The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-02-02

w L CuICly l1V11lS III ULdU age vi
the world spoken of in the Book of
Books: When men shall run to and
fro through the earth, and knowledge
shall increase At no period in the
worlds history have men enjoyed such
splendid advantages to obtain knowl-
edge as is enjoyed by the vast millions
Of this age. Truly.
1--WE are living, we are dwelling
In Il grand and awful time: t-t.. ..
In an age on ages telling,
When to be living is sublime
This is sometimes called the news
paper age. The country is flooded
not only with newspapers, but with all
kinds of literature, and it is a fact that
shoulds be deeply and indelibly i'm
pressed upon the heart of every father
and every mother, that the lives of
"our children are shaped in a Won
derful measure by the education they
receive, and the literature they read.
Now, we do not propose to write an
essay upon the importance of giving
to u children pure literature, and the
consequent eXils growing out of their
reading the silly, sentimental, fictitious
stuff, and the vast mount Of worth
less trash that is today flooding our
country, but we do want to call the at
tention Of the thousands of farmers,
fathers and mothers, who read the
Mercury to the alarming fact that
thousands of the sons and daughters
of those "whO eat their bread in the
sweat of their face" are not reading
but very little, and much of that little
is unhealthy food for the youthful
mind. And we want to impress the
idea that knowledge is Power and
that it is a sad fact hat vast numbers
of the toiling millions are not able to
give their childred the advantages Of
an education, which could so easily be
obtained in the schools of our country
if they could only be spared from the
fields, the work shops, etc, long
enough to obtain it, and if it did not
draw too heavily upon u already de-
pleted pocket-bOOks. But there is an
education, or rather knowledge, we
can give to our children, which will
make them not only a safe power in
the government, but will prepare them
to 60 forth into the world and win for
themselves, not only a competency for
a livieg, but also to en- JOY its luXuries.
That education or knowledge may
be obtained by the reading Of first
class newspapers. Wherever we find
our brethren, our sisters, their chill
dren, or u young people, who are
readers of irst-class newspapers, they
are generally well informed, and can
talk intelligently upon the topic Of the
day, and especially so if they are con-
slant readers of the Mercury. We are
determined to make the Mercury one
of the best papers in the world, one
that will carry the information to the
homes of our farmers. that will keep
them well posted with what is going
on-with a knowledge that will enable
them to cope in the business transac-
tions of the day with the sharks and
sharps that are preying upon the
masses. We want to make the paper
interesting to, our young folks and our
children. We therefore propose in
the near future to open a column, or
a page, if necessary, especially for
them and We now invite them to fill at
least one calumn per week, and we
promise TO give them something good,
interesting and useful each week.
Will not those excellent mothers who
are writing such splendid articles help
us in interesting "our children in
our paper.
We must educate our children,
or they vii fall an easy preyto the
tricksters who are ever on the alert to
"thrive by fawnming,'-Aercury.