Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-01-26
Horticultural y DOnscssjc'
Training and Educating Farmers.


1t was at one time the prevailing conyic-
ton among all classes Of citizens that the til
Ter of the soil, from the nature of his liveli-
hood. must be uneducated, rude in speech
and uncultiyated in Manners mere "hew-
er of wood and drawer Of water. in that
twilight Of the Ozark Ages the universal
conviction was also that if a boy or young
man happened to he slow to learn, 1t would
he the height of folly to attempt to educate
him for any of the stations occupied by law
yers. physicians and clergymen; yet he would
make good farmer But with the changes,
which have been wrought by revolving years
and with the developments Of science and
the improvement in the mechanic arts, new
views have supplanted the erroneous notions
Of many of our ancestors. Now the impress
sion is prevalent that the science and the
art of agriculture require young men and boys
Of energy aud talent. With the change
which time has wrought, the once plOdding
tiller Of the soil has been elevated in his call
ing so that he sees and feels that mind and
brain and education give him an almost ire
sistible power over the elements which he
handles Instead OF making machine Of
his own delicately organized body, he now
mounts an easy seat, and without enduring
the fatigue incident to the wcarisOme labor Of
a long and sultry day ,accomplishes an equal
task in less than one hour. More suspicious
times have dawned on farmers. The prob
lem has long ago been solved that he who d.
reefs the operations Of husbandry. even if
his hands are calloused and his brow tanned,
may be refined in language and courteous
and polished in his manners.
No class Of citizens can haye-and none
do haye-so much leisure and 80 many excel
lent opportunities to read or write, TO study,
and 10 become wiser AMI better, than tillers
of the soil, if they Will seize the leizure mo-
ments. Every farmer and farmers son may
if be will, appropriate at least from two 10
four hours every day to reading, writing and
useful study. Ten hours is as long as any
person can labor probably for any one \
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 a man has been laboring all
day in the dirt il does not follow that he must
sit loungngly all the evening in the apparel |
of ditcher. man can slip of his work |
ing dress, wash and brush up and be ready /
for the sitting room in fifteen minutes. |
Y oung men and boys, who must frequently 1
labor at dirty work should be taught to |
dress according to their duties then, when
the day is ended, put on a suit that is NOT I'M
becoming in the reception room. After boys /
have been led on in manual employment they
should be taught that they have delicate
bodies to be cared for. An effort should be
made to elevate them in the scale Of being to
a higher and nObler manhood. Don't keep
boys on the 90 from early dawn till bed time.
Let the duties Of the day be iudiciously laid
out, 50 that every one can sec what is to be
performed, and how many hours may be ap-
propriated to every job.
Farmers should strive to divest their sons
Dr the notion that their livelihood Is but
an endless routine Of irksome drudgery.
Parents and guardians should make an effort
to prevent the prevalent notion in the minds
IF most farmers boys that almost any other
place is more desirable than home Let suit
,ble books he provided for the Young. Let
hem be taught that after few hours have
zen spent in manual labor they have impor-
ant duties to perform by way of improving
he mind and cultiyatng the rough manhood |
which will mould the boy who associates
With uneOuth laborers if he is not daily
'rOught under the refining and elevating re-
traints Of education and refined society.
OBsERE Err.