Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-01-21

Why the Boys stayed ON the Farm.
At farmers institute held recently
a man undertook to tell why the boys
leave the farm. lie was like the man
who said there were seventeen reasons
why ceraain legislator did not at
tend the session. The frst one was
that he was dead. The speaker prompt
~ Informed him that he could Keep the
other sixteen IN his mind. In this case.
however the presiding officer allowed
the party To give the other sixteen
reasons. ana apparently he entirety
forgot the first Or principal. one. ~
the discussion which followed an ola
farmer who has three sons VINO are
successful fs.mers shattered the many
reasons ~ the theoretical gentleman III
u manpr that surprised him.
said he. zone Ut the principal reasons
why your boys leave the farm ~ ne-
cause you educate them away from ~.
DO YOU teach them the elements OF
agricultural Nv your district schoolf
Not one. 10 you teach them ANYTHING
about piants-how they Hrow aud why
they rrowf No Anything about trees
and Vines, about soils. about insectsi
Not one thing. Afior your boys has
attended your district school 10 or 10
terms. OF parts Of terms. ana your Nah
school torn or two, what does he
want to doG lie wants TO 40 to cnl-
iere. What forl Why. to dnhble with
the children OF townspCople In Greek
and Latin. philosophy and rhetoric.
frigonnmctry ana bellcs.lcitrrf; and
when h. comes home his head ia choke
full OF stun that il 81 no earthly use
to him. while he has acquired an IN
tense dislike for farm NE
~ your hoy wants 60 be lawyer
you send him IN "a law school: " a doe
la NHfaNf 10 "A
" he would rather he a farmer You Keep
him az home and work the life out 81
him. don't like to SAY those thinr1,
but they are facts ana need saying.
How dld ! keep my boys on the farm
md made prosperous farmers ~ them
I n tell you rave them all the edu-
cation they could get at our dlhtrict
school. thon two terms at n high school.
where thry took only such studies ms
would prove useful 10 them. I would
have sent them TO M agricultural COLI
icge instead " could have afforded IT,
hut aH I couldn't , mado them fun
partners with me On the farm. They
received an equal share " the Income.
ana paid their proportion ~ the eN.
pcnscT when one married ! gave him
forty acres ~ my quarter section, and
built him little house on u. for which
h. paid me afterward. The othcrs were
treated IN like manner We are all do
INK wei on oiir foftieH. ~ the begin
ming 81 cnch year we each put M $40.
10 be given az q premium to the one
that makes tho most clear profit that
year. We are reading and Htudylng
and learning and improving an the
time. ana We aro o. uut iu the belief
that farm IN hotier than o. Kingdom
and the former the mort indcrcndunt
man ON earth"
Have We any good rcaronH fnr com
planning about tho boys leaving the
farm when We nrr cdurnf1nr them
away from it7 Have we any right to
lament about II whom hv our short.
sighted action We drive them from ~
What Inducements are We Offering the
boys Ia stay ON the farm what hppA
of becoming the pnfrrssnr ~ home
~ his own are We holding ont o. our
hoyHf These ar" questions worthy oi
orr boy These are questions worthy
our closest attention and most serious
thought