The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-06-30

by numerous organizations Slnce.
planned 70 tie the opening gun in
such . campaign. II is only the Begin
ming but it can be made a btg begin
ming.
The Governor. who is greatly inter-
ested in the movement. has readily
agreed 10 issue IA proclamation setting
aside two days during which the peo-
PIE IN the various counties throughout
the State will hold commuEity confer
ences and civic celebrations. ~griruari-
- TO discuss questions Of social and
economic progress III the various
communities. The conferences are to-
cal community conferences. arrang-
ed by the people OF eoch locality. and
arranged 10 serve the need OF that
community, but they have rs their
general common purpose deVelopine
interest through study and discus
sion IN question Of public welfare.
bringing ont the facts Of
life Of the community. comparison OF
Its progress with that OF sister COM
munltIes, explaining proposals for bet
tef1nent, and fixing on SONS special
task OF practical purpose for the com
ing year These conferences can be
helpfully supplemented, of course. by
agricultural, school, and industrial ex-
hlbits, by healthful public games, and
any other means OF developing inter
est and good fellowship.
ne 1EO@TiSff~.
The making Of the program will be
in the hands Of the local committee,
but it IS planned by the central com
nlittee to have q general secretary at
Raleigh, and TO issue a bulletin Of sug-
gG5tIons, outlining plans and typical
programs, and to assist in the organi-
zation Of the meetings in everv pos
slhle a What is planned is not a
campaign OF reform, or criticism, but
q campaign Of education. construc-
Uon and development. a Of
education in the affairs Of the town.
county, and State: the beginning OF an
intensive and extensive study OF pub
lie affairs by the public.
1t Is aebis, but a perfectly workable
plan. For the past .Wo year4-ve have
successfully conducted from the State
university a plan more complex, and
not less extensive. We have had a
Statewide high school discussion Of a
selected public question. This ycar
LOO schools, representing 600 speak
ers, spoke in see towns before au-
diences numbering perhaps 10000
persons. The speakers in those meet
lnGs were only boys and girls but they
awakened in one night more interest
in the question they discussed, thar
would have been otherwise developed
in five years.
\ Professor Of North Carolina.
We expect to go much further anc
deeper at the University with thi
matter Of stirring currents OF unpre
JUDGED discussion of public affairs
and direct study of North Carolin;
and North Carolina life. We have is
sued a bulletin on public discussion
II debate, which gives both sides %
q great many Of our local questions
and gives reading lists from which w
furnish study material. We hope l.
organize clubs for civic discussion no
only among h boys and girls. bu
among the grown people as well. W
have lately added to our faculty, Prof
T.. e. Branson, q former North Caro-
linian who has made q National repu
tatiOn by his intensive studies in 10
cal conditions in the counties Of Geor
gia. He is called Professor of Rura
; Economics and Sociology, but he i
, really professor of North Carolina
He viii take the county clubs int
) ana working With the leading me-
, which our 900 students are organized
in the home counties. teach these stu
. dents to know what is going on i
Johnson county. and AShe, as thor
Oughly as they are taught what wen
on in Babylon and Athens. We ca.
cooperate. toe, no doubt, in this wor'
: with the departments Of economics i
: the other colleges, and altOgethe
J make. the facts of North Carolin
and the problems and opportunitie
. OF North Carolina q great present is
t sue in the studies OF the splendi
army of boys and girls now in ou
: colleges.
Nor is this a provincial or ~parochia
Q view Of education. 1t does not mea
that we Of the schools should nc
: study Greece and Babylon stud
( French and German and master tn
+ mysteries Of science to the ninth de
gree. North Carolina needs all {
: tina knowledge. 1t equally does ne
mean that those not Of the schools
the banker, the farmer, the merchaT
h should cease to devote thenselVt
n to harvesting all of the materi;
wealth available. II means that in
2 democratic commonwealth, such {
ours, that no matter what our metz
eds of approach is, that we are q
Y engaged in the same great effort
d producing through a more thOroue
Y knowledge Of the facts Of our lf
a deeper understanding of the pril
ciples underlying it, and a more gel