Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-06-06
DEAN cURriss, OF AMEs, TELLS
towA>sANkERs WHY sovs ARE
LEAVING FARMS.
INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION
THE NEED OF THE HOUR
Present System Only Touches Edges Of
ProbIsm-FaIIins OF in Attendance
in Rural Schools Proof Of Thsir Dc.
fcisney-Too Much ssnsslsss Talk
About Nations Ability to Feed World.
pecial to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Cedar Rapids. June 6.-"The United
States will, not be able to hold it's place
among the Industrial nations OF the
world with anything short of COM
plete educational system OF agricultur-
al and Industrial education" declared
Dean Charles F.. Curtiss Of the Iowa
State College, to the bankers Of Iowa
at their convention in Cedar Rapids.
sin support OF this striking state
ment Dean Curtiss presented an inter-
esting array of facts and figures. They
had to do with the loss of rural popu-
| lation, with the decreased percentage
of school attendance in country and
city and with the problem of larger
food production to feed American
mouths. All Of these problems, he
pointed out. concern vitality the life of
the nation ana the solution of all Of
them. he added, depends upon the es-
Enlistment of a complete system of
vocational education in the public
schools or in special schools.
Agriculture is fundamental. Dean
Curtis pointed out. Byron" said Dean
Curtiss. gave expression to the broad
relation Of agriculture when he said:
AS the soil is so Is the heart of man.
The banker might well say, as the soil
is, so are the bank balances. More
bank balances are directly or indirect
ly traceable to the soil of the Missis-
siopi valley than all other industries
combined. There is nothing sadder nor
more disheartentng than people
struggling for existence on an impov-
erished SOIL
Decline in Schools Alarming.
Most Of the agricultural states of
the middle west have lost population
during the last ten years. leaving out
of account the large cities. This Is
not particularly alarming. but the
great decline of school population IN
both rural and city schools is more
significant and more alarming. Our
public school system and policies are
largely responsible for this loss. Sen
ator Burton of Ohio, who has the rep
utation Of having more knowledge OF
the present condition Of high prices or
the necessities now prevalent than any
other man in America, is quoted as
saying that one of the chief reasons Is
the over production of non-produc1ng
citizens, and the tendency OF people 10
become lazier mad more wasteful. so
far as agriculture is concerned, we
shall probably have relatively fewer
citizens engaged in agricultural pro-
duction ten years from now. and stu
fewer twenty years from now, than we
have today.
zone hundred years ago, 80 per cent
of the population Of the United States
Lived on the farms. Fifty years ago.
two-thirds of the population was In the
country. Today we have scarcely one
third of our population living on the
farms. AS our manufacturing ana
commercial enterprises expand, the
proportion of people in the cities in re-
lation to those in the country Will IN
crease still more. This is in itself not
alarming, provided the farming Is OF
the right kind and the land holders
heritage Is not destroyed.
Too Much ssnselsss Talk.
But this is not all Of the problem.
We have INDUCED in too much sense
less talk about the ability OF the
United states to feed the world we
will be put to the test to feed our own
people within the next ten or twenty
years. Indeed, the cry Of distress mas
already gone up, and we are now I'M
porting foodstuffs. We have done too
much exporting of raw material al
ready. With every 150,o000OO bushels
of wheat that we export, We give TO
foreign countries s2o,0O0.oo0 worth OF
foodstuffs, $15,oo0.co0 worth Of fertil-
ity, and ss,0Oo,og0 worth OF labor IN
milling. This is prof1igate waste OF
CAPITAL nal labor. If we have sur
plus we should export only the hour,
and retain the feedstuffs. fertility ano
labor for the enrichment of our own
land.
Dean Curtiss declared that no agita-
ton that merely stimulates agrlcui-
tural production will ever offer an ade-
quate solution of these great problems.
While extension work is all practical
and of mediate benefit; while plans
to put good teacher and demonstrator
In each county to promote better agri-
culture will help yet, he said, MOTH
ing short of an adequate and COM
plete system of vocational educatlon
including the trades will ever solve
this problem" He urged not only the
teaching of agriculture and nome
economics in the public schools but the
establishment of extension work by en-
cheering schools for the promotion OF
trades and industries and the teachlns
Of trades and industrial vacations IN
the public schools.
Only Touching the Edges.
While Iowa is doing much at the
present time, he pointed out, 1t is only
touching the borders Of the problem.
I'VE have over 1890 students taking
the collegiate work in agriculture ana
home economics at the Iowa State COL
lege," he said. I'VE reach about TO-
900 annually with our short course
work. we conduct county farm demon
STATIONS on dozen farms and soon
we will have $4,000 boys and girls en-
rolled in our boys and girls study