The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-02-24
INTEREST FAMILY
IN The FARM
WaIIaces' Farmer Tells Of communi.
cation Received Asking What to
Do With the Children.
GIRLS THE GREATEST PROBLEM
Should be Given Free Hand With the
Handling Of Poultry and More
Money Would Result

A western subscriber writes us that
he has a farm OF one hundred and
sixty acres, not quite paid for, but no
mortgage. He has three boys and three
girls, the oldest boy about eighteen
years of age. He is anxious to do the
right thing by these children and asks
Our opinion.
This is a subject which may interest
a good many farmers and their fam.
lilies. In fact, it is about the biggest
problem that the farmer has to meet,
II he has a family. He expects them
to perpetuate his name and his char
acter, and 1t is very nice thing to
know how to treat them SO that he
can always be proud OF them and re-
joice i'll their success, and also feel
that they are proud Of their father
and mother. They are yet i'll the plas-
tic stage, SO to speak. in the making:
and how to treat them in financial
way SO as to encourage them and bring
out the best that is in them. the best
for themselves and the best for the
family. is the real problem.
Speaking first of the boy OF eight
cen, and assuming that thelrest OF the
family are to be treated in the same
general way financially. our cOrre-
spondent may choose one OF three or
four ways: Under the law, he is re-
sponsible for the support and also for
the conduct OF the children until they
are OF age. While the law requires
him to board and clothe them, and to
give them an education suitable to
their life, he is entitled to their wages.
There are some boys with whom it is
best 10 stand. by the letter OF the law.
There are some boys--nOt many, but
one here ami there-who need to be
tolh that they have no right to penny
OF their earnings until they are OF age,
This is not the best way to deal with
most boys, however, nor with boys
that have the right stuff in them. I
The farmer may say to his boy when
he is doing a mans work: will give
you the wages that would give any
man of like efficiency. You must.
however, clothe yourself and furnish
your own spending money. 1 would
like to know how you are spending it..
In this way he can see with what
judgment he buys his clothing and
whether he is disposed to save for the
future or live only for the present.
There is good deal of education in
this. 1t is not a good thing for the
father and mother to do all the buying
for the boy till he comes of age, and
give him all the spnding money he
thinks he should have. The responsi-
bilities of life should be assumed as
far as possible gradually.
There are other boys with whom it
might be we'll to go into partnership
in the management of the farm or in
some department of it, after the fam
lily has made very careful study of
conditions. AS the father has the land
and the teams, and boards the boy, the
percentage of profits the boy should
have would necessarily be relatively
small; and yet it might be the making
of the boy to give him this opportun-
ity. We believe it ordinarily would.
Again, the farmer might say to his
boy: | will give you this field to be
put in corn or wheat, and you must do
all the work on it. The average yield
has been SO much. will give you all
you make over that, or half of it. We
don't know anything that would put
the average boy more on his mettle
than this. He would at once get inter-
ested in farming. He would read about
that crop. He would have this as an