The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-08-14
short TaIks with the Boys. =

asking: "Why don't you write some.
thing for country boys" What has
been written has applied to all boys In
. general way, but in this article Will
hit the country boys in particular.
To be farmers son Is too often. to
be drudge. The farmer himself Is
one, and he cannot spare his son. In
some cases this must necessarily be so.
but there are many exceptions. To be
q farmer means to be out of bed at
daylight and hard work until sundown.
It means; in the majority OF cases.
plain Clothes plain fare and few prtVt-
feges. The farmer himself may not
care for the concert and circus and exc
cursion, and in his selfshness he re-
fuses his boys such privileges. After
his back-breaking work of the day he
may not care to sit down with news
paper or book, but that is no reason
why he shouldn't have those things In
the house for his boys and girls.
know plenty Of farmers with cash In
bank who are too stingy to take any
thing beyond local weekly newspaper.
They make an old buggy do. They
have no pride about their horses and
harnesses. They buy slop clothes
last cent and then wonder that they
town church on Sunday.
The old-fashioned farmer came about
as near being two-legged hog as Is
possible to get. Because he liked fat
pork the year round his family must
eat it Because he could get along
with 81 suit of clothes every one else
must come to it. Because the almanac
furnished him plenty of reading his
family had no business to want neWss
papers and magazines. He wanted
his sons to feel as big as "them ERE
Barker boys" and yet he refused them
everything which has made the Barker
boys their superiors.
If you will consult the criminal REQ.
ords of cities and villages you will find
that farmers sons are pretty disorderly
characters. They bring to town with
them q spirit of recklessness that calls
for row. Whyf can tell you. be-
cause I have asked at least fifty Of
them. Bring a boy up without any
privileges and you make him hate half
the world. When he becomes q young
man and feels his lack of education
and polish he will hate the other half
He comes to town feeling that he has
no show and Is q nobody, and this
breeds spirit of defiance. He has
Just as much right In the world as the
lawyers son. He has just as much
brains, and in his young days was the
been schoo1ed and his mind expanded,
while the farmers son has been toiling
and drudging. Cultivation, education
and associations have made the law.
yer's son a fne-looking young man.
Snow. wind, rain, hard work and Bit
| terness of spirit have so changed the
looks of the farmers son that he Is
ashamed of himself.
am not going to advise farmers in
the case, but I'll tell you what I'd do
il I was farmer and had boy about
Is years of age whom wanted to fol-
low the same pursuit I'd have kept
| him in school up to this time, and he'd
be fairly posted in geography, gram
mar, mathematics, photography and
chirography. should have sent him
| to school in town in order that he
might have the rough corners sand
papered down by contact with society.
| II he had any musical talent I'd en-
courage it. I'd allow him SO much
money per week, and advise with him
| until he could spend it intelligently.
I'd get him good clothes and encourage
him to be neat and tasteful in dress.
could not have done this had been
pin-poor, but eight out OF ten OF our
Farmers could do even better. When
my boy came home he would find at
least one good daily paper in the house,
backed by a literary weekly, an agri-
cultural journal. a magazine and .
scientific publication. The farm
should be mapped, every field num-
bered, and we'd open q book account
to show how many dollars and days
work were expended for certain re-
turns. My boy should be my business
partner. We'd read together. discuss
and plan together, and while endeav.
ored to make him feel his responsible
ity, should do nothing to make him
lose his independence.
'tSuch ideas read well, but you'd run
your farm into the hands OF the sheriff
within three years."
See here, my farmer friend, let me
give you a few facts. Tho average
farmer shortens the services Of his lum-
Der wagon one year by leaving 1t out
in the sun and the dew. his ploW
would last one year longer il kept
painted and sheltered. For the want
of little attention his harness wears
out only half its days. His barns and
sheds go to rack for the want Of paint
Where the hoof-rot could be stopped in
the first sheep If he were posted, he
who gets his agricultural hints from
the almanac loses his hogs by the chols
era, his fowls by the pip and his horses
slobber from his gate to the village
store and back. Let o man run YoUS
farm on business principles and the
fence corners would not take up four
acres out of every forty; there would
be no old box-drains about the house to
bring typhoid fever and doctors bills
Those leaks in the roof Of the barn
would not spoil three or four tons Of
hay next year; the want Of an cave
trough on the house would not cave In
the cellar walls; the first sign Of disc
ease among the live stock would be
promptly treated tools and Implee
ments of every sort should be carefully
Well. am going to shock you. I'd
have the harness oiled aud buggies and
wagons washed once 8 week. I'd have
lawn about the house, and make
display of flowers and shrubs; I'd give
party now and then, and I'd encour.
age meetings Of farmers once OF twice
month, not to kick about railroad
freights or jaw politics, but to post
each other on farm work and the best
way to manage it =
But about the boyP Intelligence and
energy rightly applied to farm Iaboe
would give every farmers boy Q holis
day in every week Of the year. Let
him go fishing or hunting. or swim.
ming or riding. Let him go TO town
and consult buyers and sellers and
post up. Let him have books and pa
pers and tools. Give him . chance to
earn something and to own something.
Surprise him some day by the state
ment that he is not . slave whose only
return for his hard work are slop
clothes, cheap fare and poor lodgings.
Surprise him still moro by asking bis
opinion now and then. and by giving
him a chance to prove his theories.
Our best and brightest public men
were the sons of farmers, but in too
many cases they either ran away or
were driven from home. Had they re-
manned they would have never been
known outside the county.-M Quad