New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1913-01-18

task not only of making the soil
fertile. but Of increasing the JOY
and the productive power OF the
children.
"He who would dry up the
streams and leave man thirsty, ne
who would destroy the tiocks and
herds and leave man Ill hunger,
he who would darken the sun by
dav and the stars by night and
leave men longing for light, he
who would hush the music OF
earth and leave man in the mono
tonv of silence would be no less
blamabIe than is the tealher liz
the country who does not lead the
children TO partake OF the riches
of nature bestowed bountifully
upon them everywhere.
1.-The child should not only be
led to enter into, appreciate ana
master his surroundings, but he
should be taught the necessity OF
owning the land and the JOY OF
LIVING upon his own. The small
land owner is the hope OF the
race. Small land ownership Is
Fundamental. in a democracy. It's
consequences are far-reachIng.
For the truth of this statement,
contrast the happy, prosperous,
patriotic peoples Of Holland, !,
Denmark, France and Germany
with the turbulent, SOclallstlc,
landle.s, homeless, migrating peo-
pies of England, ireland, Italy
and Russia. England farms are
owned by 5000 landlord, while her
peasantry are restless an home
less. German farms are owned
an cultivated by over a million
sturdy, thrift farmers, who make
Germany great.
America is tending toward
the English system. 1t Will re-
quire generation to check the
tendency. The gospel. of small
land ownership, the evils OF the
tenant system, and the curse OF
society of the large land owner,
should be the teachings of every
country school. Louisiana and
Arkansas need the earnest pre-
sentation of this !idea. Danger
confront us. We had as well
face 1t.
"To meet the situation success
fully, you and | must help lead
more people to make the farm a
permanent home, not by telling
ne boy that the country IS a
place of ease and luxury, of beau
ty and enchantment, of love and
romance, but be frankly teaching
that it, place of serious, earnest,
difficult work and place of rare
opportunity and privilege. Give
the country boy sanitary sur
roundings, telephone, good roads.
rural mail served and through
the school the habit of work, and
earning power to make a COM
Portable living and he Will
choose his own place to live.
"But the economic side is but
one phase of the subject. | rec
ognize the Importance of teach
ing the boy to make a living, but
it is vastly more important to
help him be a man. The boy in
the Little Rock schools with
their splendid equipment OF
buildings, supervisors, teachers
and things surrounded by n
commercial and social life, all
and some times more than he
needs, should utilize thee things,
appropriate them, digest them,
absorb them,-for what Not
that he is to be contractor, a
teacher, merchant, or social
interrogation point but because
he must get hold of his surround
ings in approaching the master
of man. He should be fitted to
live in Little Rock, Chicago, Con-
way, or a Turkey Creek. He
should have will to direct and
skill to achieve, to take care of
himself wherever placed.
"The same is true of the coun-
try boy. His school should use
his environments, enrich his life
form helpful life relations and
lead him to find himself in his en-
yironments as he struggles for
mastery. a~ASwsQ
"Not back to the C ountry,
but forward to the country,
where there is room to grow,
chance to live, a call to free
dom - snIlsisl 4 (