Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1909-02-11
ON COUNTRY LIFE
spec.AL MESSAGE FROM WHITE
HOUSE 70 coMoRess.

prseldent ouoSssts oseial and ovsl.
neeo improvements Ser shs osns.
nts % the ossilsr in Aer;.
cultural Communities.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES the re.
port Of the country life commission
the president sent = special message
to congress. substantially ~ follows:
To the Senate and House OF Represent
atives: I transmit herewith the report
| OF the commission on country life. At
the outset desire to point out that not
. dollar Of the public money has been
paid to any commissioner for his work
on the conmission
| The report shows the general condition
~ farming life In the open country. and
/ points out its larger problems: II indi-
| Gates ways in which the government, ma
tional and state. may show the people
| how to solve some Of these problems and
1 u suggests continuance OF the WORT
(, which the commission began.
| The object OF the commission on coun-
| try life. therefore. In not to help the
| farmer raise better crops. but to cali his
/ attention to the opportunities for better
business and better living on the farm
] II country life IL TO become what Il
| ~ will be-one OF the most di4nined, de-
sirable and sought-af ways Of earn
. ltving-the farmer must take advan-
| tage not only OF the agricultural knowl-
edge which 10 1t his disposal. hut of the
methods which have raised and continue
TO raise the standards of living and In
teilieence In other callings.
Those engaged In all other industrial
and commercial callings have found 1t
necessary. under modern economic con-
ditiOns to organize Themselves for mu-
tual advantage and for the protection Of
their own particular interests in rela-
ton - other interests.
Now. whatever the state may do to-
ward improving the practice of agri-
culture. Il 10 not within the sphere Of
any government to reorEanixe the farm
efs' business or reconstruct the social
life of farming communities. 1t IL. how
| ever. quite within it's power to use lie
influence and the machinery OF publicity
| which II can control for calling public at
tenton TO the needs OF the facts. For ex-
| ample. II IL the obvious duty OF the gov
eminent to call the attention Of farmers
| to the growing mOnopOltsatiOn Of water
| power. The farmers. above all should
have that power. on Reasonable terms. for
cheap transportation. for lighting their
| homes. and for innumerable uses In the
daily tasks Of the farm.
Necessity Tor ce-operation.
The cooperative plan 10 the best plan
OF organization wherever men have the
right spirit to carry u out. Under this
plan any business undertaking IL man.
aged by . committee; every man has
one vote. and only one vote: and every
one gets profits according to what he
sells or buys or supplies 1t develops In
dividual responsibility and has \ moral
a. we'll as = financial value over any
other plan.
desire only to take counsel with the
formers ~ fellow citizens. II IL not the
problem OF the farmers alone that 1 am
discussing with them. but a problem
which Affects every city ~ we'll N every
farm In the country. II IL q problem
which the working farmers will have to
solve for themselves: but II II problem
which also Affects In only less degree all
the rest Of W. and therefore II we can
render any help toward its solution. 1t 10
not only our duty but our interest to Do
%.
From all that has been done ana
learned three great general and immedi-
ate needs Of country life stand OUT
First. effective cooperation among
farmers. to put them on level with the
organized interests with which they do
business.
second. a new kind Of schools in the
country. which shall teach the children
~ much outdoors as indoors and per-
haps more. 20 that they will prepare for
country life and not ~ 1t present. main
u for life In town.
Third. better means OF communication.
lncludlng good roads and . parcels post.
which the country people are everywhere,
and rightly. unanimous In demanding.
To these may we'll b added better SAN
itation: for easily preventabIe diseaaes
hold several million country people in the
elavsry OF continuous III health.
70 0eveiep Country Community.
70 improve our system Of agriculture
seems to me the most urgent Of the tasks
which Ne before ue. But Il cannot. in
my Judgment. be effected by measures.
which touch only the material and tech-
meal side of the subject: the whole. busi..
ness and life OF the farmer must also.
be taken into account. Such considers
tions led me to appoint the commission
ON country life. Our object should b
to help develop In the country c0mmu-
nifty the great ideals of the community
life ~ well ~ OF personal character. One
Of the most important adjuncts to this
end must be the country church. and
invite your attention to what the COM
mission says of the country church and
OF the need OF an extension OF such work
~ that OF the Young Mems Christian as
ISOLATION in country communities. Let
me lay special emphasis upon what the
commission says Vt the very end Of its
report on personal ideas and local leader
ship Everything resolves itaelf In the
end into the question OF personality.
Neither society nor government can do
much for country life unless there IL vol
untary response In the personal 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 Vt large.
When once the basic material needs have
been met. high ideals may be quite in
dependent Of income; but they cannot 10
realized without sufncient income to pro-
vide adequate foundation. and where the
community At large 10 not financially
prosperous II 10 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 ~ they
apply to men and women who live In the
towns Given . sufacient foundation Of
material we'll being. the influence of the
farmers wives OH their children b.
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
wife. do not In the least mean that she
should purchase eese 1t the expense OF
duty. Neither man nor woman V really
happy or really useful save on condition
% Doing his or her duty. II the WON.
an shirks her duty ~ housewife. %
hens keeper. ~ the mother whose prime
function 10 to bear and rear suMcient
number OF healthy children. then she ID
| not entitled TO our regard. Hut II she
Aoes her duty she 10 more entitled to OUT
regard even than the man who doea
| his duty: and the man should show spe.
| cial consideration for her needs.
Weharo Of Nation q Stake.
warn my countrymen that the great
recent progress made In city life 10 moi
| . full measure OF our civilization; for Out
civilization rests ON the wh0lesomens0
the attractiveness. and the completeness
- we'll ~ the prosperity. OF life In thu
country. The men and women on the
farms stand for what In fundamentally
hest and most needed In our Americas
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House. February q -.
An elixir o. LIE.
IAN annuity is the best elixir O