Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-12-04
SOCIAL CULTURE.

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cease to strive to increase its usefulness in
this direction. Husbands, when you 20 to
the grange meeting take your wife. II is
intended as much for her as for you. The
surest guarantee that the order has Of long
life Is the admission on terms Of equality of
both sexes. Without the elevating, refining,
%enlightening, and frightening influence ex-
erted by the presence Of ladies in the hall of
the grange, one.half-the best half-of its
mission would prove a failure. Il must be
admitted and we think is not denied that
the intellectual faculties of the farming class
in this country are not so we'll cultivated as
those of the manufacturing population where
said manufacturing population does not con-
tain a larger proportion Of foreigners. This
is because the manufacturers are brought
together in numbers by their daily work,
and have an opportunity to converse and in.
terchange ideas daily with their fellows.
This opportunity, save to a very limited ex.
tent, the farmer does not enjoy from the
nature of his occupation he is to a degree
isolated from others, outside Of his own fam.
lily and farm. The intellectual faculties, like
the other powers of man, increase and grow
with use. The man who might by use and
development Of his faculties have been a
leader in the nation, often remains in the
lowest ranks SIMPLY because his powers have
not been developed, while many who rise to
positions of prominence were far behind him
in natural ability, but developed that ability
and consequently rose in the world.
Il may be urged that the man who rolls
his talent up and lays it away instead oil
making the most possible Of it is himself
solely to blame for the consequences of that
action, and We admit he is so far as said
result is due entirely to his action, or lack
of action. But the society in which he has
grown up, and the influences thrown around
him in youth, are also in a considerable dc.
gree answerable for his future.
And this brings US to the subject we have
had chiefly in view in writing this article
that of giving the children not only opportu-
nifty but encouragement in meeting together
in social gatherings. Never object to al.
lowing your soLs ard daughters to attend
the little social meetings among their
friends, the picuics and festivals Of the
grange, the meetings of the Good Templars,
lodge, &c. On the contrary, give them not
only your consent but encouragement, and
60 with them occasionally. We have
known children brought up in comparative
seclusion we have seen them arrive al
years Of maturity without having ever at
tended a social gathering, or hardly even q
lecture or other public entertainment VIC
have seen a girl thrown upon the world,
young and inexperienced and without that
knowledge Of the world aud its ways which
it is the duty of parents to give their chill.
dren, and we have seen her a few year.
l~ater,a ruined woman-onc Of those set down
in the worlds vocabulary as "lost." She
had grown up without society, without
friends, aside from her own family. When
one came to her protesting to love her, she
trusted and believed, simply because she
knew no other way. She found, too late
that she was the victim Of an artful deceiv'
er. This is not an imaginary picture, bul
one Of many facts.
Many a youth is drawn into the pathway
of sin, simply by the mistaken course taken
by his parents to keep him in the paths OF
rectitude. Man is a social being, aud his
nature Graves the society of his species
More than this, there is q G~od-given instinct
which leads especially the young to de
sire the society of the opposite sex. IL
view OF this, it is incumbent upor
those who have the care Of children and
youth to give them an opportunity to graft,
fly this inherent desire in a fit aud proper
manner aud under proper circumstances.
Let the young people meet in the lodge,
the harvest festival of the grange, or the so
cial evenings entertainm ent. Let them
amuse themselves with innocent games, and
if occasionally they chance to dance a figure
who is harmed thereby? If you find any sill
or immortality in the act Of dancing, by al
means use your influence against it. But j
it is only Objectionable because of certail
surroundings and under certain circumstanc
es, and under other circumstances and will
other surroundings a harmless amusement
the safest, surest way to guard your chill
dren against its evils is to give them an op
portunity to enjoy the harmless amusemen
without those Objectionable surroundings auC
circumstances Depend upon it, as tn
tastes aud habits are formed while undo
your control, if judiciously formed, so the,
will remain, but remember that denyinI
these instincts is not directing them. W,
have heard the old adage that "as the twiI
is bent the trees inclined" objected to, as
very fallible rule, but we think if properl,
understood it would not so often be pro
nounced a failure. The young have certai
propensities aud desires implanted by ma
turo. These demands of nature must b
met. A child's surroundings cannot max
! IL -- IT. = - -
the rule. But we believe the proper sur
roundings might make a good man or won
an of every child. We do not believe tn
Creator ever sent a child into the worl
with a nature so depraved that it could nc
be developed into a good and useful membe
of society, unless it was an idiot.
But the nature of the child is as plasti
clay in the hands Of the potter, aud tn