The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-11-20

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and uprightness, and his inclination
leads him to be a preacher, lawyer,
physician, or business man, he need
not have the slightest fear of fail
ure Cbarring accidents and sickness,
or Inflated marriage), if he will but.
take the first opening that points in
the direction of his inclinations.
Rest assured, however, that nothing
worth having in this life ever comes
without hard work, clear thinking,
and right living.
If you conclude to stay on the
farm and be a really up to date far
mer, I am sure that you will get the
maximum of comfort. I do not say
that you should not leave the farm,
but do not be in a hurry to make up
your mind. First, be sure you are
right then go ahead, is the advice of
Uncle Henry.
THE FARM o AND HIS READING.
need scarcely tell you that your
future will be largely influenced by
your reading. Tell me what a farm
boy reads, and I will tell you what
kind of "a boy he is tell me what he
will continue to read, and I will tell
you what he is likely to become.
The boy who is not a reader in this
day and age of the world is very
likely to be a nobody. Whether, if
he reads, he will be any credit to
himself or his friends will be deter
mined largely by what he reads.
Of books, first of all read the
Bible. It teaches men how to keep
clean morally, mentally, and spirit
ually and, of whatever else you
may safely remain ignorant, you
cannot afford not to know what this
Book teaches. You can make no
mistake here. If it condemns you, it
does so to make a man of you if it
commends your course, you need not
fear for the future, either in this
world or the the next. By all means
read the Bible.
AS to other books, it is easier to
tell you what not to read than to
read. If you wish to learn how to
express yourself in the clearest, sim,
plest, and most forciple English, read
Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress. 1t
will teach you much more than this,
but it is worth reading, for this only,
once u year for the next ten years.
If you wish to know what men, and
especially women, are, master
Shakespeare. Read the plays over
and over until you get hold of the
leading idea and purpose of each
play-then study the characters in
detail You can afford to read some
of these plays every year. Don't
neglect history.
You will read newspapers of course.
You do not lose much by not having
the chance to read a daily paper. A
good weekly paper will give you all
the news of the world that is really
worth knowing. Your county paper
should give you all the local news.
If you wish u monthly compendium
of the best thoughts and most i'm
portant events Of the world, take a
magazine on the general plan of the
Review of Reviews. l would have
you throw aside any newspaper that
Is written in d bad spirit, or that
would make you believe that the
world, this country in particular, is
going to the bad, or that will make
you believe that the parties to which
your folks do not belong are made up
mainly of bad men. You will be
told continually by these papers that
the Republicans are rogues, the Dem
Ocrats, fools, or the POpulists,
Cranks. Now, there + some rogues
among the Republicans, some fools
among the Democrats, and some
cranks among the Populists. The
great majority, by far, of all these
parties T good people who
wish we'll for their country and are
patriotic to the core, but differ hon
estly as to public politics. The
newspaper that teaches that the
bulk of all other parties are evil
and enemies to their country is IL
newspaper that is not fit for "a farm
BOY to read.
do not say that you should not
read novels, but you have no time
to read them now. When your
mind lie moro Ooatnro whom Won need