Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-01-31


selves and the State. Every town should
have its Farmers Club. ! rejoice TO see so
many Of the young men attend the meetings
Of the Club.
Rev j. w. Buzzell Ethan Allen was u
large and good farmer. great statesman
and II gallant general. Why not cultivate
the brain and mind ms we'll rs the physical
power Of our sons. Formerly IL was SAID my
son is only to be n farmer; it was thought to
be conclusive argument against giving our
farmer boys tolerable school district edu-
cation. 1t was deemed time and money
thrown away. The first settlers of the state
were many of them well informed, intelligent
men. Such are the men we want now
And we have the material from which to
make them. Twenty-Five years ago It was
the ambition of nearly every farmers son TO
have home of his own For that he labor
ed, and for that he taxed not only his physical
but his mental faculties until he accomplish
ed it. What are our farmers sons trying to
do to-dayp They are trying to make money
without any higher or nobler end in view.
Hence the rush to the cities and large towns
to engage in some other work than farm
ing, and where one succeeds and gets rich,
twenty are poor and many come back to the
old homestead dssipated and diseased.
I curse to themselves and the community. |
own what ! call good farm for northern
Vermont ] have two boys ut st. Adams
who are trying to make money faster than ut
farming. They wear out more boots yearly
than when they were with me on the farm.
. | far thaf toEf gtn
and are working harder than they did on the
farm. Being merchant is small business
compared with the farmer. Not one in
twenty who engage in mercantile business
gain competence, and not one in fifty get
rich. Boys, stick to the farm. Millions of
people in all old countries are poor and if
thousands did not die prematurely by dis
case, induced by want and deprivation, the
almshouses would he overlooked. Our farm
ers us class know nothing about being
! poor. Lawyers are much oftener poor than
rich. So with all the professions. The signs
of the times indicate that the farmers are
t, coming to the 'front.' that they are to be in
fact what they are in truth, the lords of the
soil and the rulers of the state.
The Secretary being called for, remarked
that the first part of the subject was not an
open or debatable question. No one
; at this day doubted the Importance of intelli-
gence among farmers sons. Why they
should possess this knowledge and how il
l. can be obtained are the questions for us tc
consider We see many farmers sons leav.
ing the farm and going to manufacturing es.
Establishments either Mt home or in the cities
thinking TO make money faster and easier
. than on the farm. Now what are the factsf
. Take the workmcn in the largest manufac
u turing establishment in the county if not in
the state, and are they rs a whole getting
> rich? Are they gaining competence even
: No, sir. More than half of them are no better
v off to-day than one. two or three years ago
and let sickness stop their labor for n few
u weeks and they are dependent upon the char
U ity of friends or the public. This is one rea
p son why farmers sons should stay upon tn,
y farm. Agriculture is the original naturl
% occupation of man. The only one of Divin,
|. origin. Health, strength and vigor are the
q natural results of farm life. Look at those
p who are trying to evade Gods laws by en-
. gaging in other and rs they regard then
ST more genteel occupations. What are the.
T. physically? Many of them are mere wreck
u of humanity, with broken constitutions, dis
u eased bodies their minds however brigh
'p and active suffer with their bodies. How
ii many of our milionaires of to-day woul,
&c give nine-tenths of their wealth for tn
;" health, strength and natural vigor of our wei
u to do farmers? These are some of the reasons
r. why farm boys should stick to the farm
re Speak well of the occupation Do not tel
W the boys that n farm life is II hard one com
III pared with the merchant or professional
Is man. Impress upon their minds the noble
Is ness Of the calling. Teach them that BRAIN
are rs necessary for farmer rs for any othe
rs occupation. Let us insist that the books i
ld our common schools shall contain smpl
ld trcatises upon principles of Agriculture LC
rs the State Board of Education understand tina
n the farmer, whose children compose NOR
,h than halfthe number in our schools, wish then
CO to prepare such books for our schools, tlI
1d while they are learning to read, they are ais
Id learning the fundamental principles of the
ng future calling. Let our school house yard
Id become miniature farms where fruits an
IS flowers are cared for and cultivated, and W
be and daughters Mt home.
IS j. G. Lawrence: II you want the boys
Ig, stay on the farm do not bear on too har
es when the boy is turning the grindstone.
II he wants to hold the pillow let him. If i
Jokes the steers and they run away instea
ny of scolding him, help him to catch then
he Let him have calf or lamb rs his owl
lss Tell him he shall have n colt when he is o.
h enough to ride 1t. If he wants to go to tow
rd on public day, do not give him half dolli
of when you know he ought to have dollar
Nv be respectable. Let the boys know that yC
nd are doing now for them all that you M
ys able to, and will do more MS fast rs you ca
res and they will stay by YOU while the opposi
lrf course from what have intimated will dri,
| them away, leaving you alone in your oil
age. Not one in ten of the foremen in Il
Lowell factories save any money, and n
IL one in fifty of the workpen but what are
of debt or have spent the money before tn,
ok have earned il.
III q. S. Goodell: The reason why farmer
nd sons do not stay at home is because the (
ou theirs are too hard with them. They see
ter to think all they can get out of them is their
re and grudge them even the gifts they ms
,.n receive from some kind hearted friel
10" or relative. Many smart boy has bee
driven from home by unwise treatment tn
lck might have remained If they had been MOI
ads kindly treated.
~ Subject for next meeting; Sugar ma
'ne ing"
ard -----...-
his Look at our Premium List, you brig
'os farmers sons who want dictionary.
me -
ma Mr.. Beecher does not seem to entertain
'he very high opinion of the literature that is
ny be found in church and Sunday school ibr