The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-09

TH peoples hands the new and ris. knowledge of school work The tasl of maintaining and developing the schools would remain, as now, witt the people themselves.
 Money For Expenses Asked.
 The only recommendation I submit is that an appropriation of $25 900 be provided to enable the commission tc digest the material 1t has collected and to collect and to digest much more that is within its reach and thus complete its work. This would enable the commission to gather in the har, vest of suggestion which is resulting from the discussion 1t has stirred up. The commissioners have served with. out compensation, and do not recon. mend any appropriation fer their serv. ices, but only for the expenses that will be required to finish the task that they have begun.
 To improve our system of agricul. ture seems to me the most urgent of the tasks which lie before us. But it cannot, in my judgment, be effected by measures which touch only the ma terial and technical side of the sub ject. The whole business and life ot the farmer must also be taken into account. Such considerations led me to appoint the commission on country life. Our object should be to help de velop in the country community the gSeat ideals of community life as well as of personal character. One of the most important adjuncts to this end must be the country church, and I in. vite 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 association in country com munities. Let me lay special emphasis upon what the commission says at the very end of its report on personal ideals and local leadership Every. thing resolves itself in the end into the question of personality. Neither society nor government can do much for country life unless there is volun. tary response in the personal ideals ot the men and women who live in the country.
 Pies For Farmers' Wives.
 In the development of character the home should be more important than the school or than society at large. When once the basic material needs have been met, high ideals may be fkN fxNa <% cannot be realized without sufficient income to provide adequate founda tion, and where the community a, large is not financially prosperous it is impossible to develop a high aver age personal and community ideal. Tn short, the fundamental facts of hu- man nature apply to men and women who live in the country just as they apply to men and women cient foundation of material we'll be. ing, the influence of the farmers and farmers wives on their children be comes the factor of first importance in determining the attitude of the next generation toward farm life. The farmer should realize that the persa1. who most needs consideration on the farm Is his wife. do not in the least mean that she should purchase ease at woman is really happy or really useful save on condition of doing his or her duty. If the woman shirks her duty as housewife. as home keeper, as the mother whose prime function 1t is to bear and rear a sufficient number of children, then she is not en- titled to our regard. But If she does her duty she is more entitled to our regard even than the man who does his duty, and the man should show special consideration for her needs.
 I warn my countrymen that the great recent progress made in city life is not a full measure of our civiliza- tion, for our civilization rests at bot tom on the whoiesomeness, the attrac- tiveness 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 life rests ultimately our ability by meth ods of farming requiring the highest to continue to feed and clothe the hungry nations, to supply the city with fresh blood, clean bodies l and clear brains that can endure the terrific strain of modern life. We need the development of men in the open country, who will be in the future, as in the past, the stay and strength of the nation in time of war and its guid- ing and controlling spirit in time of peace.