The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-11-17
HOW HIGHER EDUCATION MAY
SERVE RURAL COMMUNITIES

The following article by Prof A. d.
Weeks, professor of education, North
Dakota Agricultural college, was pub
lished in the last issue Of The Educa-
tional Review, published in New York
under the title, Ways in Which the
Higher Institutions May Serve Rural
Communities.
The conditions prevailing in rural
communities throughout the United
States have been much discussed Of
| late. The report of the country life
commission supplied extensive ma
terial Observers agree that rural con-
| ditions are in need of attention at the
| hands of those in control of agencies
for social ameliorati0n.
It is deplorable that it has become
a common rule that the country should
be satisfied with less than the city.
The country department store has it's
full share of second rate commodities,
Anticipated styles shoddy fabrics, glar-
ing chromos, ambiguous utilities and
articles of fiimsy and meretricious
construction, many of which should
never have been manufactured for
anybody's use. Too often the country
pulpit dispenses doctrines at variance
with the best thought Of the city min
istry, and indeed the country preacher
sometimes reserves for private use the
reviving and clarifying truths of mod
ern thought, giving to his country
flock the sterile anc unprogresSive.
The teacher who would not be accept
able to the city board Of education is
held good enough for the children of
the country. In some of our counties
80 per cent of the country teachers
have had less than a high school edu-
cation, while there is scarcely fair
sized town in the state that employs
any except normal, college or univer-
sity graduates as teachers in the pub
lie schools. The towns and cities are
we'll supplied with high schools, but
the great majority of country youths
in North Dakota are from five to fifty
miles from high school, and are vir-
tually denied the privileges of modern
education.
TIC Keep From Classes.
The only way by which we may
make sure. that our society will not
cleave into castles, becoming more and
more rigid as pioneer conditions pass
away, and develop an extensive coun-
try population at social and economic
disadvantages, perhaps peasant
class. is to guarantee that the essen
tial advantages of urban communities
shall be enjoyed by those who live on
the land
The two chief agencies Of social con-
troll are education and legislation,
closely interrelated. Improvement of
rural life depends greatly upon legis-
lation. The success of trusts, private
national banks, industries based upon
patents and copyrights, manufacturing
industries favored by the tariff, and
, the various lines of business benefiting
by grants of public lands or by the
privilege Of eminent domain, has be-
! come pronounced. The success Of the
! small tiller of the soil might be SIM
! ilarIy greatly advanced by favorable
| legislation. The burden of high rates
of interest is heavy one. A vast load
would be lifted from farmers If they
| might borrow money at low rates of
! interest. as does the farmer in New
! Zealand, a country possessing gov
eminent life insurance department and
a postal savings bank, both Of which
control great sums of money for public
| benefit.
In a complex society legislation must
be looked to more and more for social
equality and justice. Now and then
| there is a cry of too much legislation
AS a matter of fact we are very mad
equately supplied with legislation
Legislation comprises the rules of the
game. 1t is the warp and wool OF
modern civilization.
Somewhat less directly, but as GER
tainly the higher institutions may
mold the laws by impressing their
sstudents with proper civic ideals. sup
plying them with pertinent, systema-
| tized information on governmental
| questions, opening up clearly the lines
of civic study and analyzing the social
i forces which to the layman are murky
4 tangle- and to the crafty means Of
i exploitation.
For a variety of removable causes
our higher institutions are doing less
than they should on the civic side, and