WHY BOYS LEAVE FARM 



Letters from those who have left 



Every one of the 155 letters is worth 

 reading, because these letters express 

 personal points of view. There is every 

 internal evidence that they are genuine 

 expressions of conviction, and are not 

 written for effect. Since it is not possible 

 to print all these letters in the space at my 

 disposal, I have chosen those that seem to 

 be most definite or emphatic, and at the 

 same time present divergent points of 

 view. I first transcribe seventeen letters 

 from persons reared on farms in New 

 York state, and then follow with charac- 

 teristic statements from farm boys of 

 other geographical regions. 



(1) "The principal reason why I left the 

 farm and am here in college, working toward 

 another business, is the influence of the prin- 

 cipal of the village school which I attended for 

 several years. He continually urged me to get 

 away from the farm, to go to college, and prepare 

 myself for something better. 



"While I was living at home, on the farm, 

 the attractive side of farm life, as I believe is 



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