The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-08-06

agricultural colleges were do;na
asked the farmer-lecturer if . We
a college educated man. ooh was
said he with a smile and sboL ~
the head. "Ihad no such good 10 VI
"In fact," he continued, 81 had "a
schooling than my boy of fftaon loss
already got" elbow did Won baad u"S
so we'll informed?" we asked 49,
"By reading, observing and tbinp
ing" he replied, not at all avar.a
giving the professor a bit of 3 ~! W
and in the remaining hour Of IS
railway journey we attemntoa
draw him out upon the subioo4
his habits of reading and tbinFin"
and tried to learn his method 81
In answer to our questions bo ~,
us he was brought up on a farm 1a
had only a few weeks schoolino
winter after he was twelve wears ols
was not much of a reader and notbiH
of a thinker until after he was % %
years old. It was falling in Low.
with a school teacher considerab1v
older than himself that first set hi,
to thinking, and he soon after baoon
to read books and papers that wo1I3
give him instruction in farm worL
and ways, and gradually develonad
a taste for books in general litaro
ture, 'Fand, said he, cit is that taste
for reading that has been nv saava
ton. I don't pretend to be a know.
it-all, there are thousands of books
I wish I could get time to read. Init
a busy man must forego many of tho
things he would like to enjoy, and
that's not altogether a disadvantage
because, Iif he is wise he will nick
and choose il he has but little time
for reading he will naturally select
that which is the very best, that
which will help him most"
There was much in his confidential
talk that we wish we could tran.
scribe to our readers, but one point,
which he especially emphasized, is
all we can now give space to. This
was the necessity of "~learning" to
read and think. The great majority
of people, and farmers no more than
others, rush through their reading
as though quantity was what was
most desirable, whereas one article
in a paper or chapter in a book care
read and fully understood, was
worth infinitely more than a hundred
articles galloped over and hardly an
impression of their purpose remain
ing. "Read slowly and surely, would
be my advice" he said. eff the
meaning of a paragraph isn't clear
at the first reading, don't go on to
the next paragraph go back and
read it over, and readit a third time,
if necessary. In other words, clear
up each thought as you go along,
that is the secret of Intelligent read.
ing !; and that, I believe, is the secret
of learning to think-to learn to IN
the printed thoughts of
others is the best way to learn to
think"
That certainly is suggestive, and
we are pleased to be able to present
it to our readers with the hope that
it may be helpful and encouraging to
them, as it has been helpful and an
couraging to him. The man whose
words we have quoted is unusually
we'll informed, a fluent speaker, a
helpful and instructive lecturer, and
he has reached that enviable position
simply learning to read under
standingly, by being ''slow and
by mastering each thought
before going on to the next one. 1t
seems to US that there is a lot Of
.helpfulness in just that single idea
Practical Farmer.
THE AGE OF CASH.