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

Az ldEBS HuLiDeTS ZOE TIE AlULS. CASAI
ing, ever IL more dangerous, environ
ments of city life. Moreover, the limit
ed5education that Is provided for rural
children relates but lightly to things
rural or that are of interest to %coun-
try youth. They get little beyond the
mere rudiments of an elementary ed
ucation in the country schools. The
influence of the teacher, the sentl-
ments% contained in the textbooks, and
the atmosphere Of the schoolroom.
moreover, all breathe eloquently OF
characters eminent in the. political and
business world and Of things desirable
OF attainment to be found-not, in the
country--but In the great centers OF
population. Is 1t any,wonder that our
rural children flock into the cities
Wnen We thus inspire them to do sol.
Wnhen they turn from the drudgery. Of
the farm for a moment to look with
longing eyes toward the city which
Enough doubtless not Intentionally,
their teachers and s~choolbooks have
painted. all over with glorious. careers
Ind with the splendors of wealth and
own fathers helped to dig out of he
grounds it. any~wonder the ambi-
tious young man deserts the farm for
the city? .%4
The Remedy.
But the remedy is not a simple me-.
Old hereditary prejudices are difficult
to remove. The Unborn! spirit. of indi-
Vidualism is deep-rooted. Conserva-
tism rules. ~ ~ XIX
All classes and especially. the great
captains of industry view with alarm
any decline in. our agricultural pros
perity. Financial aid is freely con-
tributed by the wealthy corporations
for the, purpose of, promoting better
methods Of farming in order to In
crease the volume of farm products.
But until the farmer himself Is reach
ed-the farmer and his family, and his
business, both ends of it, and distri-
button as well as production are more
largely brought under his own control.
but little progress will be made. To
become more productive without be-
coming more independent avails but
little. To encourage the farmer to
produce more abundantly that larger
profits may be realized by those solic-
itous for his welfare, may serve as a
palliative but not as a remedy. .
AS long, therefore, as the producer
of farm products Is at the mercy of
SPECTATORS; as long as the farmer, is
denied a voice in fixing the price OF
either what he buys OF sells he is in
the power Of the "other fellow, and
the prosperity of his business from the
farmers standpoint, rests with the
consciences Of those with whom he is
compelled to deal. j.,
Vital Education.
Education is the. only remedy. Not
necessarily book education or school
training in the accepted sense, but the
result Of systematic corporations; ex-
pert leadership, and the directing in
fuence of trained minds, just as the
Workmen in factories are shown
how. Education that is vital;
that relates the farmer to his task,
both as producer and distributor; that
as far as possible eliminates the
drudgery and brings into his life the
things that are interesting and beauti-
full, is a contamination devoutly to be
desired. The first important step to-
ward enjoying business equity is to
establish the principle of cooperation.
One farmer against the world must
expect defeat. but collectively they
become a power to be reckoned with.
Cooperation. alone can dispel the dis
NAL farce of a "helpless majority. 1t
will enable farmers to produce more
abundantly, and by dispensing with
unnecessary middlemen. enjoy larger
profits. and at the same time supply
consumers with the products of the
farm at lower prices. 1t will enable
them, if they SO desire, to fix the terms
of rural credit, even to the establish
ment of rural banks; to redirect and
vitalize. rural education with a bent
toward the soil instead of toward the
city; to establish secondary schools Of
agriculture. and domestic science, and
to maintain their agricultural colleges
and experiment stations on a plane
consistent with the Importance of ag-
riculture as compared with profession
al or with other business and indus
trial interests. All these movements
being essentially for rural uplift, they
should be directed and controlled by
the rural communities. The initiative
and public spirit thus awakened in
their own social affairs will tend to
broaden their vision and stimulate
their interest in other progressive
movements.
With farming adjusted to modern
business principles and asserting its
proportional influence in the affairs of
government, ambitious young men
then will find as fine a market for
brains Inc energy in agriculture as
anywhere else. Instead Of agriculture
being taken up so largely by men who
can find nothing else to do, it will be
dominated by men who farm for the
love of farming; because they elect it
as a preferred vocation and make
preparation for it, accordingly. The
bad effects of tenantry may also thus
be avoided. Every agricultural pro-
vince or state could well AFFORD to as
sist young men to become and owners
Taking all things into consideration,
It Is, a question whether an agri-
cultural province Or state can afford
to do otherwise. For when men own
land they love it and will care for it.
But where they rent, too often they
have no interest in the land except to
get out of it what they can and in the
briefest time, regardless of its abuse,
u. How Educate tho Farmer? -sr
But, how shall the farmer be educat-
ed? For obvious reasons the. farmer
and his. wife cannot go to school. In
that case the school must go to the
farm home. ii ~ 9 : - 4. To- sn
The agricultural college, therefore,
has a mission that extends beyond it's
campus. 1t Is well that, provision Is
made for educating the farmers chill
dren in terms of farm life, but their
parents are equally entitled. to the
knowledge that has been collected for
farmers, but thus far has been kept
in cold storage. Governments have
spent many millions of dollars for
collecting body of, useful, scientific
knowledge that farmers should have,
but how to get it to them in a practi-
cal way has been more a question Of
means h a Of method. But a way, has
been found. t5
The college. extension movement is
the most promising agency yet devised
for convavinp thiS inform otion oft In