The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-02-17

make the facts that they deal with and
study about.
Away back in the missy past the
farmer got no education through books,
agricultural colleges, experiment sta.
lions or short courses The monopoly
on books then was held by the priest
and scribe and those who wore royal
clothes. The agricultural college for
the farmer was not even prophesied.
1t took centuries upon centuries before
the mind could unfold enough to even
begin to think of those things that are
useful to the farmer. 1t was only when
the people began to rule instead of
the priest and the king; it was only
when the people became the tribunal
of right. and justice that the mists be-
gan to roll away, and even then no
effort was made to improve, to in
struct, or to teach the practical things
of life. In fact every effort, every new
idea, every contribution, every attempt
made to improve or ameliorate the
condition of the masses was met with
opposition, the martyrs of the cause
often meeting with imprisonment and
death. But this martyrdom was the
beginning of education. the beginning
of knowledge. 1t took centuries of
warfare against this kind of monopoly,
against this kind of combine before a
point could be reached wherein the
common people might be allowed to
study and investigate. 1t has been but
few centuries ago that those agencies
which contribute so much to our well
fare today such as the arts and sci
ences.. were denied admission to insti.
tutions of learning. 1t is in American
institutions that most of the battles
have been fought for those things that
are useful to the farmer But has the
!. battle gone far enough? Is the evollr
tion of education for the farmer to stop
!, here9 No We are only on the TIRES
hold; we have just reached the thought
point that education and life are very
nearly one and the same thing. A
large per cent of the farmers have not
vet learned the difference between liv-
ing and existing. Those things that are
taught in our agricultural colleges,
short courses at the experiment sta
tions are very closely akin to the life
r the farmer must live. But such is not
: the case with our rural schools Our
: country schools should be the means
} of preparation for higher better and
7 completer living on the farm, such be.
l ing the case, the more closely akin the
5 country school is to the life the farmer
e is going to live the more successfully
2 have they fulfilled their mission The
safety of our country is going to de.
r pend upon the intelligence and char
{ acter of her people. 1t is going to de
pend upon her churches and her
S schools These are going to be the
army and navy that will protect us In
I the future The Israelites were moi
carried away into captivity until they
became ignorant and corrupt; as Ions
as Samuel and David fostered schools
e and churches they grew stronger ant
l stronger. Rome was not DESTROYED
d from without. but from within. Russit
: lost out with little Japan simply be
u cause of the ignorance Of her masses
Z and those serfs are today in tho grasl
- of hierarchy that is making no at
tempt to dispel their ignorance. II
Russia as in other countries. in times
past, there will have to be some mar
tyrs before the mists can be dispelled
It has always been that some had t.
. suffer for others for every step in ad
vance. The South American republic
. are in a state of turmoil today no
from the fact that they fear an inva
sion from some foreign power blu
: from the fact that their ienoranc
makes them unfit for self-government
They are unfit to use the tools tina
. have been given them.
> We are separated from other power
. by vast oceans and with over eight
T. millions Of people why need we +
1t spend millions of dollars each year 70
d battleships and standing armies whel
all history teaches rs that a nation
+ only safeguard lies in the intelligenc
' and character of her peonle. II is sim
- !pIy admitting the fact that we have no
70 reached that point Of intelligence an
\ character wherein we can dispens
with brute force. If the millions o