The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1906-01-17
THE EDUcATIoN OF FARMER
BOYS DISCUSSED.

and young men away rom the
farm Tnis result depends very
much on local circumstances. The
question of education should not
c5ncern itself primarily with the
occupation of the individual. says
the Weekly Globe and Canada
Farmer. The supreme purpose of
every man should be to make his
life of the greatest usefulness to
his day and generation. He full
fils his destiny when he renders the
best account of the tslsnts with
which he is endowed by nature.
Ris 6rst is to be man; but to be
a man he must FIRST be educated.
1t is his personal duty to secure
the highest and broadesl educa-
ton his circumstances will permits
In these daysof inexpensive books,
reading and correspondence oours-
SIS. determined student need not
be discouraged because he is
denied the opportunity of a course
at college He can educate him.
self if he wills to tho effort Many
of the gre4te.t men that have ever
lived were self-educated. If a
young man has onoe learned the
alphabet no one but himself can
place a limit to his educational
achievements
AS to the question of occupation,
the only way to solve the problem
is to ascertain as early ss possible
what is the trend of boys abili
ties. 1t is the duty of the parents
and teachers to help the boy to
find out what he is best fitted for.
This cannot always be definitely
learned, but the fact remains that
thousands of men are farming who
do not find the work congenial and
cannot make a success of it. In
fact, it may be stated without fear
of contradiction that one of the
greatest hsndioaps to our national
progress is the enormous number
of misfits in professional, CONNER
cial and industrial life; round pegs
are trying to gst into square holes
and square pegs into round holes.
Happy is the man of any calling
who is in love with his work. When |
a young man enjoys his work it is
an easy matter for him to become
enthusiastic in its Developments.
If a boy loves the open air and free
life of the country, his education
will not lead him away from the
farm 1t is important, however.
that he should be given farmers
education Just as far as his fathers
circumstances will allow. If he
were to become a lawyer or a ply
sician he w. uld be educated for the |
greatest of all professions-agri-
culture.
1t is not right, however, to spoil
boys life and perhaps deprive
the nation of a future leader by |
placing obstacles in his path and |
disooursgiDg him from getting an !
education. IL a parent gives the
boy the proper view of farming as
an occupation he will see it offers
just as important and respectable
opportunities as any other career
within his reach. He may be told,
and truthfully told, that there is
less drudgery. less risk and better
compensation for given talent in
farming than in any other calling
When farming is practioed, as is
too often the case, without any plb n
or system, with no thought of crop
rotation with poor stock, and no
effort made to make the home sur
roundings attractive or interestiog,
when farm work is made doubly
hard and the farmers son is kept
on the monotonous level of the
average hired man, there is little
wonder that the boy of ability be-
comes restless and longs for some
calling which seems more rational
as we'll as more in the keeping with
the requirement of nature. Under
such conditions it is to be expected
that the boy will leave the farm as
soon ss he has the opportunity.
If his parents are doing the bes-
they can and will give him to un
derstsnd that he may go to college
and learn better methods and then
return to the old homestead and
practice farming on improved lines,
the boy will probably do as they
suggest. As an occupation farm
ing offers ample opportunity for