The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-08-24

that they are far nlor,. willing and In,
deed eager 10 profit by expert and
technical knowledse-ibe knowledge
that can only come as result of the
highest education. From railways IL
factories no great Industrial concern
can nowadays be carried On save By
the aid of a swarm of men who nave
received a high technical education In
chemistry, In engineering. in electrici.
.ty and in one or more OF scores of spe.
clnl subjects.
The big business man. the big rail.
way man. does not ask college trained
experts to tell him how to run bis bisi.
ness. but be does ask plumbers of them
each to give him expert advice and aid
on some one point Indispensable 10 bis
business. He finds this man usually
In some graduate of technical school
or college in which he has been trained
for his life work
In just the same way the farmers
should benefit by the advice of the
technical men who have been trained
In phases of the very work the farmer
does. ] am not now speaking of the
man who has bad an ordinary general
trimming. whether In school or college
While there should undoubtedly be
such training as foundation tex.
tent differing according to the kind OF
work each boy intends to do us nam.
1t Is nevertheless true that our cduca.
tional system should more and more
be turned in the direction of educating
men toward. and not away from the
farm and the shop. 4
During the last half century we have
begun to develop Il system of agricul
tural education at once practical and
scientific. and we must go on dcvel.
oping 1t. But after developing 1t II
must be used. The rich man who
spends fortune upon n fancy farm
With entire Indifference to cost does
not do much good to farming: but. on
the other hand. just us little is done by
the working farmer who stolidly re.
fuses TO profit by the knowledge of the
day. who treats any effort Mt improve.
mcnt as absurd on It's face. refuses TO
countenance what he regards Us new
tangled ideas and contrIvanccs and
jcers at all book farming"
wish | could take representatives
of this type of farmer down to Long
Island. where live. to have them see
what has been done. not as philanthro.
py. but as a plain business proposition
by men connected with the Long Is.
land railroad. who believe 1t pays to
encourage The development of farms
along the line of that railway. They
have put practical men In charge Of
experimental farms. cultivating them
intcnsively and using the best mod.
ern methods not only In raising crops.
but in securing the best market for
the crops when raised,
The growth has been astounding,
and land only fifty miles from New
York which, during our entire national
lifetime has been treated us worth.
less. has within the last three or four
years been proved to possess really
high value.
Interest to Farm Life.
The farmer. however. must not only
make his land pay: but he must make
country life interesting for himself
and for his wife and his sons AND
daughters. Our people us whole
should realize the infinite possibilities
of life in the country. and every Of.
fort should be made to make these
possibilities more possible.
From the beginning of time It has
been the man raised In the country
and usually the man born in the coun
try-who has been most apt to rem
der the services which every nation
most needs. Turning TO the list OF
American statesmen. 1t is cxtraordi
nary 10 see how large II proportion
started us farm boys. But 1t H.
rather sad 10 see that in recent years
most of these same boys have ended
their lives us men living In cities.
1t often happens that the good con.
dltions of the past can be rcguIncd not
by going back. but by going forward
We cannot rccrcate what Is dead: VIZ
cannot stop the march Of events. But
we can direct this march and out of
the new conditions develop something
better than the past knew. Henry
Clay was farmer. who lived all his
life In the country: Washington was
farmer. who lived and died In tho
country. And we Of this nation ought
to make 1t our business TO see that the
conditions are made such that farm
life In the future shall not only de.
relop men of the stamp OF Washing
ton and Henry Clay. but shall be so at
tractive that these men may continue
as farmers. for remember that Wash.
inSton and Henry Clay were success
full farmers.
l hope that things will so shape
themselves that the farmer can have
q great career and yet end his life MS
farmer, so that the city man will
look forward to living in. the country
rather than the country man to living
in the city.