Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-03-05
Why 1 Want the Boys TO Learn Farm
ing.


EVERY pursuit or calling that ministers
to the sustenance, comfort or enlighten-
ment of mankind is honorable and lauda.
BILE. That Is a narrow and essentially
false conception which regards the former
as more n benetaCtor than beneficiary,
and stigmatizes as drones and cormorants
all who do not directly contribute to the
production and increase of material
wealth The upright, able lawyer, the
studious, skillful physician, the pious, low
ing clergyman, are workingmeR, as truly
and quite as nobly as though they were
wood choppers or bricklayers. He who,
by whatever means, helps to diminish the
fearful aggregate of ignorance, sin and
suffering in the world, and diffuse instead
k owlodge, virtue and happiness, is
worthy Of all honor, and far from me be
the wish to discourage and degrade him.
And yet hold It the duty of every father
20 look well to the physical and industrial
training of his sons and daughters-to see
that each of them is early Injured to some
form of manual labor, and thoroughly
trained to efficiency in some pursuit which
ministers directly to the material or phys
ical needs Of mankind. My reasons for
this conviction are summed up as follows:
The demand for intellectual labor or its
products, and even for mercantile capa.
city, is exceedingly capricious. In a
season Of commercial prosperity, a great
city affords employment TO thousands as
clerks, booRkeepers, teachers OF music,
languages, etc, etc, who will nearly all be
left high and dry by the ebb of tho tide
War, pestilence, q bad harvest, a business
revulsion, throws them suddenly out Of
employment, and no merit or excellence
on their part can avert the catastrophe.
/ would have every one so armed and
equipped for the battle of life that, If sud.
denly unhorsed, he can fight ON efficiently
and undismayedly on foot
The professions are fesrfully over
crowded A Western village is half
peopled by doctors, lawyers, and clergy.
men, who have rushed in ahead of the ex.
pected flood of immigration. Like miners
in the Sierra Nevada or Rocky Noun
tains, they have s,verally staked out their
claims, and are waiting for others to come
in and help develop and work them 10
mutual profit. But "while the grass
grows, the stCcd starves" Whatever may
be their fortune ten or twenty years hence
and events are constantly interposing
TO blast their sanguine h0pes-doctor,
lawyer, minister, are often winning but 4
hANoSANa HAN'ahAANhN oNHlNAN ANA AuS pISns
ent 81 cannot dig; TO beg | am
ashamed" !" is the plant which many would
utter il they could afford to be frank and
outspoken. Thousands suffer and staggtr
on, oppressed by want and ever increasing
debt, who would gladly take refuge in pro.
ductive industry, ifthey had been trained TO
familiarity with pitchforks and plow-
handles. They would outgrow their pres.
ont enlbarrassments If II were not for the
new doctors, lawyers and clergymen an.
nually ground out TO compete with them
for practice or parishes, and whose train.
ing Is ss helplessly one sided Gs their own
would qualify the professional men who
shall henceforth be trained for broader
and more assured usefulness than that Of
their elder brethren.
New York city swarms With hungry,
needy, shivering, covering, cTinging lel.
low mortals, all In eager, imploripg, hope
less quest IT something to do" TO the
reproach Of what passes for education,
must say that majority of these have had
considerable money spent in schooling
them for lives of usefulness. They are
qualified Il presumel TO keep books or
copy manuscripts, or teaoh languages, or
act 50 goYeTnrsses, or follow some othsT
Of ths tfighttnlly over stocked Yocatians,
But WheA ! say 70 one Of tham, "Ths
work yce sesk Is positively not 10 b had