The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-01-17

Outline Of an address at the Mis-
souri, State Teachers Association, st.
Louis, December 30, 1902, by Presi-
dent William Henry Black, of Mis-
souri, Valley College
The education Of the farmer is i'm
portant, not only to him individually,
but to the community, the church
and the nation. 1t is important to
the community, because a proper
education will make him a more
valuable and efficient member thereof;
to the church, because the country
church is growing in Importance as a
part of the great religious body and
requires more enlightenment and
more aggressive leaders among its
laymen; to the nation, because as
government grows more complex
a greater responsibility rests upon
the rural voter and a higher
qualification is required Of him. The
education for the twentieth century
farmer therefore should be such as
will enable him
l. To do his work better. His
work as to its efficiency, productivity,
and protitableuess is dependent upon
himself as workman, manager, and
marketer. 1t is also conditioned by
soil and climate, by roads and trans
portation facilities, by postal and
news conyeniences, and by machinery
and market places. Experience is a
good teacher, but she is also expeu-
sive. The training school and college
are in the end vastly serviceable for
time-Saving aud money-saving. The
self-made man, with an occasional
notable exception, is generally poor
job by bad workman. The tech
nical training which is necessary to
the increase Of mans resources as a
farmer can be acquired in the schools
more quickly aud more economically
than by experience. Some things can
be learned only in the school Of
experience, other and very valuable
things can be learned only in the
colleges and technical schools. Agri-
culture, horticulture, arboriculJure,
industrial science, economies, stock
raising dairying, road building and
marketing can be learned better, be-
cause more scientifically, 10 the
educational institutions. The farmer
should be an educated man, because
it will save time, money and worry.
2. The education of the farmer
should be such as to enable him tc
enjoy his work. Civilization strug-
giles for the elimination of drudgery,
Machinery has done much in this
respect for the farmer. His work /:
easier, swifter, better, pleasanter as a
result of invention. The man with
the cultivator is happier man, q
vastly higher type, than "the mar
with the hoe But there is some,
thing still higher that the school
eau give the farmer-it can give hin
the esthetic training which will
enable him to see aud enjoy the beau
tiful 10 his work and environment
The very things which the artist!
try to portray-howers, vines, trees
animals, streams, clouds, landscapes
are to be seen by him every day, aDt
more real and beautiful than AM
artist can paint them. But the beau
tiful does not yield itself to every
eye. Culture, discernment, estheti'
sense, are necessary. 1t is worth th,
cost of a college education to be abl,
to image to ones self the flow of th,
sap 10 plants, the multiplication o
cells in the growing organism, th,
sources Of and reasons for color 10 th,
fora and fauna, the history Of soil
: and rocks and minerals aud the lan6
scape. With such requirement farm
; life may yield growth to the soul, a
we'll as products from the soil
3. The twentieth century farme
I should be educated for the prope
{ rearing OF his children There az
: other things raised onfarms beside
e corn and hay and hogs Children ar
r not the most numerous, but they ar
. the most important product Of III
farm. II takes more time, moi