Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-01-13
From the New York Observer.
Three Hours i'm 81 COrnfield.
BY REV. ASA BULLARD D. d.

BYREv. ASA BULLARD D. d.
DR.. Bell owned q large and beaut l.
fully situated farm, well-known as the
Chill Side Farm He purchased il
through practicing physician, with
special reference to the training of his
boys, of whom he had the goodly nun
Der of seven. He believed the old adj
age ..
'Satan finds some mischief still,
For idle hands to do"
While ever ready to make ample
provision for all needtul amusements
and recreation for his boys, he believ-
ed that their good required that they
should be trained to habits of indus
try. And they began to form these
habits at an early age. You might
see the little fellow of four years, with
his tiny spreading stick, making the
new.mown hay to fly as if attacked by
an embryo whirlwind. When only
six or eight years old, they were
trusted with the responsibility of 60
ing to mill, and on various other er-
rands with the horse and WAGON.
> These boys were known through the
country as very smart, Industrious
boys. If a father wished to robuke
the idleness Of his sons, Or give them
an example of industry, he would re-
fer to the Bell boys at the hillside
Farm"
Some thought that DR.. Bell worked
his boys too hard; that he begun
their training on the farm when they
were too young. But healthier,
more robust, or happier set Of young
sters were not to be found in the coun-
ty. They all felt personal interest
in every department of work on the
farm. They were ambitious to have
the work of each season-planting,
hoeing, haying and harvesting-done
as, early as any other farmer in town.
Whether the father was with them or
not, they were Industrious, no eye
serving among them, They were in
full sympathy with their father in ev-
cry plan for improvement and he al
ways consulted with them, and care
fully considered the suggestions any
one of them might make,
The following incident will illus
trate the ambition Of these boys. DR..
Bell was practical farmer, and when
professional duties would permit, he
engaged in personal labor with his
boys. One lowery afternoon, III hay
time, there was good half days work
for three men, to be done i'll hoeing a
field of corn. DR.. Bell took three OF
his boys, the eldest about seventeen
years Of age, to do this work. He
told them he would plough the field
and then 60 to another, leaving them
to spend the afternoon in hoeing it.
This was before the introduction Of
the cultivator. Two burrows were
ploughed between the rows, one turn
ing the earth towards one row and
the other towards the other row.
As the father began the first furrow
one of the boys, without any precon-
certed arrangement, began to hoe: a
second boy went a third way through
the field and began to hoe and the
other boy began at the other end as
his father commenced the second fur
row. By the time the two burrows
were ploughed. the row was hoed.
Then they commenced on the next in
the same way, and with tho same re
suit. At this the father began to
quicken the speed of the horse, but
these boys, becoming little excited,
quickened their speed also.
DR.. Bells motto was, that what was
worth doing, was worth well:doing"
no half way work on his farm. So
he several times said, 'sBoys, you are
not sighting your work, are you :"
And several times stopped to see and
finding the work satisfactory, hasten
ed back and urged on his horse, to
keep out Of the way of these now
thoroughly aroused and ambitious
young farmers. the result of this tri.
.als on the ."raee course" ofhoeing; was
:: .: =.