The Washington times., 1920-02-06
"A Call to the
| Soil
By DR.. VIM. "A. McKecvor,
professor in the Uriyer.ity Of Kan
sas and an Authority on
Child Training.

HyuYHY are we short OF bread:
M Who in tho future years
wv is to supply our lean ta-
!blee Why are the big cities crowd
I'D to the walls with a hungry,
istrurgling mass OF humanity, ig-
inorant and helpless as TO direct
bread production while the broad,
untitled areas of good land lie Just
beyond?
Within a period of twenty-tour
hours 1 passed from the first to the
Second of the following situations
land thus was given striking IL
Illustration OF how we wrong young
humanity and mistreat society
through tho hot-bed city training
lof our boys and girls.
IA million people huddled TO-
,rether on 100 square miles or
space, 10000 to the square miie'
Z, tho City of Somewhere in America:
"a million people scattered
Z about over an entire state or
ldO.OOO square miles, ten to the
square mile, leisurely scratching
the rich soil.
nut accurate enough to serve the
noint. In this typical American
CITY of Somewhere the mass OF the
population are helplessly Ignorant
ar direct fate or chance as TO place
Of birth and rearing was permit
ted TO have its unwholesome inhu-
encc.
FLORIDA in a very general way is
typical OF many of the younger out
living states. sparsely populated ana
Ant potentially rich enough in sotl
10 feed the nation. Under right
rmanareucnt this state could very
soon be made to support a popu'a-
tion of 10 900 900 people on its iand.
z new and radical departure In
Juvenile training VIII tinaily wrese
Tho bread from tho SOIL ana cerIs
Al TO the lean tables Of America
ryrfor,unatelv. Florida is herself to-
dav perpetrating two of the blum
aers of the ages. Sho Is turning
oyer the beautiful and inspiring
work of tilling the soil to the black
man. who performs grudgingly. she
10 at the same time cheating fer
ovn boys and girls out of knpwi-
edge of this combined bread pro-
,,ctnp and soul building occups-
lion. Practical agriculture shouio
No ,he frst study in every grammar
school and every high school OF the
state The child of the black man
should be taught how to secure Gno
Improve a little farm of ms own
and not merely to slave as the un-
willing hired man OF some ono eise'
/. But the point ] here Wish TO urge
Is that the city OF somewhere ano
.ho state of Florida should organ
ize a colouizing agency Tor piacins
a largo number OF the hungry de-
nendent families on the soil of this
state. In a season or two. after
being SO placed under wise man
agement, the typical family might
hc waxing fat on a ten-acre tract
Ind helping to feed others as well.
As a farmer of quarter century
kxperience. and as one who has In
uuired personally as to soil condl-
lions in forty-tive states. ! am posi-
tive that ordinary city boys and
girls can quickly be taught to do
any kind of farm work and to pro-
duce more than their share of the
bread. am satisfied that they can
he so adjusted to tho farm life and
It's environment as to bring every
substantial necessity and good
practically at their call
The state OF Florida could we'll
afford 60 appropriate s1,000,o00 for
colonizing young families on the
farm. Tho City OF Somewhere
huy big city---could we'll afford 10
meet this appropriation with an
other big ono of its own to CO.
operate with tho samo purpose.
Thus our crumblins and perish
Ing young humanity OF the big city
could be saved and made TO serve
God and man. who will start this
orort7 Florida seems almost per-
huaded. A dozen other States might
veil follow her lead