The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-11-18
farm SCHOOL
FOR CATHOLICS

lance of more and higher education
nowadays, but little is meant for the
farmer boys. For the kind of educa-
ton which is offered would take him
from the farm. An opportunity has at
last been offered the Catholic farmer
by St. Viator's College, Bourbonnais,
Illinois, to send his boys off to college
and still keep them on the farm.
Taking into consideration that the
farmer is most busy from early spring
until late in fall, and that with the
coming of winter his work stops, leav-
ing him in comparative leisure and
idleness, the Fathers of the College
have instituted a short winter course
in Agriculture, beginning November
20, 1916, and ending April 5, 1917.
Thus the farmers young son stays
and works in the fields, where he is
needed by his father, who can hardly
get hired help any more even for high
wages, board and lodging.
But with the coming of winter the
young farmer does not know what to
do. If he has finished the country
school, he aspires to go to the high
school in the nearest town. The faith
err, for lack of anything else, consents,
though with many misgivings; for he
knows the dangers which too often
attend upon such course, with it's
lack of discipline and the mingling of
to work in the spring without having
put off the dullness and slowness
which the popular mind attributes to
the farmer.
The genuine remedy is for the young
man to throw off the narrowness of his
immediate neighborhood, and go to a
Catholic college, where by meeting
Catholic boys from all parts of the
country, living a regular life under the
supervision of the Fathers, he will
draw out all his hidden powers by
serious study. The Fathers then en-
gage experienced men, who fit the
boys for successful farming. They
prepare them for actual farm life.
They bring them into contact with all
the problems and practices of the
farm, and the boys begin to realize
that agriculture is also profession,
and that he who would get pleasure
and profit from his work must have
skill and knowledge.
1t would be too long to go through
all the seven courses given The soil
is studied: crops are studied, from
planting to storage; the care of ami
mails and stock; dairying; care Of veg
etables and trees; farm management;
farm mechanics, which deals with ma
chinery and engines.
At the same time. general high
school education is not overlooked. A
course in English is given, that the
young man may speak and write the
language correctly. The Palmer meth
cd of penmanship is taught that he
may write neatly. Bookkeeping is
taught, that he may handle all tinan-
cial transactions in an intelligent man
ner.
But the one question is, what are
the terms of the course? How much
is it going to cost me? 1t costs $3.50
for board, lodging, tuition and all fees.
This may appear high to the farmer,
who has never yet seen the benefits of
education But why not make bust
ness proposition with Gyour boy?
Something like this: Your boy works
faithfully for you from April to No
vember; that is eight months; pay
him, let us, say 500 a month, as you
pay your hands every month. Put
the $40 in the bank and when Novem-
her comes around the boy will know
that by his work he has earned enough
to pay his way through college the
coming winter.
But it is so far away The boy has
never been away from home. Just the
reason why he ought to go. For, as he
confinement, and then follow the
crowd that year after year leaves the
farm for the city. But it is not so far
to Bourbonnais. little town in ILL
nois, about SO miles on this side of
Chicago. You can drive it in an auto
mobile in IL hours
1t will be the dawn of new era for
the Church when the Catholic farmers
begin to understand the advantages
which come with higher education.
There is no more romantic figure in
society than the land owner whose
steady toll is mingled with the refine
ments of higher education. It's the
ideal life. 1t was the life Of the monks
of st. Benedict, those farmers that
helped to civilize Europe. BY patient
toll they cleared the land; but they
also by their educational work trained
the medieval youth in all the learn
ing of the ancients.
The interested farmer can get all in.
formation by writing to The Presi,
dent, Rev. J. P. O'Mahoney, c. S. ",
St. Viator's College, Bourbonnais, ILL
nois.-From the Toledo Record, Tole
do, o., Sept. %, 1916.