The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-05-30
FORCE OF HABIT.
How Farmers Dull Their Natural Apt,,
tude for Business Pursu,t.

L
tude for Business Pursuits.
Farmers and their sons freouentl,
dwarf their inteilects and dull their
natural aptitude for successful bushes,
pursuits. by neglecting to be constantl,
learning something useful. It is the inn
preston Of many farmers that they hay,
no time to read the standard usefu
books, from the fact that after a hard
days toll they are too weary to read
while they rest. There may be'some
plausiDility, in such an excuse to one
who has never gone through the hurry
and -drudgery Of long and weary -days.
on the prairie. But it is not true. 1t is
2 rare case if a farmer. has not many
h6prs d leisure each week not REQUIRED
Tor labor or sleep. which could and
should be devoted to storing his mind
and making it active and useful. The
mind, like the muscles of the BODY. if
not exercised and strengthened by use
and culture, will become inactive. dor
mant and feeble, so much so that The
man has not the ability nor inclination
to read or study, and therefore con-
cludes there is no time to do so. The
writer, in his long life, has witnessed
bright boys growing up to manhood.
neglecting to store and strengthen their
minds until by long habit they had no
desire or hardly capacity to exercise the
brains Providence had endowed them
with. Such living cases are now in our
minds OF aged farmers who started out
IN life with reasonable amount
OF intellect, and who might have
been bright and useful men.
or ornaments to societies and
an honor to the families they have
raised. But they commenced. as too
many do yet, worked hard with limited |
educations, but who never appear to |
appreciate the value of useful lessons to
be acquired by careful reading, at leis.
ure time, the standard books on HISTORY.
art and science. Habit soon deadened |
all such aspirations. They reared large
families. of 2 down. grade of intellect |
and accumulated property, but when
they really ought to shaves been in THE
prime OF life they were premature old
men and have Q poor prospect of enjoy-
ing that evening of rest and content
ment which beauties and blesses the
man who has lived right. Instead OF
enjoyment in LIES evening of physical
rest, by the aid of an active mind. still
eager in the desire to acquire more
mental diet of character to prepare
them not only for life's afternoon, but |
Tor eternity, they are barely waiting tc
lie.
The writer last fall visited the scenes
IT his early life, to meet the few of his
'oyhood associates who are vet pursu-
ng LIES journey. He found only rust
md mildew when he should have met
iPe old men with little impairment bv
I'D age, They had exenpfifed in their
ives the truth of the memorable physical
aw, as well as the law of God, that he
Vho buries his talent, ssthat which he
ath shall be taken from him. Thef
ahit OF dwaring their minds. byznotl
sing them, until they have no desire
Dr. literary or mental culture. had rem
cred them pitiable objects of contem-
latlon. In their eyes there was no
lore sparkle of life or intelligence than
the lowest order of dumb brutes.
heir enjoyEents appeared to be Of 10 .
igher order than that of the oyster in :
s native bed. From their youth up
iey had buried their talents, and that ~
hfch they had was dormant, silent and :
upid. So. we to the farmer bows.
improve your talent, or you shall not
ave it to enjoy.-IoUa State REGISTER.