News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-06-04
THE BOYS ONCE MORE.
WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THEM,
AND HOW SHALL WE DO 1T.
Advice Given to a, Father with Six Chill
dren About the Best Way to Provide for
IFrom thu Christian unionl


boy, of twenty-five years, is finely stu
ated in New York; the next, eighteen
years, is in his second year in college;
the third, sixteen years old, is at home
"A beautiful howe-with mother and
three younger daughters. G. was
restless in school, and, in spite of our
best endeavors, left two years ago, and
has been with me in business. But he
is very restless, and longs for farm life,
and has been urging me for permission
to go West into cattle ranch business.
He is a model of health and strength,
very fond of home, great reader of
good books, without a bad habit or
thought. We shrink from parting with
him so early in life. Indeed, it would
be loss we cannot bear, to have our
youngest son leave us to go into the
rough world. 1t occurs to me that many
others may have similar trials, and that
you would say something that would
help us out. We feel that nothing could
compensate him for leaving such q
happy home so early. We have urged
him to select any branch of study, and
we will deny ourselves to serve him.
But he is not content, and actually suf-
fers in his own estimation to get away
into outdoor life. Respectfully yours,
GATHER"
Blessed is the boy who has a bent;
who knows what he wants to be and do.
Most boys have not. A great many men
have not. They spend their life in try
ing to find out what they are fitted for,
and fail for want of the discovery. The,
average boy goes through school and
college (if he goes to college, with no
idea of what he is going to make of him
self. He knows as little on graduation
day as on the day he entered. Now,
however, he can wait no longer; he must
do something. He losses up. His dice
are labeled law, medicine, ministry,
Journalism, business, blank. He throws
for choice. He goes into the ministry
because this gives him three more years
of agreeable student life at little or no
expense; or law because law is high
way into variety of professions; or
Journalism because he enjoys seeing The
fruit of his pen in print; or business be-
cause he wants to be we'll off, and he
does not know that over ninety per
cent. of business men fail; or he goes
home to live, or teaches for living for
year or two, because he cannot make
up his mind what to do or be. Perhaps
he chooses his fathers profession, be-
cause it is his fathers; more probably
he repudiates it, for the same reason:
perhaps stronger classmate awakens q
short-lived enthusiasm for some calling,
to be followed by lifelong regret that
he did not take some other; perhaps he
just stumbles in at the nearest open
door, merely because it is open. Blessed,
therefore, I say, is the boy who has a
bent; who knows what he wants to be
and do. By all means encourage him
in it.
And, in some sense, specially blessed
is he whose bent is toward agriculture.
1t is, of all callings, if rightly pursued,
the enthusiastically and physically.
1t is free from the maddening craze of
the great cities; from the vainglory and
strife of law and cognate professions;
from the making haste to be rich; from
the burdens of servitude on the one
hand, and the temptations of despotic
power on the other. 1t can never be
crowded. There are too many lawyers,
too many doctors, and, I verify believe,
too many ministers, though by splitting
our churches up into little sects we
manage to find place and work for
them all. But there are two professions
which for years to come will not be full
in this country: one, that of the farmer;
the other, that of the civil engineer.
The man whose ambition leads him in
either direction leads him into an open
field, with plenty to do, and only
healthy and rational competition. By
all means be grateful that your boy has
a bent, and bent that takes him awSy
from the overcrowded kidgloved pro-
fessions into one of healthy, natural,
productive industry.
And your present happiness is not to
count for moment in the balance
against his welfare; nor in determining
what his welfare is. The bird cannot
be kept in the nest after he is fedged.
1t must fly and make its own nest.
If, then, G.. were my boy, 1 should
say something like this to him: "You
want to be a farmer. Good am glad
of it. I want you to be farmer; but I
want you to be successful farmer;
master of your art. And to-day agri-
culture is at once science and an art.
The true farmer is not clodhopper
Farming is one of the learned profess
sions. 1t requires an encyclopedia
mind. 1t demands a preparation as
broad and as thorough as does law,
medicine, or the ministry. The farmer
converts the inutile mineral deposits OF
the soil into fruit and grain for mems
livelihood. He must know the consti-
tuition of soils, their adaptations, their
proper treatment; he must be chemist.
He must understand the nature and
functions of animal life, the conditions
of health and disease, and especially of
reproduction; he must be biologist
and psychologist. He must compre-
bend the worlds markets, for he is a
merchant rs well as q manufacturer
He must be able to measure intelligent
~ the relations of the prospective war in
Europe to American breadstuffs, the
bearing OF silver currency, of high
tariff, of Laissec .fatre on the labor
market, Oh the price of the products he
has to sell; he must be q political
economist.
'Let us see what is the wisest and best
possible education you can acquire 10
make you the wisest and best possible
farmer and let us get as near it as we
can. Decide. Do you want to be
plowman or an agriculturist, drover or
a stock-raiser? If the best thing is a
year at an agricultural college, you shall
have that; if year on a model farm is
better, we will try for that !; if year on
L cattle ranch is best, you shall have
that. Your ambition for farmers life
is pure, good, healthy ambition. But
let us look the ground over, make no
and make sure that you enter
On this life in the way to insure life
success" In short, [ should sympa-
5hize with him in his desire, encourage
him in his ambition, and guide him in
the fulfllment of his purpose.
There is danger, of course; danger
when a boy goes away from home
LANCER that he will blunder, stumble
INTO temptation, fall into sin. The
period from fourteen to twenty-one is
always a period of danger, when the
powers are clamoring for exercise. and
he judgment is not yet mature to guide
hem, nor the will strong to control
hem. But there is no danger SO great
IS that of repression. That is certain to
destroy the life. Healthy powers are
always to be trained, never prohibited.
Nature makes no blunders though we
sometimes blunder in Interpreting her.
Your boys want, proved by its persist. |
9nce not to be mere boyish freak, is
natures voice telling you his need.
Give him guidance, not repression
lelp, not hindrsnce. Do not try to pre-.
vent his being farmer, nor let him 90
TO find his own laundering way into a
arm life, but counsel with him, that
you may help him to make himself the
pest possible farmer that his nature and |
your means allow.
Left Nothing but the Man.