The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-04-16
FORCE OF HABIT.
How Farmers Dull Their Natural Aptts
tude for Business Pursuits.

How Farmers Dull Their Natural Aptts
tude for Business Pursuits.
Farmers and their sons frequently
dwarf their intellects and dull then
natural aptitude for successful business
pursuits, by'neglecting to be constantly
learning something useful. 1t is the i'm
preston of many farmers that they hav,
no time to read the standard usefu
books. from the fact that after hard
days toll they are too weary to read
while they rest. There may be some
plausibility 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
rare case if farmer has not many
hours of leisure each week, not required
for 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 a 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 a down grade of intellect
and accumulated property, but when
they really ought to have been in the
prime of life they were premature old
men and have 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 life's evening of physical
rest, by the aid of an active mind, still
eager in the desire to acquire more
mental diet of a character to prepare
them not only for life's afternoon, but
for eternity, they are barely waiting te
die.
The writer last fall visited the scenes
of his early life, to meet the few of his
boyhood associates who are yet pursu-
ing life's journey. He found only rust
and mildew when he should have met
| ripe old men with little impairment by
| old age. They had exemplifed in their
lives the truth of the memorable physical
law, as well as the law of God, that he
who buries his talent, ''that which he
hath shall be taken from him." The
habit of dwarfing their minds by not
using them, until they have no desire
for literary or mental culture, had rem
dered them pitiable objects of contem-
| plation. In their eyes there was no
more sparkle of life or intelligence than
in the lowest order. of dumb brutes.
Their enjoyments appeared to be of no
| higher order than that of the oyster in
its native bed. From their youth up
| they had buried their talents, and that
which they had was dormant, silent and
stupid. So we say to the farmer boys,
improve your talent, or you shall not
have If to aniov = To9r1 Sf1fo Poojefa,.