The Elbert County tribune., 1909-02-11
POINTS OUT IMPROVEMENTS
FOR COUNTRY COMMUNITIES
Special Message Of President Of Utmost Inter-
est to Farmers.
Urges That Social Well Productive Side of Farm Life
Be Built Up--Work for the Federal
Department.
Department.

ment OF agriculture. through which as
prime agent the ideas the commission
stands for must reach the people. should
become without delay In fact a DEPART
ment OF country life fitted to deal not
only with crops. but also with all tho
larger aspects Of life in the open country
From all that has been done and
learned three great general ana immedi-
ate needs of country life stand out:
First. cnec;iVe corporation among
farmers. TO put them on "A level with the
organized Interests with which they do
business.
Second. n new kind OF schools In the
country. which shall teach In. children
as much outdoors us indoors and per-
haps more, 80 that they win prepare for
country life, and not as at prcHent. main
ly for life In town.
Third. better means of communication,
Including good roads and a pdrccS post
winch the country people are every Uhcre,
and rightly. unanimous In demanding
To these may well be added better san
itation, for easily preventnbie discusses
hold several million country people In the
slavery Of continuous III health.
Duty Of the Government.
The commission points out and con-
cur In the conclusion. that the most Inn
portnnt help that the government, wheth-
er national or state. can give is to show
the people how 20 go about these tasks
OF organization. education and communi-
cation with the best and quickest results
This can he done by the collection and
spread of Information. One community
can thus be informed of what other com
inunities have done and one country of
what other countries have done. Such
help by the peoples government would
lead to IA comprehensive plan Of orsani-
zation, education and communication and
make the farming country better TO live
in for Intellectual and social reasons as
well as for purely agricultural reasons.
The only recommendation I submit is
that appropriation of SIS 900 be pro-
vided. to enable the commission 10 digest
the material II has collected. and to col
lect and to digest much moro that Is
within It's reach. and thus complete its
work This would enable the commls-
sion to gather in the harvest n Hug-
gestion which is resulting from the dis
cussion II has stirred up. The commits
sioners have served without compensa-
ton. and do not recommend any APP
preparation for their services. but only
for the expenses that will be required
TO finish the task they have begun.
To Develop Country Community.
To improve our system OF agriculture
seems to me the most urgent OF the tasks
which lie before us. But IL cannot. In
my Judgment, be effected by measures
which touch only the material and tech
meal side OF the subject. tile whole bufl-
ness and life Of the farmer must also
be taken into account Such considrra-
lions led NC to appoint the commission
on country life Our object should be
to help develop In the country commu-
nifty the great ideals OF the community
life as well as OF personal character. One
of The most important adjuncts to this
end must be the country church. and
invite your attention to what the com
mission says of the country church and
of the need OF an extension of such work
as that of the Young Mems Christian as
ISOLATION in country communities. Let
me lay special emphasis upon what the
commission says at the very end OF itn
report on personal Ideas and local leader
ship. Everything resolves itself In the
end Into the question of personality.
Neither society nor government can do
much for country life unless there is vol
untary response In the personal ideals'
of the men and women who live In the
country. In the development of charac-
ter. the home should be more important
than the school, or than society Mt large
When once the basic material needs have
been met, high ideals may be quite IN
dependent of income: but they cannot be
realized without sufficient income to pro-
vide adequate foundation; and where the
community. at large is not financially
prosperous II is Impossible to develop
high average personal and community
ideal In short. the fundamental facts
OF human nature apply to men and wom-
en- who live In the country just they
apply to men and women who live In the
towns Given sufficient foundation OF
material well being, the influence of the
farmers wives on their children be-
comes the factor of first importance In
determining the attitude of the next gen-
Grafton toward farm life. The farmer
should realize that the person who most
needs consideration on the farm is his
wife do not'in the least mean that she
should purchase ease at the expense OF
duty. Neither man nor woman Is really
happy or really useful save on condition
OF doing his or her duty. II the worn-
shirks her duty housewife.
home keeper. as the mother whose prime
function is to bear and rear sufficient
number OF healthy children. then she is
not entitled to regard. But II she
does her duty she is more entitled to our
regard even than the man who does
his duty; and the man should show spe-
ciai consideration for her needs
Welfare Of Nation at Stake.
/ warn my countrymen that the great
recent progress made In city life IN not
full measure of our civilization; for our
civilization rests on the wholesomeness.
the attracuveness. and the completeness.
as well as the prosperity. OF life In the
country. The men and women on the
farms stand for what is fundamentally
best and most needed In our American
life. Upon the development OF country
lift rests ultimately our ability. by meth
DDS OF farming requiring the highest in
teIligence. to continue to feed and clothe
the hungry. nations: to supply the city