The farmer and mechanic., 1915-03-02


ne machinery once formed into an
actlve agency, variety Of things
served as nucleus around which to
crystalline civic consciousness. An il
iuStrated S6-page pamphlet, brimfu1
OF suggestions. and helpful hints for
the practlcal performance of things
eXpedlent TO the advancement Of
every community in the State was is
sued from the department of educa-
uon Forty thousand copies were.
prlnted--tWenty-two thousand were
immediately distributed to town and
township committees
Inc initial move was to get a grasp |
OF actual conditions in each corn1nun- !
lty Frank and candid comparisons |
of conditions in one community with
those of other communities were com
piled in the handbook The needs and
possibilities Of the various sections
were suggested by such questions as
these:
Are our roads what they should be?
Are our farmers cooperating as they
should? How can we make our com
munity healthier? What is our COM
munity doing to teach adults to read
and write How can we develop a
| richer social life and recreation faci-
llues, greater get together spirit
among our people?
The plain Truth About Your
| 1
| is Moving is a section in the hand
| book sharply calling attention to the
agencies and forces that are making
! or marring Individual counties. Com
paratiye tables, county by county,
were compiled on these topics:
Power to produce farm wealth,
| white illiteracy. church membership
farm tenancy, road mileage, b,ys
corn club enrolment, girls canning
club enrolment, and corn and cotton
yields under demonstration methods
| supplementary to the guideboOk,
other inspiring literature contributed
to stimulate the movement. The sec
retary mailed six thousand letters to
members of farmers unions and let
ter to every rural school teacher in
the State.
Survey Of Rural Conditions
/ The Inauguration of a rural census
or survey created demand for
: blanks for the insertion of replies to
fifty questions of intimate insight into
home life. The survey was prosecut-
ed by the educational forces Of the
rural communities. Here appended
are replies to ten questions. gathered
!, | from thirteen counties scattered over
: the State, Of unusual import:
f Percentage Basis
n Questions. Yes NJ
: No. l. Do you use patent
- medicines? ........... 81 4
No. 2. Has the farm dem
onstration agent helped
8 you this year? ....... IA 8
= No. 3. Are you a church
member? ............. 10 ;
= No. 4. Have you helped
> your local bank by de-
posting your savings i'll
:. No. 5. Has your bank ever
= helped you by leanding
= No 6. Do all your chill
dren between six and
- = sixteen attend school? 50 l
~ No. 7. Do you own your
:" farm? ............... 72 z
to No. s. Do you take farm
Mo- pager 3. DO the boys have %
Saturday afternoons off
ne for baseball or other
t. recreatiOnS? .......... 46
iy No. 10. Would you favor in-taoi
n No. 10. Would you favor
n Industrial. agricultural
ur and some high school sub
o. jectS III your schoOls6.. 81
he Rural communities all over tt
he State caught the spirit Of the ne
he adventure in self-gOvernment-th
is patriotic impulse was quickened
ed the movement-and it was an il
spiration to labor for the comme
he good.
&C. When an isolated school district
in an eastern county closed their store
by shutdown their grist MILL saw mil
gh cotton gin, and banded-together
ed do service on the roads, county 0
he ganization had become real Sclen
ng and isolation had been pictured
On, the mother Of stagnation Thir
Ter miles Of improved highways was
lip bold testimonial to the efforts of tt
ct. single township on Public Roat
led "fouhos anu Duiiuihe Day'
G.. Only the Weather Unfavorable.
ion Other communities were similar
Of responsive to the call Tor actual ser
de- ice in community development. T
er- unfavorabIe weather conditions pl
.i