The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1909-02-12

nent of agriculture. through which -
prime agent the ideas the commission
eAahds Tor must reach the people. should
oeeom. without delay in fact q depart
@ent of country life. fitted to deal not
only with crops. but also with all the
larger aspects of life In the open country.
From all that has been dOae and
learned three great general and immedi-
At needs of country life stand out
FIRST, effective cooperation among
Farmers. TO put them on q level with the
organized interests with which they do
business
Second. new kind of schools In the
country. which shall teach the children
As much outdoors As indoors and per
haps more. 80 that they will prepare for
country life. and not as at present. MAIN
~ for life in town
Third better means Of tion.
Including good roads and . parcels post.
which the country people are everywhere.
and rightly. unanimous In demanding.
T" these may well b. added better San
hauon; for easily preventable diseases
hold several million country people in the
slavery OF continuous Ill health.
Duty Of the Government.
The commission points out. and con-
cur in the conclusion. that the most i'm
poitan, help that the government, whetll-
er national OF state, can give II to show
the people how to 20 about these tasks
Of organization, education and communi-
cation with the hest and quickest results.
THIS can be done by the collection and
spread of information. One community
can thus be Informed OF what other COM
munties have done, and one country OF
what other countries have done. Such
help by the peoples government would
lead to comprehensive plan of OrGani-
Zaiion. education and communication. and
mali. thx, fup tislSr Mt rr hiatt tn
in. for intellectual and social reasons as
well for purely agricultural reasons
The only recommendation l submit is
that an appropriation Of 25.00O BE- pro-
vihed. TO enable the commission to digest
the material IL has collected, and to col
l"ct and to digest much more that Ia
within its reach and thus complete Its
work. This would enable the commits
sion to gather in the harvest OF suR-
sestion which iE resulting from the dis
",Isson 1t has stirred up. The commits
sionsrs have served without compensa-
tinn, and l do not recommend any ap-
preparation for their services. but only
for the expenses that will be required
10 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 it cannot. In
which touch only the material and tcch-
meal side OF the subject: the whole bus-
ness and life of the farmer must also
be taken into account. Such considcra-
tons led me to appoint the commission
on country life. Our object should he
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 l
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
sOciatiOn in country communities. Let
me lay special emphasis upon what the
commission says at the very end of It's
report on personal ideas and local leader
ship. Everything resolves itself III the
end into the question of personality.
Neither society nor government can do
much for country life unless there is vol
Nntary response IN the persona! 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 AT 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 it 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 as they
apply to men and women who live in the
towns. Given a 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. I 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 wom-
an shirks her duty as housewife. as
home keeper. as the mother whose prime
function is to bear and rear sufficient
number OF healthy children. then she is
not entitled to our 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-
cial consideration for her needs
Welfare Of Nation at stake.
I warn my countrymen that the great
recent progress made in city life is not
a full measure of our civilization: for our
rests on the wholcsomeness.
the attractiveness. and the completeness.
as we'll as the prosperity. o: life in the
country. The men and women on the
farms stand for what is fundamentally
hest 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
telligence. to continue to feed and clothe
the hungry nations; to supply the city
with fresh blood. clean bodies. 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 guiding and controlling spir
It in time of peace.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House. February .. 1863.