The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-09-11
Graduating to the Farm.

Graduating to the Farm.
We suppose that you are planning
to educate your boy, if you have not
already begun the process. What is
to be the result? Will he be educated
to the farm or from the farm? OF
course the result depends on the
course which has been pursued at
home, before he was ready to go from
home to college. But much depends
on the influence of the school. A con-
tributor to Farm and Fireside, talks
on this subject very wisely, as follows:
ITO the farm? That is not the way
it usually goes. When the boys and
girls graduate, it almost always is from
the farm, not to it.
That has been true, but it is not so
much SO as it was. | had my atten-
ton called to this very forcibly recently
by a letter that came to me from a
young man in a distant part of the
state of New York | wish could
give the letter in full, but with the per-
mission of the editor l will quote the
substance of it:
Il have been thinking it over very
seriously, and l have made up my
mind that will come back to the farm.
| have seen a good deal of other
things, and believe there is no better
place than the farm to take comfort.
| may not make as much money as |
do here, but will have just as much,
after ALL l will have the best-kept
farm in the neighborhood!
1t will be interesting to give mo-
ment to the history of this young man.
He was brought up on the farm he now
intends to go back to. When seven
teen years old he went to a state nor
NAL school and worked four years to
prepare himself for the work of a
teacher After graduating he spent
two years successfully in teaching. But
all the time he was thinking about the
farm. The country kept calling to
him. They say, when a man once gets
a smell of printers ink he never wants
to do anything but newspaper work.
young man, SO far as life in the coun-
try is concerned. He never forgot
the freedom of the farm. I wonder if
that is not SO universally? Do not all
the men who leave the farm and go
into some other kind of business al
ways think back to the country with a
longing for it's scenes? I am sure it
is so with most men I know who have
had a taste of the farm They try to
satisfy themselves with the thought
that they are doing better financially
where they are, but that is, after all,
a poor way to look at it. Life is not
to be measured by the gold standard.
There is something refreshing about
the letter of the young man to whom
l have referred above. The last SEN
tence is especially good. II will have
the best-kept farm in the neighbour
hood" If that is not a laudable am
bition, / do not know what could be.
SO many times we are satisfied to
''get along" on the farm. That means
that we are satisfied if we can get
enough to eat from day to day, a
place to lie down at night and fairly
good wagon to ride to town in. That
is a poor ideal for any of us to have.
would rather look forward to some
thing little better every year than
to be content simply to exist.
Wouldn't you?
Well, what about that young man?
Will he miss it if he goes back ia the
farm? That will be the question many
will ask, and ask honestly, for it is
fact that thousands all over the coun-
try are turning longingly toward the
farm. Will it pay? That is the ques-