Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-21
A WORD FOR OUR BOYS.
WHY THEY LEAVE HOME so SOON
 AND DESPISE FARMING.

the Ground and the Grain Harvested the Little Fellows Arc Worked Almost to
 Death-A Mothers Story.
 1would like to say word in favor of OUT
 farmer boys who, as a class, are sadly over-
 worked in the rush of spring work or through
 the hot days of harvest.
 A great many farmers undertake so much
 that, in order to get the crops in in season.
 everything must come to time, while the
 ooys, colts and every thing else on the place is
 pressed into service for all they are able to do.
 Now, If the boys have to work so hard. 1t
 seems to mo they should be allowed a shorter
 day, and not be compelled to go from sun LID
 to sun down, as we'll as the older ones They
 are really to be pitied, if one stops to think of
 1t, for if anything is wanted while getting
 ready to go to the field, it is, ''Here Tom. run
 and get 1t, and step lively" and as soon as
 that particular thing is brought, then some
 thing else Is wanted, and when ready to 20 to
 work Ioln has run enough to be already tired : then, "Now see that you keep those horses go- ing" as a bit of parting advice.
 Then, after a long days blowing, there arc the cows to be brought from the pasture
 UT course, Tom being the youngest has that to do, too. And after supper is over he must milk, all of which is we'll enough if he was only allowed shorter day than the others. ana very frequently while the others stop aurlng the day for rest Tom must go for a ;ug of water, as "boys don't get tired.n I believe in their working as they are able. but have known so many boys injured from over work that l cannot refrain from saying "a few words in the hope that they may do a little good. Our dear, warm hearted, willing boys, whose work we can only appreciate when they are i'll or absent; then we see how much help they have been
 THE FLOWS WE'RE ALL BROKE"
 was well acquainted with ono boy. who helped break up all the ground for a large crop He was only II and small of his age, and he worked right along with his father. a very strong man, until the crops were in, and the day they finished planting corn, at sup per time, sud to him, when he came in. "Why, George, what is the matteran For as long as live can never forget the tired dejected, dropping little figure as he stood in the door. "Oh, nothing, only tired" with a pathetic little smile. In @ day or two he was taken down with fever, and for weeks lay at deaths door simply from overwork. The first week of his illness he raved continually about his work, and it was enough to break ones heart to hear him urging his team to their work, or his blow would break, or it was 'so hard to throw the dirt up hill :" He kept this up for week, never a minutes rest night or day, and every day his voice grew weaker, until one day he opened his eyes, and looking around the room said. ssthe blows are all broke," and never mentioned them again. But for weeks he was not out of danger.
 Now where was anything gained in that transaction. A long illness to be borne. a large doctors bill to pay; besides the care and anxiety such an illness caused his parents. As he was slowly recovering, his physician said: This illness was caused more from overwork than anything else; now, sec that it is never done again."
 Another case of boys overwork. which I know to be true, was where man set boy of Il years of age to blowing, and the only way he could turn the plough was to put his head under the cross pieces, between the handles, letting it rest on the back of his neck, until he injured his spine and was taken sick and lived only a few days In the in- tsnse heat of harvest Is another terrible time for the boys; hard, indeed, for strong men,
 MAKES A MOTHERS HEART ACHE.
 Last summer our own boy, stout young fellow of 16, who had worked from early spring with scarcely days intermissior. or without word of complaint, side by side with another man much older than himself. then through four or five weeks of harvest until day or two before 1t was over. came into my room q was i'll at the time) looking SO sad and worn that it frightened me, and f said to him: What Is the matter, dear, don't you feel well9" "Oh, ma," he said, Il am Just nearly dead, my head aches so, just look at my hands, holding up his hands, perfectly covered inside with callouses and blsters while his lips quivered and tears stood in his dark eyes, something that had not seen for years, for he is usually too proud to complain. l U Yesterday my nose bled until I could hardly go. l do wish father would let me off this l afternoon; won't you ask him tor' How it went to my mother heart to have to tell him that father said mo, must try and get through while the fair weather lasts, only a mother can know, and there was good deal of bitterness in my thoughts that afternoon IS l thought of my boy and his sorrowful face.
 His father did not mean to be hard. for if le had been sunstruck or stricken down with | Illness he would then have counted his grain of very little worth beside the life of his boy. put he only thought then of the work on hand md that the resting could be done some other 'lme But that Is one reason why so many ooys leave their homes so soon and so thor 'NS,A Ne~PA'o Ae~l mug, WHICH, u ACLlo SOOd Judgment, tempered with mercy for them, would do more good than all the stern com hands that were ever uttered.
 "Oh, if we could only live tho past five 7ears over again" said friend whose only 'hild, promising boy of IS, had died of con- sumption, flor know he worked too hard de was always so willing and we never topped to think that the work might be too much for him. But now we can see where Te did wrong" What pity all parents annot see, before they meet with some such rouble, and be really parents at heart in- tead of thoughtless taskmasters whose pres mt prosperity is gained in great measure at fearful expense-the broken down consti- utions of their boys-One Who Loves Them n St. Louis Republic.
 French Marriages,
 Exceptions to the rule of marriages de con- 'enance are so rare as really not to count at -ll To comprehend, however, that this does lot inevitably lead to social stoppage and dsaster, it is necessary to perceive that the anne thing which might result very badly for