The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1906-12-07

cation and the facts OF life. In all
education we should widen our aims. 1t
IS a good thing to produce a certain mum
Der Of trained scholars and students;
but the education superintendent by the
state must seek rather to produce a hun
dreG good citizens than merely one
scholar, and IL must be turned now and
then from the class book to the study
OF the great book OF nature itself. This
lis especially true of tho farmer, as has
been pointed out again and again by all
observers most competent TO pass prac-
teal Judgment on the problems OF our
country life. All students now realize
hat education must seek to train the
executive powers OF young people and 70
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
opinion, and show In many ways social
and cooperative spirit. Organization has
| become necessary In the business world;
and II has accomplished much for good
In the world of iabof, II Ia no less neces.
sary for farmers. Such a movement as
the grange movement, is good IN itself
and IN capable of a well-nigh Infinite fur-
Their extension for good so long as Il Is
| kept 10 it's W legitimate business. Tie
benefits to be derived by the association
of farmers for mutual advantage are
partly economic ana parity soelo,ogio deal
tary effort will prove more etfleacious
than government assistance, while the
farmers must primarily do most for
themselves, yat tho government can also
do much. The department of agriculture
has broken new ground In many, direc-
tons. and year by year It finds how Il
can improve its methods and develop
fresh usefulness, Its constant effort Is
to give the governmental assistance In
the most effective wayi that is. thru as-
sociations of farmers rather than TO or
thru Individual farmers. II Is also strly-
g.. A. la NNEAHts M thA tnNt
| cultural departments Of tho several
states, and so far as Its w work 10
educational, to coordinate 1t with the
work OF other educational authorities.
Agricultural education is NECESSARILY
based upon general education. but our
agricultural educational Institutions are
wisely specializing themselves, making
their course relate, to the aetua, teaching
to young country people or young city
people who wish to live in the country.
Great progress has already been made
among armet ~ tse creation of
lions, of breeders associattons, horti-
cultural associations. and h like. A
| striking example OF how the govern
ment and the farmers can cooperate Is
offered to the cotton growers of the
| southern states by the advance OF the
boil weevii. The department Is doing
all 1t can TO organize the farmers in
IA u esEN A'NN'f JNhN WV ~ tAA@
been doing all It car to organize them
in aid of its work to eradicate the cat
tie fever tick in the south. The depart
ment can and will cooperate with all
their help IL its own work Ia to b.
done In the most efficient style"
He urges the extension Of the irrfga-
asks for an appropriation for building a
memorial theater at Arlington.
| hH...f... 49, rt.x~
As a means OF bringing about national
suggests q constitutional amendment, and
says 1t is not safe to leave these ques-
tons to bic dealt with by the various
states. Continuing on this subject he
says:
When home ties are loosened; when
men and women cease to regard a
! worthy family life, with all its duties
fully performed, and all Its rssponsi-
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
should need no demonstration to show
standpoint Of the nation, from me
standpoint of the human race, the one
death, rae DEATH; a sin for which
there Is no atonernent; a sin which Is
the more dreadful exactly in proper
ton as the men and women guilty
aater, and bodily, and mental powers.
those whom for the sake OF the state
1t would be well to SEQ the fathers
and mothers Of many healthy children.
by their pfesenee.. No man. no woman,
"a shirlk the primary duties of lfe.
whether for low OF ease and pleasure,
or for any other cause. and retain his
The president asks for the enactment
into law Of a shipping bill that will place
American interests on the seas on a par
with those Of other countries, and urges
wifi establish direct steamship commu-
nication 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 f~uctuation Of interest
charges, he says.
shows that u present system Is seri-
ously defective. There is need OF a
change. Unfortunately. however. many
Of the proposed changes must be ruled
hension, and tend to disturb existing
rights and interests. We must also
rule out any plan which would ma
| Terribly Impair Lut Sdtu1 VI the OnlIe0
States two per cent, bonds now pledged
to, secure circulation, the Issue of
which was made under conditions Pc
culiarly creditable to the treasury. I
plans lave recently been proposed by
expert committees of bankers. Among
the plans which are possibly feasible
and which certainly should receive
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 this
plan national banks should be per-
mitted to issue a specified proportion
Of their capital in notes OF a given
kind, tho issue to be taxed at 80 high
a rate as 20 drive the notes back when
| plan would not permit the issue OF
currency to give banks additional
profits. but to meet the emergency pre-
scented by times Of stringency.
Need Of Automatic System.
II do not say tina this is the right
system. / only advance II to empha-
size my belief that there is need for
the adoption of some system which
sound banks, SO as to avoid ali pos.
sibility Of discrimination and favorit-
Ism, Such a plan would tend to pre-
vent the spasms. of high. money and
New York market; for at present
there Is too much currency at certain
seasons Of the year., n it's accumu-
Iation at New York tempts bankers
to lend It at low rates for speculative
purposes: whereas at other times when
the crops are bling moved there is
urgent need for a large but temporary
increase In the currency supply. II
must never be forgotten that this
question concerns business men gem
| orally quite as much as bankers; es-
pecially is this true of stockmen,
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 Ia
from six to ten per cent. whereas In
Canada the corresponding difference Is
but two per cent. Any plan must, OF
course. guard the interests Of west-
ern and southern bankers as carefully
as It guards the interests Of New York
or Chlca no hanEara. and must ha