The Project Gutenberg eBook, Farm Boys and Girls, by William Arch McKeever

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Title: Farm Boys and Girls

Author: William Arch McKeever

Release Date: April 19, 2012 [eBook #39483]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FARM BOYS AND GIRLS***

 

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The Rural Science Series

Edited by L. H. BAILEY

FARM BOYS AND GIRLS

The Rural Science Series

Plate I.

FARM BOYS AND GIRLS

BY
WILLIAM A. McKEEVER

PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY
KANSAS STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

 

 

New York
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
1913

All rights reserved

Copyright, 1912,
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.

Set up and electrotyped. Published February, 1912. Reprinted
August, 1912; January, June, 1913.

Norwood Press
J. S. Cushing Co.—Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.

DEDICATED
TO THE SERVICE OF THE
TEN MILLION BOYS AND GIRLS
WHO ARE ENROLLED IN
THE RURAL SCHOOLS
OF AMERICA

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PREFACE

In the preparation of this book I have had in mind two classes of readers; namely, the rural parents and the many persons who are interested in carrying forward the rural work discussed in the several chapters. It has been my aim to give as much specific aid and direction as possible. The first two chapters constitute a mere outline of some of the fundamental principles of child development. It would be fortunate if the reader who is unfamiliar with such principles could have a course of reading in the volumes that treat them extensively. Nearly every suggestion given in the main body of the book is based on what has already either been undertaken with a degree of success or planned for in some rural community.

I am very greatly indebted to the following persons and firms for their kindness and generosity in lending pictures and cuts for illustrating the book: E. T. Fairchild, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Topeka, Kansas; J. W. Crabtree, Principal State Normal School, River Falls, Wisconsin; George W. Brown, Superintendent of Edgar County, Paris, Illinois; O. J. Kern, Superintendent of Winnebago County, Rockford, Illinois; Miss Jessie Fields, Superintendent of Page County, Clarinda, Iowa; A. D. Holloway, General Secretary, County Y.M.C.A., Marysville, Kansas; Dr. Myron T. Scudder, of Rutgers College; Doubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, New York; Rural Manhood, New York City; The Farmer’s Voice, Chicago, Illinois; The American Agriculturist, New York City; The Oklahoma Farmer, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; The Inland Farmer, Lexington, Kentucky; The Farmer’s Advocate, Winnipeg, Canada.

My thanks are also due Successful Farming, of Des Moines, Iowa, for permission to use excerpts from President Kirk’s article on the model school, and portions of a series of brief articles written for the same magazine by myself.

The references given at the close of the chapters have been selected with considerable care. It will be found in nearly every case that they give helpful and more extended discussions of the several topics treated in the preceding chapter.

WILLIAM A. McKEEVER.

Manhattan, Kansas.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

colspan="4">CHAPTER PAGE I. Building a Good Life 1     What is a Good Life? 2       1. Good Health 3       2. Usefulness 3       3. Moral Strength 4       4. Social Efficiency 5       5. Religious Interest 5       6. Happiness 6     Is the Human Stock comparatively Sound? 7 II. The Time to Build 12     What of the Human Instincts 12     The Dawning Instincts 12     Social Sensitiveness Helpful 19 III. The Rural Home and Character Development 26     What Agencies build up Character? 26       1. Play 27       2. Work 30       3. Recreation 33     Moving to Town for the Children 36     A Back-to-the-country Club 38 IV. The Country Mother and the Children 41     Poor Conditions of Women 42     For the Sake of the Children 44       1. Surplus Nerve Energy 44       2. A Rest Period 45       3. The Home Conveniences 46       4. The Mother’s Outings 47       5. The Home Help 48       6. The Children shield the Mother 49       7. Planning for the Children

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">50       8. A Common Conspiracy 51 V. Constructing the Country Dwelling 54     Plans and Specifications not Available 55     What appeals to the Children 57     The House Plan 59     How One Farmer does It 60     Outbuildings and Equipment 61     Human Rights prior to Animal Rights 61     The Children’s Room 64     The Evening Hour 67 VI. Juvenile Literature in the Farm Home 69     How Good Thinking grows up and Flourishes 70     Types of Literature 72     A Selected List 75     Literature on Child-rearing 79       1. Periodicals on Child-rearing 80       2. Books on Child-rearing 80 VII. The Rural Church and the Young People 82     Decadence of Rural Life 83     Work for the Ministry 84     The Country Minister 86     A Mistake in Training 89     Rural Child-rearing 90     The Churches too Narrow 92     Constructive Work of the Church 93     An Innovation in the Rural Church      95     Spiritualize Child Life 97     A Summary 98 VIII. The Transformation of the Rural School 101     Radical Changes in the View-point and Method

