The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1871-11-08
Training and Educating Farmers

1t was once the prevailing conviction
among all classes of citizens that the tiller
Of the soil, from the nature of his livelihood,
must be uneducated, rude in speech. and
uncultivated in manners-a mere "hewer of
wood, and drawer of water" In that
twilight of the Ozark Ages" the universal
conviction was also that if boy or young
man happened to be slow to learn, and not
so brilliant and ambitious as is desirable, it
would be the height Of folly to attempt to
educate him for any of the stations occupied
by lawyers, physicians and clergymen; yet,
be would make good farmer But with
the changes which have been wrought by
revolving years, and with the developments
of science and the improvements in the
mechanic arts, new views have supplanted
the erroneous notions of many of our ances
tors Now, the impression is prevalent that
the science and the art of agriculture require
young men and boys Of energy and talent.
With the change which time has wrought,
the once plodding tiller of the soil has been
elevated in his calling, go that he sees and
feels that mind, brains and education give him
an almost irresistible power over the ele.
ments which he handles. Instead of max
ing machine of his own delicately organ
lied body, he now mounts an easy seat, and
without enduring the fatigue incident to the
wearisome labor of long and sultry day,
accomplishes an equal task in less than one
hour. More suspicious times have dawned on
farmers. The problem has long ago been
solved, that he who directs operations of
husbandry, even if his hands are calloused
and his brow tanned, may be refined in lam
guage, and courteous and polished in his
manners.
No class of citizens can have-and none
do have-so much leisure and so many ex-
cellent opportunities to read, to write, to
study, and to become wiser and better, than
tillers of the soil, if they will seize the leisure
moments Every farmer and farmers aon
may, if he will, appropriate at least two to
four hours every day to reading, writing and
useful study. Ten hours is as long as any
person can labor proftably for any one A
manual laborer will perform more by work
ing only ten hours daily during the season,
than if he attempts to keep going fourteen
hours. Because man has been lsboring all
day in the dirt, it does not follow that he
must sit loungingly all the evening in the
apparel Of dtcher A man can slip Of
his working dress, wash and brush up, and
be dressed, ready for the sitting room, in
fifteen minutes. Your g men and boys, who
must frequently labor at dirty work, should
| L. 4o,,.Lt 10 dross rdinf, m fbeir drtiec
then, when the day IS ended, put on a suit
that is not unbecoming in the reception
room. After boys have been led on in manual
employment, they should be taught thai
they have delicate bodies to be cared for
An effort should be made to elevate them in
the scale of being to higher and no6ler
manhood. Don't keep boys on the go from
early dawn till bed time. Let the duties Of
the day be judiciOusly laid out, 50 that every
one can see what is to be performed and how
many hours may be appropriated to every
Job. Farmers should strive to divest then
SONS Of the notion that their livelihood il
but an endless routine of rksome drudgery
Parents and guardians should make an effort
to prevent the prevalent notions in the minds
of most farmers boys, that almost any Other
place is more desirable than home. Lei
suitable backs be provided for the young
Let them be taught that after few hours
have been spent in manual labor, they have
important duties to perform by way of i'm
proving the MUD and cultivating the rougf
manhood, which will mould the boy who as
sociates with uncouth laborers, if he is no
daily brought under the refining and eleyat
ing restraints of education and refined So
ciety.