THE HOME EDUCATION OP THE RURAL DISTRICTS. 397 - 



' fill at the bar or in trade, but be is uneasy and out of his element in 

 the social circle, because be misunderstands it and despises it. His 

 only idea of society is display, and be loses more than three-fourths 

 of the delights of life by never having been educated to use 

 bis best social qualities-^the qualities which teach a man how to love 

 his neighbor as himself, and to throw the sunshine of a cultivated 

 Understanding and heart upon the little trifling events and enjoy- 

 ments of eveiyday life. 



If this is true of what may be called the wealthier classes of the 

 community, it is, we are sorry to say, still more true of the agricul- 

 tural class. The a;gricultural class is continually complimented by 

 the press and public debaters, — nay, it even compliments itself 

 with being the " bone and sinew of the countiy " — the " substantial \ 

 yeomanry " — ^tlie followers of the most natural and " noblest occupa- 

 tion," <fco. (fee. But the truth is, that in a country like this, know- 

 ledge is not only power; it is also influence and position ; and the 

 farmers, as a class, are the least educated, and therefore the least 

 powerfiil, the least influential, the least respected class in the com- 

 mijnity. 



This state of things is all wrong, and we deplore it — ^but the way 

 to mend it is not by feeding farmers with compliments, but with 

 plain truths. As a natural consequence of belonging to the least 

 powerful and least influential class, the sons and daughters of far- 

 mers— 7Vfe mean the smartest sons and daughters — those who might 

 raise up and elevate the condition of the whole class, if they would 

 recognize the dignity and value of their calling, and put their talenis 

 into it-^are no sooner able to look around and choose for themselv^es, 

 than they bid good bye to farming. It is too slow for the boys, 

 and not gmteei' enough for the girls. 



All the education of the schools they go to, has nothing to do 

 with making a farmer of a talented boy, or a farmer's wife of a bright 

 and clever girl— but a great deal to do with unmaking them, by 

 pointing out the superior advantages of merchandise, and the 

 "honorable" professions. At home, it is the same thing. The 

 farmer's son and daughter find less of the agreeable and attractive, 

 and more of the hard and sordid at their fireside, than in the bouses 

 of any other class of equal means. This helps to decide them to 



