The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1906-08-11
Copyright, 1896, by NathI C. Fowler, Jr.)

superior to that of the rank and file OF
metropolitan men OF wealth.
There always will be some poor and
this class is far less prominent upon
the farm than in the marts of business;
and there are ten times more impecu-
NOUS city workers than there are farm
ers in actual want. But right here let
it be said that even the poorest farm
err are better Off than are the average
st!Ggglers OF the great city. The farm
CT has chance to grow. The city man
may or may not have that opportunity
Should the farm boy remain upon the
farm? Upon general principles | say
yes, and emphatically, yes. There are
exceptions. There are many boys who
have no business to stay upon the
farm, because they are destined for
something not necessarily better, but
SON ething entirely different from farm
ing; but, generally speaking, would
advise the farmers boy to remain on
tho farm, unless he can give legiti-
mate, sensible, and positive reasons for
a change: Where nature placed us
would appear to be our natural field
of action, subject only to exceptions.
Therefore, the boy born upon the
farm should consider the farm the place
tor his life work, unless there are rea-
scus why change OF base should be
made
| For any reason save a good reason,
many farmers boy despises the farm,
when he should be proud Of his agri-
cultural heritage. He is of the nobility
of the soil, a nobility, not of many dol
lars, but descendant from the parent OF
dollars
The boy who would leave the farm,
aud who gives no good reason for
| leaving, may as we'll go as stay, for
he will undoubtedly be failure any
where. The boy who dislikes the farm,
because he does not like work, will not
| be success anywhere. If he is not
wiling to work as hard upon the farm
as ne would have to away from the
farm, he will not work hard enough
/! anywhere else to earn more than a
iaere livelihood
The boy who does not like farming,
who dislikes it from his very soul,
who has absolutely no love for plant
Ing or harvesting, and yet is not a
loafer, is not likely to become a good
farmer, and forcing him to remain
there Indefinitely is certainly bad
judgment and will prove Improbable.
Any boy has right to dislike the
farm, if his dislike is sensible: but
many boys, perhaps the majority OF
them, who leave the farm to go to the
city, do so because they look upon
farming as inferior labor and believe
hat the farm offers little opportunity.
This is all too often the farmers fault.
| not the fault of the farm itself. Thou
sands upon thousands of boys, failures
! IN great cities, might have been sue
cesstul citizens upon the farm. The
| d"'10glng farmer, the ne'er-dO well dig
/ ger of the soil, with weedy garden and
shabby house, cannot expect his boy to
respect the farm or love the farm; and
this boy, unless he is broad enough and
intelligent enough to see beyond his
fathers farm, will probably leave it,
even If he has to run away.
Should the city boy leave the city to
| become farmer? Yes, if he wants to.
! II he goes, the chances are that he will
; become happier man, healthier
man, and a better Citizen but if he
| does not want to go, do not force or
even urge him. Probably great<man
more city boys might go to the conn
try it they only knew the meaning of
life In the country. However, there
are comparatively few city boys who
turn farmers, and it may be a long
tine before the sense of the city will
be strong enough and broad enough to
sec beyond its brick walls and tower
! ing buildings.
Real Success.
The farm, which gives the father =
| 1t:erc living, may give the son a com
| l"etency. The farmers boy should
| realize that success is not SO much
Tow much one earns in a year, as how
much one gets out of the year in ex-
| per1ence, money and opportunity to ell
jnv life. A few hundred dollars earned
| ON good farm may leave at the end
OF the year much more in actual money
than five times the amount of earn
ings will leave to the boy or man in
the city. True, the city boy may saw
that, although it costs more to live in
the city, one gets more that is worth
While, and therefore city life is worth
what is paid for it. There never was
greater mistake made. While the
city may give more than, does the
country, even in some things wortl,
| having, the. city charges more for what
| it gives, even when intrinsic value is
considered ounce by ounce and pound
by pound. Many of the things which
city people think they want, they
re'ther want nor need Our comforts
depend largely upon: the. difference be-
tween what we earn and what we need
TO- spend ><.:s -.
The farmer may receive the mini