Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1910-04-08
EDUCATING THE BOY ON FARM
saekbane Of American Manhood First
Needs TraInlns In Fundamental :
Branches of Learning. :


In the past ten years there has been
q strong movement on the part of ru-
raj schools to educate farm children
In the direction Of farming, teaching
them the things closely related to
their daily life, says Journal Of Agri-
culture. ThemoVement has been slow,
but the growth has been sure and now
promises much actual good. The
study Of the elements of agriculture,
with all of the allied branches, is now
pursued in nearly all Of the rural
schools of every state. IN the union.
in more or less definite way.
The coming years will see it more
systematized and efficient in its work
ings. This will lead children of the
farm to higher plane Of living and
bring them into love and harmony
with their surroundings.
The farm boy is the backbone Of
American manhood. That has been
said before. Yet the farm boy as a
rule at manhood wishes to leave the
royal path which has made him what
he is.
What are the reasons for this?
The main reason is that he sees
men in other walks of life doing
greater things than his father has
done and greater things than he
thinks he shall be able to do if he re-
mains On the farm
Another and vital reason is that ev-
cry boy possesses instinct. not easily
controlled, to move out into the larger
and wider world to see and to conquer
new things and to establish a new
home where the family tribe will not
become effete with overcrowding and
inbreeding.
The education of the past has been
in the direction of the so-called pro;
fessions"-the ministry, law and medi-
cine. The farm boy had no chance to
develop high mentality ard efficiency
along the lines Of farming. For this
reason the best boys have left the
farm and gone into fields where they
could assert their powers and do
things that the world would recognize.
g. There have been some wonderful
inventions in the line OF farm nipple.
ments and general farm equipment,
but 1t Is a fact that the. selfbinder,
Babcock tester, corn husker and other
farm machinery. Of. note were invented
and introduced by men not in the
farming business. It would naturally
seem that the farmer himself would
be the man to see the need Of better
machines and devices for farming, but
such In the main has not been the
case. Improvements in farming have
not come from farmers because farm
boys have not been educated in those
things which enabled them to invest
gate and execute in the right direction
Agricultural colleges, like our owl
Missouri college, are beginning the
right education for farm boys and
girls, and with time it is hoped thai
they will completely solve the problem
and teach things that will educate to
ward the farm rather than away from
the farm.
The farm boy needs first of all n
education in the fundamental branches
of learning to give him broad genera
knowledge, and then special traininl
along lines that will make him capable
Of doing valuable things in a largt
way on the farm with plants, animals
machinery and the many things which
directly influence country living boil
from the family and the community
standpoint.
If the boy is taught how he may d.
big things on the farm he will wan
to stay on the farm and do them.