The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-06

means of the establishment of better
home arrangements.
In concluding his address. Superintend-
ent Feagin declared that he was pre-
pared to eonsecrate whatever talent and
opportunity he can command to the es-
tablishment of the organized rural COM
munity.
His address in part follows:
IF the present movement with which
the south is astir for the development
and enlargement of country life is to
prove more than a spasmodie and transit
tory effort, there must be a federation of
forces and a definite plan of organiza-
tion that will give unity conference, and
perspective to all the agencies and in
stitutions that are to have part in the
regeneration of the rural community
From the piece-meal, crazy-quilt scheme
OF the present must be evolved an or
sanization balanced, liberal, and broad
enough to include the whole interest and
enlist the united energies of our peo-
pie
Every difficulty in its last ANALYSIS
resolves itself into question of educa-
tioil. and whatever our Idea of the func-
ton of education in democracy NAV be.
we cannot dodge the truth that the bread
and butter view is, to say the least fun
damental.
Census Reports
When our recent census reports show
that as compared with the preceding de-
c&de the population of the United States
Increased n per cent, and the produc-
ton of cereals increased only IL per
cent, with a corresponding decrease in
Ala bama of "a per cent: when the pro-
duct,on of wheat in the United States in
creased 3.S per cent, with correspond
ing decrease in Alabama of 50 per cent;
when the ion af in, II
states decreased 4.3 per cent, and in Ala
hama 12.4 per cent; when there was a
decrease in the per capita supply of corn
in the United States of bushels. and A
decrease in the per capital supply of
all cereals of bushels; when farm lands
increased in value in the United States
lis per cent, and in Alabama l16 per cent:
when the excessive financial cost of trans
porting our crops due to bad roads is
more thanNS1 .oOO, 900, 900, enforcing upon our
rural folk self-dependen ,e and secluson
that prevents the infusion of their red
blood and sturdy character into our ma
tlonal life; when we note that SO per cent
of the people of Alabama live in rural
districts as against SS per cent 10 years
ago, showing decided migration from the
country to the city; when 5000, or 30 per
cent, of the school children in 429 of our
ordinary rural schools, representing 81
counties, show physical defects of suf-
iicient gravity to retard seriously their de-
velopment; WIEN less than one-fourth of
these 429 rural schools are found to have
sanitary arrangements which do not meet
even minimum requirements the newt
able result being a heavily polluted soil
actually constituting part Of the chill
6ren's playground; when we recall the
humble position that Alabama and her
ss Ter states occupy in the statistics of
literacy and educational efficiency; when
we carefully iweigh these several cumu-
lative facts, we are forced to the con-
c,usion that, if we are to subsist at all,
ere long the most valuable of all arts
will be the art of deriving a comfortable
subsistence from the smallest area OF
soil and we can but believe that our SUI
preme need, if our economic, sanitary,
social, educational and spiritual status is
to be materially bettered, is an organiza-
ton in each community that will elemi-
nate every hurtful agency, inhibit every
negative one. and stimulate every posi-
tive one into harmonious, cooperative re-
lationship to the other parts of this
scheme for social betternent
The Heart of Society
1.-The heart of society is the home and
back of the home is the individual. They
become naturally the starting point for
cooperation, and while the home can
rever safely part with its oportunity nor