River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-03-09
A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING.
An indispensable Rule to Successful
'Farming-Where Many Pep
pie Are Lax

1t is remdrkaple now lew men anu
woman have place for everything and
put things in them when they are done
with them. / know any number OF
farmers who are unable to say where
their spade, hoe, forks and many other
tools are when the question is suddenly
sprung upon them. One will find all
of their edged tools dull andsrusty.
One day saw man trimming row
of raspberry bushes with butcher
knife. why don't you sharpen your
corn knife up and use that. You can
do the job ten times faster and easier"
l remarked.
''I believe could" said he. Now.
let me see, where is that corn knife?
believe left it sticking III the top OF
fence post where 1 finished cutting
sweet corn last fall"
He went down the pasture fence to
the place indicated, and found it lying
on the ground where it had fallen from
the post he had stuck it on. "Glad you
mentioned it." said he, on returning.
81 would have forgotten all about it
before spring. and then probably would
have blamed the children for losing it."
have found that it is very difficult
for a grown person to acquire the habit
of putting things in their proper places
after using them. Thousands of ordi-
narily careful people whose training in
this matter was entirely neglected will
thoughtlessly drop tool almost any,
where just as soon as they are done
with it,
One evening last summer I was talk
ing to farmer who was engaged in
digging post-holes. He glanced at the
sun, and said it was about time he
went to his chores. He dropped his
spade, guessed at the number Of holes
yet to be dug, and started toward the
house. ''You are not going to leave
your spade there, are you?" I asked.
"No. no." he exclaimed, picking 1t
up; "but I certainly would if you had
not mentioned it," He then told me
that was one of his failings. He said
he never had been taught to put things
away when done with them, and now
he found it almost impossible to do so.
He said that from the time he made
his first steps until he was grown he
had always dropped things wherever
he happened to be when done with
them, and had given his parents no end
of trouble, but they never attempted to
correct his fault. He declared that they
should have made him take care of all
things, putting each in it's proper place
the moment he was done with it and
keeping it there until needed again.
'And when I neglected to do it," said
he, "they should have warmed me good
until I got the habit firmly fixed. I
would have saved them and me lots Of
trouble and lots of time. What right
has child to impose on it's parents
like that? Then, the idea of a great
hulking fellow like me dropping my
clothes all over the house, instead Of
hanging them up properly! tell you
they should have tanned my hide I'M
til learned better. I have been try
ing to break up the habit, but I still
drop things before I think, and then
forget them"
think he is about right. He should
have been compelled to take care of
his own things in proper manner. If
he ndu D6eu trained TO 40 CnlS as ne
grew UP he would have continued to do
so after he was grown. 1t would have
required no special effort on his part.
because the training would have led
him to do it almost without thinking
The habit of keeping things where he
could put his hand on them at a mo-
ment's notice would have proved of
untold value to him all through life,
says the Farm and Field All children
should be carefully trained along this
line. 1t will prove of vast help to them
whether they get into business on their
own account or work under the direc-
ton of others. And not only should
they be trained to take good care of
their own things, but also to take
equally good care of things entrusted to
them by others. The training may be
a little difficult at first but it will be
well worth all the trouble.