The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-10-14

lie that 1t become not only agreeable
put attractive, and Of strengthening
rural ideals by extending and enrich
ing the whole field Of rural endeavor
mas passed the stage of discussion.
Blind indeed must be the man that
would not rivet the states attention
upon it's paramount industry, and
strengthen by every honorable means
the ties that bind the farmer to his
fields. Too long, however, has public
and private beneficence been lavished
upon the education of an Insignificant
percentage of the population to enable
the favored few to live at the expense
Of the other fellow" a4
...t Agricultural Education.
The time has arrived, however, for
a more equitable division Of the coun-
try's educational energies. To meet
the present and future needs Of pro-
duction, that most potential Of all
agencies, vital education, must, be
largely extended. For the. purpose of
the new education is not merely train
ing the mind to understand things.
but also training the hands to dc
things. 1t prepares it's students not
only to love the things Of nature, but
to, comprehend the forces of nature
and in large measures to direct them.
Man thus becomes a creator, certainly
a .co-creator in the transmutations
in animal and vegetable life that. re-
suit from his intelligent activities. To
overcome the resistant forces Of ma
ture is but responding to the divine
commission, "Subdue the earth" This
the scientific farmer does. Successful
farming, therefore, requires : high
thinking and skillful acting. No pro-
fession requires keener discernment
Or mora Ha1ipata roa SOpipp :i--
No vocation so intimately duplicates
the handiWork of the Almighty. And
yet no vocation has been more abused,
that survived and smiled in spite of
abuse, than agriculture. Once the
proud heritage of kings and the no
bility, the honored vocation of Rome's
first citizens and the, elite of cultured
Greece, yet ere Rome fell and Greece
became but a memory, a false senti-
ment unfortunately ~relegated agri-
culture to the custody Of slaves and
serfs. To live "by the sweat Of an
others brow thus had an early origin.
Moreover, those old Romans and Gre
clans systematically grated the re-
wards of agriculture for the purpose
of establishing, beginning with them
selves, a social cast superior, notwith-
standing, forever dependent upon it.
And their folly destroyed their gov
ernments. That old sentiment, how
ever, still lives.
How effectually to overcome this
false notion and reclothe agriculture
with it's innate dignity constitutes, In
large measure, the present day rural
problem. For not until farmers come
to sincerely love agriculture Cor it's
own sake; not until farmers children,
with free choice among all the pro-
fessions, prefer the farm because it
appeals to them, will agriculture come
into it's own The fact that farmers
retire to the villages and the cities
upon h slightest ~provocation, and
their children seek urban employment
in numbers out of all proportion to
Is a strong indictment against rural
conditions or rural education or some
thing else.
|. Change of Sentiment Necessary.
But how shall a more heathful
change Of sentiment be brought
about? This is the problem that con-
fronts practically every agricultural
commonwealth. It's solution cannot be
anticipated at ar early day, though 1
believe a fair beginning has been
made through the educational in
fluence Of the agricultural colleges.
When we can apply the term educa-
ton to the farmer as we do to the
lawyer, the doctor, or the engineer-in
the sense Of special and efficient
training, not only for his vocation,
but for social and political service as
Well-in short, when farming becomes
an intellectual as well a a physical
process, the, agriculture may take it's
place among the preferred -vocations.
Whatever external influences may
be necessary to produce this awaken
ing, the rural problem must be solved
from within. The farmer must as
sumo the aggressive INC act for him
self and family. He must shake off
the lethargy Of conservatism and take
the initiative when it comes to the
direction of rural affairs, simply be-
cause they are his affairs. In matters
educational, both for his own improve
ment In farm management and for the
training Of his children, he should de-
termine what financial, mean are
needed, comparatively secure them,
and in other words, farmers should
direct the appropriation of such funds
as logically belong to the rural dis
tricts and determine what is required
for their own social and economic i'm
proYement (not overlooking the farm,
home, and its requirements), as we'll
as determine the character of educa-
ton their children shall enjoy.
Farmers do not stand in need Of
charity. What they do need is intelli-
gent, systematic cooperation among
themselves. Were they to pay moro
attention to the distributing, end Of
their business, an .impossibility except
by cooperation, they could spend
twice the money that are now spend
ing for their own and the children's
education, and still be money ahead.
Being the creators of wealth, farmers
should also attend more largely to it's
distribution, even if it should become
necessary for them to make the sacri-
fee of time required to fill their pro-
p~ortionate number of places in the
government, Otherwise, farmers must
acknowledge their inferiority and sub
lection to a governing class of which
they themselves are permitted to con-
tribute no proportionate influence.
AS a, matter of fact, generally
speaking, farmers have accepted too
largely the traditional subordination
Of agriculture as related to civic and
political affairs and have yielded the
business of government almost exclu-
sively to city residents. AS a result,
rural ohildrep anhitioTs for a xjdar