Mexico weekly ledger., 1884-10-09
MEXICO, Observation-Disclosures, OCTOBER 8, 1884.
Short Talk to the Boys.

Short Talk to the Boys. /
Twas talking with q sturdy old
farmer the other day, and asked him
how many boys he had.
"Five," he replied, "and I'm going
to make farmer of every one OF
'em." -. .a-.a. .-- Id.
show do you know you areI"
"Why, they're my boys, ,ain't they,
and I reckon they'll do as l say
about it!'' ..-
''Do they like farming?"
'No matter whether they do or
not, they've got to work at it!'
The man was what you might call
a representative farmer. He was
fairly educated, more than comfort
ably well off, ard was looked up to
in his township. If anybody had
called him stingy or mean his friends
would have been shocked, and yet
he coolly planned to sacrifice the
future Of his five boys through purely
selfish motives. The chances are
that not all of the five would select
agriculture as an occupation, or make
a success Of it if they did, but this
father wanted their services until each
was 21 years old, and he had no care
how they turned out after that.
Too many farmers take this same
view of the case. Under the law a
father is entitled to the services of
bis son until the latter reaches his
majority. Half century ago no
boy began a trade until he was 2l.
Now the majority Of them begin at
16 or II, calculating to have their
trade finished at 81. If the farmers
boy, who is determined on learning
some trade or profession, must stick
to the plow until he becomes of age
his prospects are greatly damaged.
He is no longer boy, nor can he
accept of boys wages.
A blacksmith or mason or carpen-
ter with five sons would not have
answered that he was determined to
make every one of the boys learn his
trade. Had any one suggested such
a thing he would laughed in derision.
fully realizing that he had no moral
right to sit in judgment that way.
I During the last six months have
been hunting for statistics about
farmers and their sons. In that time
have talked with at least sixty
farmers, only ten or twelve of whom
had any love for or enthusiasm in ag-
riculture. The others replied to the
question with:
II wanted to learn a trade, but
father opposed it, and so I had to
stay on the farm"
| Out of the forty-seven men who
answered me in that way not one was
rich. All complained more or less
about hard luck and poor crops, and
lit was easy to see that they had nc
, heart in the business. These were
} the SONS whose selfish fathers ha6
, obliged them to become farmers. Oi
the others all were well off, CHEEKY
] and contented and full of pluck
These were the men who had taker
, up agriculture from choice. Of tht
, fifty or sixty farmers boys whom
J interviewed not more than ten intend
7 ed to stick to the farm. The Others
} wanted to learn trades or professions
p There is one particular point il
which the average farmer is con
t temptlbly mean with his boy. HI
| sets himself up as standard. If b.
3 didn't want so and so why shoul'
E his boy? II he had to turn out o
l bed at 4 O'Clock a. m. and work unit
e dark why should his boy be spared
3 He didn't have decent suit or fin
q boots or any spending money, an
s why should his offspring go into sue
1 extravaganza? The farmer VIII
a reasons that way has selfish motiv
: under it. He knows as we'll as othe
], people that the boys Of to-day canne
: be and are not treated like the boy
e of fifty years ago. He will adm
x that his father wore a hickory shil
Il without collar to meeting, while b
J. must have white one well starche
r and adorned with collar and neck-tis
but he won't admit that his son hs
# any right to improve On him.
x If a boy feels enthusiastic to lear
e to be a printer, harness-maker {
l. wood-engraver no father with an
1T sense in his head will command Il
s boy 10 learn the trade Of stone-m
IS son. Why then should farmer d
5. eide that his son, who has exhibited
80 taste for mechanics, spoil his who
I. life by ordering him to stuck by Il
er farm? If boy who wanted to lea1
y. ~ the carpenters trade is made to lea'
the harness-maker's, and theref
becomes o botch workman, wi
shouldn't farmers son, who oug
- to have been an architect, make
poor farmer? He certainly will, Fl
ure it as you may.
81 have letter from q resident
< Alabama who says be hated faI
SO work and ran away to escape it. I
II