Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-27

when the returns are all In. copies VIII
be furnished to each member of the COM
mission for them to study and form their
conclusions upon: In the meantime we
visited College Park. Md; Richmond. Va;
Raleigh and Athens, Ga: Knoxville
Tenn: Spantanburg. S.. CT. Lexington
KY. and several other places. From one
hundred 20 two hundred gentlemen and
ladies appeared before us at each of these
places. and gave us their opinions and
the information we require. Several white
women gave exceedingly valuable testi-
mony in several parts of the south. and
we heard many intelligent practical farm
of schools, physicians. sanitary officers.
and other gentlemen who are especially
we'll qualified opened up their hearts and
talked with the greatest frankness.
Some Things Agreed Upon.
'They agree on certain things, some Of
which are as follows:
Il. They need better schools everyw here
in the rural districts. particularly in the
south, better schoolhouses, longer school
terms, and better paid teachers.
- They need better roads. and they
want the national government to make
them.
IS. There is an almost unanimous de-
mand for postal savings banks.
Il. The farmers everywhere are exceed
ingly urgent In their demands for a par
GELS post system.
Everybody thinks that agriculture
might be made more profitable, and vari-
Gus suggestions are advanced to secure
that desired end.
But what they need In the south more
than anything else is a change in their
methods of cultivation. The condition Of
the soil in many parts of the south is
hopeless. 1t has been cultivated to cot
ton and tobacco and other exhaustng
crops for hundred years. and the humus
ing but cotton for rent or for shares, and
that compels the tenant 10 keep on grow
ing the same crop and sapping the soil
OF its fertility.
Southern Outlook Doubtful.
The south is a region OF heavy rains,
and the surface of the sloping land is
being washed down to the rivers and
filling them up until very soon the bot
tom lands will be the only part OF the
south that is susceptible of cultivation
And. Furthermore, they have grown cot
ton so long that the farmers don't know
how to grow anything else. In several
sections they are. however. being gradu-
ally educated by the experimental farms
OF the Department of Agriculture. Prof.
Knapp, who has charge of those farms
is doing d wonderful work, and every
where we found the greatest apprecia-
ton of the efforts Secretary Wilson has
made In behalf of the southern farmer.
But what makes me sad is the GER
taintys that conditions in many parts Of
the south will grow worse instead o. bet
ter If the farmers keep on raising moth
ing but cotton. And it is not vital mat
ter with them alone. The cotton manu-
faeturers OF the north and all people
who use cotton are also interested i'm the
pecuniary side Of this problem. because.
sooner or later. the yield is going to di-
minish, the factories will run out of raw
material and cotton textiles will neces-
sarily command higher prices.
Schoolhouses in Poor Condition.
THE condition Of the schoolhouses in
the SOUTH continued Mr. Wallace, lis
deplorab!e The sanitary conditions are
very bad. The churches are almost as
bad as the schoolhouses. and many Of
the farm cabins are terrible places to
live in OF 800 schoolhouses examined
only siXty-four were in sanitary condi-
ton. There IS no ventIiat ton no priyies
no other convenienceS which are consid-
cred absolutely essential to good living,
and the consequences are very apparent
in the health of the people. tuberculosis
is prevalent everywhere, and typhoid
fever especially in the mountain country.
while In the sand country the children
and many or the grown people are in a
terribly anemic condition, which is due
to hook worm That is the result of in
sufficient nourishment. badly cooked food,
unwholesome surroundings and the lack
of sanitary arrangements. Many of the
country people of the south have no idea
how to live, and the gradual degeneracy
Of The race is the consequence.
Women Doing Noble Work.
'1n nearly all the southern states pa
triotic and benevolent women have or
ganized to remedy these conditions. and
they are doing a noble work trying to
interest farmers wives In improving their
homes. They are giving instruction in
cooking, housekeeping, dressmaking, gar