The Grange advance., 1873-10-29

- AVt tAe lily 3u0 l00 1OWH 0uIttAnG TUG
labos Of the farm in which they are brought into
constant contact with the most beautiful and most
wonderful thoughts Of the great al Father, to;
stand behind the couater Of gloomy store, or 10
work In . gloomy. dusty ohice s
Now there are many reasons for this. First,
there is generally lack Of education OF kind
suited TO make youth in love with the abors Of the
farm. mother callings young men are expected
to pass through years Of special study to prepare
them for their work until the study Of their trade
or profession becomes passion with them and
they get no greater pleasure from ary source than
from their daily preparation and work. Now there
il no calling that furnishes wider field for study
and investigation than that Of agriculture ); there
is the wonderful alchemy Of nature in the
transformation of the soil, sunshine, the dew drops
and the rain into plants; there are the different
combinations OF the soil necessary to the healthy
growth of the plant, the variety and nature Of
plants and Thousand other things to be studied.
! There is not only lack of preparation, an edu-
cation Calculated to make the farm work pleasant,
and successful aad to supply the intelligent
wants OF an active brain but from the first en-
trance upon school to the close Of the school lie
education in this country is generally of kind
to unit the student for this noble pursuit
The training is all of the intellect and none ef
the muscle. the mental powers are overtaxed the
physical powers entirely neglected, and the student
comes out Of collegiate course ii not an invalid,
at least wreck as to all physical energy life or
vigor, with an ant1pathy to all manly muscular ex
ertion. Notonly this. but the education is gener-
ally snch as to give a mental disrelish
1or agricultural pursuits. Young men
are taught to read and admire the beau
tiful periods OF the orators, and the I'M
imagery OF the poets of past ages and to study the
dead languages in which they wrote. much more
than they are encouraged to study the laws which
govern their own being, or the means by which
their own wants are to be supplied. And if
stimulous is wanted to tagging ambition, the
offices OF public trust in the nation are pointed
out as the only goals worthy of their highest en-
deavor to reach-as though worth or merit had any
thing to do with getting Office now-a-days-until
the mania of otace-seekins has become more ruin
ous to the young men OF the nation, than that of
gaming has to the people Of Spain.
Another thing that has driven and is driving
young men from agricultural pursuits is the little
attention paid to meeting the higher esthetical
wants OF their natures of contributing to the love
OF order, beauty and comfort. Farming is made
too much drudgery; farmers with improved la
bor-saving machinery instead Of using it to.make
their work easir, use it only that they may accom-
plish the more work, and the farm house is left
without beauty or comforts unfinished and with
out books, and the yard without shrubbery or
ftow0rs, and youth come to look on farming AZ a
hard dreary life.
Farmers live too distant, there is not
sumclent OF association and interchange of
thought Men are social beings and naturally seek
ana are improved by association with each other;
"As steel sharpeneth iron, so the countenance of
friend sharpeneth that of his frend'' The bring
ing OF two minds together in conversation is like
bringing the opposite poles Of eacticlty together
fash is ELECTED, wit sparkles forth. thought flows
and there Is a mutual improvement. have thought
sometimes that 1t would be beneficial il farmers
could live in villages in the centers of small tracts
OF country and have their farms extending out in
every direction from their homes, that they might
have more OF the refining influence of each others
society. the stimulous of having their wosk con-
stantly under the observtion of Others and the ben
eht OF having the experiments of their ueighbors
and their different manners OF conducting the af
fairs of the farm constantly within and under their
observation.
And last, but not least farming does not occupv
the position that it should, for the reason that it
mas come to be looked upon as Improbable, and,
while as general rule this idea is false and agri
culture pursued with care, diligence and system
0r1ngs IN this country greater returns for the
amount of capital invested than any other calling.
and In older countries farmers are the most
wealthy class Of men, yet ON account Of the thrift
less manner In which farming is often carried on
In new countries, It often becomes the most un
profitable This carelessness does not always nor
generally arise from lack of industry and enter.
prise. but 1t comes from inexperience, from de-
sire TO see Immediate gains and carelessness with
regard 10 those that are more remote, from under
taxing too much, from want of habits, of system
ana order. In this western country when we look
out over these broad prairles, our miuds get too
much ex pansion, and have thought sometimes,
that the old Roman law of allowing only seven
acres TO person would be good thing for this
country until our farms were brought up to their
highest productive ability. The rule Of "a little
farm well titled little house well filled and a
little wife well wed'' is capital one for farmers
Of small means. 81
But this is a day Of progress and many Of these
obstacles to the utmost sources of this pursuit. are
being rapidly removed, Patrons Of Husbandry are
doing noble work and may yet lead on to the entire
elevation Of this noble calling Agricultural ma.
Pers are taking high ground, agricultural col.
leges are becoming more numerous and are more
generally attended. 1t has already come to this
that the educational system Of State is not con
sidered perfect until the State has an agricultural
college, or an agricultural department in their
State University.
Let such papers as the Auerican Agricult,rist.
Western Rural and The GRANGE ADvANcE, he
every house, let time be set apart each day by
the farmers for study and making home pleasant,
and we shall soon lind remedy which will be
efIectpal In nfin1 fhia - -