Mexico weekly ledger., 1914-12-31
THE o Y VIEW OF 1T.

THE BOYS VIEW OF 1T.
There has been a good deal of dis
on the subject of boys leaving
the farm. / am a farmers son,
nearly 81 years of age, and l still live
on the farm. Of course a great many
after they are of age, but they
would have gone long before if they
could have followed their own incIin-
ations. If a boy is interested in farm
ing when he is 20, hen he will stie'us
to it, unless circumstances ssa
u~nfavorable. 49, very
Now that is just
u male. oryFs-rs have been trying
ested. Tbs thing to get him inter
1ostod u method most usually sug-
is to give him something to
: ' his own. / do not think that
: ylan as it usually works is worth a
rap. To give a boy an idea of stock
raising in that way he should be made
to pay for all feed and housing and
finally 10 pay back the money in
vested in the stock, together with in
terest for the time he used it. The
biggest mistake, however, is not
there. The father may furnish the
money and work and yet do less harm
than he does by furnishing the brains,
which is the big thing in the whole
scheme. Make him think. | have
been acquainted with q good many
farmer boys, whose views Of farming
gun all the way from hatred through
contentment and up to enthusiasm,
and the policy Of their fathers runs
from keeping the boy under mis-
thumb through giving him more or
less freedom, and up to making him
think for himself, and for the farm.
Some farmers think their sixteen
year-old boys can not be trusted with
anything more valuable than the old
est, slowest horse on the place and
can not do any more important work
than hoeing weeds or pitching ma
nure. If a boy is sixteen years old,
and physically normal, and is not
capable of handling a farm team.
hitched to any farm implement, then
he is a decided reflection on the
fathers methods of training, and ten
chances to n he is already casting
longing glances toward the city.
Fortunately for me my father has
always followed a different plan. /
have been around stock since | can
remember. / have handled a team in
the field since / was nine. Since /
was twelve l have handled all the
machinery we used, from the pillow to
the corn shredder. Some neighbors
thought it inhuman to make a small
boy work in the fields, but father
never said anything about the amount
of work ! was to do and so I did not
work hard enough to hurt myself,
but took such absorbing interest in
the quality that / soon was able to
compete with the best farmers in the
neighborhood in neat blowing and
straight corn planting. Of course
made some mistakes, but if they were
Of such a nature that / could see
them myself father never said any
thing about them. / was expected
10 set it right myself, and then see
hat it did not happen again. When
did anything really noteworthy he
you'd make a complimentary remark
shout it that pleased me more than
Yards Of gush. If there is anything
hat al do better, or know more
'bout, than he does, he admits It and
allows me to do or manage
hat part of the work.
Then there is the social side of this
decentralization discussion.
some Of the writers suggest a com
ortable home, with books and mag
zines, and popcorn and apples, and
yer all a loving mother. That is the
sort Of talk. We can all pour
ur sympathies on the farm boy in
n unhappy home without fear Of
any, and if he is without the
aith and guidance Of a mother he is
isolate indeed. The fireside, with
God reading, is just the thing for the
armer-to-be-for about five evenings
! the week. But he must, and indeed
spend some time with the rest
( the young folk around. Some have
uggested giving the BOY a good horse
nd rig. Right again. As a matter
I factl would not stay on this farm
weeks If | did not have a horse TO
just about whenever / wish.
my boy over sixteen who has not a
desire to associate with boys
nd girls Of his own age is abnormal, 4,
=
I'D so much so that he will never
rake two stalks Of alfalfa grow
here n ragweed grew before. SO
is no s trying to keep such a {
-eak on the farm anyway. The
irmer does not need to give a boy a {
orse, ubt should see that he has the I
Sc Of one without begging for it. q
lille you are slowly allowing your
If to be wheedled into letting him
ave the rig, some other fellows gets O
lie girl ;and then you should not ex- h
him to take an absorbing inter-
It in stock judging while the other
'llow is feeding Nancy Ice cream Il