| Show farmer burrit hun sun it and his library farmer burrit wasa was a plain honest husbandman who had been brought up very much as his fattler rather and grandfather had been before him that is eitl juat knowledge enough to make him a respectable tiller of jle je jie soil for several when wilen farm work was slack lie haul had hail been sent pent to a country school and having some aptitude lie ho learned to read redd mid mud write tolerably well and to cast up simple accod accounts ants there his lite literary rury education ended and hence clience fordi fords his energies were devoted to that kind of labor which is so necessary to make a practical farmer on oil the tile death of lib its thrifty futher hither lie ile li entered into possession of a fittge and good farm furns and in III d due til ill time mal mat married ried at tile tiie he time to which we now rear lie had six bix t MX ix children all young soung who lio llo iio had lud come into the world li alternately ite ile rn a ely boys bosand and girls and their father lather never id re reamed am e d of til ill ir being brought if up in a any ay other tway gway ay til ali thin n is ills lils ancestor ancestors s ill lil hid tle ble been n each one ne was a destined to receive a little schooling und to do a good deal deil of work suited to their respect respective lye iya ages A As 8 is u unhappily the tile case with too many arm hou houses se there was but a dim light in fit that dwelling there was ao 10 so thought of cultivating the tha higher filc faculties ulti alti of its inmates they were to go through tiie tile dull plodding life of those who had preceded pieced d them and although the farmer had a good family i bible dible arid and psalm book his liis library consoled of some few ragged rigged elementary schoolbooks school books with the necessary annual ul almanac manac j it was in III this slite elite of affidi affairs rs that an intelligent neighbor who had turned his liis al aten alen attention tion lion from u cit busi busl business to farming with the tho view of recruiting r cr 1 his lii iri health became acquainted wili mr air j burrit burnt and deeply interested iu its his ins family the j confidence lie he inspired and the ilia kindly feelings i j he manifested made liim him a welcome visitor and I 1 i gave him hint no small influence j I 1 in it the course of many conversations lie threw throw out occasional hints about the proper braining of children and the ild iid advantages vantages resulting from cul cut tiva ting their mental faculties and moral powers although he lie found farmer burrit and ills his wife wire rather dull scholars who with d faculty could look beyond the narrow sphere in ill which they 1 themselves had llad been educated he lie was nevertheless gess dess encouraged to give them line upon line and pre pro j capt upon precept taking advantage vintage ad of what he j supposed a favorable opportunity he engaged ono oue day in III the llie following conversation with the tile farmer neighbor burrit I 1 was thinking today to day that you were one of our most substantial and thriving I 1 farmers J thank you I 1 am pretty well to do in the tile wo world ald but it is because I 1 work I 1 have llave no idle idie folks about me inc no true friend burrit and it is com cum commend ible ibie in lyou you sou but you will excuse me if I 1 siy siv S sly siy ly I 1 lave baye felt some sonie surprise that you have not all the implements w aich a good farmer should have I 1 though I 1 gurss if you yon will look about find I 1 have all I 1 need well I 1 have been looking about and I 1 have is not of found half a dozen good books in the house oh it and what do I 1 want with books the use of them I 1 guess they cant teach me farming your book farmers arent worth much always trying try ing something new and coming rout gout out with short crops all ail ali ahl but friend burrit books teach many good and useful things besides farming and to tell you ithe the lruth truth I 1 really think they would be very useful thour your children whom I 1 know you yoli iove lve and ami jroud would like ilke to see a little more intelligent than llian their neighbors j now if you yon would spend dirty uty nty dollars doharr in good books I 1 will make suc sue such I 1 1 a selection as I 1 am mire mira would be instructive to your children t whew fily dollars laid oat bojt on oil booko win S you mus be joking no I 1 am not nol I 1 never was more serious in ill my my S ilfe life my aly onty only motive for suggesting it is the ll 11 interest I 1 feel in ill your