Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-04-21
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
University Of Vermont and State Agri.
cultural College.

| or pursuits. II INTEND, says one hOlulnB
this opinion "that my boy shall DO farmer
know that If 1 send him to college, his
tastes will become alcnated from farming
am determined, therefore, that he shall not
CO."
Now, in the first place, no parent has any
right to say that his son shall be a farmer,
or merchant, or lawyer, or anything else
In countries where caste prevails, every boy
must follow his fathers occupation, but from
the variety Of pursuits open to all in this
free land, each man chooses his own "call-
ing" We mean by this term not that his
father calls him to this or that pursuit, but
God by the talents, tastes, opportunities, He
gives him. There is only one way in which
father can compel his boy to be farmer,
and that is by denying him every chance to
be anything else. But this is to defraud him
out of his natural right to have a chance to
make the most of himself, whether as far.
mer or in some other calling.
But does the world lose or gain by having
farmers sons 6ll its places of honor and pow
er2 might ask. ais it possible to prevent
this 2 sit not fixed and inevitable fact that
the professional order must recruit itself from
the agricultural 2" But will put this ques-
ton instead "Is it not desirable that il
should be so? Is it not well that the vigor,
the enterprise, the freshness, tho simplicity,
which are born of the soil, should, from time
TO time, supplant the feebleness and arti6-
clality which would otherwise fasten them.
selves on all the professions ?" If all those
who are born on the farm should stay on the
farm, as many claim they should, whence
would come the supply Of new brain power
needed to keep the professions aud industries
from running QUIT 1t is certainly good for
law and medicine and religion and learning
that some of the farmers sons are educated
away from the farm" No man knows when
he refuses to educate his son lest he should
lose him from his farm, whether he may not
DO denying to the world the man it needs
most Of all, some pure statesman, some pro-
found jurist, some powerful preacher Of
Righteousness.
Farmers sons do, however, in goodly num-
: bers come to college (though it would not be
+ true, in most cases. that they were sent), and
but few Of them comparatively, become far
, mers themselves. Why is this2 because
, you educate them away from the farm.
1 Yet in other countries, notably in England,
graduates Of universities betake themselves
to agriculture Of choice aud with enthusiasm
, There young man studies profession or
engages in trade, if he must, but he who
4 eau live on his paternal acres is accounted,
: and accounts himself the lucky man. How
, does it happen that college education, more
i scholastic than ours, does not educate thes,
young Englishmen away from the love oil
q their bullocks and their turnip fields 2 The
=. answer is conclusive Of this whole matter
Their agriculture is pursued in such way
i that it is lucrative and honored, profession
Intelligent men engage in it. They put into
it their utmost Of brains, science, and skill
The highest born and fairest in the land
s peers OF parliament, mllionaires, take pleas
. uro and pride 10 its processes. The minC
9 and heart Of England 60 into its country life
q Now young mans choice Of profession il
determined very much by the estimate ii
f which this or that profession is held ant
holds itself Farmers in this country d.
!. not sufficiently respect themselves. They d.
A not, for instance, require Of themselves to bt
!. educated and intelligent because they ar
N farmers. 1t is absurd to suppose that col
v leges have any Jesuitical power of working
;. over young mems minds in favor Of this o
that professicn, or Of educating them away
e from one or another calling. Youag men who's
minds are walked up by education will go in
J.. to the professions which seem to them mos
y lucrative and most congenial to their tastes
;. When agriculture is developed in this coun
y try into the systematic and respected pro
fession it is elsewhere, educated young me
p. will flock into it and keep it we'll stOcke
d with brain and energy.
- But how is agriculture ever going to b
- developed until the educated young men d
~ put their brains and energy into it2 All
70 Mr.. Editor, there is the hard problem. NJ
- friend will not educate his son lest he edit
a cate him away from the farm, and the cor
70 seq uence is that but few young men are edit
N Gated at ALL Suppose, now, that all gu
!, young men were educated, not according
). the whims Of their parents, but in such
n way as to bring out whatever Of talent ther
i. is in thOm, and let them indicate their "cal
,t ing" Is there any fear that few Of theI
q would be called to agriculture by tho nj
:. cessites of the case the most Of them wOul
=. be. Some of the professions are full to over
flowing, now. There would, in this case, b
n q redistribution Of educated men, and tn
n industrial occupations would get almost a
at the excess. Send your boy to college, thel
n. my friend, aud persuade your ncighbor
h. send his, and you will have done sOmethin
!. toward making it certain that educate
~ young men-if not your boys, then some Ott
Of er mems boys-will put their education
in the service Of agriculture.
"A M. ii. BUcKHAM.
-s-S-s-
y Prospects in the Northwest