Hard Work Fundamental 285 



"The confinement of the college did not agree with 

 his health." More than three years have passed 

 since, and the boy has spent the time drifting from 

 one "job" to another and all the while growing 

 weaker in character and integrity. 



Here we have but another instance of the old, old 

 story, with its tragic aspects. Yet, nearly all the 

 faltering, vacillating men now drifting about the 

 country might have been saved through careful train- 

 ing in the performance of work. The boy who would 

 be insured success in his coming vocation must be 

 required to buckle down to solid work of a kind 

 and amount to suit his years and strength. He must 

 learn through the character-building experience of 

 toil, not only what it means to stay by an assigned 

 duty till it is performed, but he must also experience 

 the unfailing joy of work well done. He will thus 

 have the advantage of the spur of successful effort and 

 acquire the beginnings of that splendid self-reliance 

 which is a distinguishing mark of all successful men. 



CLEAN UP THE PLACE 



But there is a sort of drudgery and of ugliness 

 against which the boy's nature instinctively rebels, 

 and it ought to. By this we mean to refer to the 

 actual conditions of over- work and the accompanying 

 run-down appearance that characterizes so many 

 farm homes to-day. No wonder the boys hasten 

 away to the city to find a "job." 



