Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-12-06

An ESSAY.
The following paper was read By
Miss Anna Draggs, student in the
Fennimoro High School, before The
Farmers Institute, held in Fennimore.
BOYS on THE FARM.
How to keep the boys on the farm
and induce them cheerfully TO choose
farming rs their occupation for life. Is
question of deep interest to many
parents.
The stampede of young men from the
country TO cities aud large towns Is not
an evil which finds its limit In the
domestic circles which they leave, but
is one which extends through society
and makes its depressing influence fel;
everywhere. How TO check this evil Is
4 question of great importance and is
we'll worthy Of consideration. In order
to induce The boy to stay ON the farm
they must be informed of the true rela-
ton which exists between the city and
the country They must be shown that
the expenses of living are so high that
The city clerk, whom they envy because
of his large salary, can hardly keep out
of debt. And the fac. that the man in
the city is tied to his business a great
deal more closely than the farmer Is to
his work should be set before them.
Many of the boys who have left the
farm have done so because they we're
allowed so few pleasures and so little
time at home. Their fathers were not
wise in their choice of methods Of gov
ernment and labor Still, there will be
many boys who, under any system Of
treatment, will choose other professions
rather than work on the farm. Ii is
best that this should be- so. Boys who
have strong inclination to follow any
honest calling will usually do better In
that department of labor than they can
in any other. But this inclination can
often be guided, or even formed, by
wise counsel and suitable influences.
The father who greatly desires to see
his boys become farmers can, by means
of wise and careful training, usually
carry his wish into effect.
Boys should be taught that farming
is an honorable occupation. 1t is very
true that the calling does not make the
man, and that man should not be re-
spccied because he follows one honest
occupation, or despised because he fol-
lows another. Character is what man
Is. and cannot always be determined by
reference to the kind of work which he
performs.
The farmer may be q gentleman or
he can be boor, he may build up
noble character or he may be william.
He makes his own choice in these
respects. Merely being a farmer will
make him neither a good man nor a
bad one. Still, farming is business
which does not open to its followers so
many evil influences, and expose them
TO rs many temptations, as some lines
Of business. 1t is the kind Of labor
winch God directly marked out for man.
and upon the cultivation of the soil the
civilization ana happiness OF mankind
must, in great measure, depend. AS
far as occupation is concerned, the
farmer has no occasions TO ''look up to-
the merchant, manufacturer, or pro-
fessional man. Clergymen and teach
ers are doing work the value Of which
is beyond all price, and many boys will
be called from the farm to I'LL the ranks
Of these professions. The ones whom
God calls into these fields should not
hesitate for a moment to obey. But
before boy leaves the farm to become
u merchant, or TO go to city as q
laborer, or 10 engage in business Of any
kind, he should Uery carefully consider
the question whether there is any good
prospect that be can do better than the
thousands of those who have preceded
him. and who have soon been led to re-
pent that they ever left the farm.
The boys who are designed by their
parents for farmers should be led to
take an interest in their work. The
skilful teacher leads his scholars along
both RAPIDLY and pleasantly when he
gets them fully interested in their studies,
but until he can do this their progress
will be very slow. The boy who don't
care about farming may be led to take
an interest in ii and choose it for his
life work. If the farmer would explain
to him the way in which plants grow.
and tell him why ceria operations are
performed at the particular times which
lie observes. and also furnish him with
books and papers treating of these and
Of kindred subjects. he would soon find
that the indifference had given way to
earnest inquiry and deep interest. Life
on the farm must be pleasant to the
boys who are designed TO follow the
calling CHE calling) Of their fathers
The Young have a firm belief that life
ought to yield great deal of pleasure.
and if things are unpleasant at home
they will 20 elsewhere in hope of better
ing their condition. This hope is often
disappointed. yet the boys press on as
though it were sure TO be realized. The
parent ought to strive to make his
children SO happy at home that they
will prefer it 10 all other places. We
do not mean that the child should always
have his own way. Far from IT..
Parental authority ought to be firmly
maintained. But the rule should be
very gentle and the natural wsyward-
ness Of youth should not cause the
father TO lose all patience With his boys.