The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1856-09-18

We ALI have to be bows before we can be
men. and although it is not left to orr choice
z1hereour bovish days shall be spent, whether
in city or country, yet hoar they shall be spent
depends partly at least upon ourselves Both
the where and the how are important to our
success and usefulness in life, but the latter
i by far the most important. To illustrate
our meaning, we copy from Foaeier's Sketehe,
NJ Lfring Anericda Preachers, an exceed
inely interesting and instructive work, just
published by Fairchild & Co, log Nassau
street, n Y. OF the early life Of DR.. Baird
Ir. Fowler says:
Robert was farmers boy. His early
DAYS were spent ike those Of all farmer 5
boys. He ploughed and hoed, and did the
chores, and during the winter months tfud-
ged 10 the village school, working as faith
fully at geography and arithmetic, as III sum
mer on furrow and sod. And is it not fact
worthy Of attention that such large pro-
portion Of our great men are reared soil
DOM A natural connection exists between
such training and future usefulness We
will find that many Of those who are now
the working men Of the age--the effective
philanthropists, the devoted patriots, the
Guiding statesnen--haye had their early
raining in connection with the farm
Now, here is a thought for the boys who
help on with the farm work III summer, and
~ To school in winter We could speak Just
a. encouragingly for the girls who grow up
10 the farm, and perhaps may at another
time-but our object now is with the farmer 5
hovs Let them consider, what is unques-
tionably true in our past history, and proba-
BY will lie Of our future, that the farm is the
best place inthc world to produce full grown
men, The alienation of out-of-door work
with study, which 50 much obtains with far
ners' sons, Is the best training in the world
to mature a sound body and harmonously
active mind. The farm, Of course, makes
nearly all tic distinguished farmers. 1t is
not SO much a matter If course, but it is yet
true, that large portion Of the eminent me
chanics, manufacturers and merchants are
raised on the farm. And so it is with our
more public men. If we had a bright boy
that we hoped to make Robert Peel Of. or
4 Daniel Webster, a Gardner Spring, or
Robert Baird, we should want him to work
on the farm summers, and attend school
winters, through at least the first halt of his
teens.
But the boys should understand that it is
not merely being born and growing ON farm
that makes great men. Without some fixed
purpose, some effort of their own, the farm
viii not make them good farmers nor will it
tit them to excel IN other cmpioynv OF
the individual who IS the subject OF the above
extract, the writer Of his life remarks;
Robert Baird manifested at the outset Of
life an unusual fondness for reading.
He also eyinced in early life remarkable
memory. He garnered up the fruits of his
reading" Here was the secret of his sue
cess Providence did him kindness in
putting HIM on a farm; but for all that, he
might have lived aud gone through life
without learning much, and without even
acquiring the faculty of expressing what he
had learned in fitting language. He made
himself and that by just such efforts of read
ing, reviewing, and studying, till he could
remember what he read, as every boy can
undertake, if he will, with a pretty good
prospect Of success. lit is from the farmers
sons now in their teens, that most Of the
distinguished men of twenty-five years hence
are TO come. They are to furnish the wealthy
farmers, the mechanics that know how to
Miak as well as ,cork, the enterprising mer
chants, the leading men of their age in all
departments of useful and honorable life.
But which of them are to become eminently
useful and honored, will depend very much
on themselves. Those who do not try will
certainly fall short Those who try may
succeed. What say the boys TO hyingf-
Pio5r, L0om g. Inrl,