The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1911-02-02
OF INTEREST
TO FARMERS
Some Valuable Hints and In.
formation Taken From
Farm Papers
Why Young Men Leave the
Farm.

| have often read discussions,
letters, and articles in the different
farm parpers concerning the ques-
ton of the young man leaving the
farm and going to the city to work,
and as n of these young men |
wish to give some reasons for this
condition of affairs and suggest a
remedy.
At the age Of sixteen a boy al
most always begins to think IF his
life work and if the proper inhuen-
ces r brought to bear from that
time on the chances stand nine to
ten that he will choose that life
work which his parents choose for
him.
Now under the presents condi-
tons the chances are nine to ten
that the Young man will chose some
thing else.
And now what are the
conditions of which you speak? It
is this: The average father de,ides
that he wants his boy 10 be a
farmer, that when he gets too old
to work son John will take the load
from his shoulders, and then he
settles down as If that was settled
without even asking son John a
word about it.
Well about this time John begins
to wonder what he is going to be,
and quite often he never thinks of
any other work than that of a
farmer, and in order to be a farmer
he must have something to work
with, so he thinks why can't |
have that colt that was born this
morning for my own and when it is
old enough to work | will be about
old enough to De making a start
for m"self?"
So John goes to father and makes
his request, bat somehow he doesn't
get any encouragement, or as often
happens. what was Johns colt was
fathers horse and John is dis
appointed.
This is just a sample of the idea |
wish to express. To sum it up IN
brief, | would say that the average
father does not try to gam the con-
fdence and fellowship Of his son; he
makes his own plans and expects
his son to fulfill them instead of
sitting down with the boy and treat
ing him as if he knewn something
about the work whether he does or
mott and making plans with him.
If a father sees that his son is in
tarested in some special line of
he should give him a chance to take
are Of at least a part of that work.
For instance, Join decides he would
like t. raise a few sheep and asks
father about it. He is told sheep
must have d good fence and take a
lot Of care. Well John turns away
disappointed and with the thought
in his mind that father expects me
to do just as he wants things done
and can't get a start for myself
as long as | stay here.
Seeing that he can't start for him
self at home he thinks: The next
best thing is TO wait until | am
twenty one and then I'll go to town
to work, because it wouldn't look
good if worked on any other farm
than the home rarm."
So in LOYALTY to his parents he
stays at home until twentv-one, and
has made up his mind he is going
into some other line of work. Then
perhaps as he is about to leave,
father begins to try to hold him by
making promises. Here is where
pride comes in; he has said he is 60
ing and he won't take back his
word.
Now father Il you will start with
your boys at sixteen, to get them
interested in the farm on their own
account, they will be so interested
in the farm on their own account,
they will be so interested by the
time they r tywe lty-one, you
couldn't pull them away.
"A stitch in time saves nine."-M.