The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-08-18
THE FARM WORKSHOP.
A Most Excellent Aid to Keep the Eoys
from Leaving Rural Homes.

A Most Excellent Aid to Keep the 3oys
from Leaving Rural Homes.
When an accident occurs on ship
there are necessarily means at hand for
immediate repair. The condition of
ship and It's crew upon the waste OF
waters" is not much more isolated in
many respects than that Of a farm and
It's occupants. A break of q necessary
implement will cause more delay at q
critical time than it's value, unless there
are means at home for the repair of it,
and these means consists of tools and
appliances for working iron in simple
manner rs we'll as wood. The breaking
OF n plow at the stock or the mold board
or the loss of bolt should be repaired
at once and at home, and the farmer
who has sons should have one of them
educated for this work. Such an edu-
cation is fortune for the boy, for it
renders him independent of accidents
and puts him upon u safe and sure
footing in the world. There is no reason
why the youth should be limited to this
manual education. A mechanic is all the
moro skillful and useful the better he is
educated in the fullest sense OF the word.
| A graduate OF acOllege whose education
includes the mechanical sciences and
the best literary training with it can use
his brains far better than one who is a
mere worker in "a special trade; and he
works rather than labors in his farm
business. There is wide distinction
between work and labor. Work is the
doing of some useful thing of whatever
kind it may be in the most skillful way;
labor is the painful drudging doing OF
the same thing. 1t is said of a steam
ship in good order that she works
beautifully and smoothly and every
! pound of steam is used most effectively
to drive the enormous mass through
the water. But in temptest when
the ship is beaten by the huge waves
and turned by tremendous force from
the direct course, she labors in the
storm. The friction is enormous; the
strains are most severe, the hull
| quivers, the joints grind, and the
greater part of the vast force is ex-
pended in withstanding shocks and
evading destruction. 1t is SO with all
human occupations. Work is the
natural exercise of the muscles or the
! brain, or both; but labor is the forced
exercise of these and wears out the
man with a performance of small por-
ton only of the useful effect. More
over, work we'll done is noble, for it is
the chief end of man in this life and
| <hra Nf oil 1N1a III
ment in the pursuit of ones business.
Labor on the other hand really de-
grades q man, for it is the use of brute
force alone without any intelligent
direction, and never results in effect
half as much as work does, so that a
farm boy should be taught to work in
telligently, and this can only be done
by affording him the intellectual facil-
ity for making work profitable and
useful.
| A farmer known to us has q son who
passed meritoriously through college
and graduated at noted law school
with the highest honors of his class.
The boy returned home and went to
work on the farm. He fitted up a
workshop with blacksmith's tools,
lathe, carpenters tools and some scien-
tific apparatus. His work on the farm
was paid for at its actual value, and
the money was spent in books and
scientific instruments. He quickly
became very fair mechanic, and soon
surpassed the botch work of the ordin-
ary rural mechanical laborer. Instead
of a costly bellows for the forge he
made a rotary fan in the simplest man
ner at less than one dollar expense,
and had the advantage of q continuous
draught. He burned his own charcoal,
made and tempered his own drills and
chisels, made many of his tools; and
when any thing was wanted it could be
had at a moments notice. He studied
the anatomy of the horses foot and
became an expert horse shoer, and
when new barn was suggested no
fitted. up an old saw-mill which was on
the farm, cut the timber, framed it,
and with the help of ordinary work.
men finished the building, providing
many labOr-saving arrangements for
handling the feed and fodder. He
was able to fit up small mill for
grinding feed and thus saved every
year an amount which was quite equal
to the scanty income of a young lawyer
whose services are too often poorly
paid for, because he is young,
and it is supposed that the mere em-
ployment with scanty pay is in the ma
ture of encouragement for a beginner.
Now, this is doubtless an exceptional
case, but it may be tuken as type for
the consideration OF farmers and farm
boys. There are ample opportunities
ior education at the agricultural col
loges, where Il youth can study the
mechanical arts in connection with q
scientific course If he will give his mind
to 1t and abandon child's play, at which
too much time is spent by college stu-
dents. Farmers should not be niggardly
in this respect. They are apt to COM
plain when their sons leave them for
employment in the cities. hut too often
it is the parents fault, who really en-
slave their children instead of making
them Partners, with share equivalent
to the value of their work. How many
farmers put their children even upon
equal terms with the tramp who comes
to labor for themp This undesira BILE