Farm Boys and Girls Part 23

Again we find the field of literature treating the subject directly an exceedingly scant one. In forming a business partnership with his son the farmer should be guided by well-tried precedent. A letter of specific inquiry to one of the leading agricultural papers will most usually bring a helpful reply.

A First Lesson in Thrift. Horace Ellis. _Psychological Clinic_, March 15, 1910.

Industrial Education for Rural Communities. Annual Volume N.E.A., 1907, p. 412.

The Child's Sense of the Value of Money. Dr. William E.

Ashcroft. _S.S. Times_, July 24, 1909.

Psychology and Higher Life. William A. McKeever. Chapter XIV, "The Psychology of Work." A. Flanagan Company, Chicago.

Industrial Education. Various Authors. (Pamphlet, 25 cents.) _The Survey_, N.Y.

Industrial Education. Kimball. No. 1, Educational Monograph Series, School of Education, Cornell University.

CHAPTER XV

_BUSINESS TRAINING FOR THE COUNTRY GIRL_

During a two-hour ride on a railway train the author had as a seat companion a sixty-year-old farmer and stock raiser, whose specialty was that of raising mules for the market. And what of definite information this good husbandman possessed about the long-eared beast of burden would fill a volume of considerable size. He knew just what time of year the mule should be foaled, when weaned, when broken to the halter and to work; how to feed and groom a mule in order to get the best physical growth; how to train the animal so as to develop all the latent good qualities and repress the bad ones.

After the natural life history of the faithful mule had been carefully reviewed by the rural companion the conversation was turned to the subject of girls. Had he a daughter? "Yes, twenty-two years old." What did she know about money and the common affairs of business? "Business!

Mighty little any woman knows about business," said he. "We buy our girl what she needs and have put her through the town high school. I expect her to get married sometime. Her mother has taught her how to do housework." Further than that the father seemed to know very little about his daughter, and he showed plainly that he did not consider this second topic of conversation half so interesting as the first one.

IS THE COUNTRY GIRL NEGLECTED?

Inquiry will prove that the foregoing case of parental ignorance and indifference about the daughter is all too common, especially the ignorance. It seems never to have occurred to many parents who have growing daughters that unless the young woman have a fair amount of knowledge of the value and use of money her future happiness and well-being and that of her family are in danger of becoming seriously jeopardized. It is a singular and yet lamentable fact that so many American parents,--parents too who are intensely desirous that their growing children have the best possible moral and religious teaching--that these same good parents fail to understand how one of the very foundation stones of efficient moral and religious life is const.i.tuted of a definite body of knowledge of common business affairs.

They do not seem to realize that the young man or the young woman who knows from experience just how money is earned, and how it may be judiciously expended and profitably invested, is far on the way to a high plane of moral and religious living.

However, there is probably no place of greater opportunities for developing sober judgment in the growing girl than that afforded by the ordinary farm home. For here the business management of the household and of the farm affairs are practically merged. There is the further advantage of a considerable variety of ways whereby the daughter may be remunerated for what she does. But, how may we best interpret this question? First of all, what in a practical sense is a satisfactory business training for a young woman, a farmer's daughter in particular?

Do we desire that she become a shrewd money-maker and successful a some sort of commercial life? Few would take such a position. But in order that the young woman may be fully prepared to fill her heaven-ordained place as the center and source of love and influence in a family, we must provide that she be given just such instruction in the use of money as will enable her to occupy her high position with the greatest possible success.

WHY THE GIRL LEAVES THE FARM

Under the t.i.tle above the Farmer's Voice prints portions of two letters which help to throw not a little light on this much-neglected subject.

Miss Alta Hooper writes:--

"The one great cry going out from the people, and one also much in need of an answer, is 'how to keep the boy on the farm.' It is very seldom that the girl of the farm is alluded to, although it may be that she is included, in a general way, in the great amount of literature concerning her brother. But, take it from the farmer girl that she is a live one, and unless money is coming into her pockets, unless she is comparatively independent and has some interest to keep her awake, she isn't going to 'stay put,' but will get out where she can earn some money of her very own, to buy the little things so dear to the hearts of girls; and she will not be questioned and lectured and scolded over every little expenditure.

"Oh, the girls on the farm have minds and pride and ambition just as big as their brothers' too; and in many cases they are not given half a chance to realize one iota of this ambition. It is then that a career off the farm and away from the farm home appeals to them. Then the thought comes that even though the salary to be earned may be small, still it is all one's own, and there is no fear in planning where and in what it shall be invested."

