694 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



EDUCATION OF THE FARMERS' CHILDREN. 



[Read before the Farmers' Institute at Osgood.] 



If you were asked wh.it is the most important thing- on the farm, that 

 wliich you prized most iiishly, wiiat A^'ould Ue your answer? Would it be 

 your liorses, cattle, or farm implements? No, I am sure it would not. It 

 would be your wives and children. For is it not the aim of all your 

 labors to make their lives happier? You are striving to amass wealth 

 for your own, and their comfort, to make their lives fuller and richer than 

 yours has been. But sui)pose you were able when he became of age to 

 give each child a large sum of money or one of your valual)le farms; 

 would you then consider him fidly equipped for the struggle of life? 



Soldiers when sent forth to battle may be provided with horses and 

 fine uniforms, but unless they are provided Avitli something with which 

 to fight — some implements of warfare— they will fall in the battle, as will 

 the boy or girl who enters the conquest of life with only money or farm. 

 We believe the surest implements of vs'arfare he can have, that he must 

 have if he makes a success in life, is an education. 



You can not give it to him as you would a farm, but you can help him 

 to get it for himself. It is one of the things of life that can not be given, 

 but must be acquired, and when once acquired it is his OAvn for life. 

 Ruskin says, "Education is the leading of human souls to what is best 

 in life, and making what is best out of them." We are sure the farmers 

 wish to lead their boys and girls to what is best in life and to make what 

 is best out of them. 



Everything in this life is built oh a foundation, and it is the foundation 

 that must stand the test. We consider a common school education the 

 foundation of all educational structures. This is the first essential; no 

 difference if on this foundation is to be the university, the college or just 

 the common country school house. At least he must have a firm common 

 school education upon which to ))uild all his intellectual learnings. You 

 are helping him to build this foundation every day you send him to the 

 district school. Every dollar you spend on books and school supplies is 

 helping him to lay another stone on his educational foundation. On the 

 other hand every day you keep him out of school you are depriving him of 

 one of his foundational stones of knowledge. 



In my experience as teacher my deepest sympathies were always 

 aroused Avhen a boy entered school about six months after the term had 

 commenced, after all the fall work had l)een done on the farm. No M^onder 

 the boy was discouraged; no wonder he was usually the bad boy of the 

 school. We would have been had we been in his place. Of course, some- 



