Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-07-28


n AR IRlB IN EDll ESDl n
Jack says !, and brushed somei
shavin's of my knees, ''you may have
quite thinkin' apparatus under your
bald spot, but somehow i never
knowed it to run Jest right. Seems to
to me you are mite or in this here
discourse Of yours. Now, admit, z
says I, that there's q lot Of fads now-
a-days in every line. People are apt
to go of on tangent, as they say;
and then you've got to head 'em OF.
But, by heck, believe prefer fel-
Ter who goes of trifle wild onct in
9 while to one who is SO rooted to the
same old spot that the moss has crept
up over his feet and the quack. grass
has growed up between his toes.
you kick on taxes we pay to sup
port agriculture colleges and sech.
But never heerd you kick on the
states expense of educatin' doctors,
lawyers, scientists, engineers, etc.
You're gettin' blue in your face over
the expense of domestick signs teach
ers, and SO forth, but never heerd
you open yer head in all these years
agin the cost of teachin' Latin Greek,
trfckynometry, geology, geometry,
botony and that line of study which
80 per cent of the students make lit
tie direct use Of no how.
"Why shouldn't our farmer boys
and girls have the same chance to
develop themselves in their line as
other boys and girls have? Why
shouldn't the University be ours as
well as the doctors, dentists, and law
yers? Why shouldn't farm life be
made the finest and the most attrac-
tive occupation on earth instead of a
drudgery? Why can't our boys and
girls be made to love and respect the
farm instead of flocking off to them
big cities? Seems to me the ideal
farm life is the noblest and best you
can imagine and it's the vision of it's
possibilities that inspire the men and
women back of these here farm clubs,
farm bureaus, development sassocia.
tions, etc., and it haint fer sech old
crabs as you and I, Jack Wise, to sit
around and knock. This farm better:
ment is a great movement, and it may
need balance wheel; but we haint
got no right no how to put blocks in
it's way or throw dirt into the gearing
It would be better fer sech as you and
to pitch in and help things along
over the rough places and steerin
clear of the ruts and mud holes.
Il admit that Teller has got tt
smile sometimes at these young far
mer boys who have taken a course
at the University and come back a.
teachers or to apply themselves or
the farm. But pshaw! What they
lack in experience, I reckon, they
make up fer in enthusiasm. Coz
} bless en-, that what say. That kline
} of thing puts a little ginger into tn,
| farmin' proposition after all.
! "Why shouldn't our farmer boys b.
given a chance to develop them
selves along broader lines and bigge1
things in their calling as we'll a!
those in other professions?
I'm gettin' tired of hearin' al
these stories about how poor farme
, boys have become great lawyers
bankers, presidents, millionaires. etc
/ Let's swing the thing around fer ono
and praise the debilitated young mil
honaire geek who became grea
, farmer.
) You laugh, boys, but I tell you fell
r ers we have been educating our chi
l dren away from the farm. Why no
elevate the standard of farm life
! mite. The only way farmers can ez
pect to hold their own is by maintain
t ing a high intellectual standard. I
) we don't we go under in this kentr,
5 same as in the European lands. VIVA
show does the peasantry of Russi
! stand? Or even in enlightened Eng
, land where the rich land owners suc]
} the profits out of the farmin, indus
; try? Not to mention the chances O
, the so-called poor white thrash" eve1
) In this kentry in the south, who ar
so ignorant they can hardly read O
/. write and live in squallid' poverty.
; Do you think fer one minute, Jack
, we can keep up our efficiency by sit
l tin back and gruntin'? Success mean
work and application. That's true
we can't farm with books. But tn
game isn't worth while unless we ap
; ply intelligence to our daily task.
| The way look at it, boys, it's tn
intelligence that's put into the plan
, MIN and carryin' out of our under
takin's that makes joyous, dignifie'
labor differ from sordid drudgery.
, You mentioned about them old spell
| in matches and debatin' 'cieties
, Wasn't them good thing? That
where I got started courtin' Malindy
What's our meetin's down here il
Dams store but a sort of discussion
, club, and helps put little fiz into ou
{ humdrum life?"
!, And then we all laughed.
, But when I was walkin' home i
J kind o. 'curred to me how easy it il
to preach and hard to practice. Nov
here l spent a whole afternoon gass
ing down at the store when I SHOULD
have been home cultivating the corn
} Talk is cheap but it takes work t,
J run a farm.
) Yours as ever,
j.. UNCLE ST.
If tho cause Of your. trouble 10 Il
your spine ! will tell you how yo;