Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1909-02-25

pie - he Country fSCuOOlS diS W w soO
redirected that they shall educate their
pupils in terms Of the daily life. OPP
portunities for training toward the
agricultural callings are to be multi
piled and made broadly effective.
Every person on the land, old or
young, in school or out of school, edu-
Gated or illiterate, must have chance
to receive the information necessary
for a successful business, and for
healthful, comfortable, resourceful life;
both in home and neighborhood. This
means redoubled efforts for better
country schools, and vastly increased
interest in the welfare Of country boys
and girls on the part of those who
pay the school taxes. Education by
means of agriculture is to be a part
Of our regular public school work.
Special agricultural schools are to be
organized. There is to be well-de-
veloped plan of extension teaching
conducted by the agricultural colleges,
by means of the printed page, face-to-
face talks, and demonstration or OBJ
Ject lesson, designed to reach every
farmer and his family, at or near their
homes, with knowledge and stimulus
in every department of country life
Observation-Disclosures must. be vast
enlargement of voluntary organized ef-
fort among farmers themselves. It is
indispensable that farmers shall work
together for their common interests
and for the national welfare. If they
do not do this no governmental activi.
ty, no legislation, not even better
schools, will greatly avail The farm.
ers are nevertheless relatively unor.
gained. We have only begun to de-
velop business cooperation in Ameri-
ca. Farmers do not influence legisla-
ton as they should. They need more
fully organized social and recreative
life. %.
Spiritual Forces.-The forces and
institutions that make for morality
and spiritual ideals among rural PEG.
pie must be energized. We miss the
heart of the problem If we neglect to
foster personal character and neigh.
borhood righteousness The best way
to preserve ideals for private conduct
and public life is to build up the insti.a
tutions of religion. The church has
great power Of leadership. The whole !
people should understand that it il
vitality important to stand behind the
rural church and to help it to become
great power in developing concrete
country life ideals. 1t is especially
important that the country church REQ
ognize that it has social responsible
ty to the entire community as we'll as
religious responsibility to it's own
group of people.
Recommendations of the Commission,
The commission recommends all the
correctives that have been mentioned
under the head of 'tThe nature of the
remedies" It does not wish to dis
criminate between important meas.
ures of relief for existing conditions.
1t has purposely avoided indorsing
any particular bill now before con.
gress, no matter what it's value or OBJ.
ject. Wy .e
There are, however, In the opinion
OF the commission, two or three great
movements of the utmost consequence
that should be set under way at tho
earliest possible time, because they
are fundamental to the whole problem
of Ultimate permanent reconstruction:
these call for special explanation.
Taking Stock Of Country Life
There should be organized, as e1.
planned in the main report, under gov.
eminent leadership, comprehensive
plan for an exhaustive study or survey
of all the conditions that surround the
business of farming and the people
who live in the country, in order to
take stock of our resources and to
supply the farmer with local knowl.
edge. Federal and state governments.
agricultural colleges, and other educa-
tional agencies, organizations of vari.
GUS types, and individual students of
the problem, should be brought into
cooperation for this great work of in
vestigating with minute care all agri.
cultural and country life conditions.
Nationalized Extension Work.-Each
state college of agriculture should be
empowered to organize as soon an
practicable complete department of
college extension, SO managed as to
reach every person on the land in it's
state, with both information and in
spiration. The work should include
such forms of extension teaching an
lectures, bulletins, reading courses.
correspondence courses, demonstra,
ton, and other means Of reaching the
people at home and on their farms. It
should be designed to forward not
only the business Of agriculture, but
sanitation, education, home making.
and all interests Of country life.
Call for Leadership.
We must picture to ourselves a new
rural social structure, developed from
the strong resident forces of the open
country; and then we must set at
work all the agencies that will tend to
bring this about. The entire people
need to be reused to this avenue Of
usefulness. a new race Of teachers is
to appear in the country IA new rural
clergy is to be trained. These leaders
hfrryi1 4 u tts,s