The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1916-06-01

tive Bennett Of New York, in the
curse Of a speech in the House, asked
what would happen 'if that order was
issued to the Cabinet of the United
States today" This brought out the
fact that the proportion of foreign born
members of the Cabinet is about the
same as the proportion Of population
throughout the United States.
In the ChiIdren's Garden
Sociological workers are deeply in
terested in he work being done by
specialists in child analysis, by which
difficult" children are being success
fully cured of naughty behavior, or
the cause Of eXasperating traits rem
edied.
Foremost in this work is Mrs. Mir
lam +. Scott, who has opened a Chill
dren's Garden" in her attractive home,
near Central Park in the upper side of
New York City. While the federal
Children's Bureau deals principally
with the industrial side of child life,
still there is an intense interest at
Washington in such work as is being
done in the Children's Garden, where
the diagnostician makes a complete
analysis of the child's physical, mental
and spiritual qualities. The fine traits
that exist in each child are sought out
and definitely located. Then the at
tempt is made to intelligently and SYM
pathetically develop these latent char
acteristics. The process involves the
parent, but since the latter is presuma-
bly, willing to cooperate, that phase or
the matter presents no difficulties. 1t
is interesting to note the attitude of a
child turned loose in a play room, on
tanning every kind of toy, and with
carte blanche instructions to carry
home anything he, or she, may desire.
The small guest goes upon the con-
quest with care unaware that there IS
close observation of every movement,
to see whether the toys are methodical-
ly returned to their place, or c~arelessly
dropped on the floor; or whether deftly
or clumsily handled. The length of
time the toy holds the interest sho US
concentration, or the woeful lack of it.
Mrs. Scott, in one of her lectures,
told how the mother of the child SHIPS
from the room, leaving her alone with
the patient" and she described how
they played and visited together. Some
times the confidence Of the child is
easily won, and often it is difficult
but there is an intensive study of symp-
toms, followed by helpful suggestions
to the parent. 81 believe there are two
fundamental facts in almost every
family where the children are a prob
lem" said Mrs. Scott, in talking Of
her work. zone is the child, the other
is the parent, or parents. The bad
qualities and distressing habits Of the
child can usually be corrected II
handled before those qualities have
time to develop into deplorable forms,
which make the boy Or girl a human
problem"
The Farmer Must Fight
The farmer has never gotten any
thing in this country without making
a fight for it. The l@rge commercial
interests if the great cities kept him
out of the stage routes, and the par
cells post and the rural free delivery. If
Wall Street and the capitalistic class
had it's way the farmers would still be
in the isolated back woods. This atti-
tude is being repeated in the opposi-
ton directed against rural credits, and
one of the big New York mo%uth-pieces
of the dangerous financial interests. In
opposing rural credits, does so on the
ground that it threatens "an enormous
credit imitation in the hands of people
whose appetite for credit is Unsuitable,
who confuse %sOlvency with politics,
and who are VIGOROUSLY not the most
prudent borrowers in the world" Or
in other words, If one wishes to take
the mask off the devil the whole an
swer is that rural credits mean that
the government will get behind a new
banking scheme, in the same way as
was done with the Federal Reserve
act, which is in the interest of the COM
mercial and industrial development.
When Uncle Sam authorizes rural
credits, the insurance companies and
trust companies and bankers who have
been trimming the farmers in many
sections of the country by charging
them eight, ten and twelve per cent
interest on their loans, will lose their
graft. The credit bill as it has passed
the Senate, and as it will sooner or
later get through the House of Repre-
senatives, will guarantee to the farm
ers a method by which they can secure
loans at about five per cent per annum
This is bound to be a good thing Tor
the farmer and for rural communities.
1t does not require very much think
ing to understand why the big Wall
Street and the small Wall Streets" of
the nation are in opposition.