Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-08-02
COUNTY SPORTS
MAY Be REVIVED
Speakers at Dekalb Praises
Hushng Bees and Plow-
ing Contests.
SEE SOCIAL LIFE HELPS
Examples of Good Achieved Through
United Effort in Various
Places Shown.

DeKalb, ILL.,, Aug. 2.-Old-fashioned
husking bees and blowing matches are
needed in every rural community of
Illinois for the betterment of country
life, according TO speakers at the sec
ond annual conference of the Illinois
Federation for Country Life Progress,
which convened at the Northern Hi
nois Normal school here last evening.
From the enthusiasm aroused in
such contests, they declare, will most
easily develop the social interests so
necessary to the future welfare of the
farm. Wheatlands famous annual
blowing match, established 33 years
ago in that Will county town, was
cited as an example, and pictures of
Uncle" Jimmie Patterson, who start
ed the contests there and of William
Fairweather, present worlds cham
pion plowman, were shown upon
screen in the course of lecture upon
the development of that particular
community
OTHER EXAMPLES CITED.
Examples OF the good achieved
through united effort in other COM
munities were given. Dupage in Will
county, Rock Greek in Menard county
and Clear Creek in Putnam county
were the communities, the work of
which farmers throughout the state
were asked to emulate. Cooperation
of the church and the farmer was ad-
vocated and Miss Lynette Thompson
Of Plainfield described the accomplish
ments in this respect in Dupage.
There a little Presbyterian church six
miles from Naperville and opened in
1909 gives lecture courses each win
ter and attracts about five hundred
country folk to each meeting.
The novel fact that in Putnam
county the farmer boys do not go to
! the town school, but the town boys go
to the country school, was brought out
| by Willis Mills, director of the COM
munity schools there, which are said
to be the finest of their kind in the
United States. This community"
was established nearly a century ago
| by group of Pennsylvania Quakers
/ They built their church and in 1873
| opened a grange hall, where farmers
now assemble every two weeks to dis
cuss questions of mutual interest.
FAfter the grange hall. which has q
rural museum, came the consolidated
| school. which has $1,000 building
and offers a regular four-year high
school course.
HOLDS STUDENTS, INTEREST.
In this school such interest is main
tanned among the young people that
two-thirds of the high school pupils
are boys, according TO Mr. Mills. This
fact is declared extraordinary in rural
schools.
Rural tea parties for the women and
girls and athletic games for men and
boys were asserted to be the reason
for success of the Rock Creek com
munity in uniting its residents for the
general welfare. r. E. Bone of Peters
burg told of its accomplishments
DR.. John w. Cook, president of the
Northern Illinois Normal school. and
former president of the National Edu
cation association, welcomed the dele
gates, representatives of the state
:: oranges and various county organiza
, tons and normal schools. He intro
, duced Miss Jennie Buell., lecturer OF
/ the state grange of Michigan, who dis
. cussed the higher idealism of country
, life. Miss Buell. declared that fnan
, cial satisfaction is no longer adequate
for country life.
WOULD AID SOCIAL LIFE.
: If the farms of the nation are tC
improve, she said, and the countr,
boys and girls kept on the farms their
social life must be considered. Sh,
spoke of the community school ide;
and the various country meetings
: blowing matches, fairs and lectur,
: courses.
e SOX BUY ERNIE JOHNSON