The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-06-01
PRESIDENT THEODORE
ROOSEVELT'S ADDRESS
Continued form PAGE Nine


ness as it is problem of pros
perty. 1t has ceased to be mere
" n problem OF growing wheat and
corn and cattle. The problem OF
production nas not ceased to be
fundamental, but it is no longer
final; just as learning to read and
write and cipher are fundamental,
but are no longer the final ends of
education. We hope ultimately to
double the average yield of wheat
and corn per acre; Vt viii be a
great achievement; but 1t is even
more important to double the desir-
ability, comfort, and standing of
the farmers Ffe.
"We puSt consider, then, not
merely how to produce but also
how production effects the produc-
er I'm the past we have given but
scant attention to the social side of
farm life. We should study much
more closely thln has yet been done
the social organization Of the coun-
try. and inquire whether its insti-
tutions are now really as useful to
the farmer as they should be, or
whether they should not be given
a new direction and a new impulse
for no farmers life should lie
merely withir. the boundary Of his
farm. This study must be Of the
East and the West, the North and
the South; for the needs vary from
place to place.
"First in Importance, Of course,
comes the effort to secure the mas
terry of production. Great strides
toward this end have already been
taken over the larger part of the
United States; much remains to be
done, but Tu"h has been done ;
and the debt Of the nation TO the
various agencies of agricultural inn
provement for % great an advance
is not TO be overstated. But we
can not halt here. The benefits
of high sociGS organization include
such advantages as ease Of COM
munication, better educational fac
ilities. increased comfort of living
and those opportunities for social
and intellectual life and intercourse
of special value to the young peo-
pie and to the women. which are
as st chiefly to be had in centers
Of population. All this must be
brought within the reach of the
farmers who live on the farms, o.
the men whose labor feeds and
clothes the towns and cities.
Formers must learn the Vita
need Of cooperation with one an.
other. Next to this comes coopera-
tion with the Government, and the
Government can best give its aid
through associations of farmers
rather than through the individual
farmer; for there is no greater
agricultural problem than that Gf
to the farmer the large
body of agricultural knowledge
which has been accumulated bv the
National and State Governments
and by the agricultural soil a2os and
schools. Nowhere has the Govern
ment worked to better advantage
than N the South. where the work
done by the Department of Agri-
culture in connection with the cot
ton growers of the south western
States has been phenomenal in its
value. The farmers in the region
by the boil weevil, in the
course Of The efforts TO FIGHT il
have succeeded in developing
most scientific husbandry, so that
IN many places the boil weeyiI be-
came a blessing in disguise. Not
only did the industry of farming
become Of very much greater econo-
mic value. an its direct results. but
t became immensely more interest
ng tc thousands of families. The
meetings at which the new subjects
II interest were discussed grew TO
lave a distinct social value. while
With the farmers were joined the
merchants and bankers of the
lelgbborhood. II is needless to saw
nat every successful effort TO or.
'anlze the farmer gives a great |
tlmulus to the admirable educa-
,onal work which is being done in
he Southern States. as elsewhere
o prepare young people for an
lglTcUdural life. II is greatly to
'e wished that the communities
rom whence these students arc |
lrawn and to which thev either
'etnrn or should return could be |
'ooperatlvely organized; that is
hat associations of farmers could |
'e organized, primarily for busin,.s
purposes, but also with social ends |
II view. This would mean that
'etmned students from the institu-
,ons of technical learning wouId |
ma their environment prepared TO
'front.' to the utmost by the i'm |
'Iovements in technical methods
winch they had learned.
"The people of our farming re-
1ons must be able to combine
mong themselves, as the most Of
'clent means of protecting their
Industry from the highly organized
interests which now surround them
l