The Monticellonian., 1906-12-06

 is good thing 10 produce certain mum Der of trained scholars and students: but the education superintended by The state must seek rather to produce d hum dred good citizens than merely one scholar. and it must be turned now and then from the class book to the study of the great book of nature itself. This is especially true of the farmer, as has been pointed out again and again by all observers most competent to pass prac- tiCdl judgment on the problems of our country life. All students now realize that education must seek ta train the executive powers of young people and 10 confer more real significance upon the phrase dignity Of labor" and to pre- pare the pupils so that In addition To each developing in the highest degree his individual capacity for work, they may togethnr help create a right public opinion, and show in many ways social and cooperative spirit. Organization has become necessary in the business werld. and 1t has accomplished much for good in the world of labor It is no less neees sary for farmers. Such d movement as the grange movement is good In itself and Is capable of a wel-nigh infinite fur ther extension for good so long as it is kept to its own legitimate business The benefits to be derived by the association of farmers for mutual advantage are partly economic and partly sociological.
 Moreover. while in the long run Valun- tary effort will prove more efficaeious than government assistance. while the farmers must primarily do most for themselves. yet the government can also do much The department of agriculture has broken new ground in many direc- tions, and year by year it finds h0W il can improve it's methods and develop fresh usefulness. It's constant effort is to give the governmental assistance in the most effective way that is, thru as soeiatioas of farmers rather than tD or thru individual farmers. II is also striV- ing to coordinate it's work with thr agri- cultural departments ol the several states, and so far as it's own work is educational to coordinate Il with the work of other educational authorities \ s4Iil based upon general education. but our agricultural educational institutions are wisely specializing themselves, making their course relate to the actual teaching of the agricultural and kindred sciences to young country people or young city people who wish 10 live in the country
 "Great progress has already been nude among farmers by the creation of farmers institutes. of dairy associa- tions. of breeders associations hortf- cultural associations. and the like. A striking example of how the govern ment and the farmers can cooperate is shown in connection with the menace offered to the cotton growers of the southern states by the advance of the boil weevn. The department is doing all it can tn organize the farmers in the threatened districts, just as it has been doing all it can to organize them in aid of it's work to eradicate the eat tie fever tick in the south The depart ment can and will cooperate with all such associations, and it must have their heip if its own work is to be
 
 He urges the extension of the irriga- tion and forest preservation system. and asks for an appropriation for building a memorial theater at Arlington.
 Marriage and Divorce.
 As means Of bringing about national regulation of marriage and divorce he suggests a constitutional amendment. and says it is not safe to leave these dHes- tons to be dealt with by the various states Continuing on this subject he says:
 When home ties are loosened. when men and women cease to regard worthy family life. with all it's duties fully performed. and all it's responsi- bilities lived up to. as the life best worth living. then evil days for the commonwealth are at hand There are regions in our land, and classes of our population. where the birth rate has sunk below the death rate. Surely it should need no demonStra tion to show that wilful sterlity is. from the standpoint of the nation from me standpoint of the human race. the one sin for which the penalty is national death, race death, a sin for which there is no atonemcnt; a sin which is the more dreadful exactly in propor- ton as the men and women guilty thereof are in other respects in char acter, and bodily and mental powers those whom for the sake of the state it would be well to see the fathers and mothers of many healthy children well brought up in homes made happy by their presence No man. no woman
 
 whether for love of ease and pleasure or for any other cause and retain his or her self-rcsprct.
 The president asks for the enactment into law of d shipping bill that will place American interests on the seas on par with those of other countries. and urges especially that something be GOre that will establish direct steamship commit ncation with South American ports
 Currency Reform.
 Amendments to the present currency laws are asked for and after showing that present laws are inadequate because of the wide fuCtuanon of interest charges. he says.
 The mere statement of these facts shows that our present system is seri- ouslY defective There is need of q change Unfortunately, however. many of the proposed changes must he ruled from consideration because they are complicated. are not easy of compre- tension and tend to disturb existing rights and interests We must also terially impair the value of the United States two per cent bonds now pledged to secure circulation. the issue of which was made under conditions De euliarly creditable to the treasury I do not press any special plan. Various plans have recently been proposed by expert committees of bankers. Among the plans which are possibly feasible and which certainly should receive your consideration is that repeatedly brought to your attention by the pres ent secretary of the treasury. the es- sential features of which have been approved by many prominent bankers and business men. According to his plan national banks should be per mitted to issue specified proportion of their capital in notes of a given kind. the issue to be taxed at so high a rate as to drive the notes back when not wanted in legitimate trade This plan would not permit the issue of currency to give banks additional profits. but to meet the emergency pre- sented by times of stringency
 Need of Automatic System.
 T do not say that this is the right system. | only advance it to empha- size my belief that there Is need for the adoption of some system which shall be automatic and open to ali sound banks, so as to avoid all pos sibility of discrimination and favorit- ism. Such plan would tend to pre- vent the spaSms of high money and speculation which now obtain in the New York market: for at present there is too much currency at certain seasons of the year. and it's accumu- to lend it at low rates for speculative purposes. whereas at other times when the crops are bing moved there is urgent need for large but temporary increase in the currency supply. It must never be forgotten that this question concerns business men gen orally quite as much as bankers; es- farmers and business men in the west; for at present at certain seasons of the year the difference in interest rates between the east and the west is from six to ten per cent. whereas in Canada the corresponding difference is