The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-07-26

The attention of f. w. Foote, vice
president of the First National Bank
of Commerce was called to an article
In the Saturday Evening Post, in
which it was shown that through the
efforts of the state bankers associa-
ton the state fair board, the agricul-
tural colleges and the public schools
of Oregon, $4,000 school children had
been enlisted in industrial and agri-
cultural competition this year, Slim
ulates by prizes of various kinds. Mr..
Foote became at once greatly interest
ed in the subject and in discussing it
said:
ITO think of seventy-five thousand
children being inspired to enlist them
selves in agricultural pursuits. Think
of the enormous amount of actual val
ne in what they might produce. to say
nothing of the development they OBJ
tain aud the general good done to the
country by the fact that greater inter-
est will be established thereby in ag-
riculture, and these young people will
by their efforts become more firmly
and fixedly attached to the noble call
ing which is of the greatest import
ance in view of the fact that such a
large percentage of young people are
disposed to leave the farms.
"This educational work is doing a
great deal for the country; especially
for the South. attended a bankers
meeting in New York last month, and
banker from Minneapolis made a
very stirring speech on the subject
of business men taking mere interest
in the agricultural development of the
country He stated that Minnesota
has been losing ground steadily for
years in the production per acre.
whereas certain sections have been
growing in that regard due to the
fact that the people In these sections
We're taking more interest, and were
consequently pursuing more intelligent
tactics. He referred to Mississippi as
the most prominent example of what
could be done, and the nice things he
said about Mississippi made me feel
good. He referred to the fact that 1t
had not been long since the West fed
Mississippi, but showed what change
had come about, and stated that the
increase of corn per acre in Missis-
sippi within the past few years has
been forty-five per cent. We know
we can do great deal better, and
when we get through and show him
what We can do, he will be amazed.
'The eyes of the entire country are
fixed on the South, and don't think
anything has helped us more in re-
cent years than the Boys Corn Clubs.
Little things often stimulate the minds
to greater interest, and sometimes
little thing will inspire activity on
the part of great many powerful
minds, and in that way the work Of
the Boys Corn Clubs has been great
blessing,
An ignorant farmer leads life Of
drudgery He does not like the farm,
ne does not like other people, he is
against the Government and conse-
quently unhappy. An intelligent farm
err is really a scientist. He loves his
work. his mind is active, his obser-
vations are broad, his conceptions are
splendid; he is a student; he is more
moral than any other type Of man.
consequently better citizen, and he
is happy because he Is succeeding.
and people who succeed see great
deal OF good in the world and in other
people they are sympathetic and are
always willing to lend helping hand
suSA people are great blessing. and