The Opelousas courier., 1889-03-09
AGRICULTURAL AlEE.

: ne OF the Elements Which Make $ Pref
cradle to City Excitement.
There is an element Of largeness and
ifsArty about country life, which IL
W calculated to develop individuality
ant independence of character; 90
thaWa man accustomed to it feels a
uncomfortable sense of c~loseness and
repression in the city. There is also q
material independence connected with
farm life, which men in other situa-
tions Gan seldom enjoy; and material
independence is in most cases q neces-
sary foundation for independence Of
though and action. II the farmer
does no. bet rich, he at least does not
fail as large majority of those who
enter OF business careers do, and he
knows ii nc one can disturb him in
possessieTicpf what he has.
Again, he. . farmer is free from the
burden Oh; Marrying, harassing ankle
ties whickFebs driven many a city
man to his VI ave, especially If his
sons stay on be farm with him in
stead of leavingld m to depend on such
strangers he ca& idinttck up for help.
Then there is an Ell vent Of heroism in
country life. which ole knight of the
yard-stick seldom has opportunity
to develop. Heroism in n's is always
associated with physical dug tyemeRt
OF some kind. In summer collect and
winters cold, in the labors Of ,,nesA
and field, in the competition of maWS
sports, in the mastery of beasts, lb
buffeting with Nature in her sterner
moods. there is opportunity for real,
heroic achievement, such as commands
the approval of men and the admira-
ton of women. and tends to make a
man satisfied with himself. Nature
often opposes a stout, but kindly re-
sistance in order that her children may
grow strong and heroic in the encoun-
ter; and the element thus developed is
Fsof high value as a factor of genuine
manhood. But it must be remembered
that many and many q time it is edu-
cation, mental culture and elevation
that make the difference between hero
ism and drudgery. To one man his
occupation is irksome, and has only a
sordid significance; to another the
same occupation is a pleasure in itself,
and the opportunity of a noble develop
ment. 1t is the spirit in which a man
takes up his walk that makes the diff
ference, and this spirit is largely a
matter of education, culture and
breadth of mental vision.
The fear is sometimes expressed
that education would take the farmers
son away from the farm, This in my
opinion is a g%roundless fear. / admit
that once the tendency and object of
education was to take boys away from
the farm and to fit them for profess
sional life. But we have already
passed that stage. The idea now is
and should be, to educate the man;
and education is valuable wherever
true manhood is honored. Especially
should the American agriculturist be
an educated man. His positions in life
requires it. He is not a tenant at the
mercy of a landlord. He lives in liz
dependence and comfort on his own
domain, and is rearing and educating
a family. Every atom Of education he
can obtain will come into play. It 10
better that the labors of the field
should be enlivened by discussions on
history and science, than that the con
versation should be mere idle, un-
slevatiug gossip as is SO often the case;
and the farmers home should be a
center of culture, where literature and
art should be familiar topics.-Prof.
d. G. Porter. in Rural New Yorker.