The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1913-05-23
Corn Club Smith One Of the
Men Who Have Done Things

| both ways. Here was the all but de-
spised country school suddenly becom-
Ing the basis for new and greatly in
creased prosperity for the whole coun-
| ty. Who had ever thought that books
could SO fertilize the soil?
! And the girls must not be forgotten.
Their achievements, while never bulk
ing SO large as those off, the boys,
We're equally remarkable, and In some
ways more interesting. The products
of their Home Science club, as 1t was
called, was a startling index to the
good things of life which the soil and
surroundings Of Mississippi farm
held for any woman who knew how to
get them for herself and her husband
and children. Ruby was emancipated
,, as well as Jed.
Over the Whole State.
The local, district, and state agents
| of the agricultural department took
the greatest interest in Professor
Smiths experiment, keeping in touch
with him, and in some instances visit
| ing the boys to give personal instruc-
ttons, while DIR. Knapp himself took
pains to meet this progressive county
superintendent, and to write him fire.
quent letters of encouragement and
| suggestion,
Other counties, too, were quick to
see the value of the corn club idea,
and Professor Smith found himself
called here and there to tell them how
to work 1t.
The third year, the idea went over
the whole state and DR.. Knapp made
1t part of his farm demonstration
work, and began to spread it through
out the south. Indeed, there was al
| ready a corn club movement up and
going In Georgia in 1905, year be-
fore 1t started in Mississippi. But
| Professor Smith is undeniably the
| father of the Mississippi movement,
and worked his idea out independently
before he knew of the Georgia enter
prise.
A beautiful feature Of the plan was
that it not only gave the schools
utilitarian value not hitherto possess
| ed, but had an immediate and remark
able effect upon the character of the
istudents and the quality of their
work in the regular school curriculum.
l asked Professor Smith to describe
this for me and here is his answer:
Let us take" said he, "a boy who
| is what call hand minded. He thinks
with his hands, he; is a genius at any.
thing that involves manual dexterity,
whether work or games, but with no
interest in mental process as such. He
comes to school because his mother
and father require 1t, but having no
taste for books, his lessons are poorly
prepared, and he feels grumpy and ILL
disposed because he knows he is max
| ing show of himself. He becomes
utterly disgusted, his disposition is
spoiled, and he will go back to the
| soil feeling hatred for all things in
tellectual, and drop into the uninter-
esting round of agricultural life, where
his hardest work brings no more than
a living
This boy clutches eagerly at the
corn club idea. Here is something
that interests him, something that he
likes to do. He goes about the whole
| task with enthusiasm. Because the
kind of seed has been used, his corn
begins to grow much more rapidly
than his fathers corn right adjoining.
In few weeks it is taller and looking
! much more promising. The boy begins
to feel proud of himself and of his ac-
complishment in beating his father
growing corn. He combs his hair bet
| ter, washes his face and hands clean
| er. The neighborhood begins to talk
about his corn. 1t is the center of at
| traction. He begins to feel his i'm
portance and says to himself Here,
[ cannot afford to be at the foot of my
class He catches a new inspiration,
and directly is solving problems, and
| analyzing sentences better than any
| ford to misbehave. and get the censure
of the teacher.
FINALLY he begins to feel himself a
factor in the community life, and to
see some possibility of moneymaking
| in the soil. He begins to dream of the
home he is to build, to plan the way
hesis to run his fences, make his pas
| lures and fields In other words. he
| wakes up, he gets ideals and objec-
tives. The corn club has increased
the yield of manhood in Mississippi
greatly
Wherefore William Fl. is not Presi-
dent Smith, but Corn Club" Smith:
and wherefore, too, Mississippi does
not merely honor Corn Club, but
loves him,
His last words to me were:
THE people must learn how to do
their work so skilfully and intelligent
| ly that out of the labor of their hands
they can get their prosperity and their
happiness. The fundamental problem
Is prosperous farmer in the agricul-
tural south; following that is good
home; following that an efficient COM
munity school. Going along with that
will be good roads, good churches, and
well-paid preachers, for in the south
the most of us feel that religion, is
fundamental element In civilization,
and therefore in life and in happi-
ness"
From which conclude that William
I'll. Smith is more. than teacher-he
is statesman.
The great calamity in Omaha was
quickly overShadoWed by the terribly