The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-05-06
Boys on the Farm.

"Why don't you say a GOOD word in
the papers for us boys?" asked one of the
neighbor's boys as he came into the room
where I was busy writing.
"What is the matter now, Guy?" I
asked.
Nothing in particular" he answered.
"Don't tell me know better Boys
don't wear such solemncholy faces for
nothing in particular Come, out with
itp
"Well, then, it isn't any one thing in
particular, it is everything put together
that makes me so mad. I want to get
somebody to write whole book about
how grown folks treat boys. 1 tell you
and I want you to put lit in the paper
that boys have hard time of it on the
farm. We are hauled out of bed before
sunrise to milk the COWS, cut the wood
and do forty other things that nobody
else wants to do. I wouldn't mind the
work if we ever got any thanks for what
we do, or ever had anything we could call
our own. No matter how much we do,
or how we'll we do it, grown folks are al
ways finding fault. 1 wonder if they ex.
pect US to know how to do everything
just right. / guess the men have forgot
ten that they were boys once. Then the
old folks never think that we boys like to
have something of our own. There's
father now, he is always complaining be-
cause don't take any interest in the
farm. How can take any interest in
the farm or anything aboutit? Henever
gave me an interest in anything. Inever
had anything of 1ny own in my life except
rabbits, and the first time they got into
the garden my rabbits had to go. Last
year wanted some chickens of my own,
some pure.blooded ones, you know, but
he wouldn't hear word of it. Then I
begged for little piece of ground where
I might raise what I pleased. Do you
suppose I got it? Not much! And now
to top off with, he wouldn't let me go to
school this winter; says I've got enough
learning for farmer, as if I ever expect
ed to be farmer I hate the old farm,
and I'll not stay on it a day after I am
of agel If father wanted to make farm.
er Of me, he took a mighty queer way to
do it."
"Well, we'll, Guyl that will do for
once. Please take these letters to the Office
for me, and I'll think over what you have
said"
And did think the matter over until
I came to the conclusion that there was
good deal more truth than poetry in
Guys boyish outburst. Like his father,
good many men take mighty queer"
way to make farmers of their boys. They
show the boys only the hardest, most dis
agreeable, most barren side of farm life,
and then wonder why it is that their sons
leave the farm the first chance they get.
If you want your boys to "stick to the
farm" stick the farm to the boys. Teach
them to like the farm and farming so we'll
that they will have no desire to leave the
old home until they leave for homes of
their own. You can do this by making
homes attractive, by taking pains to show
them the bright side of farm life, and by
showing them that man can be farmer
and gentleman too.
Provide your boys with good books,
magazines, agricultural works and papers;
and instead Of sitting in the corner during
the long winter evenings, and bewailing
the failure of one crop, predicting the
failure of another next season, and de-
claring that :" farming don't pay and a
farmers life is slaves ljfe," read with
your boys, study with them, and play
chess, backgammon and checkers with
them, and you would feel all the better
for the fun.-PrGirie Farmer.