The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-03-19
Conference on Rural Progress
In Kingston Today.
MANY PROMINENT SPEAKERS.
Practical Methods Of Bettsrlng Religious
Conditions Education and Farming Were
Explained TO Representative Gathering.

meeting OF vast Importance to the
country districts was held today at
Kingston by the cooperation OF six or
eanizations OF widely differing purposes
with the College OF Agriculture and Me-
chanics Arts in the Congregational
church. These cooperating organizations
are the state board agriculture state
grange, state association OF school super
,ntendents. state federation Of churches.
Washington County Agricultural society
and the Kingston Village Improvement
society.
The morning session commened at
about 10:45 and there was a very large
number OF people from the country sec
tions from all over the state In attend
ance. coming by rail- 10 Kingston station
and being transported by the teams OF
the college to the church, or else driving
In from their farms. availing themselves
OF the facilities arranged for by the COM
mittee at the college stables
Hon Rowland q. Hazard, president OF
4 the Washington County Agricultural SO
ciety. was the presiding officer. ana
briefly explained the purposes OF this
Conference on Rural Progress and out
. lined the plans for lettering and broaden
He introduced as the first speaker OF
the day Rev. Levi r. Edwards. diocesan
missionary OF the Episcopal church, who
spoke on The Religious Situation I'm
Rhode Island"
CONDITION OF CHURCHES.
In his remarks Rev Mr. Edwards spoke
o. the growth OF the Protestant churches
during the last so years, stating that the
increase In the number OF communicates
has been I'D per cent, while the growth
OF the population has been 100 per cent
lover the number at that time, but the In
|lcrease In the population had been chiefly
My immigration OF people that were not
Protestants.
The last Federal census shows tnat
1.-TWO thirds of the population OF the tate
lis OF foreign parentage he stated and
demonstrated by tables of figures how the
migration OF the people of the farming
Ipdistrtots 10 manufacturing centres had
depopulated the rural sections and de-
I.pleted the churches, He indicated on a
,hart ne had prepared the various sec
Mons SO depopulated and said many or
. nhe mon who went out were now promi-
I'hent professional men and statesmen,
Ityhile those who remain are old people
whom the homestead Is dear and ex-
. beet to end their days there
Though there are about 50 meeting
|
he land area OF the state there are but
I hine resident pastors. regularly ordained
aoinisters who have the larger villages.
IN conclusion he told OF the difficulty In
letting good ministers TO bury thcm-
elves" as Il Is termed I'm those sections
Rernon e Helme. superintendent or
chools at South Kingston. was the next
peaker and he spoke in an interesting
ranner on conditions in the Country
;chools I'm Rhode Island
Is FARMING PROSPEROUS?
A particularly interesting paper was
elivered by Hon. John q. Clarke OF West
Kingston. secretary Of the state board OF
griculture on the topic us Farming
Prosperous in Rhode Island?' In part
o said:
.',rhirty years ago. scattered all over
his state were little villages. each OF
jyhich had It's cotton or woolen mill In
ssTO. the town Of Exeter had seyen OF
hese establishments while today she has
one Exeter is not alone. All OF our
8ountry towns, especially those OFT OF
railroads nave witnessed the passing
,yay OF their manufacturing industries.
when all these little mills were run
ling the farmers In their immediate vlcin-
y had n ready market for their milk.
hitter. eggs and vegetables without hav-
hg to ship them away 10 distant cities.
br what the village people could not use
yas taken to the mill store and sold
traded for goods from the store which
ne farmers did not raise but had to
ave.
THUS the village store became n sort
q commission house, buying and selling
harm products. and shipping II TO the
ty markets. taking all OF that respon
bilty and experience from the farmers.
tho in the end were TO be the losers by
.ot knowing how 10 handle their goods.
MARKET WAS GONE.
"As competition forced these little
Establishments out OF business. the peo-
be drifted. as did the business. to the
ties and large towns. With them went
ot only the retail markets Of the farm
:. but the wholesale market as we'll
pr the country store could not live on
be profits gained from handling farm
roduce and were Obliged to close. Thus
he farmers marekt was gone, and ne
ust look elsewhere for n place to sell
is produce.
"In the town OF Little Compton we find
grand illustration OF what can be and
being done in the poultry business.
here are still many farms which can be
ilized along this line. TO the great adj
intage OF the state and the farmers.
lhs is an industry which does not de-
ana as QUICK transportation as some
hers, and Is therefore adapted 10 those
rms that are a long distance from rail-
81. ads.
The dairy Industry has greatly In
eased during the last few years.
Other farmers are turning their at
ntion TO raising hay for market There
probably no more paying crop today
an hay, and no better hay market in
q world than Providence.
Near the cities and large villages.
nrket gardens are very profitable. In
10 there were 4S73 acres OF vegetables
ported. This does not include potatoes
d onions. which alone were valued at
arly million dollars. large per-