The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-10-03
THE CITY AND COUNTRY BOY.


It will be remembered that the En-
anime, not long since gave extended
reviews of Prof. Swift's late work
''sMind in the Making" "a suggestive
book for both parents and teachers.
In one portion of the work there is
an incidental allusion to the advan-
tages country boy has over city
boy, in that the former comes in con-
tact with the things real more than
with the artificial, is nearer nature
and his observation and originality
have better chance for development.
This thought is well worth the con-
sideration of parents in the country i,
now that there is such an abnormal
tendency to rush from rural homes to
city alleys. Even if the subject is an
old one, it is all the more important
todiscuss it, as common things are
apt to be the least understood.
Generally speaking, the country
boy has as much natural ability as
the city lad. Now what effect has
environment upon the development
of both The city boy in time gets
superficial knowledge of many
things, but the country boy knows a
few things we'll and this makes the
abler lad mentally.
The city boy has thousand things
to attract his attention. He is in a
dress suit in his teens and critic of
games, plays and the dance ball ac-
tress. He has the ways of man,
from cigarette to collar, before he is
ready for college, and often is in So
ciety before graduating at the High
School. He acquires sort of easy
grace and manner of bearing himself
which is the outward semblance of
superiority, but In substance mere
tinsel.
On the other hand, the country
boy is constantly in contact with
things. He has something to do.
He has labor duties to perform which
inculcate the habits of punctuality,
persistence and a love for work. He
does not get tired iu moment to run
after new attraction. He touches
nature at all points. He knows
about the bird that flies, the OK of
the stall, the horse of the field and
the tools and machinery that run the
farm.
Constantly, hand and eye are being
f~of~1aA n~a1 @.no al II
because he takes as basis for argu-
ment facts as they present themselves
in real life. When he goes to school
say, the public school-he is not
troubled with so many lessons, as he
is not in training for the High School,
Again all the school is one. It is
not separated to recite and the young
er learn unconsciously from the older
ones. They hear the readings and
compositions and without labor be-
come acquainted with the unknown
terms of the upper classes.
A dull boy cannot go through col
lege without learning something. In
the country school a good deal is
learned by unconscious ABSORPTION.
F. fs.-=-.et,sdies I..zozzsss.-z,e1i
This joined to the experiences OF ac-
tual life give the country boy the ad-
vantage. He passes the city lad In
college and in actual business when
he comes to town.
As a rule, the big men of cities
we're the country lads of few years
ago. At home the country boy has
the advantage of not being distracted.
He has no big library to go to and so
reads the few books we'll. The fam
lily takes but one or two newspapers,
and these are perused carefully, their
facts are remembered, which Is better
than looking at the sensations of a
dozen of papers and forgetting what
they contain the next day. In con-
sequence, the country boys memory
is trained. He reads with attention,
talks about it in the family and hears
it rehearsed in the country store. If
the country boy could have the ad-
vantage of the old time academy the
city lad would be left far behind.
A writer on this very subject, Vic
tor Smith, draws this picture of an
ideal city boy:
"There is nothing more to be pitied
than the ideal town boy-the youth
brought up entirely within the walls
of sand, brick and stone and upon
pavings of asphalt. Such boy nev-
er learns the name of a tree, never
gets glimpse of animal life, of crops,
Of botany, of nature in any but an ar
tifcial dress. He doesn't know
enough to feed chickens. Let me IL
lustrate Here is bright young man
of seventeen to whom was presented
a white Wyandotte chicken lin statu
pupillari. After the second day he
returned to the giver with long, sad
face to say that the orphan did not
seem to be doing we'll and he feared
1t would die. What is the matter?'
he was asked. Note the reply of the
town boy:' well, he eats enough,
but can't digest his food. There's a
great lump in his throat Poor fell
low, he didn't know that chicken
has craw."
There is exaggeration in this, of
course but it illustrates this point,
that the country boys education is
largely with things and city boys
with words. One learns much from
nature in a natural way, and the 9TH
er from books in an uninteresting and
oft poor way.
There is vague notion aAoat that
city life is preferable on account of the
educational advantages of the latter.
That depends on what view one takes
of an education. Here is a picture of
it, fairly drawn by the Washington
Post:
"There Is no sort of doubt that pub
lie education has been pushed far be-
yond its legitimate and proper field ;
that the substance of solid and use
| Gel f,,ifior hoc heen cacrif1ced t0 fhe