December 22, 1911.
This weeks issue of the 1911 newspapers are not available. This column is from a December 1911 issue written by S. J. Gabbert, Dearborn, Mo., in the American Hereford Journal but appeared in the Wrightsville papers entitled "Why Boys Leave The Farm". "Sometimes I would like to turn myself loose on the subject of "why farmer boys leave home and go to the city," or "how to keep the boys on the farm." I may be mistaken, but I think I can give some pointers along this line that will appeal to many farmer boys. Having been born and raised on a farm, and never leaving it, I have had some of the foolish longings, trials and hardships of many good, useful boys who would have made excellent farmers and stockmen had they the proper training from their farmer fathers. If nine-tenths of the farmers and stockmen would give one-tenth as much attention to their boys as they do to their farm or stock, there would be fifty per cent less boys leave home and go to a life unsuited to them, and to which they were unsuited. There would be fewer failures, fewer broken hearts and fewer unmanly men, if fathers would take as much interest in their son's welfare and happiness and progress as they do in their live stock. I breed cattle and love them. I also breed fancy saddle and driving horses, and like them almost as well;but the same time I am raising sons and daughters. I have two of each, and I love them more than all the cattle and horses. Profiting by my own longings when a growing boy, for the allurements of city life and its pleasures, I shall endeavor to make the farm life more attractive
than the city. I shall try to make them feel that they are more essential to my happiness and pleasure than fat cattle and fancy saddlers. I shall endeavor to enthuze into them the same attractiveness that good cattle have for me. The horses, I shall teach them, are for theirpleasure, use and profit, as well as for mine. Too many old stingy farmers love the "almighty dollar" better than their wives and children, and use their boys as they do 'Gld Dabbin,' for work only. You can treat a dumb brute that way, for he cannot resent it, but you go too far with a boy, especially if he is bright, and the only protection he has is to get away from the "old man" and hard work.The result is that the fancied leisure life of his city cousin, and the pleasures therein lead him to the city. Treat the boy as if he was part human; give him an interest in the stock or farm; let him make his money and spend it as he likes, but encourage him to use it judiciously, economically and for some article that will grow into more money. Then your boy will develop faster than the best show calf, pig or colt on the farm. The subject is so big and so needed that I feel as though more should be written about it. We spend large sums of money in the papers, advertising our
stock to sell, but do not give the two-legged animals, that are worth thousands more than the four-legged ones, a single penny or thought above their work as money-savers. About three-fourths of the farmer are "grafters," and when they cannot graft some other man or men they take it out on the boys with hard labor for eighteen hours a day. Every time they lose money on a trade, the boys suffer most, for the old saying comes then, "boys, you will have to work a little harder and without a new suit," etc., etc. My heart goes out to the poor, hard-working money-less farm boy, living in the backwoods, working from daylight until nine o'clock at night with no cheer at home, no entertainment of any kind; nothing but the country school house with its hard desks, and the old frame church on Sunday, with six long year hard eighteen-hour-long work days. Who can blame some boys for going to the city?
This weeks issue of the 1911 newspapers are not available. This column is from a December 1911 issue written by S. J. Gabbert, Dearborn, Mo., in the American Hereford Journal but appeared in the Wrightsville papers entitled "Why Boys Leave The Farm". "Sometimes I would like to turn myself loose on the subject of "why farmer boys leave home and go to the city," or "how to keep the boys on the farm." I may be mistaken, but I think I can give some pointers along this line that will appeal to many farmer boys. Having been born and raised on a farm, and never leaving it, I have had some of the foolish longings, trials and hardships of many good, useful boys who would have made excellent farmers and stockmen had they the proper training from their farmer fathers. If nine-tenths of the farmers and stockmen would give one-tenth as much attention to their boys as they do to their farm or stock, there would be fifty per cent less boys leave home and go to a life unsuited to them, and to which they were unsuited. There would be fewer failures, fewer broken hearts and fewer unmanly men, if fathers would take as much interest in their son's welfare and happiness and progress as they do in their live stock. I breed cattle and love them. I also breed fancy saddle and driving horses, and like them almost as well;but the same time I am raising sons and daughters. I have two of each, and I love them more than all the cattle and horses. Profiting by my own longings when a growing boy, for the allurements of city life and its pleasures, I shall endeavor to make the farm life more attractive
than the city. I shall try to make them feel that they are more essential to my happiness and pleasure than fat cattle and fancy saddlers. I shall endeavor to enthuze into them the same attractiveness that good cattle have for me. The horses, I shall teach them, are for theirpleasure, use and profit, as well as for mine. Too many old stingy farmers love the "almighty dollar" better than their wives and children, and use their boys as they do 'Gld Dabbin,' for work only. You can treat a dumb brute that way, for he cannot resent it, but you go too far with a boy, especially if he is bright, and the only protection he has is to get away from the "old man" and hard work.The result is that the fancied leisure life of his city cousin, and the pleasures therein lead him to the city. Treat the boy as if he was part human; give him an interest in the stock or farm; let him make his money and spend it as he likes, but encourage him to use it judiciously, economically and for some article that will grow into more money. Then your boy will develop faster than the best show calf, pig or colt on the farm. The subject is so big and so needed that I feel as though more should be written about it. We spend large sums of money in the papers, advertising our
stock to sell, but do not give the two-legged animals, that are worth thousands more than the four-legged ones, a single penny or thought above their work as money-savers. About three-fourths of the farmer are "grafters," and when they cannot graft some other man or men they take it out on the boys with hard labor for eighteen hours a day. Every time they lose money on a trade, the boys suffer most, for the old saying comes then, "boys, you will have to work a little harder and without a new suit," etc., etc. My heart goes out to the poor, hard-working money-less farm boy, living in the backwoods, working from daylight until nine o'clock at night with no cheer at home, no entertainment of any kind; nothing but the country school house with its hard desks, and the old frame church on Sunday, with six long year hard eighteen-hour-long work days. Who can blame some boys for going to the city?
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