The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-01-20
No. 40,

much good in his case. He needs the
discipline applied in the form of some
good agricultural newspaper.
Some people sneer at what they call
book farming" but a little book
farming mixed with experience, in,
dustry and good common sense, would
be an advantage to the most of US. l
am sure it would be good thing for
that orchard.
And nov as the Alliance has some
repres sntrtives in our legislature,
want to make some suggestions:
First, let me remind them that
North Carolina pays less per head
than any State in the Union save one
for public school purposes. l think
we have borne this disgrace long
enough We as a State can we'll
afford to double our taxes for educa.
ton. hope to live to see the day
when all the higher branches will be
taught in our public schools; when
there will be su6iciency of money to
carry them on at least six months in
the year, so that the generations to
come will prove that the old North
State can produce something more
than turpentine aud-"phools."
Talk about bringing the farmer up
in his ignorance and bettering his con.
dition, until he is better educated. If
he was up he could not stay.
Solomon said: Wisdom is wealth
and knowledge is power" so that the
wise and intelligent of this or any
other country will always be the
wealthy and the powerful. And both
OF these carry in them seven (other
things being equaD the elements of
perpetuation.
And there is another old and time.
honored relic of barbarism that ought
to be abolished The Constitution
entities parents to the service and con
troll of their sons until they are twenty
one years old, and holds them respon-
sible for their debts, etc; and then the
laws of North Carolina comes in and
disarms the parents on certain days,
and says that boy Gf he be country
boy) shall work a given number of
days on public roads after he is ls;
so that if man has as many sons as
old father Jacob had he is cheated out
of thirty six years of his time. l ask
in the name of justice and all common
sense, is it right And when you
come to think this only applies to
country boys, I ask is it equal rights ?
Now with the kindest of feeling for
the town boys, l ask what great or
good things have they done that en-
titles them to these special favors ?
They pay no town tax, so all they
have done is cone TO town. We are
heard saying, "keep the boys on the
farm, give them inducements and go
on and tell them that Washington,
Garfield and most, all great men of
all ages were farmers boys" and then
in the face of all this make them pay
a fine in the shape of so many days
work on public roads.
Alamance county has as many as
fire incorporated towns, ranging from
$50 to $500 inhabitants; all these
towns have their share of eighteen
year old boys that are getting advan.
tage over the country boys.
Now want it understood that |
don't want the to vn boy brought out
and made to work on public roads,
but let all be treated alike-exempt
the country boy. I believe the time
is close at hand when all our roads
will be worked by taxation-the
sooner the better.
The two most repulsive things in
the lives of most boys is turning the
grindstone and working public roads,
and the only way he can escape either
is to move to some Incorporated town.
There he soon learns to smoke, chew
and curse, and look on the poor coun-
try boy with the most profound pity,
and congratulates himself that he is
not like other boys -(country boys)
Now, my brother farmers, let US
ask the legislature to provide more
money for public schools, to repeal
the act that requires eighteen year old
boys to perform road duty, and let as
put trsadle to our grindstones and
see how much more happy and con
tented our boys will be and how much
less ready they will be to leave the
Vooaoafr7l country homo for tho Flaaa