The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-03-10
pauposav ON THE FARM.
Whore ne Old Fashioned Farmer 4iseee
It-Pies for the Boya
IN O1radss nftar

n
It-Piea for the Boys
III. Quad's letter.
It is a curious position in which an |
old fashioned farmer and 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 COW
hide boots. He would As soon 80 TO |
meeting without . collar a. with
one. He "rayther likes" the music
of an organ, but il he buys an organ he
won't feel like building that ad-
dition to the barn. He can't really see
how any one can sit down and get in.
terested in books, and why Henry and
William should want real cloth" col
lars and cuffs is deep conundrum.
When 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 conducted after the lAsh- 4
ion of q quarter Of the last century. The
house may be painted once in five years,
but the chances are that 1t is allowed ~ |
20 ten. Tho barns have needed repairs
for years past, but it's cheaper to lose
ton Of hay by the leaks thar
to buy new shingles. The fences
are rotting down, but next winter VIII
be : good time to split rails. There are
half 9 dozen panes Of glass needed about
tie houso, but if the broken lights wetp
renewed they might be smashed again.
The democrat' wagon has been about
worn ont for the last i've years, and
ats tho excuse for not having "
|dainted. The harnesses will hardly
ptA together, but they must answer tor
|s641 ~ year. The boys are held 10
serve their time" like 20 many slaves
or cunvicts, and the amount of ca
finding its way into their pockets yearly
would not keep . bootblack in stock to
do business. ~
And now what's the matter with
farmers boys2 They live in new world
the fgther in an old one. No matter.
how little schooling they have had, they
are better educated than he Ia. No
matter If the father refuses to do moro
than subscribe to weekly paper, his
boys are fairly posted on the daily hap-
pcnlHgs 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.
photography or being able to write more
than write his name-with0ut collars or
cuffs or neckties- without books or pa
pers 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 tho
towns and cities to learn trades; to &c.
cept of mental positions; to take any
work which will pay their way and pre-
vent the necessity Of returning to farrc
work.
The farmer who reali es this must asl
himself where the blame lies, and then
seek q remedy. Is there Q remedy
Let US eco. M
In the first place, farmers sons are
over worked. There Is no doubt that
the farmer is, too, but that doesn I
alter the case. When you.rout a boy OF
IA, 16 or 10 out of bed at 4:3O or
o'clock in the morning, and work him
till or half.past, you are making q
white slave Of him, You not only pcril
his health, but you deform his body.
That's the cause of 80 many sons Of far.
mers being lop-shouldered, bow backed
or otherwise deformed, and the origin
can To traced to over-exertion while
growing.
There isn't farm in this country on
which the hours of labor couldn't be
shortened to ten hours without causing
loss of $25 per year. If ten hours 4
: enough for a ditch. digger it is all that a
farmers son should be called upon to
endure. If there are two hours between
O'Clock and darkness on . summers
evening the boy can take up a book Of
. paper, or put it to good use in some
other way. A it is now, he knows hi
ia expected to slave from daylight till
dark, and when night comes he is weary
in body and aggravated in spirit.
/ And the remedy is not altogether IL
shortening the hours of work. The boy,
must have things 10 interest and amust
them. They want books, magazines
j and newspapers. II there . chance *
az MP bowling alley let the boys &
,lRfer land make one. Tie game o.
~ sa healthy exercise, and fur
lnilh plenty of sport. II one of tn,
. | boys hss a taste for music help him OF
] With It. Let him have fiddle, accordion
organ, or whatever instrument be feels
he can bring music out of. Both boys
and girls should be encouraged to sing
. To this end they should be encourage
to get up singing classes, which nigh
meet around from house to house.
young peoples social club, to meet il
the same manner, would prove very in
teresting.
The farm can be made pleasantel
than the workshop-the farm house al
full of comfort and happiness as any
, home in the city. When this takel
place the farmers son will not be tn,
!. young man he is. He will be jovial
content and enthusiastic. He will b
able to appear well in any society, Il
converse with any one on the tories Of
the day, and he will have some futur,
outside of the day in and day out toll
/ which is crooking bis spine and thicken
ing Up his brain.
Eoar nom Cot.on-rree Seed.
lgclonfi0c r xchsur,l