318 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



I admit that this is an extreme case but there are others lilce it aud 

 \erv many homes in which but little readiu"- matter could be found 

 suitable for the boys. There can be no reasonable excuse for this. 



At the very time of life when a boj needs most attention is the 

 time when, in the home, he generally gets the least. He may some- 

 times be coarse and often rude and noisy but it is not always his 

 fault; he is often treated as if that were expected of him. Teach the 

 boy to make good and profitable use of spare moments, but see to it 

 that he has something with which to spend them. 



In seeking a place to invest a few dollars the farmer cannot find 

 a better one than in his boys, or one from which he will be likely to 

 get larger returns on the amount invested. Money wisely spent in 

 this way is capital invested for the future and, while the returns may 

 not always be immediate, they will be certain. A few dollars spent 

 yearly for choice literature or something else that the boys could 

 use profitably would often awaken them to a true sense of the im- 

 portance of life and of their responsibility for filling or failing to 

 fill their proper place in it. This would often save years, if not a 

 whole lifetime to greater usefulness and nobler manhood. 



When spending money for fertilizers for his fields and orchards, 

 let the farmer not forget that a little more time and money spent 

 in enriching the minds and hearts of the boys will help them to yield 

 and infinitely more abundant harvest and fruitage of noble thoughts 

 and manW deeds. Such enriching substance will not be of the 

 ordinary commercial kind which fails with one crop, often leaving 

 the soil poorer than before, but will put into the soil of boyhood 

 Qiind and heart that which will give it the power to further enrich 

 itself constantly, and its power will not only be felt in one life but 

 will enrich other lives, not only for time but for eternity. 



I emphasize the matter of literature in the home thus strongly 

 because it is one of the most powerful influences with which the 

 farmer boy can be surrounded. You dare not leave all of this work 

 to the school. The home must supi)lement the work of the school — 

 they are complements of each other in the training and development 

 of the child. 



The educational advantages of the farmer bov are not to be de- 

 spised; help him to see their value and his opportunities and give 

 him all possible encouragement in his school work. See to it that 

 he attends school regularly and punctually. Neither keep him at 

 home nor permit him to remain away from school except when very 

 necessary; even the fact that it is necessary for him to be absent 

 will never make up to him what he loses by his absence. Remember 

 that in case he fails to g';t a start now, he probably will never get it. 



Demand good teaching but place yourself in a position to demand 

 it by co-operating with the schools in every way that will tend to 

 make them more eflScient in their work. 



