The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-01-12
BOYS And GIRLS.
Supt. Dodds Heartily Favors Move
ment In Their Behalf.

That the Mahaska County Farm
ers' Institute will be materially
strengthened by a movement which
will tend to interest the younger folks
in the annual gathering is the opinion
of County Superintendent J.. p. Dodds,
who expressed his iedas to a repre-
sentative Of the Herald last evening.
"The solution of the problem of how
to keep the boys and girls on the farm
lies in another problem" said Mr..
Dodds, "and that question, so vital to
the Mahaska county farmer, is, how to
interest the young folks in the farm
work and teach them to love their
work and respect it. / am strongly
in favor of anything that will tend to
strengthen the Mahaska County Farm
ers' Institute, and / heartily endorse
the Herald's plan Of organizing clubs
among the boys and girls of the coun-
ty to interest them in the institute
and the things of the farm. These
clubs would be an adjunct to and I'M
der the general supervision of the in
stitute. They should form a part Of
it. Competition certainly fosters an
interest among all people and premi-
m for work done by the younger
farmers and products raised by their
labors will stimulate an intense in
terest among the young people. 1t
will be an experiment and there will
probably be only partial successes
for the first year or two, but the first
Farmers Institute in this county was
an experiment. 1t has since grown to
be a part Of the life of Mahaska coun-
ty. The wealth of Iowa is in agricul-
ture and although Mahaska county
owes much of her present wealth to
mineral conditions, yet the future lies
largely in the cultivation of the fruits
Of the soil.
can organization to interest the
younger ones in the Institute would
. provide a way for the sons and daugh-
tiers to step more readily into the
places now occupied by fathers and
mothers in the Farmers Institute. It
would tend to p~erpetuate the Institute
and to build it up. The older mem
bers as they stepped out of the lead
ership in the organization would hand
their interest down to the young.
1.-THE movement is vital. 1t means
added life,-new life to the Institute.
The children of the farm should be
taught to love their work and to honor
it from the moment they can realize
the importance of agriculture in the
wealth of the county or nation. A
love for the farm and for nature
should be fostered in the rural schools.
At the last two Normals we have had
"a special instructor in Nature Study
to impress upon the country teachers
= the value of the country life. Pro
fessor Cameron, who taught last year,
showed the economy of nature, and
the usefulness in the birds and insects
and field flowers and weeds in the
scheme of Out-o.Doors.
r Taught in the schools to love their
heritage, the young people should be
given a part in the Institute. Through
the proposed clubs this would be pos
sible. 1 should like to see these
clubs meet in conjunction with the
Institute. There would be special
exhibits, a special program and the
younger ones should have their dis
cussions, in which the advice of the
older heads might be freely given.
: ITO further the interests I should
approve of closing the rural schools
during the Institute, that the young
folks might better attend. 1t might
be advantageous for the teachers to
be present.
!; Yes indeed, 1 am heartily in favor
: of interesting the young folks in the
Institute. 1t would foster a love for
the farm home and it would add new
vitality to the older organization
And / heartily endorse the Herald's
movement to secure their interest
through the proposed clubs"
Notice of Application For Permit to