THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



443 



Getting an Education at Home 



WESLEY FOSTEIl, lioulder, Colorado 



Two ideas I find many young 

 people have. The first is that they 

 have got to go away to school to 

 get an education. It is but an ex- 

 pression of the feeling we all have 

 more or less that some place we 

 have heard or read of is the "El- 

 dorado" of our dreams. The idea 

 has been the means of pushing 

 young people out into a new environ- 

 ment, where the transplanted youth 

 developed much more character and 

 worth than would have been the 

 case had he or she remained at 

 home. This seems to be about the 

 only benefit of the idea that where 

 we now stand is less holy ground 

 than some far off field of oppor- 

 tunity. 



One can get a very good educa- 

 tion right at home by applying the 

 knowledge to be had in agricultural 

 college bulletins and farm papers. 

 The benefits of association which 

 the college student has, can be se- 

 cured by attending farmers' insti- 

 tutes, fairs, stock and poultry shows, 

 etc. The real test of a youth is; 

 does he want to excel in his chosen 

 work? If desire is very much alive 

 he will get there whether he has 

 the advantages of college or not. 



The second idea is that an edu- 

 cation is something to get in four 

 years and then it is finished. If the 

 idea is held throughout the college 

 course, when they have "finished" 

 they feel as if they had something 

 that other people in general have 

 been deprived of. Education to me 

 is but a bringing out of one's fac- 

 ulties and qualities so as to make 



us efficient in the work we have 

 to- do. 



llie most valuable products of 

 our colleges and agricultural schools 

 are the young people who had to 

 work their way through and during 

 the summer vacations were apply- 

 ing the ideas gained in school. 



What we need as a nation is the 

 daily search for better methods and 

 a wholesome fear of ruts. The col- 

 lege boy who works his way through 

 generally will net stop with "good 

 enough," he must have the very 

 best. This idea is also becoming 

 very common among the farmer boys 

 who have not had high school and 

 colitge advantages. The daily habit 

 of learning something new and val- 

 uable will soon raise a farmer out 

 of the mediocre into a person of 

 distinction. When a whole commun- 

 ity is made up of such people we 

 have all that could be desired, ex- 

 cept the making of the society of 

 this kind to cover the earth. 



The greatest need of rural edu- 

 cation is the training of our farmer 

 boys (and girls too J to sell their 

 produce and get a large proportion 

 of the consumer's dollar. This you 

 might say cannot be done unless 

 our farmer boys and girls go to the 

 cities and attend business colleges 

 and work in mercantile and produce 

 houses. The fact is too many of our 

 young people are going to the city, 

 and instead of returning and help- 

 ing solve the farm questions they 

 stay in the city and work for some 

 large firm where their individuality 

 is crushed out. 



The National Beekeepers' Association 



Will hold its annual session a' 

 Denver, Colorado, some time during 

 the month of February. The exact 

 date and program will be announc- 

 ed later. 



Denver being situated in the 

 center of the producing counli, 

 and many of the largest produce p 

 of the country within easy reach, 



we may well expect a meeting of 

 'Live Wires." Present indications 

 promise well for a big attendance. 



Come and "Get Together and 

 Boost." 



GEO. W. WILLIAMS, Sec, 



Redkey, Ind. 



