The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-05-21
Short Talks with the Boys.

| fed with my surroundings"
This paragraph or portion of it is
| certain to be found in four of every five
letters received from the country, and it
is matter which should be Investigated.
Our statesmen and journalists and phil
anthropists are continually praising agri-
culture as vocation, aud the idea that
the farmer is Independent 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 which will
bring them a good living? In most
cases the trouble will be found with the
farmer instead of his son.
It is curious position in which an
old.fashioned farmer ard his son are
placed. The old man is content with
some improvements on the ideas of fifty
years ago. He, can't see why any one
should want anything better than bare
floors, Windsor chairs and cowhide boots.
He would as soon 60 to meeting without
collar as with one. he "rather likes"
the music of an organ, but if he buys an
organ he won't feel like building that
| addition to the barn. He can't really see
how any one can sit down aud get inter.
| ested in books, and why Henry and
William should want "real cloth" collars
and cuffs is deep conundrum. When
IS o'clock comes he gets ready for
bed, and he can't see how the boys and
girls can "abear" company who keep
them up until 10. The farm is conduct.
ed after the fashion of q quarter of the
last century. The 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's 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 excuse for not having it
painted. The harness will hardly hold
together, but they must last for another
year. The boys are held To "serve their
time," like so many slaves or convicts,
and the amount of cash finding its way
into their pockets yearly would not keep
boot black in stock to do business.
Is the picture overdrawn? can add
twenty per cent. to the strength of each
assertion and then not exceed the truth.
And now what's the matter with farm
er's boys? They live in new world
the father in an old one. No matter how
little schooling they have had, they are
better educated than he is. No matter if
the father refuses to do more than SUBJ
scribe to weekly newspaper, his boys
are fairly posted on the daily happen
ings all over the world. He wants to
farm after old ideas--they after new
ones. He got along without knowing
whether England was east or west of the
United States-without grammar, orthog-
raphy or being able to more than write
his name-without collars or cuffs or
neckties-without books or papers or
amusements, and he is quite certain that
the boys can do the same.
The number of farmers sons who are
leaving home, either with half hearted
consent, or running away, is greater than
you dream of. They flock to the towns
and cities to learn trades; to accept OF
menial positions; to take any work which
will pay their way and prevent the neces'
sity of returning to farm work.
The farmer who realizes this must ask
himself where the blame lies, and then
seek a remedy. Is there remedy? Let
us see.
In the first place, farmers sons are
overworked. There is no doubt that the
farmer is, too, but that doesn't alter the
case. When you rout boy of "a, 16 or
IS out of bed at 4:30 or 5 o'clock in the
morning, and work him till z or half
past, you are making a white slave of
him. You not only peril his health, but
you deform his body. That's the cause
of so many sons of farmers being lop
shouldered, bow.backed or otherwise
deformed, and the origin can be traced to
overexertion while growing.
There isn't farm in this country on
which the hours of labor couldn't be
shortened to ten hours without causing a
loss of $25 per year. If ten hours is
enough for ditch.digger it is all that a
farmers son should be called upon to
endure. If there are two hours between
6 o'clock and darkness on Summers
evening the boy can take up book or
paper, or put it to good use in some other
way. AS it is now, he knows he is ex.
pected to slave from day light till dark,
and when night comes he is weary in
body and aggravated in spirit.
And the remedy is not altogether in
shortening the hours of work. The boys
must have things to interest and amuse
them. They want books, magazines and
newspapers. If there's a chance to Tx
up bowling alley let the boys 60 ahead
and make one. The game of bowls is Q
healthy exercise, and furnishes plenty OF
sport. If one of the boys has taste for
music help him on with it. Let him
have fiddle, accordeon, organ, or what
ever instrument he feels he can bring
music out of. But boys and girls should
be encouraged to sing. To this end they
should be encouraged to get up singing
classes, which might meet around from
house to house. A young peoples social
club, to meet in the same manner would
prove very interesting.
The farm can besmade pleasanter than
the work.shop-the farmhouse as full OF
comfort and happiness as any home in
the city. When this takes place the
farmers son will not be the young man
he is. He will be joyial, content, and
enthusiastic. He will be able to appear
we'll in any society, to converse with any
on the topics of the day, and he will
have some future outside of the day In
and day out toll which is crooking his
back and thickening up his brains.-