family and I 1 will promis promise you that if at the end of six years yon you 3 on repent of tiie ilse purchase I 1 will refund the tile fifty dollars with full interest for tila the whole time farmer burrit looked puzzled af lle lie respected his neighbor he knew him to be a good cooj frien dand although lie thought the suggestion a foolish ow vet e I 1 I 1 he e was a touched at the kind int interest elest express d is in his liis child children rn adler after a si ence of some minute as if khe lie lle knew not what wint to say he replied well weil well I 1 will think of it I 1 A das day lylor mylor or two afterwards the same friend visited isit the far farmer merand ind before ile lie had had time timp to return to the conversation the farmer said 11 have been thinking of or what vou said and out of respect to you here aro are tile fifty dollars for the bocks books its a foolish adt aft affair dir air and I 1 like to have it get abroad but added lie lle laughing ill hold you to bour promise of paying principal and interest in terest lerest at I 1 tiie ie end 0 of f six y years ears I 1 ean can cant it lose in much teli tell Is ky y the iti iii ii vestment 1 i his friend took t 0 a money with great pleasure and lie he saw that a new light was about to daili on oil farmer burrets Bur rits household honse house hord the books werey purchased besides some good religious regions I 1 ool ook including several ile lie had teda choice volume or two on oil agriculture alid and g garden girden ardell ing several severi severr il oil on general history ane ani natural history la a lew few good books of tr travels travel avels avelt and various other oilier books some to entertain ent erlam alid others to thought 1 in indue due time they were properly disposed an fn m a PA little case and aud the kenil k nia nil friend already familiar with willi the children now new carefully showed thein thoin how books were to tobe lobe be used enticed them to read and even made them promise to pend spend some of their leisure time in finding out aliat the book books contained after some difficulty he ne got thing into a right train both lith boys and girls girts began to bar ber interested we pass over two years the seed had been beert fan flown waa was thee e a any ny prospect of a ha harrest harvest riest no noi lle ile lie ile can pass mr barrila Bur rita rila farm without perceive perceive fiig improvement the extern il aspect of I 1 hie tie lie old homestead has ilasa a mute mure cheerful and com corn appearance appear anc instead of the straggling hird und unsightly objects which used to be been seen mrtin tid the house everything every thina thing has a tidy tilly look tiie ille grass is growing the tiie flowering shrubbery creeps up the wails wills and adorns the llie pathway the vegetable garden is tn fit letter heller taste the ornamental the tiie useful mid find gives evidence that thai ti the e youngsters oun of the tha family have ibave been studying tile tiie I 1 looks boks cui rui rd ening A glance inside shows a regulated family bd maid maro mare obedient and well dressed children vartiter 1 arter burrit burril a that alomus Tl omas omus his hasl oldest boy bos ha pot out of liis his books J which has lias saved orand lamorand lab luli improved his crop crops f other oher years yeara pass and the tilo is still more mora vima vlma vi fiille ua ille mr burrit rather ti shamed of his deficiencies has ben bem be n re read adine inc inz and marvellous marcellous marv ellous to ilits eli ell tell liis iris spent an flat additional fitly filly dollars in books hooks a lils ills conversation has become more intelligent ho ila knows sorn something ethin besides firmin firt niaz and his hib hilj whole manner maliner has his undergone a favor ibie ible change the religious books have accomplished their mission y religion dwells dwelis in that household and basits has hag ia rittar there thero there cin bo be no complaint that books hooks have rendered the children idle for the they hafif hare been a it new stimulus to industry ta the farrin farm prospers more than ever and the th e farmer has gando abandoned ned his lils prejudices am ag dinst the val vat valious vallous ious fous imi prove ments in implements and has 3 obtained a good insight ins I 1 gh t into the tile advantages of 0 agricultural chemistry mrs burrit burril has become proud of her girls and a boys boy and well she shaa may be for there are none like them ia in the neighborhood BO so sensible so re tined tilled in manners fo st to duties GO so 1 anxious to excel presbyterian B |
