The Newtown bee., 1908-02-14
The Newtown Bee
 Newtown. Friday February lt les'
THE HOME CIRCLE
PRINCIPAL SOLDIERS ADDRESS.
TIMELY RURAL TOPICS.

NbnoFaHNA AsNbAHhe VI Nt N'NatN VI of speech are necessarily brief and are frequently misleading. Remarks quoted from here and there, and taken not of their context are quite likely to fall short of the speakers thought, es- pecially when that context has been boiled down so that every sentence is needed to give the complete meaning of the address.
 Our readers will be interested to see the accompanying abstract of Dr Scud- ders' remarks at the Y. M. c. A. ban quet in New York recently, which will be found to be quite different from the newspaper accounts. As the subject is of great importance, few words of preface to the abstract will not be out of place.
 Dr Scudder's idea is that the rural population of any country is its most important element. No nation can ex- ist long unless it has a vigorous, patri- otic, happy farm population. But as everyone knows, our country has been rapidly losing this population. How can this draft on the nations vitality be checked? Only by making life more attractive. Ulster county and New Paltz, N. Y, are now trying with considerable success to do this. Peo- pie everywhere are glac to hear about it, for who isn't interested in hearing how country life can be made whole some and kept so for all its youth?
 But the problem is far broader than this. The terms rural" and "coun- try" mean very different things in different sections. A statement that is entirely applicable to farming sec tion or to country villages in say the mountain regions of eastern Tennes- see, or perhaps nearer home, should not be considered as ''personal' by residents of the many cultured rural communities of which this nation is so justly proud. Stop a moment to consider. The varied rural communi- titles of this land of ours: Think of the mountain whites and the Georgia "crackers think of the sparsely set tied population of the far west. of the rude mining settlements and lumber districts, perhaps fifty miles from any railroad, think of the black belt of the south, the half-civilized Indians, the undesirable immigrants, / and others who are dispersed over our agricultural districts east, west, north and south, some perhaps nearer than we like, and remember that these are part and par eel of the rural problem. Something must be done for them. With schools and churches feeble or extinct, or unheard of, no worse places would be conceived of in which to bring up child ren. Yet for the, sake of our national welfa they must be made wholesome. For they will do nothing; they must be reached by vigorous efforts from with out. It is problem big enough to re- quire the united efforts of all good people, and upon its solution depends the very existence of our nation.
 Now in all social efforts. it is impor- tant that one thing-the greatest thing in the world-should not be lost sight of, namely, that, the aim of every un- dertaking should, in it's final outcome, be the promotion of individual and com munity righteousness. Whatever men are dong or are planning to do, will be of value only as they produce "regen- erated personalities. Preaching alone will not do. They must also be reached through their homes and by their schools, thus making their environ ment intelligent, comfortable and at- tractive. Then you can make de- mand on them for righteousness and get a hearing. All this, of course, calls for reconstructed school and a revitalized church.
 How to promote the welfare of child ren in rural districts:
 Among all civilized peoples the coun- try boy has proved to be the nations most valuable asset. In America he has loomed into startling prominence. It is estimated that upwards of 60 per cent of the men and women mentioned in Who's Who are from the rural dis tricts. Splendid humanity has always been one of the staple products of our farm lands.
 A contented rural population is es- sential to the welfare of a nation. A nation develops power in proportion as its people remain in contented prosper ity and in large numbers on its farms. Undermine the welfare of the country districts, allow conditions of rural life to be such as to breed discontent, to drive people away; destroy or even se- riously injure this great reservoir of manhood, character and patriotism and