FARM BOYS AND GIRLS

The Rural Science Series

The Soil.
The Spraying of Plants.
Milk and its Products.
The Fertility of the Land.
The Principles of Fruit-Growing.
Bush-Fruits.
Fertilizers.
The Principles of Agriculture. 15th Ed.
Irrigation and Drainage.
The Farmstead.
Rural Wealth and Welfare.
The Principles of Vegetable-Gardening.
Farm Poultry.
The Feeding of Animals.
The Farmer’s Business Handbook.
The Diseases of Animals.
The Horse.
How to Choose a Farm.
Forage Crops.
Bacteria in Relation to Country Life.
The Nursery-Book.
Plant-Breeding. 4th Ed.
The Forcing-Book.
The Pruning-Book.
Fruit-Growing in Arid Regions.
Rural Hygiene.
Dry-Farming.
Law for the American Farmer.
Farm Boys and Girls.
The Training and Breaking of Horses.
Others in preparation.

Plate I.

Fig. 1.—At least once each day the busy farm father may think of a way to combine his work with the children’s play.

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

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.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTERPAGE
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[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[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[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[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[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]
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[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]

ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATE
I.[Fig. 1.]At least once each day the busy farm father may think of a way to combine hiswork with the children’s playFrontispiece
FACING PAGE
II.[Fig. 2.]Canadian boys breaking young oxen6
III.[Fig. 3.]An attractive Kansas home28
IV.[Fig. 4.]A day nursery in the country42
V.[Fig. 5.]A rural home in the South56
VI.[Fig. 6.]A well-equipped farmhouse64
VII.[Fig. 7.]Children playing under the shade trees72
VIII.[Figs. 8-9.]Rural church, Plainfield, Illinois86
IX.[Fig. 10.]Village church at Ogden, Kansas92
X.[Fig. 11.]Corn Sunday in an Illinois church96
XI.[Fig. 12.]A country schoolhouse in California108
[Fig. 13.]Type of model rural school used in Kansas108
XII.[Fig. 14.]Model rural school at Kirksville, Missouri. Normal112
XIII.[Fig. 15.]Rear view of the Kirksville school114
XIV.[Fig. 16.]Using Babcock tester120
XV.[Figs. 17-21.]Consolidated school and those it displaced124
XVI.[Fig. 22.]The Cornell rural schoolhouse126
XVII.[Fig. 23.]A.Y.M.C.A. play club132
XVIII.[Fig. 24.]Y.M.C.A. Convention in Ohio138
XIX.[Fig. 25.]Jerry Moore, champion corn raiser150
XX.[Fig. 26.]A lonely schoolhouse164
XXI.[Fig. 27.]Tennis in the country180
[Fig. 28.]Country play festival180
XXII.[Fig. 29.]Industrial exhibit in rural school192
XXIII.[Fig. 30.]Agricultural and domestic science club208
XXIV.[Fig. 31.]School and church in Canada212
XXV.[Fig. 32.]Kansas prize winners230
XXVI.[Fig. 33.]Girls’ doll display238
XXVII.[Fig. 34.]Boys whittling252
XXVIII.[Fig. 35.]Study of corn256
XXIX.[Fig. 36.]School gardeners270
XXX.[Fig. 37.]Country schoolgirls290
XXXI.[Fig. 38.]A girls’ class in sewing300
XXXII.[Fig. 39.]Girl sowing seed312
[Fig. 40.]Boy thinning vegetables312