190 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



■\TOuld you make iny children good and lovable? It would be presumptions in 

 me to undertake to tell all that should be done, but I will suggest one thing, at 

 least, that will be an influence in the right direction : that is, teach your chil- 

 dren to love the beautiful. Teach them to look for it in all their surroundings. 

 Many farmers look at a thing of beauty only as a thing out of which more 

 money can be coined. To such people a line animal is beautiful only because 

 it brings its owner more money, and a beautiful tree, flower or shrub, if not 

 possessed of an intrinsic value, fails to attract their admiration. We are too apt 

 to educate our children into mere money-making machines. 



Encourage your children in the cultivation of flowers. Give them a piece of 

 ground to call their own, and encourage them in its cultivation. I would not 

 have them cultivate flowers exclusively, but let them raise fruits and vegetables, 

 and give them the proceeds of their sale, so that the love of the beautiful and 

 the desire for an independence may go hand in hand, as established principles 

 in their characters. It is surprising how soon they will appreciate such things. 

 It is a fact that as a love of the beautiful increases, a dislike of everything des- 

 picable increases in the same ratio. 



Some may acknowledge that they are negligent in the moral training of their 

 children, and still think that they are doing all that can be done for their intel- 

 lectual advancement. As far as the provision of schools are concerned, may 

 be we have done our duty; but this only constitutes part of what is necessary 

 for their mental training. Children need the encouragement and sympathy of 

 their parents at every step they take in their studies. How many parents are 

 there who give their children this help? How many parents visit the schools in 

 which their children are being educated? I venture to say that the district 

 schools of Michigan will not average three visits to the term. 



We should be considered very neglectful of our interests if we employed a 

 shepherd to take charge of our flocks and never went to see how he was dis- 

 charging his duties. But we do employ teachers to take a far more responsible 

 charge, without giving further thought to the subject. It is often the case that 

 incompetent teachers are employed to instruct our children, whereas if the 

 same degree of incompetency was manifested in a farm hand, wc would imme- 

 diately discharge him. In other cases, competent teachers fail of doing the 

 good they might from a lack of cooperation on the part of parents. 



I would have you teach your children true politeness. There is a prejudice 

 existing in the minds of some against this. They term it *' putting on too much 

 style." Politeness is not always rightly understood, being frequently con- 

 founded with affectation. True politeness is an unselfish regard for the feel- 

 ings and comforts of others. It is so natural for people to be selfish in this 

 world that parents will find it to be one of the most diflicult tasks they have, to 

 restrain this propensity in their children. The mother wlio has been able to 

 restrain selfishness in her children, has accomplished a noble work that will go 

 down to future generations, long after she has passed away. 



Lastly, though not least, I would advise you to be mindful of the health of your 

 children. Remember tiie adage, *' An ounce of prevention is worth more than 

 a pound of cure." If you are not conversant Avitli the laws of health, get some 

 good work on hygiene and make it a study. You will find it a profitable in- 

 vestment, whicli may save you much anxiety and many long doctor bills. Head 

 the reports sent out Ly the State Board of health ; tliey will give you liglit upon 

 things which you have not thought of before. In fact, it should be the great 

 object of life with those who have children, to provide for their moral, intellec- 



