Putnam patriot., 1917-04-27
SCHOOLBOYS
 ON FARMS
Matter of Interest to Whole Country Discussed by Walter H. dilpatric, New
 Yofk, Former Putnam Boy
New York Lawyer Upholds Boy Labor
 and Thinks It Practicable

aad Thinks It Practicable
 Lawyer Walter H. Gilpatric, of New York, son of Mir. and Mrs. George w. Giipatric, Putnam. is chairman of the war service committee of the New York Board of Education.
 Recently the subject of what actual value the high school boy would have on the farm and how much his help would relieve the farm labor situation came mp for discussion. MT. Gilpatric de ;lared the boys would be 6 great help, while the head of the State En- ployment Bureau says that, except in harvest time, the whole "boy to the farm" movement is very nice but an absolutely impractieable patriotic dream.
 Both men declare the farmer looks upon the entire proposition with frank and deep rooted scepticism.
 For some days the idea of stocking up farms with sturdy boys and young men and sending many thousands of city men to plant and cultivate the vast acreage of untitled land lying idle throughout the United States has been almost as popular and widely discus sed as the plan Of sending American troops to the trenches of France and Belgium.
 "The Board of Education h as tried to go into the whole problem in . thorough and comprehensive way" explained Mr. Gilpatric. "we are still working on our investigations, but within . few days we expect to be able to have some definite scheme to present. At present our Idea is to call for volunteers among the boys snd al. low them to leave school early in ' sy. !"
 Ar. Giipstric explained that of the 30,0O0 high school boys in the city he expected one-sixth, or 5000, would volunteer for farm service. "But the boy Is the least end of our worry,n he went on. "We must consider the par ents and the moral angle. This, we think, can be solved by organizing somewhat as the E,y-scsk,ts, E appoint. ing teachers ss ,scoutmasters, giving them three weeks training in night schools and placing each one over a little group of boys.
 "But now comes the farmer. There is where we will strike our real stumb. ling block. In the first place, the farmer does not knov whether he wants to take the risk of greatly in- creasing his crops. He isn't sure the present high prices will hold up and he's worried about the labor question. Then he's very sceptical about the idea of city boys, He's always had the feeling that the boys from the city couldn't possibly be Of any use around a farm, and we must get him in q sympathetic state of mind before he will open his home and farm and re- ceive this help.0
 By intelligent instruction and prop CT handling on the part of the farmer Mir. Gilpatric belle, es that in very short time city boy could be made a first rate farm hand. General farming work, he thinks, could be quickly and easily taught the ordinary bright high sch ool boy. However, in lighter farm work and especially in truck garden ing the boy would be of value from the start. The success of the whole propo- sition, he contended, would depsnd upon the intellig gent manner in which 1t was handled. If the farmer would help, and show patience and sympa- thy, 6 great good could come from the movement.
 Exactly opposite views are held by MT. Barnes of the State Employment Bureau. "Prsctically speaking, the boys would be worthless except during the harvest" Mir. Barnes contended. "During the planting and cultivating he would be sn actual liability and an economic. Outing the harvest season, when 1t comes to picking apples or gardening or light work, the boy would have value, but you would have a hard job proving that he would be worth much at any other time of the year.
 "But what the farmer wants and needs," Mir. Barnes went on, lis expe- Fienced help. If we want really to as- sist him get men to volunteer and en- list in an agricultural corps, give them uniforms and pay them reguIsr farm wages. If we conscript men for the army simply send those who have had farm, experience in the commissa- " department and ship them to the country. Then we'll be really helping the farmer"