The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-06-25
CONFERENCE ON
COUNTRY LIFE
AT THE STATE COLLEGE PROVES
TO BE VERY MUCH OF A
SUCCESS
MANY SPLENDID ADDRESSES ARE GIVEN
Program An Unusually Strong One and
Deserving of a Large Attendance
Results of the Conference

The First South Dakota Country Life
Conference, which was held at the
State College Thursday, Friday, Sat
urday and Sunday, Yves very much of
a success. The attendance was not
large to be sure, but it was all that
was expected under the circumstances
The weather had been so wet that
those who had expected to come by
auto could not get here and it had kept
the farmers out of their cornfields so
long that they could not reasonably
be asked to leave home. A number
of the speakers who had addressed
similar conferences stated that the
attendance was larger han they had
seen at any similar gathering which
was meeting for the first time. Under
these conditions the college people
feel pleased with the result of the con
ference, and President Brown is to be
congratulated upon the splendid pro-
gram arranged for. The history of
these conferences is tina the attend
ance is increased ten fold the second
year, and it is hoped that next year
the attendance will show a better ap-
probation of the splendid idea of the
conference.
The conference began on Thursday
evening and closed on Sunday after
noon. Thirty-two addresses were
given, an average of eight a day, and
three principal subjects, cooperation,
rural schools and rural churches, were
discussed. On Sunday morning the fol
lowing visiting ministers occupied the
pulpits of the city churches: Rev. 1. N.
Hargett, washington Springs; Presi-
dent j. A. Aasgaard, Concordia college,
Moorhead, Mimi; Rev. c. E. Kearns,
WATERFOWL; DR.. Clair S. Adams, De
catur, ILL.,; Rev. Fred Elliott, Green's
burg, Indiana.
The conference was opened Thurs
day by Gov. Frank NJ. Byrre and
others, who outlined the scope of the
country life conference movement.
AS Regent A. E. Hitchcock of Nit
chell, stated, this country life confer
ence was called for the express pur-
pose of studying: Cd How to make
farm life comfortable with homes as
modern as those in the towns; CO how
to keep the boys and girls on the farm,
and how to revise Jul school system
in order to educate toward instead of
away from the farm; CD how to I'm
prove social conditions in the country;
ca and how to devise some scheme of
cooperation and marketing so that the
farmer may get just compensation for
his investment and labor.
Mr.. Hitchcock said: Our farming
conditions are not on a level with the
general prosperity of the country.
believe hat the man who has $50 acres
of land can have just as modern a
home and surroundings as does the
man in the city. The farm home
should be equipped with electric light,
water, sewer, and a good heating sys-
tenn. This would also tend to keep the
boys and girls on the farm. Dur coun-
try schools should also be improved;
not only the equipment should be bet
tered, but the buildings should be
beautiful, surrounded with lawns-and
teachers should be paid better salaries.
1--WE hope to better these rural con-
ditions if the graduates of u agricul-
tural colleges will go back to the farm
and apply the knowledge they have
learned at school. In fact, that is the
only way that u country life can be
made as attractive for u boys and
girls as the town life"
Friday afternoon was devoted to
subjects relating to cooperation n
what had been done along this line in
certain parts of the country. DR.. B. H.
Hubbard of the University of Wiscon-
sin was of the opinion the greatest
success had been attained in the mat
ter of cooperative selling. Farmers
cooperative associations were advocat'
ed by J.. T. Belk and the grange was
explained and commended by State
Master G. R. Malone. The community
of interest between farmers and bank
ers was enlarged upon by R. L. Cone
of Huron, and a plea for better farm
homes was made by Prof. H. c. Sol
berg.
The remainder of the day was de-
voted to farmers clubs and rural