Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-08-02
HIS GIRLS WILL BEINDEPENDENT.
A Californians Plan for Keeping Boys on tn,
Farm.

A taltfornlans ran Tor Keeping boys on lhe
Farm.
A San Francisco father writes TO the
Alta California: An editorial paragraph
in recent issue of the Alta says; "rhe
best way to keep girls on the farm" is TO
"keep the boys there, and the girls will
stay to keep them company" The pith
of this humor is its truth, and the rule will
work both ways, for if the girls are KEEP.
on the farm the boys will not go far away
or be long absent.
If may be allowed liberal use of the
personal pronoun, and little space in
your paper, l would like to give utterance
to some reflections of my own on 1.-THE
problem Of life," in the hope that some
one similarly situated may be helped in
his thinking.
am on the shady side of so, an ac-
countant by occupation, with large and
happy family of boys and girls around
me. The boys are the eldest, and are fol-
lowing in their fathers footsteps-viz.
earning wages enough TO support them
selves in what is sailed respectability; bat
their future is necessarily an uncertainty.
have not worried about the boys, how
ever; they will hold their own. But the
girls. Shall they enter the whirlpool OF
wage-workers in this big city and pit
their strength against so many where only
the tttest survive; or shall they, with
their natural right to my assistance, be
the founders of their own independence
am endeavoring to solve this problem
in the following fashion:
have bought piece of land in Contra
Costa County, and put on such improve
ments as / can afford. My sife-the best
half of me--has taken out three girls,
aged respectively II, 49, and l5years, and
our youngest son, aged II, and has set
tied on the ranch. | remain in the city
at work and visit them every Saturday
evening, returning early Monday morn
ing, at a cost of 81 the round trip, and |
may say the pleasure of these weekly
reunions more than compensates me for
the enforsed absence. / have pla4 ted
nine acres in fruit trees and vines, which
l reasonably expect will be source of in
come at no distant day. Thus far we
have a COW, pig, and horse; chickens
are TO bs added, and after awhile we
shall duplicate the horse, COW, and pig.
The two youngest children attend 4
good distric: school, where they eau re-
celve an education equivalent TO thht or
our best grammar schools. The two
eldest will have the assistance easily OBJ
tanned 10 our oldersettled communities
of some competent teacher, say once a
week or 50 ia advanced studies, 80 that
they may keep pace with the intelligence
of their times. Already their new life
has set its mark upon them in the glow
of health and strength of limb; and
withal and above all, they have work to
do, that greatest of all blessings to hu-
mainly. My eldest sons, when they visit
the little family, envy them IN brotterly
fashion their good fortune, and it is only
question of time when the lesson to
them will bring forth fruit in due season.
have written this, thinking perhaps
some man out of this cityful, situated as
am, might see his way as | do to in
dependence for the most helpless portion
of his family, and also provide pleasant
retreat for his own old age; and If by
excepting the girls on the farm" the
boys should follow" then another
problem is solved.