The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-06-27
CONDITIONS
ON FARM URGED
Rural Educators Hear Talks
at State Normal on What
South Needs.

THE South needs more r. F. DIS.
than Phi. DIS. and LII. Dis, Gov, c. II.
Brough, OF Arkansas, told the country
Life conference at the West Tennessee
Normal school Friday morning, he
meant that the rural districts need bet.
ter facilities for communication and
| needs them worse than persons with
fancy educations. The governor
spoke at II am,
dov. Brougti declared hat the South
! ern states should spend more money IN
rural development.
THE reason that Michigan, Illinois
and Iowa are better off and richer than
| Arkansas and Tennessee" he declared,
lis that they spend millions while we
spend thousands on agricultural col,
leges and other rural training, We need
more liberal appropriations for better
agricultural colleges In the South he
said.
In order to solve the rural prob
lem declared the governor, I'VE must
have bigger schools, more teachers ana
better roads In the rural communities,
He agreed with the RSv, R. A. n; VII
| son. Of Mississippi, That the rural high
school can be n great force In rural de-
velopment.
Referring to the necessity OF develop
ing the highest types of humanity IN
the rural districts, Gov, Brough said
that the salvation Of American civil,
zation is the country mar and woman.
Gov. Brough congratulated the Nor
| NAL school on It's herd Of pure-bred
| Holstein cattle and Duroc hogs, saying
that It was right that the Normal
school should teach the farmers OF Ten
nessee by example. that better farming
Is profitable.
shevism and its relation to America,
Gov. CROUCH said; "rhe state Of Ar
kansas and Tennessee ought to pass
a law requiring that an American flag
be flown from every sohooihouse no
| that the children m the grown ups
of the rural districts may be constant
~ reminded Of their duty to their coun-
try"
Or. Bruce |, Payne, president Of Pea
body college, Nashville, preceded the
governor with an address on the rural
problem.
In order to develop country life" he
said, 1T must be made physically prof
table, humanity tolerable and humarly
interesting" He declared that men will
leave the rural communities even when
they can earn more money there, be-
cause OF the isolation Of the rural COM
munities, 49,
America has organized herself
around her cities, instead Of around her
rural communities DR.. Payne said,
and SO long as this neglect Of rural
communities persists, there can be no
material progress in rural development.
Not until Woodrow Wilson became pres
ident," the speaker declared, could a
farmer put up his farm as collateral
and borrow money from the u. 5. gov
ernment."
The conference will close Friday
evening with a banquet at the school
to Gov. Brough and lr. Payne, The
sessions have been highly successful
throughout and have attracted large
crowds OF rural educators and others
interested In rural development In the
tri- state territory. An especially large
crowd was in attendance Friday.
1.-THE education of the negroes OF the
South Is largely a rural proposition,
the Rev. T. o. Fuller, negro minister.
told the county school superintendent
at the conference Thursday afternoon,
According to the census Of 1870 he
said. "89 per cent of the negroes OF the
country lived in the South, aDd 1875 per
cent were to be found In the rural dis
tricts. Forty per cent Of all agricultural
workers in the South are negroes, mum
herring two and one-third millions. One
and one-ha1f million are farm laborers
and 800, 900 own or rent their farms.
Two hundred and eighteen thousand
own their own farms
DIR. Fuller declared that contrary to
the cityward course OF the white popu-
lation, the drift OF the negro population
In the South Is decided countryward
Thousands OF negroes are migrating
from the Southern rural districts, how
ever, he said, because of dissatisfaction
with their lot. In 19l6-1917, 100000 left
the South because of this unrest.
This migration presented a problem
for the South which must be met, he
said. by better schools and better condi-
lions generally for the negro. A census
of the department Of labor had shown,
he said. that the migration was due ia
a = - 49, e. f~,,Y Na.s a
poor housing. unsatisfactory crop allot
ments, boil weevil, change Of crop sys-
TENS, rough treatment, cruelty Of law
officers, unfairness in court procedure,
~lypchings. desire to travel, labor agents
aid from negroes In the North and the
influence of the negro press.
THE farm was hit hardest by the
exodus he said.