Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-23
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT.
Country Hotel Clerk Gives Slightly
New Angle TO Ancient Query
as to Why Boys Leave
the Farm
By SARAH ID. LOwRIE
WHILE was waiting for my hosts,

by SARAH ID. LOWRIE
WHILE was waiting for my hosts, who
w were errandiug about In their motor, !
Snt In the writing room Of the country hotel
where We had stopped for lunch and con
Versed with the clerk. who was nlcc,
young chap and apparently glad TO exchange
IDEAS while the business of accommodating
tourists was slack.
lie had left his fathers farm and come
10 tho largtsh Pennsylvania town. where be
was at present installed, q year ago. ana he
was Of the opinion that he would never 60
back TO farming.
Why Well for one thing. farminE was
.on"ly for q man without wife. and TO ask
u girl TO be u farmers wife was asking
almost TOO much Of hcr-I am quoting him
and If you fartned FOR your father, you
were after all Just 81 hired man. and with
out hircd mans power to demand wages
ana hours and pcrQUisitcS irrespective OF the
owners power to make his own two cnoS
meet ana last. IL you worked for the tamllN
that meant doing all sorts OF crrhnds that
broke W plans of work you might have,
ana Tou were not trusted 10 work out any
real scheme for improving things because
The family never could realize you had
S-onH UP.
THIS particular farmcr's SOD had been two
years at IN agricultural college and
como homo prmcd for Hll sorts OF expert
In"nts that were snortcl at by his elders
anu amu Br,mT proved nndSr ny me tWo or
donc thcr y.orL - oorta;, WOW anJ oIways
intended "a do e. ,bat ,"ov
Nothing came o. any Of his suggestions
INSIDE the farm gates, and outside when he
Stapoj Il strilc 81, mil. dcliycrIos % a cor.
TAIN rrco, ,nnrv tlot hn,,,,rt low. onL coli bigh
and visLnJ n Inv, 1oT1r hn had tho chayrin
Of seeing his allies quit cold after the first
week because no temporary way OF getting
devised. "''
Tho eirls in tbo ro,,,,r ,,orrioI ,o,r- md
went away TO tho civ 70 live, and bis
mother was lonely without them and spent
much Of her time With them, aud the hired
srI proposition was pretty tough ono,
IN tho family was going 70 light out for n
city job without having done any work that
"orntod on the farm. So before that hap
Dornl It struck this orc who was corvcrsing
with mo thar II ,yua t,u,y or uoycr for him.
and hc answcrcd u "want ad'' in n county
HHWSpapor and found himself in his present
job. wh"rc his high school training stood
him ~ better stead among people who did
u" know him than hS college training had
aInonS pcopIn VIII, tlorrH +Tnt ,hcv lid
T WONDERED a. looked at him and
L listened to bis p'cnsait yet indignant
ialh II hiS case was NOT ratGc- typirai Of
l,o.g country boys who come to t0wn,
%upposc It would be- lust as difficult for
father who l. , rormCr IN h,nd tLn o,,iro
responsibility of q valuable herd over to n
boy fresh from school of agriculture ns it
would be for n father WHO is Il bunker TO
hand over his seat on the stock exchange
to boy fresh from Il business college cspc.
ctally it that boy We're his son whom he
had had to discipline Il year or Two ago for
all sorts Of careless and foohurk and cock
sufc mistakes.
Twenty five years ago It wa Lardcr for
,nro .,Lr '.' !"nT @ nh n"GuuSr h"r one ihins thcS
n"rant Of thc ordinary gjyc .and .toEr 81
city life. Bnr boys Who have hean tn bi,h
school are NOT shy. and bovs who hovo bnsn
to college do not look country nnd INV orc
who goes to movies feels ut home IN n CITY
liz. - ''''' 81 Il WY
The only thing that can keep boy ON the