The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-06-26
Short Talks With Boys.


and it is matter which should be in
ves,igated. Our statesmen and jour
nalists and philanthropists are continu-
ally praising agriculture as a vocation,
and the idea that ,he farmer is inde.
pendent and happy prevails in every
story of rural life.
What has dissatisfied farmers sons ?
Why is it that so many OF them want
to leave the farm for any work that
will bring them a living? In most
cases the trouble will be found with the
farmer instead of his son
1t is a curious position in which an
old fashioned farmer aud his son are
placed. The old man is content with
some improvements on the ideas OF
fifty years ego. lie can't see why any
one should want anything better than
bare floors, Windsor chairs and cow
hide boots. He would as soon go to
meeting without collar as with one.
He ''rayther likes" the music of an
organ, but if he buys an organ he wont
feel like building that addition to the
barn. He can't really see how any one
can sit down and get interested in
books, and why Henry and William
should want "real cloth" collars and
cuffs is deep conundrum. When
o'clock comes he gets ready for bed,
and he can't see how the boys and
girls can "abear" company who keeps
them up until 10. The farm is con
Quoted after the fashion of quarter of
the last century. Tho house may be
painted once in five years, but the
chances are that it is allowed to go ten.
| The barns have needed repairs for years
past, but it is cheaper to lose ton of
hay by the leaks than to buy new
shingles The fences are rotting down,
but next Winter will be good time to
split rails. There are half . dozen
panes of glass needed about the house,
but if the broken lights were renewed
they might be smashed again. The
democrat wagon has been "about worn
out" for the last five years, and that's
the reason for not having it painted.
The harnesses will hardly hold togeth-
err but they must answer for another
year. The boys are held to "serve
their time" like SO many slaves or con
yicts, and the amount of cash finding
its way into their pockets yearly would
not keep bootblack in stock to do
business
| Is the picture overdrawn? l can add
twenty per cent to the strength of
each assertion and then not exceed the
truth
And now what's the matter with
farmers boys' They live in new
world-the father in an old one. No
matter how little schooling they have
mad, they are better educated then he
is. No matter if the father refuses to
do more than subscribe for weekly
paper, his boys are fairly posted on the
, daily happenings all over the world.
He wants to farm after old ideas-they
: after new ones. He got along with
out knowing whether England was east
or west of the United States-without
| grammar, orthography, or being able
! to more than write his name-without
l collars or cuffs or neckties-without
D books or papers or amusements, and he
3 is quite certain that the boys can dc
= the same.
The number of farmers sons who
r are leaving home, either with half
. hearted consent, or running away, is
q greater than you dream of. They
y flock to the towns and cities TO learr
= trades; to accept of menial positions
a to take any work to pay their wav anc
IS prevent the necessity of returning tC
l, farm work.
n The farmer who realizes this mus
Il ask himself where the blame lies, anC
Is then seek a remedy. Is there a rem
u edy? Let us see.
* In the first place farmers sons arr
s. overworked There is no doubt tina
1t the farmer is, too, but that doesn't alte
ID the case. When you rout boy of IA
'y l6, or IS out of bed at 1880 or fv
e: o'clock in the morning, and work hir
I'd till or half-past, you are making
white slave of him. You not onl
lr peril his health, but you deform h
'u body. That's the case of so many sor
n of farmers being lop .shouldered, bow
ou backed or otherwise deformed, and Il
origin can be traced to over-eXerlo
ed while growing.
OF There isn't farm in this country O
he, which the hours of labor couldn't
ot shortened to ten hours without causin
~ a loss of $25 per year. If ten hours a
ok enough for ditch digger it is all th'
ed a farmers son should be called upon
m endure. If there are two hours betwoC
er- o'clock and darkness on a Summer
ut evening the boy can take up book
, paper, or put 1t to good use some 9th
aV. Ac - 10 hn kpnul
rse is expected to slave from daylight t
dark, and when night comes he
ces weary in body and aggravated
80 spirit.
d. And the remedy is not altogether
ent shortening the hours of work. L
en- boys must have things to interest a
me amuse them. They want books, mas
ysl' zines and newspapers, If there's
dis chance to fix up a bowling alley let
one boys 90 ahead and make one. 1
WI. game of bowls is healthy eXerc
OF and furnishes plenty of sport. If c
ack of the boys has taste for music h,
ma, him along with it. Let him havt
OF fiddle, accordion, organ, or whatever
un, strument he feels he can bring mu
, II out Of Both boys and girls should
encouraged to sing. To tins end tt
Tor should be encouraged to get up sing
'e II classes, which might meet around fr
rSd, house to house. A young peoples
rnal cial club, to meet ill the same manr
pro- would prove very interesting.
The farm oan be made pleasan
than the work-shop-the farmhouse
, ID. full of comfort and happiness as {
the home in the city. When this ia
( by place the farmers son will not be
uild young man he is. He will be jov
walk content and enthusiastic, He will
wax, able to appear well in any society
and converse with any one on the topics
then the day, and he will have some fut
light outside Of the day in and day out
which is crooking his spine and th