Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-10-02

brains, with the making Oh u perli1ucu.
family home, and thus can afford 10 hold
his land at value at which it can not
be held by the capitalist. who would have
to run it by leasing it or by culttyaung IL
at arms length with hired labor. In-pthee
words, the typical American farmcr OF To-
day gets his remuneration in part in the
shape of an Independent home for, pls
family, and this gives him an advantage
over an absentee landlord. Now, from the
standpoint Of the nation as a whole 1t
is prominently desirable to keep as one
of our chief American types the farmer,
the farm home maker. of the mediums
sized farm. rhiA type of farm home is
one of cur strongest political and social
. bulwarks. Such a farm worked by the
owner has proved by experience the best
place in which 70 breed vigorods leaders
alike for country and city: It Is a matter
to encourage this typs Of, home owning
farmer.
Therefore. we should Strive in every
way to aid in the education of the farmer
for the farm. and should shape our school
system with this end in view: and so
vitality important is this that, in my Opin-
ion, the Federal Government should CO.
operate with the State governments to
secure the needed change and improve
trent in our schools. 1t is significant that
both from Minnesota and Georgia there
have come proposals in this direction in
the appearance of bills introduced into the
National Congress. The Congressional
land grant act of 1852 accomplished much
in establishing tie agricultural colleges In
the several States. and therefore in pre-
pairing to turn the system of educational
training for the young into channels At
once broader and more practicable-and
what am saying about agricultural
training really applies to all industrial
training. But the colleges can not reach
the masses. and it is essential that the
masses should he reached. Such agricul-
tural high schools as those in Minnesota
ana Nebraska for farm boys and girls.
such technical high schools as are to ba
found for instance. in both ST. Louis
and WASHINGTON, have by their success
shown that il is entirely feasible to carry
in practical fashion the fundamentals of
Industrial training into the realms of our
secondary schools. At present there is Il
sap between our primary schools in cOun-
try and city and the industrial collegiate
courses. which must be closed. and If
necessary the Nation must help the State
to close il. Too often our present schools
| tend t" put altogether too great PIE
MUM upon mere literary education, and
therefore to train away from the farm
ard the shop.
We should reverse this process. Specific
training of a practical kind should be
given to the boys and girls who when
men and women are to make up the back
bone of this nation by working in agri-
culture. in the mechanical Industries, in
arts and trades; in short, who are to 10
he duty that should always come first
with all of us. the duty of home-makiHr
and housekeeping. Too narrow a literary
education is. for most men and women.
not real education at all: Tor a real
educatlon should nj people primarily Tor
the industrial and home-makng employ
ments in which they must employ the
bulk of their activities. Our country Of
1tfS unparalleied opportunities for do
nestle and social advancement. for SOci IL
and economic leadership in the world.
our greatest national asset is to BE found
IN me chiidren. They need to be trained
10 nl@h IDEALS OF everyday living. and to
nlSn eHlclency IN their respective Voca-
tons; we can not afford to have them
framed Otherwise. ana the nation should
hcip thc states 70 achleVe TINS END.
Now. men OF Iowa. L want to say lnst
WORD on a matter that concerns not the
Hta'eS OF the MISSISSIPPI valley itself.
hllt the states vest of them. the States
or me treat Plains and the Rocky Noun
tains. tntortunatclE. | am not able on
inns present TRIP 10 visit those States. or
l Should speak to their own people on the
point to which | now intend to allude
nun after all ANYTHING that affects a con-
siderable number of Americans who live
under one set of conditions. must be of
n?onent to all ether Americans. for never
iofStt. If1t'illS, mat IN tle long run We
snail all 60 up or so down together.
Ihe states OF the high plains and of tn,
mountains nav" Il peculiar claim upon M.
because TOR n number of years | lived and
Nho"lcdEe OF their people that comes I'M
der such conditions. In those States thcra
Is need OF modification of the land laws
that rave worked so well in the well-wa-
tered 1eftllc regions to the eastward, such
as those IN which YOU here dwell. Tho
enc ob1ect IN al! our land laws should al
ways ne to favor the actual settler. thA
actual nome maker. who comes to dwell
on inc land and there to bring up his
tllii'irCn 10 inherit IL after Elm. The
',oN,fh'ntht should Part with its title to
INC iani only to tho actual home-nakcr-
not |" the prollt-naker. who does not
care 10 make home Tie land should
n' s"li "u'rlSht only In quantities Sutfl-
cent .nf ucc'nt HoincS-not III huge area )
l" DC htid Tor speculative purposes or
used rs ranches. where those who do the
actual work are merely tenants or hired
nan is n" temporary prosperity of any
CLASS or men could in the slightest deere 3,
atom" for failure on our part to shape
inc laws $" that they may work for the
permanent goo 81 of the homc-makcr. This
- idnd3m"ntal. "cntl men. and is simply
carrying out the idea upon which | dwell
IN speaking to YOU of Your own farms
h"l" in Iowa. Now in many States whore
I'll" rainfall is light it is "A simple :bsur-
diIv to pxpc,t any man IN I've ..t;I Loo.
to lrirg up a family, on one hundred and
Sixty acres. Where we are able to intro
dE'H fliIation. the homestead can he
very much less in SiZc-c1n. for instance
III