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@39483@[email protected]#Page_102" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">102     All have a Right to Culture 103     Work for a Longer Term 105     Compulsory Attendance Laws Needed 106     Better Schoolhouses and Equipment 107       1. Location 108       2. The Water Supply 109       3. Size and Adaptation of Grounds 109       4. Improvement of School Grounds 110     A Model Rural School 112     The Cornell Schoolhouse 115     Help make a School Play Ground 117     General Instruction in Agriculture 120     Domestic Economy and Home Sanitation 122     Consolidation of Rural Schools 123     More High Schools Needed 124     Better Rural Teachers Needed 125 IX. The County Young Men’s Christian Association 129     Boys leave the Farm too Young 130     Purposes of the County Young Men’s Christian Association 131     How to organize a County Organization 132       1. Select a Good Leader 133       2. Local Leaders Necessary 134       3. A Committee on Finance 134       4. Little Property Ownership 135     How to conduct the Work 136       1. Local and County Athletic Clubs 136       2. Debating and Literary Clubs 137       3. Receptions and Suppers 138       4. Educational Tours and Problems

class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">138       5. Camping and Hiking 139       6. Exhibitions 139     Spirituality not lost Sight Of 141     Work in a sparsely Settled Country 143 X. The Farmer and his Wife as Leaders of the Young 146     Preparation for the Service 147     Work persistently for Social Unity 149     Corn-raising and Bread-baking Clubs 150     Other Forms of Contests 151     The Improvement of the School Situation 152     Home and School Play Problems 154     A Neighborhood Library 156     Holidays and Recreation for the Young 158     Many over-work their Children 160     Federation for Country-life Progress 161     The Vocations of Boys and Girls 162     Other Local Possibilities 164     The Boy Scout Movement 165     Rural Boy Scouts in Kansas 166 XI. How Much Work for the Country Boy 171     See that the Work is for the Boy’s Sake 172     Not Enforced Labor, but Mastery 174     Provide Vacations for the Boy 176     A Tentative Schedule of Hours 178     Think out a Reasonable Plan 179 XII. How Much Work for the Country Girl 183     A Balanced Life for the Girl 185     Work begins with Obedience 186     Working the Girls in the Field

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@39483@[email protected]#Page_188" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">188     Some Specific Suggestions 189     Do you Own your Daughter? 190     Difficult to make a Schedule 191     Teach the Girl Self-supremacy 192     Summary 194 XIII. Social Training for Farm Boys and Girls 197     A Happy Mean is Needed 197     A Social Renaissance in the Country 199     Conditions to guard Against 200       1. The Social Companionship of Girls 201       2. Bad Companionships for Boys 202       3. Secret Sex Habits 204       4. The So-called Bad Habits 205     A Center of Community Life 207     Invite the Young to the House 208     How to conduct a Social Entertainment 209     What about the Country Dance? 211     Additional Forms of Entertainment 212       1. The Social Hour at the Religious Services 212       2. A Country Literary Society 213       3. The Social Side of the Economic Clubs 215     Some Concluding Suggestions 215 XIV. The Farm Boy’s Interest in the Business 220     What is in your Boy? 220     Much Experimentation Necessary 221       1. Willingness to Work 222       2. Ability to Save 223     Start on a Small Scale 224     Give your Son a Square Deal

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@39483@[email protected]#Page_225" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">225     Keep the Boy’s Perfect Good Will 226     Some will be retained on the Farm 227     The Awakening often comes from Without 229     An Awakening in the South 229     Partnership between Father and Son 231     Summary and Concluding Suggestions 232 XV. Business Training for the Country Girl 235     Is the Country Girl Neglected? 236     Why the Girl leaves the Farm 237     Certain Rules to be Observed 239       1. Teach the Girl to Work 239       2. Teach her Business Sense 240       3. Train her to transact Personal Business 241       4. Make her the Family Accountant 242       5. Miserliness to be Avoided 243       6. Teach her to Give 244       7. Teach the Meaning of a Contract 245       8. Prepare her to deal with Grafters 246     Should there be an Actual Investment? 247 XVI. What Schooling should the Country Boy Have 250     Changes in Rural School Conditions 250     The Boy a Bundle of Possibilities 252     Classes of Native Ability 253     The Great Talented Class 254     Round out the Boy’s Nature 256     Other Important Matters 257     Develop an Interest in Humanity 259 XVII. What Schooling should the Country Girl Have 262    

colspan="2">Special Problems relating to the Girl 262     Protecting the Girl at School 263     Lessons in Music and Art 265     The Reward will come in Time 267     The Mother’s Office as Teacher 268     Home-life Education 270     Education for Supremacy 271     An Outlook for Social Life 272 XVIII. The Farm Boy’s Choice of a Vocation 275     Should the Farmer’s Son Farm? 275     Impatience of Parents 276     What of Predestination? 277     Three Methods of Vocational Training 279       1. The Apprentice Method 280       2. The Cultural Method 280       3. The Developmental Method 281     The Farmer Fortunate 282     What College for the Country Boy? 283     The Foundation in Work 284     Clean up the Place 285     Money Value of an Agricultural Education 286     A Successful Vocation Certain 287 XIX. The Farm Girl’s Preparation for a Vocation 290     What is the Outlook? 290     Desirable Occupations for Women 292       1. May teach the Young 293       2. May take up Stenography 294       3. May do Social Work 295       4. May secure Clerkships 296     A College Course for the Girl

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@39483@[email protected]#Page_298" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">298     Associations with Refined Young Men 299     Make the Daughter Attractive 300     Summary and Conclusion 301 XX. Conclusion and Future Outlook 306     Strive for Preconceived Results 306     Consult Expert Advice 308     Meet Each Awakening Interest 310     Work for Social Democracy 311     The Outlook very Promising 312     The Modern Service Training 314     The State doing its Part 316     The New Era of Religion 319     Final Conclusion 319 Index 323

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