The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-10-25
s.WHAT SHALD WE DO TO KEEP
DIR ROWS ON THE FARM2

| "WHAT SHALD WE DO TO KEEP
OUR BOYS ON THE FARM?
| Editor Patron:-I notice in a recent
| issue of THE PATRON an article headed
s.What shall we do to keep our boys on
the farm?" This subject is often discuss
ed and we have had much serious advice
as to how boys should be raised, environ
ed by every influence and circumstance
that will tend to bind them to agricultu-
raj life. These systems of influence
which are usually laid down if not futile,
/ consider impracticable. Because, in the
first place, young men should be allowed
to follow the natural bent of their minds,
and not be warped and perverted into
channels wholly incompatible with their
tastes and talents. Whenever young men
on the farm are led to other callings in
life by these considerations, we should
not hinder them, but bid them God speed
To the second place, when they desert the
farm and enter other occupations for
which they have no special fitting, the
case is different; but | could not recon-
mend the system of influence. | could not
insist upon parents to keep themselves on
a constant strain to make home pleasant
and farm life agreeable to their boys; but
| would suggest that we enter deeper into
this subject, and | would recommend
something more effectual. Every effect
has its cause, and when we see young
men fleeing the farm and becoming mer-
camille failures and legal shysters, we
must conclude that there is some deep
seated cause to produce such an effect.
| Now, this cause should be .ferreted out
and the remedy applied. If am allowed
to express myself, l will say that the
cause is found in the fact that farming as
a profession is looked down upon. Why?
Not because it is a lowly calling; not be-
cause it is not important to society; not be-
cause it is not honorable; but because
farmers are divided and weak, and have
been deprived Of most of those natural
rights to which they are justly entitled.
Other professions seem to think that far
mers have no rights except the right to
work hard and live hard. They have for
generations submitted to this unjust dis
elimination, and the consequence is, that
our young men who have ambition can
not bear to belong to profession which
is degraded. Anything is considered
better. All callings from the opulent
| merchant to the habberdasher; from the
cock tail vender to the young dry goods
clerk, who spends most of his time in
twisting his sickly mustache, have per-
feet contempt for the farmer. Then, is it
strange that our young men of talent de-
sert us?
The larger portion of the great men of
which our country boasts were raised on
the farm; but they deserted it, because
they found promotion could only be OBJ
tanned by change of profession.
So to-day, our young men of ambition
find that their occupation is a complete
embargo upon their aspirations, and they
change. Now, for the remedy. To keep
our young men on the farm, we must
make our profession respectable. This
can only be accomplished by organization
We must organize for mutual protection
and demand our common rights. 1t is a
standing rebuke to the farmers of our
country to-day, that Notwithstanding they
outnumber all classes and professions put
| together, yet they are the weakest and are
owned and controlled by others. Why
will farmers submit to this? They hold
! within the hollow of their hands the
power to rectify the existing evils. BY
cooperation, we can save in our own
pockets large amount of the fruits of oul
labor that are now going to enrich the
Golfers of the middlemen. We need Z
better system of laws to control and en-
courage our interest. Why not have them
We have majority of the votes. I do no
mean that we should use our power t.
dictate to other classes as to how we
would have them legslate for US, but
mean we should have representatives O
our profession. Men whose interests arr
identical with our own, who can compre
bend our wants and necessities, and ar.
willing to give the desired aid. Do bu
this, and our present subject will no lon
ger be one of inquiry. Our boys will no
have to be persuaded to remain on tn.
farm when it takes rank in responsibility
with other callings in life and offers NJ
bar to noble aspirations.
RoBT. F. MALONE.
Copleville, Tenn, Oct, II, 1879.