The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-12-29
w. q. 4. .oouNrY WORK. !.


An organised county can maintain
one or more rural life engineers, writes
David F. st. Clair. in an article in the
American Review Of Reviews for JAM
uary on ''The Rural Life Engineer and
His Work" The organization Of coun-
ties began in 1900 and today there are
about eighty counties In twenty states
organized. These counties are in
charge of about 100 7. n. c. A. county
secretaries or rural life engineers.
Most Of these secretaries are college
trained men with an agricultural edu-
cation. There are about 5000 boys
and young men in these county associ-
ations. and the work directly or indi-
rectly affects the lives Of 5000. 600 peo-
pie in these rural communities
This il the outcome Of more than ten
years of the hardest sort Of toll. and
1t hardly blacks the map. yet the foun-
dalton for the greatest human conser-
walton and reclamation work ever un-
dertaken has been laid. Besides. the
religiously. socially. and economically
charted. In the New England ana
Middle Atlantic state rural initiative
has practically disappeared. The spirit
is urban, even in the most remote
county districts. and the presence OF
the large foreign element presents an
added problem to country association
work. According to the opinion of Mr..
Henry Israel, editor Of Rural Nam
hood. the rural communities Of the
Middle Western and Southern states
hold the destiny Of the United States
in their hands for the next hundred
years. Here rural power will be made
to balance urban power before many
years.
The spirit Of this resident or local
personal leadership is voluntary serv-
ice. 1t is planned to inspire all athletic
meets with this spirit. To help the 9TH
er fellow is the keynote Of the relay
races among the school boys OF q coun-
ty. 1t is made to prevail in the or
xanization of the baseball leagues and
their tournaments. 1t predominates
in the corn and tomato club contests
of the boys and girls. Registered seed
and animal prizes. instead OF cash
prizes. are awarded. Commercialism Is
taken out of sport and it is made truly
democratic and character building
Corn growing in this spirit is character
growing. A boy, in getting the scrub
out of his corn, or out Of his calf or
out of his pig. is training the SCRUB
ont of his character. The same spirit
"a injected into the churches and Sun
dav schools, The denominations are
drawn together in union meetings in
scores of ways.
But while this spirit animates the
nolicy of the association and its local
workers its dominant working princl-
nile in these rural communities. to quote
Mr.. Hill. lis to do nothing itself which
should be done or could better be done
NV another agency. 1t is the business
Of getting things done rather than as
summing to do everything in sight which
needs doing. It helps to chart the
needs, define the task. and devise ways
and means II II 10 necessary It calls
into being a new SANITATION to meet
the situation"
In organizing . county It is planned
II practical. to put an association IN
walking distance Of every boy and to
give every ten to fifteen boys in
Bible class q teacher. The value OF In
innate personal contact in all teaching
ana training is recognized as one Of the
chief factors in the success OF the
work. Tools, such as buildings. are q
secondary consideration.