Report of Missouri Farmers* Week. 



191 



pendence that the owning of property gives us is a necessity to 

 every one who is ambitious, and must be developed as all other 

 characteristics must be. 



Do not deal out pennies to your soa or require him to ask 

 money for his small expenses, but give him something of his own 

 that is not worthless, something that he will be proud of. It may 

 slip from him quickly at first, but he will soon learn to care for 

 his dollars and invest them profitably. Teach the boy always to go 

 to a successful man for advice. 



A lady of my acquaintan,ce said she had to leave the farm 

 because of the influence of the hired hands on her boys. I say, 

 begin at the cradle to point to the star of success. First, teach a 

 boy that it is hard for him to rise higher than his associates. Second, 

 teach him that a true gentleman must be kind an,d courteous to 

 everyone, and that his best friends and companions must be am- 

 bitious and anxious to build strong, clean, beautiful characters, 

 and be useful, intelligent, honorable citizens. Give them the best 

 advantages that you can, and if they have made the best of their 

 opportunities, success will crown their efforts. Do you think the 

 average farm hand, usually devoid of education or refinement of 

 any sort, could influence a boy who has had a model of this kind 

 held before him all these years ? I have not found it so. 



Really, the boy on the farm, studying nature, plant life, soil 

 conditions and the different kinds of stock, is more independent 

 than those following other callings in life. 



Crops and stock increase while you sleep or take your vaca- 

 tion,. The ever-varying labor of the farm is not tiresome, nor is it 

 drudgery, unless we make it so. In this day of progress the suc- 

 cessful farmer must be alert, intelligent, broad-minded, and, above 

 all, a student. Then let us encourage the farmer boys by giving 

 them high school advantages in their own districts, build better 

 roads which will improve social and spiritual advantages, point out 

 the pleasant side of farm work, make them feel that their inter- 

 ests are identical with our own, and they will not be leaving the 

 farm to accept menial positions in the city. 



