Report of Missouri Farmers'' Week. 103 



tell only of the work of the boys and young men, because the 

 difficulty in many churches seems to be to interest and hold the 

 young men and boys. 



A young men's Bible class was organized. It grew until it 

 had nearly fifty members enrolled. This class met with the 

 Sunday school for Bible study. Bible study was emphasized 

 above everything else. But we believed in doing the Word as 

 well as studying it. So a monthly meeting was planned for 

 social service. The first Tuesday night in every month would 

 find the young men at the kirk. This meeting was' opened with 

 a devotional exercise. Then a musical and literary program 

 followed. They debated a great deal. Papers were read and 

 talks made on agricultural topics, current events and various 

 subjects, some of which were of special interest to young men. 

 Once in a while the class would organize itself into a moot court 

 and try some fellow for some mischief with judge and jury and 

 all the various court officers. The boys were getting a lesson 

 in civil government here, you see, as well as having a good time. 

 Sometimes they would have a little spread of some kind for the 

 sake of good fellowship. It is a great thing for young men to 

 break bread together under this kind of auspices. 



One of the things we emphasized a great deal in these meet- 

 ings was extemporaneous speaking. I am convinced more and 

 more that right here is where our farmers as a class have lost out 

 in times past; they have not learned how to talk up their case. 

 The lawyers and the politicians and the business men who have 

 learned to talk have gotten into the offices and responsible posi- 

 tions and they boost their business and make laws to suit them, 

 but they neglect to talk up the farmers' business or to make 

 laws to benefit them. I have been told that in the Congress 

 before the last there was only one farmer — that is, a real farmer 

 that actually makes his living by holding the plow handles or 

 driving his own team. Of course, there are plenty of "cavalry 

 farmers" in Congress, as they call them down south, but only 

 one real farmer. There is not the representation of farmers in 

 our state legislatures that there ought to be when we come to 

 consider that nearly the half the people of the nation are engaged 

 in agricultural pursuits. 



This extemporaneous speaking is developed in a very 

 simple way. About five of the men are called to the platform 

 every night and are given a topic, something we are very sure 

 they are familiar with. This is important. The speakers must 



