The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-08-25
Timely VieWs on World Topics
"WorId Awakening To Need Of Rural Develop
mont" says Agricultural Professor.

world awakening in country life Is seen
by DR.. Kenyon l.. Butterfield. president OF the
Massachusetts, Agricultural college. Amherst,
lecturing at the summer session Of Columbia
university, from which a nation wide movement
for rural school bcttcrment is being directed
China has followed Americas lead and India
is responding to the same influences, accord
Ing TO Doctor Butterfeld, who also asserts that
kussas future depends upon cooperation OF
the peasautTy.
Perhaps the main feature OF the country life
movement in America Is the increase In the
number OF agencies dealing with the problem"
ell OF Agencies engaged In rural social work
has a membership Of nearly 25 organizations,
associations and government bureaus.
The organization and work OF the American
Country Life association with its long and its
notable national conferences. may be said to
constitute a landmark in American country
lie development.
"A somewhat similar movement has taken
place In Canada. In ENGLAND, the latest ac-
t!viucs are connected with the improvement
OF tho status Of farm laborcrs In the small
rural villages: In Belgium n rather notable
organInton is pushing the idea Of the home
"a definite educational enterprise. In France,
in the work Of rchabitatisn the building Of COM
mnn'ty centers in the farm villages has met
with a good deal Of favor
III we think OF the country life movement In
the broader definition OF the term, find
remarkabIe new interest all over the world
China has held for the first time In its his
tory, national convention dealing with agricul-
tural education particularly, but including the
whole agricultural problem, and especially the
development OF the Chinese farming village in
all its aspects
I'm Russia # Is evident that the whole future
ot the country depends upon the attitude, the
intelligence and the cooperation of the peas
antrN, In India one of the most significant
topics for discussion is the education OF the
rural village.
There is one special feature OF the move
ment that Is worth mentioning. That Is the
growth OF tho community idea. This is
peclnlly marked In America, whore farmers
have lived on Isolated farms Community cen-
ters, consolidated schools community cO-operR-
tive exchanges community churches, commun.
ity festivals community health ceuters COM
munity breeding organizations, community auc-
tons community clubs and whole host Of
other activities OF similar type testify TO she
belief OF the farmers themselves that they
must cooperate In small local units if they are
to get the best results
There Is also growing consciousness that
IN the quest for democracy the rural peoples
must play an increasingly large part, This is
true chiefly, perhaps, because the farm people
are more numerous than the other classes.
They constitute four tifhs OF the population Of
such great countries as China india and Rus
STA Probably two-thirds OF the worlds popu-
lation are rural people
80 the question Of intelligence of education
IN fine Of maintaining and developing the quail
ity of the rural people becomes one Of the
worlds problems OF first Importance"