Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-07-14
The Educated Farmer.

There are places where the value OF
an education on the farm Is considered
very doubtful. We found such a place
recently.
The father Of bright, manly, young
man, sophomore in an agricultural col.
lege, took US into his confidence and
wished to know our opinion as to his
course in sending his boy to college.
This father wanted bis boy to be better
prepared for life than he had been and
yet he wanted the boy to succeed on the
dairy farm. He was surrounded by
ueighbors, many of them Germans, who
we're discouraging him in his course.
They told him that he was foolish to
waste time ip sending the boy to col
lege. 1t would only serve to make him
discontented with the lot OF the farmer
and he would come home feeling above
his neighbors, etc.
We could not help wondering just
what these neighbors thought OF them
selves. This very complaint to the father
was an admission that they were not
getting much out of life and that II q
bright, ambitious boy was to be kept
where he would be in daily contact and
down to their own low and self imposed
level. Is not this an ideal method to
keep themselves and their neighbors In
the rut of ignorance and on low level
or standard of livingp How much better
would 1t be for the community ii all OF
them would join in encouraging not
oply this lad but all others in the COM
munity to 90 to the agricultural college
and say to them: go, learn all you
can, and come back bome and help us
and we will try to help you to make
this community the best place on earth
to live in" But no, the man In this
condition does not want to advance and
he wants to force everyone who lives
about him down to his level.
So they tell the fathers OF boys who
want better things for their sons to
raise the boys in ignorance or they will
be above the neighborhood. This par
tcular father heard 80 much OF such
talk in his community that it disturbed
him and he wondered IL, after all, he
was doing the right thing. What 10 the
answer? We told him that the outcome
depended somewhat on the boy but more
upon the father. II the boy were in
clined to be snobbish aud came back to
the farm with his head In the air and
made the ueighbors feel their lack OF the
advantages which he had enjoyed, he
would not stay. Tho atmosphere would
not be congenial and he would seek sur.
roundings more TO his liking. But II he
came back with q full appreciation OF
the situation, and went quietly about bis
work doing the things on the farm that
he had learned needed to be done, and
took his regular place in the community,
gradually proving himself because OF his
better training, never forcing bis ideas
upon other people until they saw by his
results that they were good, he would
not only be content but happy in doing
| a great work for his people.
The fathers attitude could make OF
mar the whole course of the boy at this
| stage. II he laughed at the new ideas
that the boy brought homo and refused
| to let him try them out he would very
soon drive him away and the boy would
| probably drift from the farm.
This father said: when my boy geti
through am going to turn my little
dairy farm over to him and give MIN
such assistance "a l can. He should
know better what should be done than
do and he will start in by doing more
than ever thought Of. No, I'll helI
him to get started right II can"
Do our readers remember the article'
published during the last year concern
inc the father and bis son and how
many were having difficulty with th'
boys because they wanted TO- Introduce
new ways on the old farmP How man!
fathers fail to recognize the busines'
value of son who has had opportunit!
for learning things Of which the fathe
never thought and lose their sons be
cause of their own lack of business fore
sight? Why will men and communities
want and persist in levsling down In
stead Of leveliug up2
We hope that the boy and father o
this sketch will be able to bring up tn
level Of their community rather thai
letting the community laugh them dow
to its ievel.-Hoard's Dairyman.