282 The Farm Boy's Choice of a Vocation 



impartially in their struggle for self-improvement 

 and vocational success. But its motto is the de- 

 velopment of head and hand together. It seeks 

 to produce cultured handicraftsmen as well as cul- 

 tured artists and professional men. 



THE FARMER FORTUNATE 



Our justification for the foregoing somewhat 

 lengthy discussion of the different theories of educa- 

 tion is that of wishing to be certain of bespeaking 

 the father's patience and forbearance in the prep- 

 aration of his son for the vocational life. The 

 farmer is most fortunate in having ready at hand a 

 large amount and variety of industrial practice 

 to supplement the boy's book lessons. In this respect 

 he probably has a superior advantage over all other 

 classes. 



But in guiding his boy gradually toward the 

 vocational life the farm father can easily mistake 

 what is merely a passing interest on the former's 

 part for a permanent one. The carefully kept 

 records of farm boys show that they take up many 

 different lines of work with great enthusiasm, and 

 yet soon tire of them and drop them. These serial 

 and transitory interests are usually .mere juvenile 

 responses to the awakening of some new nerve 

 centers. They are not much different in nature from 

 the brief passing interest which the child has in his 

 various playthings. 



