Evening journal., 1912-06-05
THE FARM AND THE YouNc.


~ NE the greatest drawbacks agriculture has suf
Ofered in this country has been the failure those
interested in agriculture to give farm life that ee
of interest which would hold the millions
OF bright boys and girls and young men and women.
Although born on the farms those millions found life
there commonplace and unnviting that the first
opportunity they left their homes rushed to the
and gave such congested the best they had
to offer in the way of brain and Drawn Agriculture
necessarily felt the strain Of such Wholesale
and suffered spondingy II also may be said that
hundreds of thousands Of those millions of boys and
girls and young and young would have
Jared much better had they remained the farms and
not left their parents only too often, dependent upon
ignorant and inefficient help. Delaware, in
with all other States has suffered from such condi-
tions and is suffering from. them today.
Nor can it be said that many farmers and their
wives who reared children and then unable in
spire them with love Tor farm life, wholly blame
less for the existence of such conditions In many
instances they failed TO make farm life what should
have been for the young. Deserton the cities was
a natural consequence of such failure to realize that
boys and girls and young men and young women must
have diversions stimulate their interest in life no
matter where they may be. If such diversions be lack
ing they go where they may find and enjoy them. In
other words If city life humdrum and coorless
farm life often is, and If farm life possessed
little Of the glitter and gayety that city life has, the
drift would be the city the farm and from
the farm the city. Oranges and other agricultural
organizations have done something toward making the
social side of life in the country satisfying the
young but they have done enough and the exodus
from the farm continues.
These facts have been recognized by the farmers in
Pike county Ala and hold and interest the young,
free entertainments being given in the rural COM
muntes there 1t is feature Of a campaign 20 in
duce the young remain the land and not to aban
don the farms for city life Commenting upon that
paign, b. NJ shackeford principal of The State Normal
School in Troy Pike county, and Of the leaders OF
the says in a communication he has sent to
the United States Bureau Of Education:
I'm my opinion the exodus of the younger generation
from the country to the town is at present the most
serious monaco TO general welfare. Good roads,
motor the telephone, and ruramai delivery are
improving rural conditions greatly but rural social life
does yet afford the opportunities for the commerce
Of ideas that an active reading, thinking public de-
mands Hence the tendency congregate in the CEN
population and hence this effort Of ours to at-
ford few social opportunities through course of free
entertainments"
In Pike county the entertainments given consist
largely lectures stereopcon shows and phonograph-
c selections of the lectures given night
and others in the afternoon At times dinner is sup
piled and all-day sessions are held at the schools The
Health and Medical Departments Of the State of Ala
bama cooperating with the Troy State Normal
School in the make the movement success. AS
rule the entertainers give their services without
charge, and transportation is supplied by owners of
automobiles. Confident prediction is made that the new
movement will result in hundreds Of boys and girls de
Gliding with the additional opportunities for recrea
ton social intercourse will be well for
them remain the farms.
II seems TO that the Pike county experiment might
be followed with profit by Delaware farmers, most Of
whom depore the that they keep their chill
! dren home with them under existing conditions and
that every year to the difficulty of getting proper
help to the farms