Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-08-13
Pres. Roosevelt Appoints a Com
mission to Make Special Re-
port to Him.
Big CROPS NOT ENOUGH
sf1>t Try to Make Farm Homes More
Healthy and Attractiyc-Country
schools should Educate to-
wards the Farm-Tour
Men Chosen.

bdHNHTN ana economic conditions
American farms. President Roosevelt has
requested four experts on country life
TO make an investigation into the whole
matter and to report to him with re-
lions for improvements The
report and recommendations with any
additional recommendations which tho
President himself may desire to make
Will be Incorporated in a message which
the President will send to Congress
probably early next year.
The men President Roosevelt has ask
ed to act as an Investigating committee
arc Prof. L. II. Bailey of the New York
College of Agriculture; Henry Wallace,
Of Wallacc's Farmer. Des Mo,nes. Iowa;
President Kenyon l.. Rutterfeld of the
Massachusetts Agricultural College; Gift
ford Pinchot Of the United States Forest
Reserve and Walter ". Page, editor OF
the Worlds Work. New York. In a let
ter to Prof. Bailey. ASKING him to ac-
ccpt the craftsmanship of the commits
sion. the President outlines his desires
IN the direction Of improvements on the
ARMS The letter follows:
my Dear Professor Bailey:
mo nation has ever achieved perma-
rent greatness unless this greatness was
mer class. the men who live on the soil:
Tor It Is upon their welfare, material and
moral, that the welfare of the rest Of the
nation ultimately rests. In the United
States, disregarding certain sections and
taking the nation as whole, I believe
It to be true that the farmers in general
are better off to-day than they ever were
Before. We Americans are making great
progress In the development of our agri-
cultural resources. But 1t is equally true
that the social and economic institutions
Of the open country are not keeping pace
with the development of the nation as
whole. The farmer, Is, as rule, better
Off than his forebears; but his increase In
wellbeing has not kept pace with that
Of the country whole. While the
condition of the farmers in some OF our
best farming regions leaves little 70 be
desired. we are far from having reached
30 high level In all parts Of the coun-
try. In portions OF tho South, for exam
pie. where the department of agriculture.
through tho farmers cooperative dem
onstration work OF DR.. Knapp. Is directly
lnstruct,ng more than 5000 farmers in
better methods Of farming. there Is
nevertheless much Unnecessary suffering
md needless loss OF efficiency on the
farm. A physician, who Is also careful
student Of farm life in the South. writing
10 me recently about the enormous per-
rentaRe of preventable deaths of children
due 10 the unsanitary condition of GER
vain southern farms. said:
UNHEALTHY ON THE FARM.
" Personally, from the health point OF
view, I would prefer to see my daughter,
nine years old at work In n cotton mill.
than have her live as tenant on the aver
hRe southern tenant one-horse farm. This
apparently extreme statement Is based
upon actual life among both classes Of
people
Il doubt II any other nation can boar
comparison with our own In the amount
of attention given by the government.
both federal and State. to agricultural
matters. But practically the whole Of
this effort has hitherto been directed
toward increasing the production
OF crops Our attention has been
concentrated almost exclusively on
getting better farming. In the beginning
this was unquestionably tho right thing
TO do. The farmer must first OF all grow
good crops in order to support himself
and his family But when this has been
occurred the effort for better farming
should cease TO stand alone. and should
be accompanied by the effort for better
business and better living on the farm.
II IS at least as important that tho
farmer should get the largest possible
return In money, comfort, and social adj
vantagcs from the crops he grows. as
that he should get the largest possible
return In crops from the land he farms.
Agriculture is not the whole of country
.fe The great rural interests are human
interests, and good crops are OF little
yaluc to the farmer unless they open
he door to a good kind OF lfc on the
,ariA,
A NATIONAL PROBLEM.
This problem of country life Is in the
trucst sense national problem. In an
address delivered at the semi-centcnnial
of the founding OF agricultural colleges
IN the United States "A year ago last
May, said
"'There Is but one person whose welfare
Is as vital to tho welfare Of the whole
country ms Is that of the wagcworkcr who
does manual labor; and that is the tiller
of tie soil the farmer. If there Is one
lesson taught by history 1t Is that the
permanent greatness of any state must
ultimately depend more upon the
character Of it's country population than
upnn ANYTHING else. No growth of cities
no growth Of wealth, can make mp for
a loss I'm either the number or the
character of the farming population
HALF OI'R PEOPLE ON FARMS.
The farm grows raw material for
the food and clothing of all our citi-
zens; II supports directly almost nan
Of them; and nearly half the CHILDREN
Of the United States are born and
brought up on farms, How can the
life Of the farm family be made less
solitary, fuller OF opportunity. freer
from drudgery, more comfortable, hap
pier, and more attractive? Such re-
suit Is most earnestly to be desired
How can life on the farm be kept on
,he highest level. and where It Is not
already on that level. be so Improved
iRnincd, and frightened as to awaken
and keep alive the pride and loyalty
of the farmers boys and girls, of the
farmers wife. and of the farmer him.
live on tn" farm be aroused In the emil
lren that are born on the farm? All
these questions are of vital Importance
not only to the farmer, but to the