Why Boys Leave The Farm

A "liiml man" senda to the Western Rural some reasona why that elass do not remáis it borne nighte, and infer;ntaüy why the boys do not like fann lile. This correspondent alleges that after a hired man is through with the work tá the day, has completed his chores, and eaten his supper, lie is frequently interrupted in his reading - if he site down to read - by repeated requests to dolittle things which so interferes with liis comfort that he is led to absent himself from tho possibilities of such demands. The boy has to work all day in the field and do "the chores" mornings and nights. Thus he has no time for recreation and little for rest. Work is not natural to bo)s, and they raust be trained to it, not as we train a colt or a steer, but by an appeal to their reason. Left to themselves tliey will gallop and gambo] away the days of yoiith upon the green, as sports the latrib or the colt. If we would turn tliem from tliese natural ways, we must teach thern that labor is honorable, pleasant and rcnumerative; that y the sweat of the brow a greater legree of happrness niay be obtained than can possibly result from idleness. But surely we cannot make this plain ÍD tlietn if they are worked to i-ion, iiiiu as we wouki work one of onr horses. If we virtually constitute their labor i species of slavery, we shall lind thafr as in all slaves, the lOve of liberty will burn brighter and ürighter, and that there will be secret plottings in the breast toescape whattheyeonsider degradation, and to secure freedom. The darnage done the boy under sucli circumstancAS is entirely lieyond eoniputation. Whoever takes into the lields day after day a boy wlio lias not begun to reason clearly, and demanda of him the saine hours and the same atnount of work that a man can do, and keep him doing chores late into the evening, sending him to do little errands, after lie lias got through wilh liis long day's labor, and thns making life a steady treading apon the "wine j)ress," will have done all he possibly c .n do to make a city loafer out of a by that may be sufliciently endowed to inake a line farmer. IIow then shall we proceed to make farm life and farm labor attractive to the boys 't ín the lirst pliice we should stri ve to show thein tliíit manual labor is honorable, and this c;in be done by the eomparison of thesuecess of farmers with tbat of any other class on earth. Twenty successf ui farmers can be found to one successf ui inemberof any other ealling in the workl, and if they had an equal chance with other classes, their success woukl be deeidedly niarked. Fatliers should never be satislied until the boy knows just aa much of the relative importancü and suecess of different avocations as he knows; he should talk mueh and often with the child upon these matters, carefully portraying the inimediate dangers of failure in town and city life, and the almost universal success of rural life; he should carefully show him the sources from which the criminal classes are recruited, for it is a bright page in thehistory of agrU-ultural pursuits that records the fact that the farm is not a hot-bed of crime, and that our prison liouses were not built for farmers. The parents should demónstrate that f.nm life is apleasant life, athing that they can never do if either they toil as slaves, without a moment of recreation, or coiupel their children to do so. Now we believe, and we know, that the Farmer is the most rojal personage in tliis Kepublie, if tlie term royaltv can be peimitted at all in connecüoi'i witli a republfcan cttlzenshjp; and as sucli he should liave a pleasant and attractive home; should see to it that he and his family have plenty of tiou, .-.ml tluit lie ;md liis faniijji have good clothep that they m;iy appeargenteel among tkemseívea, when they are n"t at yvork. Books, papéis, magaziftes, iimsic, píc( ures, and other sourcea of itistrüétion and pleasure sliould be provideíl. Whcn able tlrére, ehonld be a decent eai-rtage and adecen team for drivlng. All these things will have a tendeucy lo win the affecttou of the lys. The'constíint harjiíng by those Whffflo nol, nee,l t„ piaetice èeoiioniy altout .'eonoiny on 1!ie pari, of Ilie lanner, is disgtwting; We of eourse all beüevein economy, bul not that sort of economy vvluch iiadvised by the ropoutaa prees, when it atlenmts to answer the coniphiints of tlie fai-miae comunity coacernüig exlortióus praL ticed upon R. [fihereisanymaivthat merits a nicepartor, and fkíautiful surruundiugs, and goód driving horses etc., it s lio win) feeiJa :ui.! (Motiies thé world. Soiiirtiines lie is unaMe lo have tliiMn, bul, when lio i able, lie shonld nave them not only for liis individual comfort Imt to satislY thn boya A home such as s here indca,td would lie enviad by niiie boya oittót every ten ni thocity, and will he spprocíated by evwy child gifteá wit a rensoiuiUe amount ai cpirnnoii sense. Butit will bono use to have these thingsunlessweliave ah opportunity for their ate and enioyment. ture let the, boys have leisure. Wlieii mght comes and tliey sit down to read do not dhturb tliem unless uiidcr uigent necessities. Do not be afntid to let tliem play the musical instrumente sitfg ov drive. Sludy to maké them inppy; tliat is all there is do do. But ;lns will involve even sometliing more ;nan we have yet mentioned. lt will be almost impossible to nmke a boy perfeetly contented, unless he is given some direct reward for liis work, sometliing that lie can cali liis own, and with which lie can do as he tñaaatk. We tlnnk Unit the very best way to accomphsh tlds is to give liim some interest in tlie poultry, a certain sheep, or a certain number of sheep or in something else vvliich wfll emIloy lus mind and make him feel tliat he is doing something for himself. But or all tliings, never give liim a sliare in the inereiise of stock or of anything else, and then wlien the tiint comes to sell it pocket the money yourself. We haveno doubt but that the whole course of many a boy's life has been changed by such thoughtleas iniustice. We do not for a moment mean to say that every farmer's son shoirid be a farmer. Often they are not iitted hv nat me for the business, and are iitted to shine in some otlier calling. J5ut when nature lias moulded thein for success on the farm, they should be keptthereif possible. Parents have soinething to do that is far more important tlian niaking monev. They are loaded with tlie respons'ibility of developing character to susttiin society, after tliey have done tlieir work and goneliome, and itisa fearful rcsimnsibility, too. We are all here not only to provide for oureeJves, bnt to provide for posterity, and not only irnmediate but remóte posterity. We are responsible, to a considerable extent, lor the shape in whicli our children tliall leave tlie world civilization, liberty, to their childreu, and believing that so far as this Iïepublic is concerned, its very perpetuity depends npon the patriotic and intelligent action of American farmers, it becomes the duty of every patriot father on our farms, to start the boys right, and to keep them right. What this country reqnirea of the farmer is to furnisli sterling eliaracter and patriotism to safely guide the ship of state. Tlie cities and towna wil] furnish all the loufers and crimináis whicli in the economy of providence may seem to be requlreé.