The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-12-19
MORE BABIES ON FARMS
New England AsrcuIturists Must
Raise Employees.

RAISE employees.
Springfield, Dec. 19.-The country
life commission appointed by Pres
ident Roosevelt to investigate the prob
lens which confront rural communi-
ties held its first New England SEES
sion in the Myrick building, here
Thursday. More than score Of
speakers from Western Massachusetts
Connecticut and Vermont expressed
their views before the commission,
and suggestions were offered for the
social, moral and agricultural uplift
of the farming communities.
The commission, consisting of Liber
ty II. Bailey OF Cornell University,
chairman; Kenyon c. Butterheld, pres
I ident of the Massachusetts Agricul-
tural college; Henry Wallace of Iowa,
Walter H. Page of New York and Gf-
ford Pinchot of the United States for
estry bureau arrived here from Utica
n. Y, shortly after noon and after be-
ing entertained at dinner opened the
hearing
1t was very evident from the speech
es that the great need in New England
country life is more educational adj
yantages along agricultural lines, It
was brought out that the Libraries,
churches and schools need to stand to.
gether and in this manner a remedy
for the waning interest in country life
will be found. Chairman Bailey said
the commission had found the same
complaint wherever hearings have
been held
Herbert Myrick, who called the
meeting to order said In spite of what
the newspapers say, New England is
not decadent, though there are many
serious problems that confront us.
For one thing we need more help and
we must raise this help. In other
words, we must have more babies on
the farms and fewer in the slums We
also have too many churches in our
rural districts. We want less church
iani,y and more Christianity"
In welcoming the commission. J. l..
| Ellsworth secretary Of the state board
of agriculture, spoke of the urgent
need of more cooperation among the
farmers Of New England He touched
on the taxation and freight problems
and in closing spoke Of the need Of
| Americanizing the foreigners that are
taking up the abandoned farms in the
hill towns Of New England.
President Butterfeld Of the Massa-
chusetts Agricultural college, outlined
the work of the commission saying:
1T is not the purpose Of the commits
sion to give advice bat to discover the
actual conditions in the farming com
munites. Are your children being
satisfactorily educated? Are you get
ting satisfactory prices for your pro
duce? Are your churches doing all
they can for country life?"
J. II. Hale, a fruit grower of South
Glastonbury, Ct, threw some bouquets
at Connecticut saying more corn is
grown to the ,acre than in any state
in the Union and that the farm prod.
ucts are being sold for higher prices
than in any state in the Union.
F. h. Duffy OF West Hartford. Ct.
spoke Of the grange as a great factor
in the social life. William p. Brooks
of the Massachusetts experiment sta
ton at Amherst said the tariff Is OF
vital interest to the farmer.
H. H. Burbank Of Wilbraham said
, the tax on growing timber should be
abolished. The Rev. c. II. Moss OF
Maiden spoke gf the tumbled down
buildings in the farming communities
and said the remedy is in schools
( The Rev. w. l.. Anderson OF Amherst
editor OF the Country Town. spoke on
the struggle the country church Is
having.
Miss Anna Tarbell OF Brlmhelt
dwelt on the benefit OF the town II
r brary to the community She said
] the town spirit is on the wane and
r the remedy is In the library, schoo
and church.
Among other speakers were T. l.
Kinney OF South Hero, VT, Prof. L. A
Clinton OF Storrs, CT, Prof. c. S
Phelps OF Chapinville, CT, Prof. c. l.
, Beach. president OF the Connecticut
} Agricultural college, r. W. stinson
Of Northampton. director Of the Smith
} Agricultural school. and W. J. Blan
! chard Of Ludlow.
The commission will hold another
, session in Boston tomorrow. which
, will be attended by Representatives
from eastern Massachusetts, New
} Hampshire and Maine.