The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-10-24

8OuCaGeQ man lS D9GGoF prepared 20
perform it than the uneducated man /;
though he does not always do it with
the same accomplishing brute force
I want the farmers to have high as
pirations and not be satisfied to simply
dig all their lives; I want them to look
forward to better days and better
things They should each and every
one look forward to the day when their
whole time will be taken up in super
vising the farm o. course many are
called and .fe1U are chosen" so some
will necessarily be disappointed. In
other words, many will have to labor
and few will be called on to superin
tend. The question is, with which
group will you be classed9
To supervise thoroughly one must
first learn to obey and to carry out the
details of farming himself, then he can
command others, just as it is in cotton
milling, railroading or any other line
of work. I might add, by way OF
parenthesis. that this is stumbling
block to most of cur educated farmers;
they are ashamed to start at the bot
tom rung of the ladder. They expect
to walk right out of school and take
charge of a large farm the first year.
Now we had just as well expect man
right out Of college to be put in charge
of a cotton mill, railroad, or a big
manufacturing business 1t takes just
as much thought, and even more, for
in the case Of farming the principal
man does practically all the thinking,
whereas in thes9 other callings there is
a skilled mau in each department.
They may have complete college edu
cation in the ordinary sense Of the
terra and yet not be ready to farm. To
call man who has general educa-
tion an educated farmer is misnomer
A man may be able to coDj lgate all
the Greek verbs, write L sEin gram
mar, calculate the transit Of Venus,
and what not, but if he goes to farm
ing and has not studied the principles
underlying it, then his education as
far as agriculture is concerned, is vain.
You had just as we'll claim that good
thorough going farmer was educated,
and put him in charge OF some institu'
tion of learning.
We generally think Of an educated
man as ole who is informed on varie
ty of subj octs, and this is really the
best definition. But we can say that
the man who is thoroughly familiar
with geology aud can tell us all about
the rocks, and about the different geo.
logical layers of the earth, is an edu-
Gated man in that branch. Now If
the farmer will educate himself in the
sciences that underlie agr culture, he
is really an educated man in that line,
In addition to this 1 wish to see the
farmer polished up in some of the other
branches so that he may hold his own
in whatever crowd he may fall
He may be at public gathering and
be called on to act as chairman, or to
make speech; he may be elected to
the legislature, TO Congress, or as dele
gate to some important convention,
and to say the least Of it he does not
want to be at a disadvantage in any
society. Then you may ask, do be
lieve in farmer taking regular col
legiate course in addition TO his special
Work7 I do, most assure dly. have
heard some farmers say, "Well, want
my son to farm and / am keeping him
here on the farm with me and he will
be better farmer at the end of four
years than your college graduate
farmer" Taat readily admit, as far
as the practical work is concerned, If
the two boys are Of eq1al capacity, and
the father is a first class farmer. Bat
the boy who stays on the farm cannot
claim to have a college education. Ger
tainly the man who has done nothing
else but farm ought to be better
farmer at the end of four years
But hoIdI Nov put them both to
farming, and in four years more you
will see a marked difference. Some
say, "but my son will be educated
from the farm. When he comes back
from college, he will not care to pur
sue his fathers vocation" Well, if
his taste runs differently, and he finds
out at college what he is really fitted
for, and can do better, let him follow
it by all means. He had better make
a good doctor than a poor farmer. Let
people get a good general education
and then they car better determine
what they can do best and what they
really prefer. No one should try to
make his son do this or that for live
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