The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-04-17
COUNTRY LIFE OF TOMORROW,

fore the Southern Iowa Teachers AS
ISOLATION at Iowa City last Saturday
! Professor Bailey is a member of the
national Country Life Commission ap-
pointed by President Roosevelt and
| is recognized as one of the most
eminent agriculturists and horticul.
turists in the United States in point
! OF scientific attachments. In his ad.
dress he touched in an Illuminating
way on rural school problems, santa.
ton, personal hygiene and the better
ment of health
The keynote of the address was
that better kind of country life than
! the present is necessity in rural dis
I tricts. Professor Bailey explained that
what he meant by a better country
Z life is rural civilization that is
capable of satisfying the best ideals,
and that is able to hold the center of
ones interest throughout life. 'Pri-
marily, it must be profitable in
money; but it is not good civiliza-
ton until it develops good social and
educational institutions of its own,
directly from the resident or native
forces. and until it appeals both to
youth and old age because OF its in
trinsic attractiveness and advantages.
The speaker predicted that civiliza-
ton of this kind will be the country
life of tomorrow.
In mentioning some of the things
that the open country lacks and needs
Professor Bailey cited first of all as
the most apparent deficiency the lack
of effective rural institutions such as
really live and progressive social or
CARNATIONS, churches and schools. In
some country communities these de-
/ ficiencies are not marked; but, on the
whole the rural social structure is
undeveloped, and even some of the
most prosperous and profitable agri-
cultural regions are the most barren
| of social and intellectual resources.
All these are of course dependent on
the earning power of the farmer; and
this earning power is conditioned on
the freedom and fairness with which
the farmer may conduct his business
in comparison with other men. In
this connection Professor Bailey said:
The middleman system needs to be
overhauled and the abuses removed.
This ought to come about through the
operation of public service commits
sion or similar body The inequali-
ties of taxation should be evened up.
The determinations in transportation
rates and regulations must be cor
rected by the constant oversight OF
some competent authority. Parcels
. posts and postal savings banks must
be provided. a useful system OF
agricultural credit and banking needs
to be worked out. Injustices in gen
eral legislation that bear specially
heavy on the farmer need to be cor
rected. Monopolistic control o.
: streams. forests, lands, and other re
sources must be regulated. Good high
: ways and other means of communica
. ton are to be provided. Sanitary con
ditions are to be studied and super
vision provided for public health il
the open country. Intemperance mus
be reduced The labor and immigra
ton problems as they affect agricul
ture are in great need of thorough
II study. The woman's part In farm lif,
must be redirected The scenery at
Effectiveness of the farming countr,
must be appreciated, and the land
scape features preserved and improv
:. ed. A new rural architecture mus
l. be DEVELOPED. There is the creates
i necessity for more fundamental, &C
6 curate and understandable knowledge
:. of the processes of farming, to th'
end that perfectly rational agricul
e ture may be developed Sir Horace
J. Plunkett has said that the rural need!
" are better farming, better business
V and better living How to bring abou
n these ends is now the problem; bu
4 1t is certain that the essentials of The
. problem are these: % better knowl
:, edge; % better education CD bet
= ter and completer organization; G.
y quickened social and spiritual forces.
s The remainder of the address was
e devoted largely to a thoughtful con
o sideration of these factors. particu
e larly as they entered into the health
!, problem in the open country and the
education problem The rural dis
tricts. 1t was pointed out, cannot de
velop their greatest possibilities un
= ~ eNSl ~ plecduiiUH is taken 10 pre-
s serve the health of the resident in
y habitants This is nowhere more
|. marked than in the necessity of con
= serving the farm supply It was sug
4 gested that the excessive death rate
: among children, which obtains III
d some parts of the country, may be a
}, direct cause Of scarcity OF farm labor
I We must also develop strong and re
e sistant bodies at maturity in order thai
n the real work Of the farm may be wei
} accomplished. Public health is one
s OF our greatest natural resources. as
/ important to conserve as iron, Goa
n or timber.
d Professor Bailey also called atten
$ ton TO the fact that the sanitary con
e dition Of the open country is likewise
n of the greatest Importance to the city
! and town. From the country is de
e rived water milk. and nearly all the
: food consumed in the cities. The con
e dition of these supplies is of the