66 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



thoroughly educated in railway work and all its departments, 

 were despatching and managing successfully the rolling stock of 

 these roads? 



These sons and daughters of ours must be trained and edu- 

 cated to a love of the farm. How can this be done.'* If you 

 are able, send them to such schools as shall instill into them a 

 love for labor. Send them to schools of agriculture, to agricul- 

 tural colleges where the developing of the mental faculties is 

 joined to a trained eye and a skilled hand, — a hand skilled in 

 labor. I find some fault with our high schools. I think they 

 really educate more of our young people away from the farm 

 than to it. They do not usually send its pupils back to the 

 farm home with elevated ideas as to the dignity of labor, but 

 they do go back sometimes with only this thought, — only to stay 

 until they can find something else to do, something that savors 

 less of work than life upon the farm. To keep the boys and 

 girls on the farm we need to make our country schools better 

 schools. Let the farm stock serve as object lessons. I would 

 teach elementar}'' agriculture, plant life, the chemistry of soils, 

 the chemistry of the kitchen, growth of seeds, growth of buds, 

 and in every lesson, there should be an idea impressed of labor; 

 that everything must labor in some way, that it is one of the 

 fundamental principles of this universe. Then, if able, let the 

 agricultural college succeed the district school. There is no 

 reason why such a girl or boy may not go directly from the com- 

 mon school to an agricultural college. Some will tell you — but 

 they are generally persons who do not know — that agricultural 

 colleges educate away from the farm. This is not so, especially 

 it is not so as regards the agricultural college of Michigan. 



. But there are many of us small farmers, — and if not small 

 farmers, — our circumstances are such — ill health, indebtedness, 

 mortgage upon farm, a large family of younger children that 

 must be cared for — that the son or daughter must end school 

 days with the common school. What next can we do to keep 

 the boys and girls on the farm, and not only on the farm but of 

 the farm because they love the farm. 



I believe just here and under just these circumstances that 



