The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-10

farm in the country. It is a problem which the working farmers will have to solve for themselves; but it is problem which also affects in only less degree all the rest of us, and therefore if We can render any help toward it's solution, 1t is not only our duty but our interest to do so.
 Appointing of Commission.
 The foregoing will, I hope. make it clear why 1 appointed commission to con- slider problems of farm life which have hitherto had far too little attention. and the neglect of which has not only held back life in the country, but also lowered the efficiency of the whole nation The welfare of the farmer is of vital conse- quence to the welfare of the whole com munity. The strengthening of country life, therefore is the strengthening of the whole nation
 The commission has tried to help the farmers to see clearly their own prob lem and to see it as a Whole to dis tinguish clearly between what the gov ernment can do and what the farmers must do for themselves; and it wishes to bring not only the farmers but the nation a whole to realize that the growing of crops, though an essential part. is only a part of country life Crop growing is the essential foundation; but it is no less essential that the farmer shall get an adequate return for what he grows; and it is no less essential-in- deed it is literally vital-that he and his wife and his children shall lead the right kind of life
 For this reason it is of the first im- portance that the United States depart ment of agriculture, through which as prime agent the ideas the commission stands for must reach the people, should become without delay in fact depart ment of country life, fitted to deal not only with crops, but also with all the larger aspects of life in the open coun- try.
 Three Great Needs.
 From all that has been done and learned three great general and imme- diate needs of country life stand out:
 l. Effective cooperation among farm CTS, to put them on level with the or ganized interests with which they do bus mess.
 ?. A 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.
 3. Better means of communication, in- cluding good roads and a parcels post, which the country people are everywhere, and rightly, unanimous in demanding.
 To these may well be added better sanitation; for easily preventable diseases hold several million country people in the slavery of continuous i'll health.
 The commission points out and I con cur in the conclusion, that the most im- portant help that the government, wheth- CT national or state, can give is to show the people how to go about these tasks Of organization, education and communi- cation with the best and quickest re- suits. phis can be done by the collection and spread of information. One commun- fty can thus be informed of what other communities have done, and one country or what other countries have done. Such help by the peoples government would lead to comprehensive plan of organi- zation, education and communication, and make the farming country better to live in, for intellectual and social reasons as well as for purely agricultural req sons.
 The government through the depart ment of agriculture does not cultivate any mans farm for him. But it does put at his service useful knowledge 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 Tine task of maintaining and developing the schools would remain, as now, with the people themselves.
 fundS TOT commission.
 The only recommendation 1 submit is that an appropriation of $25,00O be provid- ed, to enable the commission to digest the material it has collected, and to collect and to digest much more that is within it's reach, and thus complete it's work. This would enable the commission to gather in the harvest of suggestion which Is resulting from the discussion it has stirred up. The commissioners have served without compensation, and I do not recommend any appropriation for their services, but only for the expenses that will be required to finish the task that they have begun.
 To improve our system of agriculture seems to me the most urgent of the tasks which lie before us. But 1t can not. in my judgment, be effected by measures which touch only the material and tech- nical side of the subject the whole busi- ness and life of the farmer must also be taken Into account. Such considerations led me to appoint the commission on country life. Our object should be to help develop in the country community the great ideals of community life as well as of personal character. One of the most important adjuncts to this end must be the country church, and I invite your attention to what the commission says of the country church and of the need of an extension of such work as that of the Young Mems Christian assoca- tion in country communities. Let me lay special emphasis upon what the commits sion says at the very end of it's report on personal ideals and local leadership Everything resolves itself in the end into the question of personality. Neither so- ciety nor government can do much for country life unless there is voluntary re- sponse in the personal ideals of the men and women who live in the country. In the development of character 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 independent of in- come; but they cannot be realized without suf1iolent income to provide adequate foundation; and where the community at large Is not financially prosperous 1t is impossible to develop a high average per sonal and community ideal. In short, the fundamental facts of human nature apply to men and women who live in the coun- try just as they apply to men and women who live in the towns. Given sufficient foundation of material well being, the in- huence of the farmers and farmers wives on their children becomes the factor of hrst importance in determining the atti- tude of the next generation 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 If the woman shirks her duty as house. wife, as homekeeper, as the mother whose prime function it is to bear and rear a sufficient number of healthy children,