Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-02-21
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
How Can the Farmers Children be
Educated to tie best Advantage.

Read by E. B. Champlin.
Our enterprising executive committee
have thought best to devote an entire
session of the Farmers Institute to dis
cussion of principles and methods in
volved in this most important of all our
lines of work, the educating of our boys
and girls. or the raising of men and
women, the grandest product of any
country. We all recognize the fact that
q country is safe as long as the standard
of excellence and intelligence in its citi-
zenship is kept IN advance of its material
greatness, and that,
Where wealth accumulates and men decay"
Too strong race after wealth
and power and neglect of the
higher life of the people, has been
the downfall of the people in the past.
Our national perpetuity and real great
ness demands that our manhood shall
keen pace with our wonderful material
n>developemsnt.
Popular education is the bed rock of
national security and prosperity. Upon
this our fathers built and the school
house and college went up along side of
the rude pioneer dwelling, store house
and work shop, as the unlettered savage
retreated farther into the forest depths,
and thus for nearly three centuries the
country school house has kept IN the very
ilIzation, while ignorance and its conse-
quent degradation have ever moved dog
gedly on before it. In these last days of
the 10Th century there is danger signal
raised, and the cry comes from some of
the older states 1.-The county schools are
going backward" The people do not
prize or support them as III former days.
Hence there is need that we should awake
to deeper interest IN these the peoples
colleges and see to it that they are made
efficient in securing the result sought,
the education of the farmers children.
This no doubt is the great question of the
day, before which all others sink into
insignlfcance.
There is, however, some difference of
opinion ae to what should be the end
sought in education, especially of farm
srs' children. 1t is thought by many
that all education should be practical,
that it should be confined to and made
to bear upon the particular branch of
business to be followed by the individual
through life, that the boy who is to be a
farmer should learn those things that
pertain to farming and that he need give
no attention to anything that does not
have direct bearing, as he sees 1t, upon
his destined profession. There is grain
~of truth in this view of the case, but it is
very far from being all true. In the first
the farm will not remain there. The pro
fessions as we'll as the ranks of business
and manufacture are being constantly
recruited from the farms. These vii
need part of their education along diff
ferent lines. But admitting that ma
jority of the children reared upon thu
farms will remain there, as it is yer.
likely best for them and for the count,
that they should. I believe it is safe t.
assume that these future farmers viii
need as liberal culture and as thorough
q developemept Of all the strong quail
ties of character, and as keen intellect
and as large a stock OF general informa
ton as any other class of American Cit
zens. The farmer is patronlzingly in
formed, especially along about election
time, that he is the bone and sinew of til
republic. This is not all fattery, how
ever 1t may be intended, but may be az
cepted as solemn fact. That being th
case the farmers children need the hes
possible preparation for the positio
which they are to occupy as factors j
this great commonwealth. The very bel
place to get this education is in the hon
and the home school if we make thel
good enough and strong enough to met
the needs of our active energetic you'll
II we do there is little danger of educa
ing the BOYS off the farm.
But what is the proper end sought
education? Education in Its truest sens
aims at the proper development of tt
powers of the individual. This involve
the healthful growth of the body with a
it's wonderful vital mechanism, lncludi1
the organs of sensation, sight, hearin
ETC., and how to use them. 1t includ.
the growth in regular stages and in
known order of the intellectual power
by which we know, reason, will and r
member, and also the growth of the NOR
sense by which we recognize our rel
lions and duties to our fellow men; al