The Morning examiner. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1904-1910, 1909-04-11
HOME LIFE ON The FARM
The Necessity Of Improvement
Possible Only by the Right
Kind of Education.

In cN-prcSidcnt Rooscvclts an
nounccmcnt OF the commission 10 study
the problems of farm life thorc ap-
pcared this sentence.
Whatever will prepare country chill
drcn for life on the farm. and what
over VIII brighten homo life in the
country and make 1t richer and more
attractive for the mothers, wives and
daughters OF farmers should be done
promptly, thoroughly and gladly
Nobody will deny this proposition,
neither can II be disputed that the
remedy for most OF the miserics Of
farm life lios In the Improvement OF
the condition OF the children. From the
children come the men and women Of
the farmers. and influence OF bad liV~
ing on the child liz plainly soen In our
farm life everywhere,
II is a fact however much VIC may
dislike to admit. that the lives OF tho
bows and girls on the farm in a ma
1ority OF cases are hard, toyless and
hopeless We have no figures 10 provo
that the gpoater number of farm chill
dren are living without pleasure and
without hope, but VIC base our state
mont upon personal observation and
actual oxpcIionoc
There are many farmers In every
state who have ample means TO i'm
prove The living conditions of their
farnilies-to provide comfortable fur
nlturc, help for their wives, education
for their SONS and daughters. but who
live mcanly and deny their wives and
children and themselves the common
comforts of life.
Nobody who Intimately knows farm
life will dony that these conditions
exist Happily education Is making its
influence felt. but 1t comes slowly.
There are thousands or farmers in
cvcrS state who live according to their
r-wards-who provide good homes. hire
help for th~ir wives educate their chill
dren md give them tho benefits of
travel and amusement, and who make
life ideal on toe farm, But these men
are in a minority and will be for a
long time TO come
The present generation Of adult
farmers who have not learned the les
son OF right living and high thinking
is hopeless. II Is useless to spend
time In trying TO drag this class out
OF tho mire.
Whatcvor movement Is started to re-
deem farm life from its squalld fea-
tures must be directed toward the
boys and girls themselves, They must
be shown how farm life can be made
desirable. They must be educated |
along new lines OF thought Hope must |
be kindled In their hearts and their |
heart hunger for clean and uplifting |
ploasures of life must be satisfied.
This is not the work of a month OF
= year. but OF a generation. And who
is 10 do IL Can congress, as cX-Presi- |
dent Roosevelt suggested, pass laws
which will help the boy and girl on
the farm to improve their condition? /
Can human sympathy and love and |
visions be manufa ctured by law3 Can |
hunger for the beautiful or longing for
the real pleasures OF life be satisfied |
by an act of congress:
AS SIr. Roosevelt truly says: This
problem OF country life Is a national
problem. We believe Il can be solved.
but only through education Of the kind
that Christ taught when he was on
earth a."
IL the country life" commission can
show us as a nation the road-eycn
though 1t be long and hnrd-leading to
the light 1t will have accomplished a
work OF human importance greater
than the freeing OF the slaves,