The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1907-05-31

affected by the boil weeyil, In the
!. course Of the efforts to fight ii have
succeeded in developing a most scien-
tific husbandry. so that in many places
the boil weeyil became blessing In
disguise. Not only did the industry
Of farming become of very much
], greater economic value In its direct
results, but 1t became immensely more
! interesting to thousands of families
/ The meetings at which the new SUBJ
/, jects of interest were discussed grew
/ to have a distinct social value, while
with the farmers were Joined the mer-
chants and bankers of the neighbor-
hood. 1t Is needless to say that every
. successful effort TO organize the
| farmer gives a great stimulus to the
j admirable educational work which is
being done in the southern states. as
/ elsewhere, to prepare young people
for an agricultural life. 1t is greatly
to be wished that the communities
from whence these students are drawn
and to which they either return or
should return could be co.. -operatfveIy
organized; that is, that associations
+, of farmers could be organized, prf-
marily for business purposes, but also
with social ends in view. This would
mean that the returned students from
the institutions of technical learning
+, would find their environment prepared
i to profit to the utmost by the Inn
proyements in technical methods
, which they had learned.
The people of our farming regions
must be able to combine among them
selves as the most efficient means OF
protecting their industry from the
highly organized interests which now
surround them on every side. A vast
field is open for work by cooperative
| associations of farmers in dealing
, with the relation of the farm to trans
portation and to the distribution and
manufacture Of raw materials. 1t is
only through such combination that
American farmers can develop to the
full their economic and social power.
Combination Of this kind has, in Dem
mark, for instance, resulted I'm bring
ing the people back to the land, and
has enabled the Danish peasant to
compete in extraordinary fashion, not
only at home but in foreign countries,
with all rivals. t5
Agricultural colleges and farmers
institutes have done much in instruc-
tion and inspiration; they have stood
for the nobility of labor and the neces-
sity of keeping the muscles and the
brain in training for industry. They
have developed technical departments
Of high practical value They seek to
provide for the people on the farms
an equipment so broad and thorough
as to fit them for the highest require
mcnts of our citizenship; so that they
can establish and maintain country
homes of the best type, and create
and sustain a country civilization
more than equal to that of the city.
The men they train must be able to
meet the strongest business compete
tion, at home or abroad, and they can
do this only IL they are trained not
alone in the various lines of hus-
bandry but in successful economic
management These colleges, like the
state experiment stations, should care-
fully study and make known the needs
of each section, and should try to
provide remedies for what is wrong.
The education to be obtained in
these colleges should create as fnti-
mate relationship as is possible be-
tween the theory OF learning and the
facts of actual life. Educational estab-
lisfments should produce highly
trained scholars, OF course; but in
country Ike ours, where the edtrca-
tional establishments are so numer-
ous 1t Is folly to think that their main
purpose is to produce these highly
trained scholars. Without In the least
scholarship and learning
ION the contrary. while giving hearty
and ungrudging admiration and sup
port TO the comparatively few whose
primary work should be creative
scholarship must be remembered
that the ordinary graduate of our col
leges.should be and must be, primarily
q man and not scholar. Education
should not confAe. itself to books. III
must train execuepe power, and try
to create that tight public opinion
which is the most potent factor in the
proper solution of all political and So |
cial questions. Book learning Is very
important, but 1t Is BY no means
everything; and we shall never get
the right idea of education until we |
definitely understand that man may
be well trained in learning and i
yet. In the proper sense Of the word,
and for all practical purposes. be ut- I
terly uneduoHted while d man nf
eoinpa ratively little book learning
may. nevertheless, In essentials, ilavel
i good education.
'sIt IA true that agriculture in the
United States has reached very hfghi
eyeI of prosperity; bat we cannotI
tMord to disregard the signs which
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