The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1908-11-21
UHE commission appointed by
President Roosevelt to investi-
gate the conditions Of rural life
and make suggestions I'm the


gate the conditions of rural life
and make suggestions In the
line of its betterment Is having a busy
time. 1t has been engaged In exten-
slve correspondence and has been CIV
ing hearings In different parts Of the
country for the purpose Of bringing
out facts and opinions bearing on the
conditions into which inquiry is being
made President Roosevelt Is to report
to congress in a message some practical
suggestions as to what may be done
through legislation to improve the con-
dltion of rural life 1t Is not that
the American farmer as such needs up
mung more than other classe- OF iIie
population or Is In any particular dan
ger Of mental and moral degeneration.
1t Is conceded that his moral plane Is
at present a high one, but the facts
with regard to the exodus Of popula-
tion from country to city and the all
too common isolation OF rural life sug-
gest that much may be done to make
the conditions such that the exodus
may be stopped or at least checked.
The commission has received much en-
coursgement In It's investigations from
those most concerned and but little II
any criticism. This Is perhaps due In
part to the fact that all members are
so well qualified for the task In hand,
having been chosen for the part they
have already taken In work along sim
ilar lines. The work initiated by the
president In the appointment of this
commission has been said to be a
corollary to that OF the movement for
conservation of the natural resources
Of the country. The two movements
are at least closely related. As the
president himself put It in a speech In
Michigan some time ago. the products
Of the farm are OF two kinds and the
output Of good manhood and woman
hood deserves fully as much considera-
ton as the output OF hay and corn
and other crops.
Each member of the commission has
achieved a reputation for knowledge
and attainments I'm some branch Of
the work in hand The chairman. DR..
Liberty ii. Bailey, is president of the
New York College Of Agriculture at
Ithaca, n. Y. an institution which has
been very active and aggressive In de-
vising ways OF advancing the methods
Of agriculture and improving the con-
dltions among tillers Of the soil. DR..
Bailey at first declined the proffered
post on the ground that he had not the
time necessary to discharge the du.
ties. but on further consideration ac-
cepted. DR. Bailey. who Is fifty years
old and a graduate of the Michigan
Agricultural college. has been at the
head OF the New York College OF
Agriculture, department OF Cornell
university, since 1903. He was reared
on farm and has given particular at
tentlon to botany and horticultural sub
jects and TO the economics OF agricul-
ture. He was formerly assistant to
Professor Asa Gray at Harvard and
was also professor of agriculture and
landscape gardening at the Michigan
Agricultural college. Numerous works
ON subjects related to his profession
have come from his pen.
Kenyon l.. Butterfield, whose por-
trait appears at the top OF the first
column, is also an educator and the
head of an agricultural college.
He Is the youngest member of
the commission. having been born In
1858 In Lapeer. Mich. Like DIR. Bailey.
he is a graduate of the Michigan Agri-
cultural college and received from 1t
the degree OF d. s.. from the Univer-
sity Of Michigan obtaining the degree
of A. NJ. He has had a wide expert
ence in educational work connected
with agriculture and two years ago