The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1899-03-04
FARMERAND PLANTER.
THE IDEAL FARMER.
The Ideal Farmer Must Have Ideas, hut
They Must DO Sound and Prsc-
tical to Insure Success.

come intense; the runners are tredding
| on each others toes; woe be to him
who stops to tie his shoe" Still later,
the same great philosopher said: 'Nev-
err before was competition in every
pursuit of life so fierce as now; never
did success demand SO much of physic-
al and mental energy" If Carlyle
could ''revisit the glimpses of the
moon," and see the conditions that ex-
| list now and then in this country, even
his ready pen and wonderful powers
of expression would fail to do the SUBJ
ject justice. During the recent cold
weather small pile of coal was placed
on the sidewalk in front of an Office
| in Dallas, Tex, and in less than two
hours more than twenty persons ap-
| piled for the ffteen-cent job of carry
ing it in. These, and the hundreds of
| thousands of such are they who, in the
race of life have stopped to tie their
shoes, and have been run over and
trampled in the dust; have labored
! with hand but not with brain.
An army without a commander In
but a mob, and can be dispersed by a
well directed squad. An army with an
| incompetent leader is but little better.
The human body consists of many
members, each like a willing soldier
well adapted to its separate purpose,
the whole body forming most adj
mirable machine. Yet, without COM
petent mind to direct its movements,
= ss. ont To
asylum, the junk-shop for useless imi-
tations of men. Competent, intellect
| ual direction of human effort is nee
! essary to any measure of success.
Farming is as far from being an ex-
ception to this rule as any calling
known among men.
| To be an ideal farmer one must not
only have ideas, but the ideas must be
sound and practical. A mind properly
trained under competent teachers who
avail themselves of the combined wis.,
dom of the ages, and the wonderful
developments of later years, possesses
advantages that can not be overlooked
and should not be underestimate. A
well balanced brain, however, can not
be prevented from acquiring the
knowledge to success in any calling.
To such obstacles are not impede
ments. A prison cell has developed
| philosopher, and privation has been
known to afford the very stimulus
needed to develop lofty character
and useful life. where there is
will there is way" and ''none but
fools are too old to learn" The old
adage that " a bad beginning makes a
good ending" was probably invented
by an idiot or parrot-there is no
semblance of truth in it. Truly, a
good ending may be achieved notwith-
standing the bad beginning. 1t would
be impugning the intelligence of the
reader to argue the advantages of a
good beginning in any undertaking.
A farmer who starts in with good
knowledge of the fundamental prin-
ciples that affect farm work and farm
management, and a determination to
keep step 70 the music of progress,
possesses an advantage that others not
thus equipped must capture for them
selves in the great battle of life.
A thorough education in the prin-
ciples governing successful farming is
greatly to be desired, and gives an adj
vantage in the race that can only be
gained otherwise bylabor and observa-
ton of the better portion of life
time. And yet there are ideal farm
ers who never had the benefit of early
training; but having clear heads and
determination to succeed, have over
come all obstacles and overtaken many
who started out with far better equip
ment. The school is the place to OBJ
tain an education; the law school for
lawyers; the medical school for ply
sicians; the commercial school for
merchants and bankers, and the agri-
cultural school for farmers; and yet
men have become famous in all these
callings without attending technical
schools. In their vocabulary there is
no such word as fail. But whether in
school or out of it, whether by tuition
or self-culture, the knowledge must be
had or there can be no SUCCESSFUL
ideal farmer. Physical strength can
tear down, but ideas are absolutely
necessary in building
Every state in the Union has anagri-
cultural college, some of them eff
cient and all of them far better than
none. Many of these schools are doing
grand work in educating young men
who are, as farmers, to be teachers of
the people--examples which others
will observe and follow. But farmers
have many educational facilities at
hand. almost without cost; all they
have to do is to reach out and grasp
them. There are short courses for
farmers at many of our A and NJ. col
leges; there are farmers Institutes,
where practical farmers meet and tell
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