Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-12-08
WRONGS ON THE FARMl
Answers Made 10 cbe Query by a
Hundred Farmers of the
= Middle West.
BOYS AND GIRLS COMPLAIN.

Remedial Suggestions from Rural
Districts Awakened by Investi-
eating Commission.
In the past two months more than
100 farmers, representatives of the
whole class, in Missouri. Kansas. Ne
braska and Oklahoma, have answered
the question, What is Wrong on the
Farm
At first this evidence of public in
terest in farm families was discopcert-
ing and sometimes it was resented
but in the majority of cases the an
swers showed th the farmers had
given little thought to the future of
an industry upon which the life of the
whole nation and the world depends.
says Harpers Weekly. Now, since the
appointment of a commission to inves-
tigate farm conditions, hardly any
other topic is discussed in rural com
A1dhltACS. I1CICtOlOIC 1t llstQ IettlfGO
no attention, except, perhaps, when
some father wondered why his boy or
girl had run away.
Many farmers say their children left
them when they "came of age'' and
others admit that they have been I'M
able to keep them until they were that
old. Education, it was declared, in
practically every case, had produced
the change, the determination to get
into another walk of life Dozens of
farmers say their chief mistake was in
not giving their, boys share III the
returns, a chance to save a little
money so that they might have some
thing to start with at ii
Why Boys Leave the Farm.
Twenty-Five farmers in four counties
of central Kansas admitted that they
never had allowed their sons to have
any pocket-money, and that they had
II. Thirty-three farmers lived so far
from towns, in fertile parts of Kansas
and Oklahoma, that their families had
no chance to go to church, the most ex-
citing diversion usually presented, ex-
cept about once a month when a cir
cult preacher came along with a doc
trinal discussion or a theological ex-
position that promptly put them all to
sleep. The mother of one family of
fifteen had never had time to be lone
some.
Everywhere practically the same re-
ply was heard. THE boys and the
girls complain" The spirit of unrest
manifested itself. usually, when the
children were in high school. 1t was
developed most strongly in the State
universities and the colleges. Until
they begin to see how others live away
from the farms they're satisfied" a
farmer said If they get two years in
an agricultural college they come home
changed, with new notions they want
to put in new ideas of farming; they
want all sorts Of labor-saving maGiin-
cry; they want books and papers they
want to quit work at sunset or sooner
they want to go to town every day."
One farmer had been in constant
warfare with his sons because of what
they openly called his ''skinfiint'' meth
DDS All the boys old enough had been
schooled and three had been in the
State agricultural college. They said,
frankly, that they would no. remain
on the farm unless their fat .,ei would
consent to have it run on new lines.
Agricultural colleges and farmers in
stitutes are exerting a very important
influence in making farm life more at
tractive for boys and girls In The first
they learn, or should learn, new meth
DDS of farming. all tending to increased
yield and less labor by the application
of intelligence. The girls get compe-
tent instruction in domestic science.
and are trained to think of farming
and farm life as desirable and digni-
fed
Much to he Desired.
The telephone. the rural free delivery
of mail, and other innovations have
done much to improve farm-life condi-
tions but the desired point still is far
distant in many communities. Farm
ers have kept their families in poorly
constructed houses that have no con-
veniences; they have isolated them
from their fellows; they have worked
them too hard; then the boys 90 to
the cities to be mechanics or clerks or
doctors the girls study to be teachers
or stenographers or clerks. Their ear
ly environments have been such that
they do not care TO marry farmers. for
that. as farm girl said, would be
stepping from the fryiag pan into the
fire.
u see no reason to conduct farming
differently from any other business. =
said one young graduate from a farm
ing institute. Farming in the future
is to be a business and not drudgery
for men and women. There's no rea-
son for working eighteen hours day
on Il farm unless the weather threat
been cut and is on the ground It's
all foolishness to get up at o'clock
and work till 10 at night. No other
class on earth does it. Work in the
fields should begin ar o'clock and
cease mt 6. A farmer owes that much
consideration to his horses or mules.
Certainly his wife ought to stand an
equal show with the brutes but she
doesn't ALWAYS get il
Ahead of the Game.
Byker-I attended a successful
sleight-of-hand performance last night
Pyker- So2