The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-07-09
FARMERS BOYS SHOULD
BE TAUGHT


some time ago to say that many par
ents who are worrying about their
sons enlisting, ought to find some
comfort in the fact that when the
boy is in the army they will know
where he is at night. That he will
not, as when in their charge, be roll
licking around indulging in injurious
habits at hours when he ought to
be in bed asleep, and that when he
returns to civil life he will be more
manly man than he ever would have
been under their training.
We don't know much about those
matters but we observed an incident
recently which illustrates the lack
of training and teaching that boys
receive from fond parents who never
have had their eyes opened to the
losses brought upon themselves by
lack of system in their work at
home. The incident was this:
The family live on dry farm and
have no well. They contemplate
borrowing money to enable them to
have a well drilled. They have been
hauling water from wells at dis
tances Of from one to several miles
from their place. On the day in
question the son, apparently about
Is years old, drove away with the
water wagon with two horses, and
after a long time returned to get an
other span of horses so he could
have four to get the load of water
home, explaining that the team he
took was not very strong and could
not pull it alone. He would have
to go into the pasture and get two
more horses, harness them and take
them on the long trip to the we'll
with all the chains and whipple-trees
needed.
The writer asked why he had not
unloaded half of his water and
brought the other half along while
he was coming. He said he did not
think two of them could pull half
a load. He preferred getting the
extra span. The excuse did not seem
genuine, and We editor put the Cub
on high gear and went across the
country to where the load of water
was stranded, and looked over the
situation.
The ground was not level at the !
point where the wagon was loaded |
from the windmill at the we'll, and
the boy had set the wagon where it
would have to be pulled up hill for
q few PAGES after loading, when it
would have been easier to reverse
1t and have the wagon headed on the
down slope. Besides this, the wagon
was headed into a corner among
fences and shacks where no horse
could do his best pulling unless he
shut his eyes to what he was going
lip against. It would have been
Easy to turn the empty wagon
around in the corner before loading
or to back it into position. but al
most impossible to handle it on the
,ame ground after loading, and the
more horses one had to hitch on in
iuch a corner, the less chance there
would be for any of them to pull.
The wagon had to be turned around
,ither before or after loading, and
he boy had put it off till it was
oaded and at the greatest possible
for turning. He prob
bly, spent the rest of the afternoon
Milling around in that mess, and pos L
IDLY broke the tongue out of the
yagon before he quit.
If the father ever taught the boy I
he rudiments of applying power to
loving heavy bodies he must have G
orgotten it when he went for the s
'ater. If they had a we'll and water |
nd a pump and an engine and gaso- t
ne for it, there is no telling what "
Iould become of the outfit If the I
on used it as blindly as he did c
he horses and wagon. But getting s
ack to the subject of enlistment d
hat would army discipline do to a t
ian who got stuck with load of t
or a piece of artillery @
Y such laundering as the fellow s
sed with the water wagon! And k
hen could a farmer expect to pay v
e mortgage if he borrowed money II
, farm on larger scale and got n
is work done in such manner! II
othing is we'll done unless it is a
one the best way, and one thing t
le American armies have always
cen noted for is developing every e
an into a general in some degree h
Ie need more generals on the Il
,rmc n