The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-03
COUNTRY and CITY BOYS
Advantages Possessed by Youths
Bred Among Rural Scenes.
Men Who, Coming From the Fields
and Woods. Have Made Striking
Marks in the worlds History.
Some Traditions Sadly mt Fault.

/
The traditional diffe -ence between city
and country bred boy is that the one is
| smart and knows life, while the other is
dull and merely knows beans and other
agricultural products. And yet some OF
the most successful men in this country
today hav, been country. boys and look
| back proudly, perhaps regretfully, to the
days when they were face to face with ma
ture. and labored for their daily bread by
! the sweat of their BROW
To enumerste the great men of history
who have been country boys would be a
tedious task The great Roman dictator.
Cineinnatus, not only spent his youth in
the country. but the prime of his man
, hood and when the citizens ofsthe Repub-
lie came. TO him to entrest him to lead
them out of their political difficulties,
they found him at the piow. George Wash
ington, perhaps the best parallel in mod
orn times to Cincinnatus reluctantly left
his ancestral farm on the banks of the
Potomac to assume Governmental author
ity. As regards great literary men who
have sought their earliest Inspiration
from the fields and roads surrounding their
abodes. Robert Burns, the pIowboy. may
be adduced as, perhaps, the best-known
example, although some of our own bards,
such as Whittier and Bryant, have paint
ed the glowing colors of nature and sung
of her matchless harmony.
Lincoln, the rail-splitter: Garfield. the
mule-driver, and Clay, the mill Boy of
tIn
country boys who have become legisla-
tors. These examples, and countless
more. as well as the fact that many Of
our most prominent business men have
received the schooling OF farm life in
the days of their youth. leads to the
very natural query: Has the country
boy. after all. been misrepresented. and
is II the city boy who is under the real
Disadvantage" Although difficult of So
luton. the question is an interesting one.
and any views tending TO throw light on
the matter will doubtless be acceptable.
Some have recently been gi"en by emu
nently successful country Toys. among
whom is John Wanamaker. who says:
1t is an undeniable fact hat the boy
in the country possesses advantages NOT
open to the youth growing up IN our
great cities. The lad whose introduction
to the busy world about him occurs amid
rural surroundings finds his horizon not
limited by the countless structures of
Gods goodness to man. as exemplified IN
ms WORKS through bounteous nature The
country boy has abundant evidence thai
among the honored men of the nation
many have had the advantages of a youth
spent amid the green fields and pleasant
surroundings of a country life.
The many benefits OF health giving
atmosphere and wholesome food are ad-
the country boy possesses In ex-
cess of the boy in the city Combined
with these, regular hours of sleep and rest
serve to perpetuate the sound mind in a
sound body, so necessary for those who
would attain the highest measure of use
fulness in this busy world
Free from the temptations which beset
tn city youth on every side Turing him
on to dissipation and ruin. the country
boy finds his joy and recreation in ra-
tional amusements, which leave no after
the foundation of vigorous constitution !
and good health on which to build his |
life X
Charles F. Thwlpg. D. D., Ii. D., Pres
dent of Adelbert College and Western Re-
serve University, Cleveland, Ohio. has the |
following TO say Of the advantages of the |
boy:
among the cUitl advantages OF Delng q |
country boy are the advantages of SIM |
,licity of life and freedom of conduct. In |
simple life the boy eats plain food. |
wears plain clothes. sits on plain chairs. |
leeps in plain bedroom. and associates |
With plain people. He is free from luxu- |
liant living and elaborate conditions. He |
,nows nothing of the splendor which man |,
makes. The necessities are brought TO his |
lone every day and the natural means OF |
Hing them are present. His life is quite |
Iomeric. He waits on himself. II he |
wants anything done. he does it himself. |
lie earns the little spending money which |
he has, and often transmutes that little |
pending money into money saved. He |
.omes close to nature in his moods OF
est and reflection and he works hand in
Iand with nature in his every endeavor.
lie Is content with little or rather his
title he converts into much. Such life