The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-08-10
Why Bows Leave the Farm.


somewhat inclined to leave the farm
where they were raised. They think
this disposition to forsake rural for ur-
ban life is certain evidence of depravity.
They believe, or affect to believe, that
boys forsake the farm and flee to the
city in order to escape toll and lead an
easy life. They sec virtue behind and
vice in the future. They think the boys
who 60 to a great city are sure to
plunge into dissipation, recklessness,
and folly. They have convinced them
selves that people make money and OBJ
tain position in a city by fraud. cheat
ing, and sharp practices. but that they
better their condition in the country on
ly by acquiring habits of industry, fru-
gality, and honesty. Now, human ma
ture is about the same in the brick
walled streets Of great city or in tho
green fields by the winding lanes in the
country. Virtue and vice, honesty and
dishonesty, industry and idleness are to
be found everywhere that man exists.
1t is all a mistake that the great major
ity of the people in a large city do not
have to work hard for a living. More
people work themselves into the hospi-
tai or the grave in a large city than any
where else. A much larger number of
men broken down by hard work in mid
die life can be found in cities than in
the country. The people In the middle
or lower walks of life in great city are
obliged to bject themselves to rigid
course of self-denial oil the time. There
Is always something to see, hear, or
taste that they can not have. A boy
who goes from the city to the country is
ordinarily obliged to work hard to gain
q living, and to conduct himself with
great propriety in order to acquire
reputation and gain advancement.
1t is wise and well to encourage the
disposition of boys to remain in the
country and to live on farms, providing
they have the taste for agricultural pur-
suits and the proper physical and men
tai requirements for such occupations.
The pleasures of country life have been
sung by all the poets from David to
Longfellow. Novelists have never tired
of describing the fine characters they
have found in the country. The city
painter betakes himself to the tree-cov-
cred hills. the grassy fields, the singing
brooks. and the bird-haunted groves
when he wishes to portray what is beau
tiful. Statistics show that vastly more
people live in their own houses in the
country than In the city. In an agri-
cultural community nearly every man is
engaged in independent occupation,
while the reverse is true in any of our
large cities. Besides, failures among
farmers are very rare and hardly ever
occur unless they are the results of spec
ulations. People in the country are at
least measurably free from the horrors
of contagious diseases and from great
calamities resulting from fires, floods.
and the general stagnation Of business
which is often attended by strikes and
riots Life and property are moro &C.
cure In country than in city. No mat
ter whether stocks are rising or falling.
whether rents are high or low, whether
currency is scarce or plenty, the man
who owns the farm he tends will gener-
ally raise enough to supply the wants
of his family and to meet the demands
of the tax-gatherer. In times of calam-
hy people In cities envy the lot of those
in the country. When, the cheated
term" comes ON the owners of tine
houses in tho city are glad to forsake
them for tho pleasures afforded by
modest cottage in the country. Nearly
every man who tolls to get rich In o
city looks forward to the day when he
can own home in the country.
1t does not follow, however, that all
boys who are raised on farms should re-
main there. Many boys were never
''cut out'' for farmers, and no amount
Of work in the makeup will ever mako
good farmers ont of them. They are
better at figuring than at fencing; bet
ter at guiding steamboat than plow;
better ut selling than producing; better
at handling dry goods than slowing
away hay. They may be awkward at
any kind of farm work. but they may
be very handy at many occupations in
farm and afterwerd succeed in q city.
They have ability, but it is not of the
kind required to build fence, plow q
furrow, shape q hay-stack, break colts,
or SOW clover-seed. They are out of
place on farm and do not earn enough
to support them. It would be better to
give them a trial somewhere else. The
boy who fails in raising grain may make
fortune In handling it. The country
is quito too well supplied with farmers
who are not adapted to the business in
which they are engaged. They set bad
examples. and injure the land they
should improve. They introduce no
improvements, but follow the worst
kinds of practices. They raise poor
crops, keep poor stock, and support
poor fences. Everything they keep
runs down on their hands. Quite like
ly they were encouraged ito stick to the
farm" in early life, when it would have
been to the advantage Of all concerned
had they been encouraged to follow the
bent of their own desires to plow the
waves instead of the fields, to feed
locomotive instead of pigs, or to cut
shoe-leather instead of grass. Perhaps
some fond parents toiled to gain them
farms, when they would have done bet
ter had they provided them with kits of
tools, or given them the means to be-
come surveyors or coal miners. Itmay
be pleasant for farmer to settle his
sons around him, but if they fail in the
business, he will be mortified and pain
ed at tho result.
Many boys leave farms because there
is little for them to do on them. The
introduction of labOr-saving machinery
has greatly reduced the amount of hand
work required on farms and produced
in some sections a surplus of laborers.
The owners of many quite small farms
have several boys who must engage in
some paying occupation. Some OF these
boys would be glad to obtain farms of
their own, but they have not tho means
to purchase them. Farms can no long
er be obtained for the taking without
going long distance to obtain them.
1t costs more to start In the business Of
farming than it did few years ago.
Materials for buildings and fences cost
more, and Il larger amount of machin-
cry is required. The price of stock of
all kinds increases every year, and the
like is true of all farm supplies. The
sons of farmers find it difficult to earn
sufficient money by working for other
farmers to purchase land to cultivate on
their own account. Most farmers hire
help only through the busy season. II
n boy wishes to earn money to buy q
farm he will be more likely to secure it
by working at some occupation where
he will have constant employment. A
boys prospects of success in farming
will not be likely to be impaired by his
being engaged in some occupation for
few years. The chances are that the
education he receives in some other
hind of h,,Sfonnc