MAKE THE FARM ATTRACTIVE. 69 



farms, and go to the city. Now, I think it is a laudable de- 

 sire on the part of every man who has been brought up on a 

 farm to keep that old homestead in the name of the family, 

 and keep his sons on it. How will you do it? I believe 

 it is the fault of the farmers themselves, more than three- 

 quarters of the time, that their sons do not stay upon the 

 farm, and make good farmers. Many farmers (I know there 

 are exceptions) want to save every dollar they can get on the 

 farm. They skin every thing they can get about the place, 

 get every dollar they can, and put it in the bank for their 

 children. Now, I have thought a great many times that if a 

 farmer, instead of doing that, would beautify his place, clear 

 up the door-yard, remove the old wagons, and old wheels, and 

 old rotten sleds, and piles of lumber, and make a beautiful 

 lawn in front of his house, and would allow his son — the 

 son will be the progressive one, you may be sure of that — 

 to plant some trees, and ornament the house ; if he would 

 go to work and put proper books in the house for that 

 young man to read, let him have company, and, if he has 

 daughters, give them a piano, and let them play on it, and 

 have a good time generally, — if the farmer would make that 

 home the best place and the most comfortable place on the 

 face of the earth, that boy will never go away, just as sure 

 as you are alive. 



Mr. Taft. What are you going to do with families where 

 there are eight or ten boys ? 



Capt. Moore. , It is very proper that some of them should 

 go away. You may be sure that they will come home and 

 bring some money to help beautify the place. You want to 

 make the home beautiful, so that the young men will want 

 to come back to it. Don't think you are going to beautify 

 your farm by putting up an expensive fence in front of the 

 house. Much money has been thrown away by putting up 

 expensive fences, that are offensive to any person of good 

 taste ; as much as to say, " My line comes thus far, don't 

 look the other side of it ! " Go into a village where the 

 fences, as I have seen in some places, have all been taken 

 away, and see how much more beautiful it is, and what an 

 expense is saved to the farmers in the village, and to the 

 people in the village. If there is any gentleman in this room 

 who lives on a village lot, perhaps twice as wide as this hall, 



