Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-11-03
Conservation of the Farmer

Following is a portion of the adj
dress delivered by w. J. Bryan at the
recent conservation congress at Kan
sas City:
Here is subject that must inter-
est every man who owns an acre of
ground. What right has one to impov-
erish the soil? AS was suggested
today, we are not owners, we are
merely tenants. The life of the indi-
vidual is short. He lives, he works,
he passes away. What right has the
tenant of today to impoverish the es-
tate upon which generations to come
must live? Is it not worthwhile to
have these experts tell us? 1t is not
worth while to have this fact i'm
pressed upon our minds and our
consciences? And when we come to
the conservation of the soil on the
farms, we then understand the i'm
portance of the agricultural college.
rejoice that the agricultural college
has shown such wonderful growth
and development during the last 25
years. The interest which has been
manifested in these schools is won
derful, and what does it mean? Not
merely that our farms are better
tended; not merely that our crops
will be increased in quality and in
value; that is not all. To my mind
two important influences will grow
out of this agricultural school in adj
dltion to the material advantages.
expect to see a quickened interest in
improved machinery; that these men
who go out from college to till the
soil will add more and more of brain
to the muscle when they till the soil;
| that the character of the work is
to be dignified and elevated Just as
in the factories we have found the
| character of the work constantly lift
ed up as larger and larger intelli,
gence is brought into play in our in
dustries. | expect to see this on the
farm. But more than that, | expect
to see the farmer larger political
factor in this government with the
rising intelligence of the farmer boy.
The farmer has suffered. If you
ask me why it is that we have seen
the young men drifting into the city.
why we have seen so many farms
abandoned, or regarded as less de-
sirable, l say that one of the reasons
is that our consideration has been
given to the things of the city, and
! not to Things of the country. Our
laws have been made for the factory
and not for the farm. The men who
| represent industry in the city have
| been more numerously represented
in the halls of legislation than the
men who represent industry on the
farm, and one of the results of this
higher education of our farmer BOYS
Will be, in my opinion, an increasing
influence of the agricultural classes
In all matters Of legislation. | men
ton these as some of the subjects
that are brought to our attention as
we consider the various phases of this
work of conservation. I am a believ-
err in doing everything that can be
done to make the farm an attractive
place. 1t is the nursery of our great
men and great women. 1t is the
place where We train men in indus
try, self reliance, and in character.
me man who comes nearest to ma
ture has tremendous advantage in
the years of his youth. He deals with
the works of the Almighty, while the
boy in town deals with the works of
man. Is it strange that from the
country and from country life comes
/ the strength, the purity, the charac-
ter, that help to make our cities
strong, and without which our cit
les would not be what they are to-
day?
The man who lives upon the farm
sees the miracle wrought about him
/ constantly. The man in the city
puts his eyes upon the man-made
machine; the man upon the farm
comes daily in contact with those
irresistible influences that lie back
/ of all of the products of the farm
and the orchard. 1t is a splendid
training; we can not allow 1t to be
destroyed Tributes for the farm
have come from the poets of every
/ land
Princes or lords may flourish or
! may fade,
A breath can make them. as a breath
| has made;
1ytN ~