Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-12-28
SHORT COURSE IN ALL COUNTIES
Commercial Clubs of Iowa Will Ask
Legislature to Provide for
Education of People.

Why this shrinkage in the rural
population of Iowa? Why this ex-
odus of Iowa's best young people to
the cheaper lands of the west and
northwest? Why this leaving the
farm for town and city life?
The only way to make Greater
Iowa is to get down to brass tacks
and answer these questions.
The young Iowa farmer is of the
opinion that farming in Iowa is i'm
possible for him because land has
reached such high figures, or else he
is of the opinion that a city job pays
better than farming anyway Such
notions get into the heads of the
Iowa young men because their
schooling has been sadly neglected.
Iowa is having it's vitals eaten out
by landlordism. Iowa has been sell
ing out to the man of means. Iowa
has grown fat and lazy. And be-
cause of this the rural school has
declined, the rural church has large
ly been abandoned, and the Iowa
farm is fast running down at the
heel.
Tenantry is mining, not farming,
soil robbing, not scientific agricul-
ture. And who is to blame? Who
suffers the loss? We all are to blame
and We all pay the penalty in cold
cash.
With a vitalized school, a rural
school that is right next to nature,
there will be wonderful awaken
ing along agricultural lines. There
will be something doing by the next
generation if We can but reach the
souls of the boys and girls and get
them in love with rural life. But
how can we arouse an interest in a
better rural school. where none
exists, where families are few and
tenants at that.
Something must be done right
soon. We've got to jump into the
middle. of this problem and work
both ways. We've got to reach the
farmer of today because he is the
principal actor. We've got to get
at the farmer of yesterday because
he is the landlord who causes the
trouble. We've got to wait bit for
the farmer of tomorrow to get into
the game.
This is why we need an appro-
priation of 100000 so that short
courses in agriculture and domestic
science can be put in every county
The short course is live wire. Ev-
erybody who comes in contact with
it gets a shock, gets gingered up.
1t reaehses beneath the ipdiffer-
ence of the landlord and makes him
want to see his farm better cared
for. He then encourages his tenant
to better farming by longer leases.
He may get shaken out of his laZi-
ness so that he goes back to the
farm himself. He more willingly
parts with few acres to someone
who then becomes an interested land
holder. 1t reaches beneath the hope
less tenant and puts him in the way
of making enough profits so he may
own farm. 1t reaches beneath the
boys and girls and lifts them up in
their own estimation and makes ag-
riculture look like business in
stead Of a drudgery to run away
liOhis II SClo inlO IhC cCHOOi plOD-
lem and the church problem until
the people say to the superintendent
and the pastors, Get into the game
or climb onto the bleachers."
In short, if Iowa spends little
money for short courses throughout
the state, Iowa will remain the gar
den spot of the world. Farming will
be a business and the rural popula-
tion will increase. The schools will
once more ring with the shouts of
children and the hitching posts
around the country churches will be
crowded with teams Iowa will then
get back in a hundred ways what
she spends for short courses. We
will not hear the reproach, Whats
the matter with Iowa?"
There is no salvation except
through education. We have put the
big schools on a pedestal so far
above the common people that there
is no hope for the masses except We
carry the schools direct TO the peo-
pie. Less than three per cent ever
go past grammar grade in school.
What are we going 10 do for the 81
per cent? Reach them at home with
short courses until the day comes
that we have created a rural school
worthy of the name.