment, I think, is based partly on trusting God for what will be, and trusting Him with whatever is here now - not that He will always decide how we wish, but that He is always loving and always good to us.

I'm reminded of the saying "Godliness with contentment is great gain." - 1 Timothy 6:6, a principle that I've seen worked out in real life, if somewhat imperfectly.

There were so many interesting quotes that I almost liked, that there was almost truth or wisdom in. I could not recommend this book to people whom, I fear, prefer the beautiful over what is true, but sometimes the beautiful and the true are one and the same. "If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair." - C. S. Lewis

Here are some of my favorites "Adventures in Contentment" quotes:

"It is only after people resign you to your fate that you really make friends of them. For how can you win the friendship of one who is trying to convert you to his superior beliefs?"

"There is no tax on sunshine."

"Cookery is the greatest art in the world next to poetry and much better appreciated. think how asy it is to find a poet who will turn you a presentable sonnet, and how very difficult it is to find a cook who will turn you an edible beefsteak."

[Jim Puskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a precious old volume that I was fortunate to have acquired at an estate sale over 40 years ago. It was probably thought of as being outdated even then, having been written back in 1906. So how relevant can it be now, 110 or so years later? Re-reading it again today, I'm struck with how timeless it remains, despite the quaint scenarios Grayson paints and the old-fashioned language he uses. One is reminded of the timeless ideals and sentiments of Thoreau, Emerson or Thackeray. This book is all about the search for simplicity, truth, self-knowledge -- or as he terms it, contentment. He speaks of the joy to be had in a simple task, the innate value of art, the impact that one good man can have upon a community; most poignantly, he defines the true essence of democracy as "the voluntary surrender of some private good for the upbuilding of some community good." How strikingly relevant is that in our present day where there are those in positions of power, pretending to be populists, who would have us believe that such a surrender constitutes socialism!
I'm reminded of how fragile is this thing we call freedom and how terribly difficult it has become to preserve it in an age where wealth and power dominate all aspects of life and where the very existence of truth is being challenged.

[Emi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been a good book. I came to it from Parnassus on Wheels, which is a great book, since it is referenced in the preface. And I quite agree with Christopher Morley that the farmer’s sister is somewhat abused in these “adventures.” Harriet is called to move to the country and keep house for her brother while he goes and plays farmer—and yes, he plays farmer. Everything he encounters on his “farm” is far too easy. There’s no hardship, no worry, nothing, save the author’s pure enjoyment.

I was excited to read this because our culture today in 2019 is totally against contentment, and as a Christian, sometimes it’s hard to find contentment where God has placed you in your circumstance and take the bad along with the bad. The book started off well enough, but the farmer was far too content with his play farm for it to be anywhere near reality. All of the “religious” conversations sprinkled throughout did smack of infidelity, as the farmer decides that he is—instead of finding contentment and peace in God.

This book would be a pleasant set of stories if the author refrained from being overly preachy about his simple life and say that men need to turn their backs on everything and buy a farm and work with their own hands, as well as the authors oppressive comment on religion. The ending speaks that every community needs a church, not to go to, but that it’s just there as a sort of ark of the covenant.

Besides, the author wrote these books, and when I look at his life, all he was about was journalism and living in the city. It would be perfectly fine if the book was not so preachy. Can I not have a book about adventures of being content on a farm with humorous anecdotes about happenings? Why must I be told forcibly by the author I meed to sell everything I have and buy a small farm?

[Tom Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My very good friend Martin has always called me a "Frustrated Farmer" - living a good life, but perhaps not the life I was intended to live. He urged me to read this book and within the first chapter, I discovered why:

"One morning I wakened with a strange, new joy in my soul. It came to me at that moment with indescribable poignancy, the thought of walking barefoot in cool, fresh plow furrows as I had once done when a boy. So vividly the memory came to me—the high airy world as it was at that moment, and the boy I was walking free in the furrows—that the weak tears filled my eyes, the first I had shed in many years. Then I thought of sitting in quiet thickets in old fence corners, the wood behind me rising still, cool, mysterious, and the fields in front stretching away in illimitable pleasantness. I thought of the good smell of cows at milking—you do not know, if you do not know!—I thought of the sights and sounds, the heat and sweat of the hay fields. I thought of a certain brook I knew when a boy that flowed among alders and wild parsnips, where I waded with a three-foot rod for trout. I thought of all these things as a man thinks of his first love. Oh, I craved the soil. I hungered and thirsted for the earth. I was greedy for growing things."

This is a great book, full of wisdom that provokes thoughts about purpose and intent. About living deliberately in the way your soul craves for you to live, not as societal norms tell you that you must. About a man who set it all aside, bought his own chunk of land and lived the way he longed to live.

I will read it again for certain.

[Barnard Madsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandfather kept this on his nightstand and quoted from it to his sons. "This has been a day of pleasant bread." He used to say he was amazed at the multitude of things he could do without. This is a book I've read and reread. Classic.

[Poiema · Rating 3 out of 5]

An urban dweller chooses to change course and live the rural life. Bucolic, gentle, easy read. It has a soothing quality and is pleasant but left no deep impression on me.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

"As for neighbors, accept those nearest at hand; you will find them surprisingly human, like yourself. If you like them you will be surprised to find how much they all like you (and will upon occasion lend you a spring-tooth harrow or a butter tub, or help you with your plowing); but if you hate them they will return your hatred with interest. I have discovered tat those who travel in pursuit of better neighbors never find them."

"We are all tolerant enough of those who do not agree with us, provided only they are sufficiently miserable!"

