West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1883-01-10

w. I. Chamberlain says some
things worth noting, especially by
those fathers who complain that
their sons do not "take to farm
ing" but prefer to. 90 to the cities,
or at least to get into some other
employment than farming. Mr..
Chamberlain thinks the fault does
not rest entirely with the boys.
In fact, the fathers have a good
deal to do with it; and what they
do, as well as what they ought to
do, is set forth in the following par
agraphs. Mr.. Chamberlain says
One of the very first things we
farmers Gndeed all fathers) should
teach our sons is the real patte Of
money The inordinate love of
money greed for gain-may be
the "root of all evil" l do not
propose to question Scripture on
this point. But money itself is
good and necessary, and l am sure
that one of the most essential
things for boy is knowledge of
the uses and real value of money,
as representing wealth. | think
we should teach our sons how to
earn money fairly and skillfully,
and how to spend it wisely or lay it
up, or invest it wisely by present
self denial, that it may increase
and become capital for future OPP
erations. Selt-denial, | say, for cap
ital always represents somebody's la
Dor and self-denial. Our boys
should have some chance to earn
money fairly, at the far price for
the labor or skill involved; the
same price a man would receive for
the same toll and muscle, guided
by the same skill of brain or eye or
hand. In this way they learn to
measure the money, and know what
it costs and when they have thus
earned it they should be left free
to use their judgment in it's ex-
penditure. 1t will develop and
strengthen their judgment. We
may and should advise, but not con-
troll. The money should be abso-
lutely theirs, even to spend fool
ishly--at least for a few times. A
dollar thus spent in childhood and
bitterly regretted may save our
children the foolish waste of hun
dreds when they are grown.
| think we farmers should be
more careful to give our children
a share in the plans, responsible
ties, pleasures and profits of the
farm, and not simply or chiefly in
its uninteresting drudgery. 1t
was doubtless foreordained of Hea-
ven that boys should "turn grind
stones for all the axes and sythes
and mowing-machine knives"
But an exclusive grindstone diet
Cor medicine) has Disguised more
than one wide-awake, active farm
er's boy with the whole business of
farming. 1t isn't the muscular
effort. Boys like that, if there is
any fun or sense in it. 1t is the mo-
notony and lack of call for intelli-
gence, the ceaseless round and
round of the same thing, ooh,
dear ar'n't you almost done% Sup
pose that instead of grindstones
and the like all the time, we give
our boys chance to work and talk
with us as interesting work and
let them help US rear the blooaed
calves and colts, and have one as
their really, truly oaon" when it
grows up. [ think the meanest
thing man can do is to give his
son a colt, and let him call it his
own till it is about three years old,
and then when he gets hard up or
in debt sell the boys colt to pay the
mans debit The boys share in the
partnership is the loss and bitter
disappointment when the colt is
sold.
/ believe in giving the boys and
girls, too, some independent chance
to earn money; the eggs and chick
ems, or the bees, or the garden, with
fair pay for what they raise or
make. If we even bug vegetables Of
them and let them buy their Sun
day clothes" and get their spend
ing money thus, it will give an in
terest in work, develop their judg-
ment and make men of them. In
3D. g. l. L L. l. II L