1856.] What the Farmer Needs an Education for. 397 



Mlpt i\i laniter ^Tecbs an 6hicat.ron for. 



The following, "words fitly spoken," we clip from that excellent 

 journal, the Prarie Farmer. 



'•Some strange notions have, from time to time, crept into this 

 world, and one of them is this : that a farmer, because he tills the 

 earth for a livelihood, raises grain, animals, etc., must not only 

 confine his manual operations to this field of labor, but he must 

 never think of anything else. " You may think and talk about 

 plows and plowing, Mr. Farmer, and you may speculate about the 

 weather; you may raise big crops, and big animals, and talk about 

 them; you may, if you choose, sport your 'fast nags,' and, in gen- 

 eral, eat, drink, and be merry, but this is the extent of your sphere, 

 — to these subjects you must confine yourself as long as you live." 



What a preposterous notion to become so generally prevalent 

 even among farmers themselves. Why, here is the lawyer, he not 

 only pleads law, but often politics, and aspires to high political sta- 

 tions ; he is also a literary man, and he is sometimes brought up to 

 instruct farmers about their business. His is a wider and more 

 varied sphere, according to the common notion of things of this 

 sort. 



Now, fellow farmers, to tell the plain truth, in plain English, it is 

 our ignorance of general science and its applicability to the daily 

 pursuits of life which have furnished the foundation for the estimate 

 of our qualifications and capacities. We have only known about 

 enough to till the earth, and some of us now might learn to do that 

 better than we do. 80 that whichever way we turn ourselves, or 

 from whatever point we view our position, this great truth beams like 

 the sun upon us, (we mean he must have a thorough education,) not 

 only to enable him to prosecute his business successfully, pleasantly, 

 and with dignity ; but also that he may, if he desires, bring his sound 

 sense, and honest and pure moral sentiments, to aid the great work 

 of purifying the literature of the day— and do it as a farmer. That 

 he may be able to grapple with the scientific questions of the day, and 

 throw some light upon it from his quiet home as a farmer. That he 

 may bring his knowledge to bear upon the meteorology of the coun- 

 try, and by a series of accurate observations, deduce some great law 

 of weather for storms, which will prove of incalculable advantage to 

 agriculture— and yet be a farmer. That he may be able to explain 



