The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-02-13
FARMERS SONS.

How shall farmers treat their sons so as to
stimulate in them desire for farm life +?
First, it is not desirable that all sons OF farm
ers should have q desire for farm life. Some
have tact for mechanical and other pur-
suits, and it is worse than useless to try to
divert boy from any honorable calling for
which nature has adapted him. Beside,
farmers sons often make the best profess
sonal and business men. But how can we
keep our boys on the farm, rather than have
them swell the crowd of loafers and dead
beats in our towns and cities? Let the boys
be allowed an actual ownership in some of
the products of the farm. The practice OF
giving boy a colt or sheep to call his, and
induce him to pet and care for it, ard then
for the father to sell it and pocket the en-
tire proceeds, has = chilling effect on the
rising aspirations of farm boy. Again,
boy designed for the farm is made to feel
that he is good for nothing else. He sees his
smarter brother better dressed and better
schooled. or his mates, the children OF a
neighbor, have these privileges while he is
denied them. and lie naturally associates
farming with social degradation, and either
resolves to leave home and the farm or sink
into a condition of Indifferent inferiority.
Better educate him thoroughly. If he dc.
velopes taste for music Or science or liter
allure, give him an opportunity to crafty it.
If in time he exhibits a peculiar fitness for
some other calling, do not spoil a good
preacher or lawyer to make poor farmer.
If farm life can be made attractive to the
boy while a. home. added years and matu-
rer judgment will usually lead him back TO
it. Again, the life of the farm boy is often
unnecessarily made one of constant drudg-
cry. He has no time given him wherein he
is exempt from calls to ''bring wood'' and
''water, ''hunt eggs etc. If he tries to
read or elbow his flule,'' or ''make his hand
sled,'' he is told that he is s'lazy and will
never amount to anything" Should he be
attending school he is liable to be taken out
to help sfinish husking," "butcher hogs
and the like, and soon gets behind his class
and loses all interest in his studies. A lit
tie s'system' in farm labor, with due regard
for the boys welfare. would avoid all this
and give him time for self improvement.
This week l visited friend living on a farm
of one hundred and fifty acres, keeping
horses, cattle and sheep, most of which
were high grades; no fancy strains The
barns and sheds were ample, not elegant.
The house had an appearance of comfort,
not extravaganza. The tables were loaded
with substaItials, not with dainties. The
sitting room contained first-class piano
the walls were adorned with drawings and
portraits, most CT which were the work of
the wife and daughters, and were fine spec
mems Of art. For reading, beside many
books, there were two of the magazines, one
obtained by exchanging with a neighbor,
and several religious, political, and gricult-
ural papers. In the evening company of
eight, all sons and daughters of farmers. the
young men themselves working on farms,
assembled for drill as aneighborhood orches-
ira. They made some excellent music, and
from the interest they manifested in their
undertaking think those farmer boys will
not be found in saloons these long winter
evenings, and judge they have no desire to
leave the farm.-Ohio Farmer.