AB0PTIN6 A BOY The Value of a Youngster In the Farm Home Ono of our neighbors, nftcr vnlnly trying to get competent help on lila farm, exclaimed In despair: "Woll I guess I'll havo to try a children's homo and get a good, strong boy for tho farm. It seems to bo tho last lesort." Tho man in the little group to whom ho addressed his remarks that that plan would fall a'ao. Ho had seen It tried many times and It had always failed. And then tho minds of some of tho listeners ran quickly backward to tho people who had adopted good, strong boys for tho farm In days gone by. Wo remembered somo failures fail-ures and somo successes, but a certain cer-tain dissatisfaction, with tho experiment experi-ment seemed n'niost universal. I wondor why It Is that tho ndopt-cil ndopt-cil child always has to be nnd do something wonderful beforo people aro satlsflod that ho Is n success. Not long ago a. man who has placed plac-ed almost S00 dependent children In homes said to mo that when a tanner tann-er goes to him Booking n boy he always al-ways questions tho farmer pretty sharply as to his motive. When the man begins to talk about tho scarcity scarc-ity of farm labor and how much a good boy can do, dwelling particularly particular-ly on tho fact that ho can savo a man's wages most of tho year, ho usually discourages tho applicant, lint when tho farmer discusses the advantages to tho hoy of n -good homo, good school and suitnblo clothing cloth-ing nnd then he recognizes the light kind of a foster father. "Ho'll havo to work," ono man said; "we all do. Hut at tho same tlmo 1 won't overwork "nlm. I want to do moro for tho boy than I ro qulro him to do for mo." Iu that last sentenco lies almost tho whole secret of success with adopted ad-opted boys nnd girls. The men and women In our neighborhood who took boys years ago for what thoy cou'd do for the lads rather than for what tho lads could do for them, almobt all lived to see tholr foster S0113 n credit to tho community. I know there aro exceptions to tho rule, hut tho old words of the Hiiro, "Train up a child in tho wny he should go," are still true Most of tho boys who woro trained to glvo moro than they received by tho good example of charltablo men and women grow up to feel that thoy, too, owed n debt to humanity, while tho ones who wero adopted merely to save tho prlco of a hired man did not turn out so well. 1 Somehow tho dally oxamplo of trying try-ing o do somebody" had Its effect : on their llvos. , Tiiklng a "good, strong boy" for ! farm or country Is harder tiian adopting adopt-ing ii baby. Somebody has said "There Is 11 tlmo In every uoy's life when nobody loves hi in but his mo ther, and she has a hard time of It. This Is tho period when orphan boyt aro usually sought as farm he'p. Ono must havo patience and n bIii cero dcslro to help the boy If ono li going to mako him clllclcnt and lovable. lov-able. Hut from a monev standnoint Ih it profitable to adopt a boy for asslBt-nnco asslBt-nnco on tho farm? Yes It Is provided provid-ed tho farmer and his wlfo aro will lng to pay the prlco In lovo and sym pnthy and unfailing patience. A boj will leave gates open, break things, forgot and loso things, but ho If worth whllo oven from n mono) standpoint. Ho will "mako a hand" In summer nt all light work, and bo glad to do It. If n boy can drlvo 0 team ho Is as happy ns a sunflower. Ho w lit do Innumcrnblo chores mid savo thousands of Btops for tho far nior and his wife His clothes cost ory' little In tho summer, but it Is true that ho can out eat any two men on tho p'neo. When It comes to tho higher, flnci consideration, no 0110 can mensurc wiiat four or flvo years on n good farm In a good homo will do for nn orphan boy even at tho trying ugo. "My second mother" Is tho way n prosperous mnn refers to tho wnmnn who brought him up. Ho lauglilngl tells Jiow sho mado him "walk thr chalk,'.' and how he thought undo her 'administration tho chores novo wou d bo done. Hut ho also dwelh lovingly on tho way sho supplied lib boy's hearty uppotlto, mended lil clothes, mudo him go to school ov ery Bchool day, and firmly held lilm to church nnd Sunday school when he wanted to beg off. Do that farmer far-mer and his wlfo think It paid them to adopt that hcmolcss lad ready tc f.o to tho bad In town for lnrl: ot oversight nnd care? Thoy know I' did, and they havo over since ad vised farmers to do as much for or phnn children. A human llfo Is the most profltnblo Investment any rainier rai-nier can buy. And oven If succcsr should not come, ns men count sue rnnR fllnrn u-111 nlu-nva lm ilm cntle faction of duty dono nnd an honesi effort mndo to do humanity a service H'esslngs on tho farmers and their wives who want good, strong boyr for what they can do for U10 ladf and aro willing to tnko tho other part on trust! May tholr numbor lncrcaso as tho sands of tho sea un til overy orphans' homo In tho land will bo merely n p'neo of detention until proper homes can be found for rhllilrcn. Hilda Richmond In Farm nnd Flrosldo.