Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1884-08-01
shsrt Talks with the Boy,.
BY NJ. QUAD.

An Ohio farmer wrote the other day.
asking: "Why don't you write some
thing for country boys" What has
been written has applied to ell boys m
q general way, but in this article I viii
hit the country boys in particular.
To be farmar's 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
. farmer means to be out OF bed at
daylight and hard work until shutdown.
1t means, in the majority Of cares,
plain clothes, plain fare and few priv
ileges. The farmer himself may not
care for the concert and circus and ex-
cursion, and IN his selfishness he refuses
his boys such privileges. After his
back-breaking work Of the day he may
not care to sit down with a newspaper
or book, but that Is no reason why he
shouldn't have those things in the
house for his boys and glrls. know
plenty of farmers with cash in bank
who are too stingy to take anything
beyond a local weekly newspaper.
They make any old buggy do. They
have no pride about their horses and
harnesses. They buy slop clothes for
their boys. pinch 'em down to the last
cent, and then wonder that they don't
want to attend some fashionable town
church on Sunday.
The old-fashioned farmer came
about as near being a two-legged hog
as IS possible to get. Because he lik-
ed fat pork the year round his family
must eat it. Because he could get
along with a 81 suit of clothes every
one else must come to il. Because the
almanac furnished him plenty of read
ing his family has no business to want
newspapers and magazines. Hewant.
ed 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.
II you will consult the criminal
records of cities and villages you will
find that farmers sons are pretty dis
orderly characters. They bring to
town with them spirit of recklessness
that calls for row. Why? / can tel
you. because 1 have asked at least fifty
Of them. Bring boy up without any
privileges and you make him hate hal
the world. When he becomes young
man and feels his lack of education
and polish he will hate the other half
He comes to town feeling that he ha:
had no show and is nobody, and thi!
breeds spirit of defiance. He ha!
just as much right in the world as tht
lawyers son. He has just as mucl
brains. and in his young days was ths
the best looking. The lawyers sol
has been schooled and his mind ex
banded, while the farmers son ha
been toiling and drudging. Cultiva
ton. education and associations hav,
made the lawyers son a fine lookin,
yOuuS ihdus CuOWs WIFI, ldlu, udIs
work and bitterness of spirit have S,
changed the looks of the farmers sol
that he is ashamed of himself.
l am not going to advise farmers il
the case. but III tell you what I'd do
] was farmer and had boy abou
IS years of age whom / wanted to fo
low the same pursuit I'd have kel
him in school up to this time. and he
be fairly posted in geography, gram
mar, mathematics. photography an
chirography. should have sent hir
to school in town In order that h
might have the rough corners sandpa
pered down by contact with society.
he had any musical talent I'd encoul
age it. I'd allow him so much none
per week, and advise with him until
could spend ii intelligently I'd g.
hun good clothes andsencourage hi
TO be neat and tasteful in dress.
/ could not have done this had
been pin poor, but eight out of ten (
our farmers could do even bette
When my boy came home he woul
find at least one good daily paper
the house. backed by a literary weekl
AL agricultural journal, magazir
and scientific publication. The far
should by mapped, every field numbe
ed, and we'd open book account ,
show how many dollars and day
works were expended for certain r,
turns. My boy should be my busine.
partner. We'd read together. discu.
and plan together, and while endea'
ored to make him feel his responsible
ity, 1 should do nothing to make hi
lose his independence.
"Such ideas read well, but you
run your farm into the hands Of II
sheriff within three years"
See here, my farmer friend, let n
give you few facts. The averae
farmer shortens the services ofhis lun
Der wagon one year by leaving it o,
In the sun and the dew. His plo
would last one year longer if ke]
painted and sheltered. For want OF
little attention his harness wears OF
only halt its days. His barns an
sheds 60 to rack for the want OF pain
Where the hoof-rot could be stopped
the first sheep if he were posted,
stops it in the thirtieth. The farm,
who gets MS agricultural hints trol
the almanac loses his hogs by II
cholera, his fowls by the pip, and h
horses slobber from his gate to the vi
LACE store and back. Let a man II,