"And when we come to think of it, goodness is uneventful. It does not flash, it glows. It is deep, quiet and very simple."

I enjoyed this book very much, and found it sprinkled with bits of wisdom. The above quotes are a few that I highlighted as I read. This book was published in 1907 and is a collection of experiences of a man who felt unfulfilled by living a busy life in the city and moved to a country farm to find more joy in life. There is no overarching plot, and each chapter is a several-page vignette of an experience on his farm.

Now that I have finished the book, I started looking for more information about the author, and I found that David Grayson was a pseudonym for the muckraking journalist Ray Stannard Baker. I don't think Baker every took years away from his public life to live on a rural farm, so I am guessing that this is fictional.

[Leaflet · Rating 3 out of 5]

My copy of this book (found in a used book shop) is an attractive hardcover with thick, creamy pages and a lovely dust cover illustrated by Thomas Fogarty. I had never heard of David Grayson. It’s a quick, pleasant, bedside read about a philosopher-farmer who escapes the city to find true life and contentment in the country, published around the turn of the 20th century. At the time, his books attracted a huge number of fans. So much so, that Grayson received fan letters and “Greysonian Clubs” sprang up around the country. Even more intriguing was the question of Greyson’s true identity. Several Imposters popped up, claiming to be Grayson. One such even tricked a woman into marrying him, thinking he was the true Grayson. I won’t give away the mystery man here. Just google his name and read for yourself.

[Debbie Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although not an easy read, there were things that led me to ponder and at other times allowed my mind to wonder. I believe it should stay on the shelf to be revisited. This book was copyright in 1907, the language is not the same as now. It is short tales of living on a small farm, one of my favorites was when the brown cow escaped, a simple story with a discussion about if there is a hell. Seemed to me that the secret to Contentment, at least in this book, was working with your hands and hard work and also the value of community.

[Chuck Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Grayson (a pseudonym) wrote at a time when America was shifting from an agrarian to an urban society, from a culture of character to a culture of personality, from introvert to extrovert. Like a latter day Thoreau, he pushes back against these inexorable forces. His stories are sweet, and many of his points poignant, but he does have a tendency to romanticize. Having worked in my yard, I know the smell of earth and sweat isn’t always as pleasant as Grayson describes it to be!

[Loki · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable series of reflections of life on a farm, having fled the city. It's interesting, though found the somewhat elitist & self-satisfied tone towards the end quite annoying. Don't let that put you off though; it is written well!

[Greyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely collection of stories.

[RJ Stayton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to read Kindle Edition is not very well done and the book tends to freeze on Kindle.

[Anita Dormer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A diamond of a read
Wonderful 5 stars

[Elizabeth Diederich · Rating 5 out of 5]

an overlooked classic. this is the kind of book you read over and over again to remind yourself of its the many truths.

[Karen Mosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Men and women there are--the pity of it--who, eating plentifully, have never themselves taken a mouthful from the earth.... They take nothing at first hand. They experience described emotion, and think prepared thoughts. They live not in life, but in printed reports of life. They gather the odour of odours, not the odour itself: they do not hear, they overhear. A poor, sad, second-rate existence!" "Happiness, I have discovered, is nearly always a rebound from hard work." "It is the tragic necessity (but the salvation) of many a man that he should come finally to an irretrievable experience, to the assurance that everything is lost. For with that moment, if he be strong, he is saved. I wonder if anyone ever attains real human sympathy who has not passed through the fire of some such experience." "That's REAL politics: the voluntary surrender of some private good for the upbuilding of some community good.... There is, after all, in this world no real good for which we do not have to surrender something. In the city the average voter is never conscious of any surrender. He never realises that he is giving anything himself for good schools or good streets. Under such conditions how can you expect self-government?" "Family life on the farm is highly educative; there is more discipline for a boy in the continuous care of a cow or a horse than in many a term of school. Industry, patience, perseverance are qualities inherent in the very atmosphere of country life. The so-called manual training of city schools is only a poor makeshift for developing in the city boy those habits which the country boy acquires naturally in his daily life." Lots of quotes, but this book, published in 1906, holds many gems of truth such as these. The copy I own was a gift to my grandparents on their wedding day from Heber J. Grant, with his signature and best wishes written on the frontispiece, and his own (and his wife, Augusta's) underlined passages which they particularly appreciated. The author was a man discouraged with city life who bought a farm and found joy and satisfaction with his new life. "While on the subject of simplicity it may be well to observe that simplicity does not necessarily, as some of those who escape from the city seem to think, consist in doing without things, but rather in the proper use of things." Amen.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a little disappointing to know that this book is a work of fiction--that there was no "David Grayson" who moved to a farm to live the simple life and write stories about it--but I found this book charming nevertheless. Reading it as a book of philosophy, I found much of it wise and its outlook worthy of emulation. It made me happy to read it . . . something I can say of very few books.

[Jennieblaser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading this book so I can recommend we read it this year in my book group. If you need a feel-good, well-written, life should be like this sort of book, this is the one for you. Short, easy to read. Highly recommend it!

[M. M. Kishore Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an amazing book, I liked the illustrations.

The other day, I got an opportunity to cut some plants and thought of the story in this book

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/...

[Mychael-Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it, and I see almost every book to its end. I'm asleep in 5 min if I pick this one up.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of a project I am working on, please enjoy my review at my blog:

http://walkinginelsiesreadingshoes.bl...

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes me want to live simply and contentedly.

[Dan]

Found a reference to this guy (Ray Stannard Baker) on the Dudeism website.