Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-06-04
TALKS WITH THE BOYS.
a Matter Which should Bs Care
fully Investigate
lEezssas " a. Farmers ssas Are Nst SAtis-
nsd Slsh Hhsis ssarrsszs.iilxs H.
ThLs 1 p sieaL.-stst Consiilisn 90 Fhl1ss
AishE 80 fS<aasdis4-

LA*-sftts Els~ Ffe--
II an = - alas's sla aaI am ags satfs-
lied sira ul sarre.lllilass-"
fhis paragraph or a portion ~ iI Is cer-
ialn - be foani la felr oat ~ every ave
letter Feceissd frou the coaa1rg, aad it Is
"a nasssr 4hlea shoali be inyesti gated.
Dur sraaesssisn aad journalists ant philaa-
throp.sls aFs continually pralsllg azricllE-
ure as a VACATION, aud ths idea that the
farmer is Independent and happy prevails
Ia every story II rural life.
VI aat has dissatisfied farmers soAs,
Way IS lt that 50 nlaay % them want q
lsavs the farm Tor any york ~hich Viii
briag them a living, Ia most eases the
UrOable sil TO found = sh the farfnsr ia
stead ~ hls son.
iE II a curious position Ia which an Old
fashioned farmer aHd bis s0n are placed.
The olI man Is content with some improve
als8ts GA the ideas Of nfty yea aga lie
eanf sec Why ANY 0ae sh0uld want any
thing better than bare floors, Windsor
chairs aud eo~hiIe boots tie would
soon 20 O. meeting without a collar As with
one. Hs ''raythsr likes" the music OF an
organ. bus II he buys an organ he
Won't feel ike building that addition
~ -A- "a a. 10 t|t@A iNAA4f 80 NV
any 0ns can sit down and get interested
la books, and Why Henry and William
should want real cloth" collars AID eufs
Is a deep coHundrum. When eight o'clock
comes be gets ready Tor bed, and be ean't
see how the boys aud girls can "abear"
company wlO keep them up until ten. The
Farm Is cOnducsod after the fashion Of
quarter u the last century. The house
may b. painted ones Ia rve years, but the
chances are tnat i1 Is allowed to 20 ten.
Pc barns have needed repairs for years
past, but It's cheaper o. lose a ton or hay
~ the leaks than u buy new shingles.
The fences ars rotting down, bat next
winter viii be good time u split rails.
There are half dozen panes OF glass
needed about the house, but IL the broken
lights be renewed they might be smashed
again. The democrat wagon has been
..ab0ut worn out" for the last five years.
and that's the excuse for not having it
painted. The harnesses will hardly hold
together, bat they must answer foI
another year. The boys are held 10 ''serve
their time" ike 50 many slaves or con-
victs aud the amount OF cash finding it.
way into their pockets yearly would not
keep a bootblack IN stock 70 do business.
Is the picture overdrawng 1 can adc
twenty per cent. % the strength of each
assertion and then not exceed the truth.
The number OF farmers sons who are
leaving home. either with half-hearted
consent. or running away, is greater than
| you dream of. They iock to the towns
and cities % learn trades; to accept of me-
NAL positions; 10 take any work which
/ Will pay their way and prevent the neces-
I sity OF returning % farm work.
/ The farmer who realizes this must ask
I himself where the blame lies, and then
seek a remedy. Is there remedy? Let
/ Us see.
/ Ia the first place, farmers sons are over
worked. There is no doubt that the farmer
/ il, too, bus that doesn't alter the case.
! When you rout a boy OF fourteen, sixteen,
! or Eighteen out Of bed az (: 80 or five o'clock
/ in the morning. and work him till seven or
half-past, YOU are making a white slave Of
h1m. You not only peril his health, but
YOU deform his body. That's the cause OF
50 many sons Of farmers being lop-shoul-
dsrcd. bow backed or otherwise deforIned,
and the origin can be traced to over-exer-
ton while growing.
There isn't farm in this country on
which the hours of labor couldn't be short
ened 10 ten hours without causing a loss of
twenty FIVE dollars per year If ten hours
Is enough for ditch-digger it is ali that a
farmers son should be called upon TO en-
durs. II there are two hours between SIX
O'Clock and darkness on a summers even
ing the boy can take no book or paper,
OF put it % good use N some other way.
A it is now. he knows be Is expected to
slave from daylight till dark, an when
night comes he Is ~ ia body and ag-
gravated in spirit
And the remedy ia not altogether in
shortening the hours Of work. The boys
must have things to interest and amuse
them. They want books. magazines aud
newspapers. II there's q chance TO fix mp
4 bowling alley let the boys 20 ahead and
make one. The game Of bowls is healthy
exercise. aud furnishes plenty Of sport. IL
one OF the boys has a taste for music help
aim on with 10. Let him have a fiddle,
accordion, or gan, or whatever instrument
ne feels he can bring music out of. Both
boys and girls should b. encouraged TO
sing To this end they should be eneour-
sgsd to get up .ing classes, which mi ght
meet around from house 70 house. A
young peoples social club, 20 meet in the
same manner. would prove very interest
ing.
The farm can he made pieasanter than
the work-shov.-the farm-h house ss fun II
comfort and happiness "a any home IN the
city. When this taxes place the farmers
? son win not ho the young man he is. Hs
, viii BE- jovisl. content AMI enthusiastic
Hs viii be able to appear vsll Ia any So
c.stv. ~ converse with any one on th'
. topics ~ the day. and he viii have soIn'
future outsi5e If che Hay in and day ou'
3 eol which is crooking his spine ami thick
sninS ap his brains.