Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1853-03-11
From the Country Gentleman.
Professional Education OF Farmer ?.

From the Country Gentleman.
Professional Education OF Farmer ?.
L. TUCEER, ESQ i congratulate, my
dear sir, on the advent of your Country
Gentleman" and for one desire to extend to
him the right hand of social fellowship
Coming, as he does, with letter of credit
from you, it is presumabie that he is indeed,
real gentleman---a man of education, OF
good social and moral habits, and a man OF
business. Although the popular idea con
veyed by the term gentleman is that OF
an idle man, man Of leisure a man that is
not obliged to attend to any kind of business
for living, | do not so understand the term,
but rather as | have defined it above. But
the country gentlemen" is or ought to be,
the perfection, the highest grade of the hui
man family, in private life; and as general
rule he generally is so. | have mixed much
with all classes of society in this country
and can say frankly that | have met with
more genuine gentlemen in the country, on
farms and plantations, than in cities and
towns.
| have found but one fault in all my inter
course with country people, that is calculated
to degrade them, and that is almost univer-
sally prevalent; and SO long as it docs pre-
vail it must continue to degrade the profes-
sion. 1t is the absence of proper "esprit
du corps" and in its place a longing desire
for other professions. They look down .
upon their own profession, and up to every
other. They educate their sons for lawyers,
doctors, divines and merchants; and those
who cannot be thus educated, educate them
selves for farmers, as it happens. Is not this
the truth!
Now this must be reformed entirely
Farmers must be ambitious of becoming
great farmers, instead of great lawyers and
doctors; and farmers sons and daughters
must be enabled to sec in their father pro-
tcssion a station and standing sufficiently eX-
allied to satisfy their highest ambition. But
how can this be accomplished? By a pro
per system of education. At present the
great end and aim of education is what is
called professionalism is the student is be
ing educated for a lawyer, &c. Take the cat
alogues Of Yale, Of Hazard, or Of any Of our
colleges, and where you will find one stu
dent preparing for an agricultural life, you
will find five hundred preparing for other
professions. If farmer has two sons, and
the one exhibits a mOdicum of intellectual
"smartness," and the other the same
amount Of dullness, the former is forthwith
sent to the law school, the latter to the barn
yard.
Among all that has been written on the
subject of education of farmers sons, | have
not seen what consider the proper spirit in
culcated. 1t is true, we are continually fur
nished with essays recommending the estab-
lishmcnt of agricultural schools. Farmers
must establish them themselves. Lawyers,
and doctors, and divincs establish their own
schools and why not farmers These pro-
fessions would fare poorly, just as the farm
ers do, if they We're to depend upon the
Legislatures to establish medical colleges,
DC, for them. No, they first put their
shoulders to the wheel, and then call upon
Hercules.
But the great idea, so universally over
looked, is that the farmers must first appre-
ciate the responsibility, the gentility, Of their
own profession, before they can be induced
to take the proper measures to insure thor
ough professional education for their sons
They must cultivate spirit of respect for
themselves and their profession, and con-
slider no other class Of men, no other pro
fession superior or more respectable than
their own. They should do as other pro-
LESSONS do, associate and consult together
upon their own professional affairs; estab-
lish schools and colleges for the education
of the young; and, in fact, do as all other
professions do to advance their own inter
ests.
Let us sketch a plan of education, and as
model we will take the medical profession
What does man do who has a son that he
wishes to become a doctor? He selects
some good physician and puts his son with
him to study two or three years. This is to
give him a theoretical knowledge OF the ru
diments, The physician will instruct him as
to the books he must read, make him &c
quaintcd with the minor practical duties o.
the profession, aud give him opportunities
for such practice as may be considered prop
per. This is an apprenticeship. After 6
proper length of study in the office, he i.
sent to the medical college, where he com
pletes his theoretical studies, and has the adj
vantage of the clinical practice in the mfr
mary or hospital and at proper time, af
ter sufficient study he receives his diPlo
ma.
Now. farmers should DO the same with
those of their sons they intend for farmers
They should instruct them in the nrincinles