The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1915-06-24
CLUB CONTESTS EDUCA-
TIONlL ORGANIZATIONS
They Train Young People TO Think
and Observe and Bring Older
People to a Realization OF
New Order Of Things
GIVE AID TO RURAL SCHOOLS

When you go to fair and see the
various exhibits do you see more
than the material objects before
your eyes? Do you stop to consider
what the significance Of these ex-
hibits and contests is Take for in
stance an average exhibit in any of
the club contests. What influence
does the contest have on the club |
member f; on his or her parents on
the school system?
The member Of the club, while |
still plastic, is receiving lasting i'm
pressions. The judge Of the contest
may, by stressing the basic princi-
pies underlying the successful pro-
duction Of a prize winning corn
crop, pig, ETC., teach the member
more than the teacher would in a
month. Why? Simply because the
member is vitally interested. The
member is more interested in his
work as result Of the contest and
he or she also tekes on a spirit of
friendly rivalry. He or she is going
t. profit by the lessons taught in the
I present contest SO that the prize
may come to him or her in the next
contest. III other words the contest
sets the boy or girl to thinking ?
The power OF observation is being
trained. What would it mean in
your life today were your powers of
observation carefully trained ar d
your thinking or reasoning powers
were SO developed that you could
anaiyze the results Of your observa-
tions? Brother farmers, are you not
willing to admit that in all too many
cases we as farmers depend on "the
other fellow to do our thinking for
US Our farms and our pocket
hooks would be in better condition
il we were doing our own thinking
No person can do the thinking for
another. He may work out general
: principles and make many valuable
suggestions but he cannot make the
: detailed application of such princi-
pies as we'll IS the Individual who
knows local conditions In other
words the Individual must make his
own Application 81 the good Ihin4s
: available Tu do his ne must think
! Are you thinker ? | + rot, how
| about getting that boy or girl IN
tecested IL thinking? It may be the
5 means Of holding him or her to h
farm and in this way you viii he
: able to profit by their success dur
5 ing your life and. when the times
comes for you to "shuffie off this
) mortal coil' you will leave your boy
! or girl better prepared for the fil.
5 ture as a result of their having de.
} veloped the habit of thinking. It is
7 a good thing to think once or twice
{ in a while.
: Clubs contest, as no other means
5 would Go, cause old people to real
: iza the wonderful possibilities Of
Agricu ture when carried on unde1
7 practical scientific methods. We
) old dogs may be skeptical ani
: may not care ''to learn new tricks ,
c Seeing may he believing" will
t some of US. Club contest are go0C
! places for seeing and an inspcc
;. ton Of the record sheets is q gcoe
: aid in bringing Us to the believing
! state. We leave the contests will
y our minds open. We are being ed
S ucated although we may not realize
2 it.
i The club contest, as we have seen
d train your young people to thin]
e and observe. They cause our OF,
e people to realize that there ar
:, new things under the SUM-" The
e are brought to a better understand
:, ing of the young people. If this b.
i true and we are sure it is true, It
n but a normal result that our rurt
# school systsm should be benefited
Our schools benefit from club cor
tests for several reasons. viz: The
vitaize the work Of rural schoe
by showing the members the cor
nection in terms OF dollars an
cents, between the school work c
a. today and their Life on the farm tt
morrow. In other words the cor
tests by causing help to our rurs
le schools fulfill their mission, l. e., t
IN prepare the students for their env
ronment = life on the farm. Til
81 contest by causing spirit of con
-. radeship between parents and chi
~ dren and by causing the parent t
ly realize the possibilities of the fl
ne ture, prepares them to make sacr
in flee in order that their childre
may h2ve the advantages whic
1g were denied to them. All Of whic
Of tends toward democracy, cooper;
tn ton and education and this justifie
of us in saying that club contes1
he are valuable educational institl
ton.