KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 444, 1 March 1909, Page 5

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

TRAIN THE BOYS. WHAT AX OLD FARMER SAYS. M" Sir. W. Norman, the 'retired English farmer who : is .now. visiting New Zealand, has all through his farming days been 1 a thinker arid an enthusiast for progress. In' a lecture he delivered to an audience of Cumberland farmers' 26 years ago he made the following observations on the great value of Wo quote from the lecture, which' was published at the time in .booklet form:— "I now come," said Mr. Norman, "to the third or educational remedy^,and it is perhaps the most'important of, all, as without education few would be able to see the value of, or'apply, the legislative and commercial remedies. -Ignorance, as you know, is t-ho parent of prejudice. The more ignorant he is, the more he thinks be knows. It is lamentable that so many farmers are illiterate men. They may answer the'purpose of some kndjords; and land agents, who'regiird them as mere serfs or rent-paying machines. There is not much trouble in managing an estate worked by such machinery, so long as the machine is able to perform its function,, but ignorant men will never increase the prosperity of agriculture. I would urge on al! farmers, whatever elso they do, to give their children: the best education in their power.. Let them remember, whatever misfortune may overtake a man, no creditor caii distrain. on the property contained in his ' skull; If a man dies and .leaves his family well educated, he'has left them a far more valuable property in their brains than a few hundred pounds'would be in their pockets. A fortune in monej ■ may take to itself wings and fly away, out a good education is a property that no man can lose, and no thief can steal/ For my part, I don't see why farmers ought not to be the best educated men in the country. If they pursued their calling intelligently, there is no profession so well calculated to develop the intellectual faculties. Every tillage operation they perform in the fields is dependent for its success or failure on some, scientific principle, some law of nature. > It is most important, therefore,; that'they should have an acquaintance' with those" principles iipon which their practice is based. Men may betray folly by scoffing ami sneering at educat ion. but dripend upon it there is no truer in the world than that 'knowledge is power.' And if farmer's had moro knowh'l'iP l,hoy would lin.vo more power,. anil if SWT |Miner wore guided by wisdom, we should soon the ,'inncnt industry of asrir-nlliw: renew its youth, and become even morn inipnrtant and more prosperous in the future than it has ever been in the past." Very much of this will appeal to New Zeai land farmers, as it appealed to the old Northumberlanders 06 years ago.