ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 195 



Thursday Afternoon, January 12th, 



THE FARMER BOY AND THE DISTRICT SCHOOL. 



W. W. NOYES, PROPRETSTOWN. 



I submit this paper the more advisedly and conscientiously for these 

 three reasons: 



First, I was a farmer boy and know by experience what farm life it. 



Second, I am a representative of the ungraded district school. 



Third, I have been more than twenty years principal of a town high 

 school. 



From this tri-standpoint I submit this paper. 



"Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined." 



"As he thinketh in his heart so is he." 



This pro\erb was written more than 3000 years ago, and yet it is a 

 fact, recognized today with the same force of logic as when uttered by 

 that terse old writer a thousand years before the Christian era. 



And if the old adage be true that "The boy is father to the man," then, 

 is not this also true, that as thinks the boy so will think the coming man ? 



Are we today laying the best foundation we can upon which to build 

 the mental, moral and physical character of that coming man? 



From what source has come the great majority of our best statesmen. 

 our leading business men, our most learned ministers, doctors, lawyers 



