Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-09-13

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Back to the Farm and City High
Schools.

Back to the Farm and City High
Schools.
Editor Capital Journal: Your editor
ial in the issue of the Capital Journal
of last Wednesday on the back to the
land question should incite all serious
minded people to keen interest in one
of the most difficult as well as the most
important economic problems now fac
ing the American people.
1t requires years of experience to
master the intricacies of practical farm
management. The belief that anybody
can farm is entertained by those who
have never tried to farm efficiently.
If the American people are to con
tinue to be the best fed and best clothed
people in the world something must
be done to meet the demands of the
American farmer so he will be content
to remain on the farm and continue to
utilize his practical knowledge in the
production of food and other vital hum
an necessities. Hunger breeds discon.
tent. A hungry people are a dangerous
people.
great many factors are responsible
for the movement of our farmers into
the city. Without attempting even to
name these | shall call attention to one
only which inquiry has found to be the
most powerful cause for the tendency
to abandon farm life. 1t is the want
of proper facilities for the advanced
education of rural children.
Oregon has wisely provided for the
advanced education of such of her coun-
try boys and girls as desire to pursue
their studies beyond the provision made
in their district schools. These may
attend any high school in the state and
the amount of their tuition, computed
on actual cost of instruction, will be
assessed against the school districts in
which they reside and paid into the city
school fund.
I feel our school board is making a
great mistake by trying to read into
the law something that will enable them
to charge an increased rate of tuition
sufficient to cover interest on invest
ment. deterioration of buildings and
similar items. If such additional
amount is not paid by the district the
sum can be collected from the farmer
by suit at law.
1t will not take the average farmer
long to decide how to settle these diff
ficulties. Instead of being harassed
about the amount of tuition to be paid
for the instruction of his children he
will rent house in the city where he
and his family will reside thereby OBJ
WAITING the payment of any tuition at
all. By the end of the school year they
will have found city life so charming
that a tenant will be placed in charge
of the old farm and the knowledge of
the practical farmer so laboriously ac.
auired will be of no further service to
the consuming public.
Apparently some of our people are
proceeding under the assumption that
they have an inalianable right to sup
port both of home and municipality
from profits in the traffic which comes
from the farms. If any entertain such
views they will prove not only pleas
ant dream. A rude awakening is even
now dawning on their consciousness
through the prodding of the steadily in
creasing cost of our daily food. And
the end is not in sight.
The question as to whether we can
afford to erect new school rooms to ae-
commodate the increased enrolment
from the country may very properly be
answered by asking another question:
"Can we afford not to build them9'
FAIR PLAY.
Salem, Ore. Sept s, 1916.