The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1910-08-31
BETTERLNG FARM LIFE
is ROOSEVELT'S TOPIC
Former President Stops at Utica on
His Way West and Addresses Big
Gathering of Agriculturists on
Subject i'm Which He Is
Much Interested.

fuses to profit by the knowledge of the
day; who treats any effort at Improve
ment as absurd on It's face, refuses to
countenance what he regards as new
tangled Ideas and contrivances. and jeers
at all book farming" | wish l could
take representatives Of this type of farm
er down 10 Long Island. where ] live. to
have them see what has been done, not
as philanthropy but as plain business
proposition. by men connected with the
Long Island 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 expert
| mental farms, cultivatlng them intensive
| ly. and using the best modern 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 heen treated as worthless, has within
the last three or four years been proved
| to possess really high value.
| 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.
| Farmers should learn how to combine
| effectively. as has been done In industry.
| ] am particularly glad to speak to the
| Grange, for I heartily believe In farmers
| organizations: and we should all welcome
| every step taken towards increasing
cooperation among farmers. The impor-
| tance of such movements cannot be over
estimated and through such intelligent
| Joint action 1t will be possible to improve
the market just as much as the farm.
Country life should be AS attractive
as city life. and the country people
should Insist upon having their full
| representation when II comes to deal
ing with all great public questions In
other words country folks should de-
mand that they work on equal terms
with city folks in all such matters.
| They should have their share in the
| memberships of commissions and coun-
ellis: in short. of all the organized bod
les for laying plans for great enter
prises affecting all the people. I am
glad to see such bodies the names
that represent financial interests. but
| those interests should not have the
right-of-way. and in all enterprises
and movements in which the social
condition Of the country is involved.
the agricultural country-the open
/ country-should be as well represented
as the city. The man of the open
country is apt to have certain qualities
which the city man has lost. These
qualities offset those which the city
man has and he himself has not. The
two should be put on equal terms. and
the country talent be given the same
opportunity as the city talent to ex-
press itself and to contribute to the
welfare Of the world in which we live.
The country church should be made
q true social centre, alive to every need
of the community. standing for a broad
individual outlook and development.
taking the lead in work and in recrea-
tion. caring more for conduct than for
dogma, more for ethical. spiritual.
practical betterment than for merely
| ,iatp rhn trv a
far greater possibilities for continuous
and healthy usefulness than IL at pres
ent affords The country school should
be made a vital center for economic.
social and educational cooperation; IL
Is naturally fitted to be such center
for those engaged in commercial farm
ing. and still more for those engaged
in domestic farming for those who live
!. on and by the small farms they them
selves own. The problem of the farm
Is really the problem of the family that
lives on the farm. On all these ques-
tions there is need of intelligent study
such as marks the books of Professor
Bailey of Cornell and of Sir Horace
Plunkett's book on the Rural Life
Problems OF the United States"
. Conditions of Farm Life.
One feature of the problem should
be recognized by the farmer at once
| and an effort made to deal with It, II
is our duty and our business to con-
| slider the farm laborer exactly as we
consider the farmer. No country life
can be satisfactory when the owners oil
farms tend. for whatever reason. tc
go away to live in cities instead oi
working their farms; and moreover
II cannot be really satisfactory wher
I the labor system is so managed thai
t ] there is for part of the year demand
for labor which cannot be met and
D during another part of the year no de-
, mand for labor at all. so that the farm
| ers tend to rely on migratory laborerf
( who come out to work in the country
with no permanent interest in 1t and
D with no prospect of steady employ
ment It is exceedingly difficult Il
!. make a good citizen out Of man who
Q can't count upon some steadiness anc
\ continuity in the work which mean.
TO him his livelihood. Economic con
e ditions on the farm-in variety and
o kind of crop growing, especially a:
r distributed in time. and in housing FOL
[ the men-must be so shaped as to rem
der 1t possible for the man who labor:
: for the farmer to be steadily employet
a under conditions which foster his self
j respect and tend for his development.
Above ALL the conditions of farm
life must always be shaped with q
view to the welfare of the farmer
: wife and the farm laborers wife. quit'
: as much as to the welfare of the farm
er and the farm laborer. To have thu
: woman a mere drudge Is at least a!
!, bad as to have the man mere drudge
!, 1t is every whit as important to intro
= duce new machines to economize he
= labor within the house, as 1t is to In
!, troduce machinery to increase the ef
:. fectiveness of his labor outside th'
= house | haven't the slightest sympa
thy with any movement which looks
to excusing men and women for thu
s ! non performance of duty and fixes at
l. tention only on rights and not on du
n ties The woman who shirks her dut,
;. as housewife. as mother. is con
o temptible creature: just as the CORE
:. sponding man is a contemplate crea
e ture But the welfare of the woman Il
s even more important than the welfar
J. of the man; for the mother is the .rea
IS Atlas. who bears aloft in her strong
10 and tender arms the destiny of tn
e world She deserves honor and con
II sideration such as no man should re
y ceive. She forfeits all claim to thi
& honor and consideration IL she shirk
% her duties. But tho average American
l. woman does not shirk them; erd 1t 4
d a matter of the highest obligation TO
n \ rs 10 see that they arc performed un