The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-05

! flRnERTOO STUBBORN
FOR HIS OWN SUCCESS
IswAt "a Wen rnmssk the Facts
says one of Their Number
Te Address,
HSoRAScE nae DRAWBACK
Ucst ysIuabie susgestions Made by
=. ". Fnrrmr. ut Demonstration Con-
xress---AdvsntaEes OF Club Work"
Subject.

Through the courtesy OF 7, O. Sandy
@tate Farm demonstration agent The
Sfrsinlan is able to publish the fall
text of a most able address made III
she recent farm demonstration con-
ursKs held here at Murphy's hotel
'The Advantages OF Club Work" is the
subject of this address which was
made by s F. FArrar. district agent.
j; follows.
Mr.. Chairman and Fellow Agents.
The more I know cf You men ano
your motives. the more that ! see OK
tins demonstration work. the more
believe. that excepting the Christian
religion, II has the greatest influence
form good that has ever touched our
country service is written on every
mile post Of It's progress. And l be
Neve that the club work OF the boys
end the girls Of the country is tho
most important factor which engages
the energies Of the agents Of the
south.
The future OF the rural citizenship
OF our country is dependent upon the
direction and training OF it's youth.
and the destiny OF the Southern og-
4 rtculture IS dependent upon brain pow
sr IS well as Drawn.
Farmers Back system.
One fact that has beer clearly de
ruoustrpted az this meeting Is that the
farmer himself is more to be censnred
for the evils he endures that anyone
else He produces from eight TO ten
Billion dollars worth Of stun year
and does not set a price upon an ar
ficle that he sells. bat receives forty
four cents en- the dollar for It The
farmers property 10 valued at s40.s@l,-
$4,000 and IL takes millions more 10
finance his business, yet he has not
banking system He ships more stuH
Than any other class. IS ignorant Of the
laws of transportation. He sells in all
markets but TO ignorant OF the rules
that govern the distribution q ita
products. II Is common fact that
the years OF his greatest crop pro-
ducticn are the years that he receives
least for his harvest. because hs has
no regard for the laws OF supply and
demand His business competitors are
organized but tho farmer defianuy
stands alone.
we often hear the expression the
rural community but where do we
md rural communities? There are
rural population but that 10 altogether
a different thing. The word 'commun-
tty implies an association OF people
having common interest In common
possessions, bound together by laws
and regulations which express their
common interest and ideals. and define
the relation OF the individual to the
community. Our rural population are
! no more closely connected for tho most
part than the shifting sands OF the
seashore. Their life 10 almost entirely
tndividualistic There are personal
friendships OF course. but no economic
or social partnership
Wight Unmssk the Facts.
we might az well unmssk the facts
and say that the ignorance and stub
nornness Of the farmer are greatly re-
spousible for these conditions. He
should be the most independant man
on earth, yet he is today. like the sheep
before his shsarers, dumb and opens
not his mouth. he 10 at the mercy Of
every class OF business competitors
and as result 10 unhappy and unsat-
isaed with his environment. No ma
zion. can be regarded as unhealthy
when a write peasantry contentsd with
3sga} employment exists on its soil
The disease which has attacked the
great Industrial communities Of
at yfca IS discontent with rural life
Nothing which has been done hitherto
---a-s4.a444S -ta-Ae sele to promote content
what is required is the art OF thu
thinker, the Imagination which creates
the social order and adjusts 1t to hu
man geeds.
The genius ot rural life has no
mental philosophy concerning II ] be
iIeys that the right kind of educate
In the only panacea for these condi
lions II In true that in the past VI
had some pretense OF an educationa
system. but one absolutely united 4
orr needs We have been taught Il
read 70 write ard q few to think. ou
what is needed is an education ftted u
rural life conditions-~an education tina
,tot only trains the intellectual power
hut the hands we'll An education
.hat teaches people how to do things
and inspires them to do better al
education that invites success an
makes people enjoy the work in whiol
they are engaged An education tina
nuts a plan into their lives. and give
direction to the ultimate course o
life.
A Demaastra tom Slogan
''one OF the slogans Of demonstratio
work should be for agricultural edu
cation in our schools. Not the educa
tinnal tragedy that they have engage
IN but a real system. which will meh'
the education of our youth to thinl
along lines connected with their life
work. ss soil fertility. greater Gro
n production. crop rotation. diversiica
tion, Standardization of crops, improve
uient OF live stock. rural credits, mar
Vs. kstinR. cooperation, the laws OF trans
,a portatton and distribution, so tina
when they become actors in the grea
,ural drama, they will have bee,
trained and act automatically regard
ing all of these great problems whicl
are so vital 70 their interest Tn
I'm public school system has been inaugu
rated 10 train the child of the tn
average man, 10 bring him UP to
higher level; and the child of the av
erage man In the we must worl
Il with. We should do all we can TO Vi
falize the public school system. and II
~ turn should help us organize GU
clubs.
1T has been clearly demonstrate
that TO train boy or girl 70 DO an!
ane thing thoroughly helps them to d.
everything better and quickens thei
intellect. Nothing succeeds like sue
cess Let q boy once raise bette
pig or better acre Of corn, and h.