The Democratic advocate., 1909-02-12
IMPROVED FARM LIFE
PRESIDENTS COUNTRY LIFE COMMlS-
SION MAKES IT'S REPORT
Suggests Cooperation, Sanitation, and
Better Means OF Communication


port of the Country Life Commission
was today transmitted by the Presi-
dent TO Congress, accompanied by
special message in the course of which
the President says:
AT the outset | desire to point out
that not a dollar of the public money
has been paid to any commissioner for
his work on the commission.
Judging by 30 public hearings, to
which farmers and farmers wives
from 40 states and territories came,
and from 10000 answers to printed
questions sent out by the Department
of Agriculture, the commission finds
that the general level of country life
is high compared with any preceding
time, or with any other land. If II has
In recent years slipped down in some
places 1t has risen In more places.
There are three main directions in
which farmers can help themselves;
namely, better farming, better busi-
ness. and better living on the farm.
The National Department OF Agricul-
ture, which has rendered services
equaled By no other similar depart
ment In any other time or place: the
state departments Of agriculture; The
state colleges of agriculture and the
mechanic arts especially through their
extension work; the state agricultural
experiment stations; the Farmers
Union; the Grange; the agricultural
press, and other similar agencies, have
all combined TO place within the reach
of the American farmer an amount
and quality of agricultural informa-
tion which. II applied; would enable
him, over large areas, 10 double the
production of the farm
THE object of the Commission on
Country Life, therefore, is not 10 help
the farmer raise better crops, but to
call his attention to the opportunities
for better business and better living
on the farm. Those engaged In all
other industrial and commercial call
ings have found II necessary, under
modern economic conditions, TO or
ganize themselves for mutual advant-
age. The farmers OF every progress
sive European country have found In
the cooperative system exactly the
form OF business combination they
need.
government TO recognize farmers
business or reconstruct the social life
of farming communities. II is, how
ever, quite within It's power 20 use It's
influence aud the machinery OF pub
llcity which IL can control for calling
public attention to the needs and facts.
For example, II IL the obvious duty of
the government TO call the attention
of the farmers to the growing monopo-
lizatlon of water power. The farmers,
above all, should have that power. on
reasonable terms, for cheap transpor-
tatlon, for lighting their homes, and
for inumerabie uses In the daily tasks
on the farm.
1T il true that country life has Inn
proved greatly in attractiyeness,
health, and comfort, and that the
farmers earnings are higher than
they were. But city life Is advancing
even more rapidly. because of the
greater attention which Ia being given
by the citizens of the towns TO their
own betterment.
From all that has been done and
learned three great general and ing
mediate needs OF country life staUd
out. First, effective cooperation
among farmers, TO pnt them oh a
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 perhaps
more, so that they will prepare for
country life, and not as at present,
mainly for life In town; third, better
means of communication, including
good roads and parcels post, which
the country people are everywhere,
and rightly, unanimous in demanding.
To these may well be added better
sanitation; for easily preventable dis
eases hold several million country
people in the slavery OF continued Ill
health.
THE government through the de-
partment OF Agriculture does not cnl-
tiyate any mans farm for him. But
II does put at his service useful knowl-
edge that he would not otherwise get
In the same way the national and
state governments might put into the
peoples hands the new and right
knowledge of school work. The task
of maintaining and developing the
schools would remain, as now,
win the people themselves.
The only recommendation | submit
Is that an appropriation of 1000 be
provided, to enable the commission to
digest the material 1t has collected,
and TO collect and to digest much more
that is within its reach, and thus COM
plete its work. The commissioners
have served without compensation,
and | do not recommend any appro-
priation for their services, but only
for the expense that will be required
10 finish the task that they have be-
gun.
Given sufficient foundation of
material well being, the influence of
the farmers wives on their children
becomes the factor OF first importance
in determining the attitude of the
next generation toward farm life. The
farmer should realize that the person
who most needs consideration ON the
farm is his wife If the woman shirks
her duty as housewife; as home keep
er, as the mother whose prime func-
ton IL is TO bear and rear a sufficient
number of healthy children, then she
is not entitled to our regard. But IL
she does her duty she is more entitled
TO our regard even than the man who
does his duty; and the man should
show special consideration for her
needs.
II warn my countrymen that the
great recent progress made In city
life is not full measure of our civili-
zation; for our civilization rests at
bottom on the whoiesomeness, the at
tractiveness and the completeness, as
well as the prosperity, of life In the
country. The men and women on the
farms stand for what is fundamentally
best and most needed In our Ameri
can lifep 8EfREs@ fI