Likewise, Mrs. F. L. Stevens, writing for _Progressive Farmer_, says:--

"How often have we seen young girls leaving comfortable farm homes to go into typewriting, clerking, or bookkeeping, in order to have their own money. An allowance for personal expenses in the beginning would have solved this problem. But the father has not seen it that way.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XXVI.

FIG. 33.--At a tender age girls are instinctively fond of doing such work as is displayed here. Strange to say, some mothers deny their little daughters the character-forming benefits of this childish occupation.]

"It is not necessary that the daughter be given a monthly or yearly allowance of so much cash, but the really better way, it would seem, would be to start her in some special branch of work, say, poultry-raising. Or perhaps she might be given a cow or a horse or a pig, which would in time bring in sums of money by careful management; and the business, a small one perhaps in the beginning, would easily develop. Many young girls like to work in a garden as the produce is always a good source of income and an interesting and educational work."

CERTAIN RULES TO BE OBSERVED

If we are to give up the idea that the young woman naturally possesses the necessary business judgment, and to subst.i.tute the better idea that she must be taught how to manage her own affairs; then, What are the fundamental steps necessary to impart such instruction? It seems to the author that they are these:--

1. _Teach the girl to work._--As was shown in a previous chapter, the girl must be taught carefully and conscientiously how to work. Even though she may be so fortunate--or unfortunate--as not to be compelled to do any of her own housework, only a first-hand knowledge of how such work goes on will enable her successfully to direct it. The strength of our democracy is much dependent upon the character of our women. The modern tendency toward the development of a leisure cla.s.s among the women and girls of the wealthier families is quite as much a menace to social solidarity as was the older order of keeping women in ignorance and servitude.

The problem of household help is much intensified because of the disfavor with which the so-called better cla.s.ses of women look upon the vocation of the domestic employee. The necessary inequality of rank of the home mistress and her employees is more a matter of tradition and imagination than of reality. The social inequality which follows and which drives many young women into less advantageous places of employment will disappear just as soon as all growing girls are conducted through a carefully planned course of work and household industry. No farm parents can afford to deny the daughter the excellent disciplinary results of careful training in the performance of every ordinary household duty.

2. _Teach her business sense._--In cases where the growing boy or girl is simply given spending money for the asking--or the begging--there results a perverted idea of the meaning of money. A girl so trained during her youthful years is inclined to take this same att.i.tude toward her husband in the future. That is, she will probably regard it as necessary to beg for an allowance and deem it right and proper to spend all she can obtain in this way. The seriousness of such relations between man and wife is easily seen. But the growing girl can be taught that money is merely a convenient unit of measurement of values which are produced chiefly by means of work.

Advanced students of our social life are putting forth much effort to solve the divorce problem. In their efforts to determine causes and to provide cures for divorce, some of them have gone so far as to advocate a school for matrimony, one of the ends being that of preventing incompatible persons from entering into the life union. Among the causes contributing to the divorce evil have been the radically different ideals of the use of money on the part of the contracting pair. An attorney of long standing experience with divorce cases says:--

"As a rule the woman who alleges non-support in her pet.i.tion for divorce reveals the fact, before the case is ended, that she is lacking in the proper idea of the use of money, is often especially weak in knowledge of how the family income should be spent if the family affairs are to go on satisfactorily."

3. _Train her to transact personal business._--Then, begin early in her life to teach the girl to transact business affairs that relate to her personal interests and to the home life of women. Do not buy all the little articles necessary for her, but allow her, with money reasonably provided, to make her own minor purchases under your advice and direction. The intelligent farmer knows somewhat definitely what his yearly income and outlay are. Why should not his daughter be told how these accounts run, in the usual year, and she then be asked to keep an account of all her own personal affairs for a year? Such required practice will do more than all the arithmetic lessons in the schools to inculcate an intimate knowledge of the value of money in relation to her own affairs--to say nothing of the good business judgment likely to be acquired.

Thus the country girl may receive a better business training than her city cousin whose nearness to the attractive stores and shops proves a constant incentive for over-indulgence and wastefulness in the use of money.

4. _Make her the family accountant._--As soon as she becomes old enough, take the daughter into your confidence as regards the family expense account. Make her acquainted with the items of income and expenditure in detail. And also make it appear to her that the business of the home is not being conducted satisfactorily unless some portion of the income be set aside for the emergencies of the future.

