The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-04-14
THE RURAL SCHOOL QUESTION.
A Federation of Forces Required t
 Solve It.

Solve It.
 The rural school question is one of the liveliest topics to-day among farm 1 CTS as well as educators. Opportunities | for agricultural education have had 1 marvellous development within a de-
 cade, Discussion about rural church l federation rural institutional churches, rural social settlements, and even eX- periments in these lines are becoming
 noticeably frequent. The Young Men 1 Christian association has it's officers 1 think, found the way to reach the couh- ! try young man. This marked awaken
 ing naturally leads enthusiasts Wlthlh
 each institution to think that their spe- l cial institution is the one all-suii1cleht | force for preserving or improving rural l life. Ministers are saying occasionally
 that the church must be the center or /, all the religious, social, intellectual and esthetic life of the rural commun- 1 ity. Once in while an educator in- sists that the rural school ought to be the agency that binds together the neighborhood with respect to things so- cia and intellectual and progressive. And now and then q member or the grange seems to convey the Idea that
 given a strong grange in every country community, the whole circle Of rural needs will be subserved.
 Now all these earnest men are partly right. And it is most fortunate that each institution has such ardent adVo- cates within it's ranks. It is further true that in many localities some one of these institutions. when well developed, will be the leaven of the neighborhood. But if we regard the farm problem as a whole, we must concede the necessity for a we'll balanced growth of all these institutions-the church, the school, ana the farmers organization-in order that the religious, the educational, and the technical, economic and political needs of the farmers may be fostered.
 If we once acquire this broad view of the rural social status, the most nat ural question in the world is: Can we not secure both the spirit and the form of cooperation among these institu tions, so that each may understand its true province and appreciate the func ton of the others?
 The method of securing this federa- llOu Ol ellOIl IS IlDl easy lO lOItStt' It can be determined only by trial. It must be worked out in harmony with varying conditions. Some very gener- al plans at once suggest themselves G) Let the agricultural college in each state take the lead in the movement, acting not so much as an organization as a clearing house and a go-between. Let it direct conferences on the subject, and seek to bring all who are interested in rural affairs into touch and sympa- thy. @ Have a League for Rural Progress" made up of representatives from the churches, the agricultural col leges, the departments of public in- struction, the farm press various farm CTS organizations, etc. (3) Enlarge the "Hesperia movement" which now seeks to secure cooperation between school and farmers organization, by including in it the church.
 It is perfectly obvious that the first and most important step in bringing about fedration of rural social forces is to educate all concerned to the de- of such a federation-to sow the seeds of the idea.-Kenyon l.. But terfield in Review of Reviews.