The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1879-06-28
A Prairie Boys Expert.
eRlCc.

IN hOoit vi itluoSN
try is, all things considered. not
only the best legacy a father can
leave his sons, bnt one of the
most endurlugly valuable ele-
ments OF any boys education.
Emphasis, however, is to be laid
| on the word ''intelligent.n Habit
ual hard wolk, with no other mo-
tive than compulsion, is sheer
slavery; and many parent has
found his efforts to make his sons
industrious thwarted and their
lives spoiled, simply because he
has unwlsely undertaken to give
them the training of slaves, not
that of free spirited and interest
ed toilers. 1t is not the amount
of work that boys do, bat the
manner OF their doing it that
k,ulakes them ike or dislike hard
WOrk
sAbsolute idlenesS in youth is
often bette, preparation tor
successful efforts. in ripper years,
on the farm or in The workshop,
than a youth Of unwilling drndg~
cry. And one cause OF the eager
hess of country boys to abandon
farm life has beeh-ail.l this the
chief cause.-the unwisdOm OF
parents in making their boys feel
the full monotony and drndgery
Of farm life white restricting in
every way its tijoyments. When
boys are given a liberal toretas-e
OF the freedom, the wholesome
joys. and the profits of country
living, they will be less likely to
! feel that anything is better than
farming. And the same laws
holh in evecy other industrial
calling.
W.. are led 20 dwell upon this
aspect OF parental management by
a Kansas letter 10 the New York
Tribune, in which the writer tells
the story Of a pranie boys eXpe-
rience Al the hands of a wise fa-
ther. The setting Of the story
we have no space for. Suffice 1t
to Say that it came "nt OF a casual
encounter between a country
boy and TIE writer, who had lost
his way. While conducting the
t ;srelier to the road he had stray
ed from the young pioneer cons
1ra>,ed his 'ta.her!s plan OF en-
roura-iug his boys in being i'll
du*tlious anA that of a neighbor:
"Now, there is Mr.. A., who
lives on the quarter section adj
Joining ours, and he has two
sons, John and Henry. John is a
little Older than |, aud Henry a
wear Younger. Well, the way he
encourages his boys is by having
them up by daylight iii the morn
ing and keeping them on a keen
b Jump all day long. He hardly
allows them time to eat their
meals. Why. last summer they
worked till 9 o'clock every even
ing. and didn't find an hour all
sumner in which they could go
"a fishing or even in swimming.
, Then to pay them the Old man
gives them their board and his
} own worn out clothes, with 0cca
! sionally Il pair of boots or some
thing of the kind thrown in
That is the way he teaches them
to be industrious. But fathers
L plan is entirely different. Ht
gave me four acres of land which
he had broken (this was two years
ago last spring,) and | was to dc
Just what | pleased with 1t. ant
J he would furnish me seed Ol
e means to obtain seed, all that ht
:. required Of me was that | sboult
attend to the garden do th'
{ chores at the barn, and go t
school in the winter.
n "Thr first year | planted corn
| and from my fonr acres | ralset
Il 1870 bushels. which | sold for 3
! cents a buShel.
v .sThe next spring father let m
, have the use Of his team, and
> plowed my tonr acres and plante
=. one and balf' acres in caste
- beans, one and a half acre | pu
~ out in strawberry plants; one acr
: in sorghum, two rods in onions
u and the remainder of the acre i
ae suntiowers. Father laughed whe
u told him my plans, bnt he sal
it was nv own land and | coul
VI VI do as | liked with it. | tOl
y, ~ him | wanted to experiment 0
~ different crops, so as to see whic
" ~ was the most profitable. We
!, my castor beans were good de;
~ of trouble. | had TO watch the
u; ~ so closely not to lose them whe
A, ~ they cracked open. 1t was nece
y. VI sary to pick them immediate
80 as fast as they ripened; but n
VI little sister, seven years old. con
.ttand To them about as we'll