At this point there is offered an opportunity to give the daughter some much-needed business training. There is much being said of late by way of urging the farmer to keep an accurate book account of all his transactions. Out of the experiment stations have come published letters and bulletins urging that such things be done and showing methods. But the evidence goes to show that the majority of farmers do not find time for it. So it will in many cases be found practicable to turn this important task of bookkeeping over to the growing daughter. Among the many benefits to be derived will be the excellent business training it will furnish her. As a diversion from the common household duties the accounting will prove most refreshing. And, then, the farmer will soon find this service to the farm business so important as to justify him in paying his daughter reasonably for the work.

5. _Miserliness to be avoided._--While the habits of a spendthrift are perhaps above all things else to be avoided, a close second to this as an evil practice is the habit of expending in a miserly and begrudging manner. So, teach the girl to give her money willingly for all the ordinary necessities and comforts of life and for such luxuries as the conditions will reasonably warrant.

The far-sighted parent and the one really interested in the future of his daughter will readily observe how much enslaved adults finally become in the use of money. There are perhaps as many well-to-do persons who are miserly because they cannot help it as there are improvident persons who are spendthrifts because they cannot longer prevent it. Both cla.s.ses manifest the certain results of training and habit. In his interesting chapter on the psychology of habit Professor James explains so aptly how the man, long practiced in enforced economy, but at length having ample means, goes to the store with the determination of paying liberally for an article; and how he finally comes away with something cheap.

A "golden mean" is therefore to be sought in training the girl in the use of money. Not how to save at all hazards, but how to spend judiciously, with conscious thought of the right relation between income and outlay--this is perhaps the more acceptable ideal.

6. _Teach her to give._--While inculcating business ideas into the mind of your growing daughter, guard against her acquiring a mere pa.s.sion for money-making and the acc.u.mulation of wealth. For example, one of the best means of achieving this end would be to see that she gives a part of her earnings to some worthy cause or other. Explain to her again and again that she must keep up in her life a sort of equipoise of receiving and giving, if the highest sense of inner satisfaction is always to be her portion.

The young must learn sooner or later that there is other than a money profit to be derived from the investment of money. Accordingly, it will not be found difficult for the rural parents to point out to their daughter some place merely where she may invest a small part of her earnings in human welfare. An orphan child living in the neighborhood may be sorely in need of a new dress or school books, a lonely and aged widow may be cheered by the gift of a wall picture, a crippled child may be acc.u.mulating funds for hospital treatment, or another person may have lost heavily from flood or fire. These and many more like them may be made the occasion of teaching the girl a beautiful lesson of sympathy and sacrifice. And the sacrifice should come out of what she has acc.u.mulated through her own small business enterprise.

7. _Teach the meaning of a contract._--It is often declared that women fail to appreciate the obligations of a contract, that they will enter into a strict agreement to buy an article or to pay for another and then refuse to carry out such agreement. Merchants have been so often called on to deal with this feminine change of mind that they have seen fit to establish a custom of taking back at cost any article not found satisfactory upon trial. This failure of women to adhere strictly to the terms of an agreement has given currency to the opinion that they are naturally dishonest. Weininger in his volume "s.e.x and Character" even offers a line of questionable proof to confirm the correctness of the opinion.

But Dr. G. Stanley Hall in many of his researches shows that falsehood and deception are common and natural practices among ordinary children.

All forms of honest and fair moral and business practice are less natural than acquired. They must have actual experience, and much of it, as a basis for their becoming a permanent part of character. Hence, the so-called dishonesty of women in relation to the obligations of a business agreement--that is probably nothing more than a matter of sheer ignorance. Farm girls are proverbially lacking in business practice and in knowledge of the rights and obligations of a contract. It is obligatory upon their parents to remove such ignorance through business training.

8. _Prepare her to deal with grafters._--"The majority of his victims were women," is the statement so often read in connection with the fraudulent schemes of the exposed money shark. Millions of dollars are annually taken from credulous women by the get-rich-quick money trader.

This polite form of theft has become so flagrant as to necessitate much vigilance and many prosecutions on the part of the national government.

Widows and other dependent women are especially the sufferers.

The necessity of preparing the innocent young woman to deal with the enticing business fraud is very apparent. Two or three matters must especially be attended to in giving the required instruction. First, take advantage of many occasions to explain to the girl just how a given case is being worked, so that she may be on guard against such allurements; second, it is well to advise the untrained young woman against investing in any scheme of profit sharing that offers above a good current rate of interest.