712 ANNUAL REPORT, OF THE Off. Doc. 



Ivot US treat our boy as a companion; j^ivo him something to show for 

 his interest in the farm; i)rovide him i)lenty of the best boolcs and 

 l)apers to till in his spare moments, and then not worry. If designed 

 for a farmer he will not be slow to recognize his calling, and the 

 higher his intellectual attainments the better farmer and more use- 

 ful to his age and generation he will be. Lord liacon said, "Knowl- 

 edge is Power," and it has been demonstrated (hat in the race of life 

 it is the knowing ones that win. 



THE HOME. 



By MRS. SUE FRASER, King of Prussia, Pa. 



As a home is one of the most sacred spots on this broad earth, 

 so it should be discussed calmly, dispassionately and reverently. 

 There is one place where Heaven can be brought, and that place is 

 home. 



Somewhere Emerson has said: 



"If eyes are made for seeing, 

 Then beauty is its own excuse for being." 



When we think of beauty unconsciously, our minds turn to natural 

 beauty, or rather to scenes of nature. Nature's works are all beauti- 

 ful, she never creates an inharmonious tone or feature, and the more 

 frequent her works the more beautiful they are. Indeed Kuskin 

 says, "I think I am justified in considering those forms to be most 

 natural which are most frequent.'' The rising and the setting of the 

 sun every twenty-four hours, the starry firmament at night, the new 

 creation every spring, the death succeeding, each speaks its own 

 beauty. 



If the lives of people are influenced by their surroundings, should 

 not the farmers that live in the midst of these beauties in the midst 

 of the flowers, the birds, the soft and many colors of the spring; the 

 ripened grain, the sweet scents of the summer, the changing colors, 

 the ripened fruits and nuts of the autumn; the pure white snow of the 

 winter; should not these be lovers of beauty and nature? But is 

 it so? Do we find the farmers, the dwellers* in the midst of this 

 beaut}', aware of their advantages? Do we not, as farmers, live on 

 from day to day, mindful of the material things, forgetful of the 

 pleasure lying unheeded at our very feet. Will you not all admit — 

 even though it may be unwillingly — that the statement is true? And 

 if it is, why is it so? We all know the old adage, "As the twig is 

 bent, the tree's inclined." I firmly believe each little child has im- 

 planted in his consciousness the reverence for beauty and love of 

 nature. The love of flowers is refining and elevating, breathing a 

 sentiment that can result only in pure true thoughts. Encourage 

 the child to make a special study of the flower. Let him notice how 

 the plant grows from day to day, how the sunshine, the rain and the 

 fertile soil furnish the necessary elements of growth. Show him that 



