Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-06-15
A Word For The Boys.

Recently, while in California. l
spent some time on ranch, and was
the guest of a family numbering
Bmong others seven sons, the young.
est of whom had nearly if not quite
reached manhood. Not one of these
seven boys had been taught any USE
ful trade or mechanics art, but all
were expected to follow in the un.
profitable farming footsteps of their
sire. AS the ranch, when DIVIDED
among SO many (there were also three
daughters), would leave each with
very few acres, they had no future
before them except that of laboring
man 1t used to make my heart ache,
to see the hopeless yet doggedly flial
way in which these boys went about
their daily labors. The parents were
more than ordinary intelligent people
of Irish American extraction, and
their carelessness in bringing such a
family of children into the world,
without taking any thought for the
future, seemed to me most culpable.
One of the lads had worked out q
career for himself, and known as the
best whip and horse breaker in the
country, and on this account could
command such wages as $50 month
and board to drive the stage to Truckee
and Lake Tahoe, and another hired
himself out to neighboring nursery
man, with vague idea of learning
something by which he could raise
himself above the level Of a day la
borer
Speaking with the mother, hand
some brown-eyed, white haired lady
of fifty.f five who could talk intelligent
ly of the books and topics of the day,
l inquired why she had not tried to
have her sons learn trades since she
and her husband had found farming
so Improbable She replied that her
husband was Every set in his ways" F"
and finding that his boys showed no
special aptitude for books. had become
discouraged with the idea of making
anything of them.
This reminds me of the old Scotch
man, who when be was asked ii he
intended to send his boy to college,
replied, "God forbid that | should
spend $5, 1000 on 10-centsboy." Very
possibly this 10-cent boy, if rightly
directed, and guided, would have
turned out to be at least good and
useful member of society. Don't
think because your boy is no genius,
that he is not fit for anything. Make
it your business to fnd out his one
talent (if he has only one, } and to cul-
tivate that to the best of your ability.
The more l study the lives of boys
and young men, the more am per-
suaded of the value of such institu-
tions as the trade schools, of which
the Rural recently treated. A boy
who would make poor lawyer or
doctor, or accountant, may have d
genius for engineering, aud make a
success as a mining engineer, or a
bridge builder Surveying and archi-
lecture are thriving occupations. If
boy has taste for outdoor life, let
him stick to the farm, but don't let
him go on in the old rut5. Inspire
him with desire to understand the
scientific side of farming and stock
raising. Teach him to feel, if ne
elects to be farmer, that his occupa-
tion is an ennobling, and not debas-
ing one Let him stay on the farm,
not because he feels in hopeless sort
of way that he doesn't know what
else to, but because he would rather
do so than to follow any other calling.
To be successful. a man or woman
must have some sort of belief in him
self and his work.-A, G. in RuraI
| NeeU YORKER.