The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-12-06

cial commission might map out and
organize the city's future develop
ment Tn lines of civic social service,
Just as Major L'Enfant and the re-
cent park commission planned the ar
rangement of her streets and parks.
1t Is notifying to remember that
attendance law and that careful in
quiries. Indicate the habitual absence
from school Of some 20 per cent Of
all children between the ages of 8
and IA 1t must be evident to all
who consider the problems Of neg
lected child life or the benefits Of
compulsory education in other cities
that one Of the most urgent needs
of the national capital is a law re-
curing the school attendance Of all
children, this law to he enforced by
attendance agents directed by the
board of education.
Public play grounds are necessary
means for the development of whole
some citizenship in modern cities 1t
is important that the work inaugur-
ated here through voluntary efforts
should be taken up and extended
through congressional appropriation
of funds sufficient to equip and main
tain numerous convenient small play
grounds upon land which can be Sc
cured without purchase or rental. 1t
is also desirable that small vacant
places be purchased and reserved as
small-park play grounds in densely
settled sections Of the city which
now have no public open spaces and
are destined soon to be built up solid
ly. All these needs must be met i'm
mediately. To meet them would en-
tail expenses; but corresponding
saving could be made by stopping
the building of streets and levelling
of ground for purposes largely spec
ulative in outlying parts of the city.
There are certain offenders. whose
criminality takes the shape of bru-
tality and cruelty towards the weak.
who need a special type of punish
ment. The wife-beater, for example,
is inadauately punished by imprison-
ment; for Imprisonment may often
mean nothing to him, while it may
cause hunger and want to the wife
and children who have been the vic
tins of his brutality. Probably some
form Of corporal punishment would
be the most adequate way of meet
ing this kind of crime.
Arriculture
The department of agriculture has
grown into an educational institution
with faculty of 1000 specialists
making research into all the sciences
of production. The congress appropri-
ates, directly and indirectly, six mill
lions of dollars annually to carry on
this work. 1t reaches every state and
territory in the Union and the islands
of the sea lately come under our flag
Cooperation is had with the state
experiment stations, and with many
other institutions and individuals. The
world is carefully searched for new
varieties of grains, fruits, grasses,
vegetables. trees and shrubs. suitable
to various localities in our country;
ana marked dement, TO our producers
has resulted,
The activities of our age in lines
of research have reached the tillers
of the soil and inspired them with
ambition to know more of the princi-
pies that govern the forces Of nature
with which they have to deal. Nearly
half of the people of this country de-
vote their energies to growing things
from the soil. Until a recent date
little has been done to prepare these
millions for their life work. In most
lines of human activity college
trained men are the leaders. The
farmer had no opportunity for special
training until the congress made pro-
vision for it 40 years ago. During
these years progress has been made
and teachers have been prepared
Over 5000 students are in attendance
at our state agricultural colleges. The
federal government expends ten mil
lions of dollars annually toward this
education and for research in Wash
ington and in the several states and
territories. The department of agri-
culture has given facilities for post
graduate work to 500 young men dur
ing the last seven years, preparing
them for advanced lines of work in
the department and in the state insti-
tutions.
Careful preliminary work is being
done towards producing our own silk
The mulberry is being distributed in
large numbers. eggs are being i'm
ported and distributed. improved reels
were imported from Europe last year.
and two expert reelers were brought
to Washington to reel the crop Of
| cocoons and teach the art to our own
people.
The crop-reporting system OF the
department of agriculture Is being
brought closer to accuracy every year.
1t has 100000 reporters selected from
people in eight vocations in life 1t
has arrangements with most Euro
pean countries for Interchange of es-